Can Two Main Characters Be Together? with Taylor Strecker and Taylor Donohue

Summary

Girls Gotta Eat – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Can Two Main Characters Be Together?
Guests: Taylor Strecker & Taylor Donohue
Release Date: December 1, 2025
Podcast Hosts: Ashley Hesseltine & Rayna Greenberg

---

Episode Overview

This episode of Girls Gotta Eat dives into relationships, identity, and the nuances of partnership, with a comedic and candid lens. Ashley and Rayna are joined by Taylor Strecker and Taylor Donohue—a married couple, podcast team, and new parents-to-be. The group discusses everything from wedding mishaps and gift bag drama to deeper reflections on parenting decisions, main character energy in relationships, social media boundaries, and what it means to find your role in friendships and love.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Holiday Banter, Worst Months & Gift Bag Drama

• Hosts open with banter about the worst months (November, March, April), seasoned with personal anecdotes about depression and the East Coast winters (00:51-02:20).
• Ashley’s wedding “gift bag gate”: Ashley shares the saga of her meticulously planned wedding guest gift bags, most of which weren’t properly distributed due to a logistical mix-up. She recounts the labor involved and lingering disappointment. Rayna does a live “unboxing” of the gift bag for listeners, covering every item in comedic detail (10:27–19:09).
  • “I spent so much time and money on them, and for them not to get out to people...it really took me down.” – Ashley (11:50)
• Product recs and shout-outs are laced throughout via organic conversation, not ads.

2. Updates on Life & Travel

• The hosts discuss recent travel struggles around Thanksgiving and hype up their upcoming New York holiday show (03:45–05:35).
• “Egg carton” inside joke: Ashley describes an ongoing prank involving an egg carton she and her husband pass back and forth, finding new ways to outwit one another—including sneaking it into returned Adidas shoes (05:38–09:09).

3. Taylor & Taylor Join: Relationships, Pregnancy & Decision-making

Wedding FOMO & Vulnerable Moments

• Taylor Strecker and Donohue congratulate Ashley on her marriage and share their regret at missing the wedding, reinforcing the closeness of this group (30:03–31:13).
• The conversation shifts to Donohue’s pregnancy, the anxieties and joys of impending parenthood, and how the couple navigated one partner being more enthusiastic about children than the other (31:41–41:02).
  • “I love her more than I love not having kids.” – Taylor Strecker (40:04)
  • The couple shares that Strecker’s love for Donohue drove her decision to have kids, even though she had deep doubts—a raw and rare acknowledgment.

Paths to Parenthood & Donor Details

• Taylor Donohue explains she had always wanted to be pregnant, and both share their thoughts on IVF, donor selection (via California Cryobank), and the ethics and logistics of sperm donation—complete with jokes about picking the “hottest” donor (41:43–47:30).
  • “We chose him based off of his looks. Complete vanity decision.” – Taylor Donohue (44:59)
• They chat about the legalities of donor identity and the changing laws allowing donor-conceived kids to contact biological parents at 18 (46:16–54:07).
• The sometimes absurd logistics of buying and storing vials of sperm: “We have nine of the twenty of them. So 11—there could be another family that have 11 of them. So there could potentially be just the two of us that have all of his sperm.” – Taylor Strecker (51:07)

4. Opposites Attract: Main Character Energy in Relationships

• The episode’s titular theme: Can two people both be “main characters” in a romantic relationship, or does harmony require one to play a supportive/observing role? (56:17–58:39)
• Taylor & Taylor talk opposites:
  • Strecker: the classic “main character”—loud, out front.
  • Donohue: content to observe, produce, and support—but equally confident, not in the “backseat.” (58:00–59:08)
  • “Thank God we're so opposite, because if there was two of me, I would have drowned myself.” – Taylor Strecker (58:56)
• The group discusses social media “spotlight” drama, carousel posting order, and photo approval—the sometimes silly, sometimes significant ways couples negotiate life in the public eye (59:17–64:14).
• Rayna observes: “You still seem, Taylor Donohue, like, very much in charge, poised, confident. Like, you don’t seem like you’re a backseat to her.” (58:00)

5. Friendship, Main Character Energy & Professional Jealousy

• Strecker is candid about her identity as the “number one number two”—a person who supports and uplifts “main character” friends (from Stassi Schroeder to Claudia Oshry & Hannah Berner). She is self-aware about the risk of over-correcting against jealousy and becoming too comfortable in the supporting role (77:32–80:16).
  • “I train myself. It’s way better to be happy for somebody than to be jealous of them. But maybe I’ve taken that a little too far and, like, made an identity.” – Taylor Strecker (78:41)
  • Donohue encourages Strecker to claim her own “main character” space too—“It doesn’t mean she wants any less…you think you’re number two, it’s just sort of like a narrative you play.” (79:32)
• Both hosts and guests reflect on the combination of ambition and humility required not to let professional jealousy get in the way of female friendship or self-worth.

6. The Kate Bosworth Saga & Parasocial Fame

• Strecker shares her lifelong, slightly unhinged “one-sided saga” with actress Kate Bosworth—from childhood rivalry to adulthood obsession to podcast monologue and near-connections in the influencer/Vanderpump-adjacent world (65:01–73:01; 74:08–77:04).
  • “I am a professional social climber. That is like what I do. I can’t get over Kate because she was my first failed attempt…” – Taylor Strecker (77:43)
• The group hilariously parallels this with Nikki Glaser’s ongoing desire for acknowledgment by Taylor Swift, reflecting on the nature of fandom, celebrity, and the sometimes funny, sometimes painful distance between us and the people we idolize.

---

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Partner Dynamics:
  “You are like a main character energy. And it sounds like you aren’t, nor do you want to be. And I feel like that’s the only way romantic relationships work.” — Ashley Hess (57:43)
• On Having Kids When Unsure:
  “I love her more than I love not having kids.” – Taylor Strecker (40:04)
  “If one of us has to resent the other, I’d rather be the resenter.” – Taylor Strecker (40:15)
• On Gift Bag Disasters:
  “For them not to get out to people, it really took me down.” – Ashley Hess (11:50)
• On Opposites Attract:
  “If there was two of me, I would have drowned myself.” – Taylor Strecker (58:56)
• On Social Media Drama:
  “She'll post carousels before me… My Instagram makes us money.” – Taylor Strecker (59:39)
• On Being a Supportive Friend:
  “I'm a professional social climber. That is what I do. I can't get over Kate because she was my first failed attempt.” – Taylor Strecker (77:43)
• Taylor & Taylor’s IVF Journey:
  “We chose him based off of his looks. Complete vanity decision.” – Taylor Donohue (44:59)
  “It’s harder to be approved to be in California Cryobank than to get into Harvard!” – Taylor Strecker (45:50)
• On Jealousy & Longevity:
  “I'm proud that I've been in this business for so long. It's gonna be 20 years...But should I be embarrassed? Should I be, like, further along?” – Taylor Strecker (81:53)
• On Friendship & Depth:
  “To see the room of people that showed up for you—people would die to have those type of genuine love and connections.” – Reina Greenberg (83:46)
• Final Sentiment:
  “We are rich in friends and friendships.” – Taylor Donohue (84:15)

---

Important/Meaningful Segments & Timestamps

• [00:51–02:20] — Banter on the “worst month” of the year, setting the episode’s conversational tone.
• [10:27–19:09] — Gift bag gate: wedding logistics fail, live gift bag “unboxing.”
• [30:03–31:13] — Taylors join; immediate rapport and reflections on missing Ashley’s wedding.
• [31:41–41:02] — Pregnancy talk, doubts/fears of parenting, and relationship negotiations.
• [41:43–47:30] — IVF, donor selection, sperm bank realities, modern family-making.
• [56:17–64:14] — “Main character energy,” social media drama, and couple dynamics.
• [77:32–80:16] — Making peace with the “number two” role; honesty around professional jealousy.
• [65:01–77:04] — The entire Kate Bosworth “unrequited parasocial friendship” saga.

---

Tone & Language

• Humorous & Self-deprecating: Candid about failures, neuroses, and insecurities, but always landing on laughter.
• Supportive: The women celebrate each other's successes, own their limitations, and uplift each other with genuine affection.
• Honest & Relatable: Nothing is sugarcoated—be it “gift bag wars,” fertility choices, or admitting jealousy.

---

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

This episode is a masterclass in real talk about relationships, friendship, and “finding your lane”—rich with self-aware humor and a refreshing willingness to go deep (then quickly swerve back to jokes about stripper mishaps or magic trick obsessions). Whether you’re a main character, a proud supporter, or somewhere in between, you’ll find yourself in these conversations—and probably text the group chat after.

---

Find the Guests & Hosts

• Taylor Strecker: Instagram @taylorstrecker
• Taylor Donohue: Instagram @taylordonohue
• Podcast: Taste of Taylor, everywhere podcasts are found; full paywalled episodes on Patreon.
• Girls Gotta Eat: girlsgottaeat.com | @girlsgottaeatpodcast

---

End of summary.

Transcript

[Taylor Strecker]

You said something to me that fucked me up so bad. It was definitely after you were pregnant. Or maybe right before.

[Ashley Hess]

This podcast is a Dear Media production.

[Reina Greenberg]

Hi, guys.

[Ashley Hess]

Hi, guys.

[Reina Greenberg]

What do I say next?

[Ashley Hess]

Reina, you're getting too heated talking about something.

[Reina Greenberg]

A terrible man.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Reina Greenberg]

Welcome back to another episode of Girls Gotta Eat.

[Ashley Hess]

Welcome back.

[Reina Greenberg]

That's how I opened your wedding ceremony. I forgot.

[Ashley Hess]

Are you going to wish me happy one month?

[Reina Greenberg]

It's December 1st. Done talking about you.

[Ashley Hess]

I know, I know. No, I'm just kidding.

[Reina Greenberg]

No, happy anniversary.

[Ashley Hess]

Right, I'm kidding. But I'm glad it's December.

[Taylor Donahue]

Why?

[Ashley Hess]

Okay, hear me out. Do you think November is the worst month?

[Reina Greenberg]

People are saying historically, I will say, you know, October is always like my special month because I meet everybody. November is every year. I get really depressed, you know, like, my depression sets in. Yeah, it's not seasonal depression. Like people just start doing stuff to me. November is a hard month.

[Ashley Hess]

People are saying it's a bad month because it is the time change and the seasonal depression. It gets dark at 4 o', clock, but nothing. Just Thanksgiving. That's all we got. It's like at the end of Christmas. I don't hate it, but I get it.

[Reina Greenberg]

We barely have Thanksgiving this month. It's November 28th. Well, it was November 28th. Like, there is just nothing to be doing.

[Ashley Hess]

Well, what do you think the worst month is? March.

[Reina Greenberg]

March and April are tough for me because April, you're like, it's not supposed to be this cold anymore. You know, you're like, I've done this for three months in New York. Yes.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah. We've lived in LA for three years.

[Reina Greenberg]

Right.

[Ashley Hess]

It's like, you know, when. When it's April in New York, where I'm gonna live, I think, really, what is good about March? I mean, my mom's birthday shout out, but I think there's no holiday. Really? Worse.

[Reina Greenberg]

You think April's good?

[Ashley Hess]

March and April are the two worst months by far. Yeah.

[Reina Greenberg]

They're just lifeless. And this is dark out. Wait, when do the clocks get turned back again? Not until May.

[Ashley Hess]

I don't. I forget.

[Reina Greenberg]

I don't fucking know.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah. But anyway, let us know your guys worst months in the comments. It's a battle for March and April.

[Reina Greenberg]

I mean, January and I have had really good marches in April as we've usually been on tour or like started a tour and those have been really great. But March and April.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah. Okay. All right, well, that's settled.

[Reina Greenberg]

Let's take our parts. Okay. Thank you. To aura frames. Get $35 off the bestselling carbon mat frame and free shipping@aura frames.com with code GGE and Squarespace. Get a free [e-mail] GGE and use code GGE for 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. And skims. Get the perfect gifts for everyone on your list in the Skims holiday [e-mail].

[Ashley Hess]

And thank you to Helix. Get 27% off site wide at helixsleep.com GGE and thank you to Saks Fifth Avenue. Make shopping easier this holiday season at.

[Reina Greenberg]

Saks Fifth Avenue or Saks.com and it is Cyber Monday. Our company Vibes only are premium sex toys and accoutrement. We have our biggest sale of the season going on. So Cyber Monday is today. Go to the website. You can shop everything 15% off. So all of our toys and our lube for couples, for solo, you know.

[Ashley Hess]

Just the sucking blow gel, the play pillow, the glow below oil, which is probably my new favorite product that we put out in a while. I'm obsessed with it. Makes sex just so much hotter, slicker, sexier use.

[Reina Greenberg]

On the couch the other night.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah, just lather, lather up the couch. Lather your couch in it. Yeah.

[Reina Greenberg]

So you can get [e-mail], stuff your stockings, stuff yourself. Happy holidays and hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving. Have you had safe travels? Today's the biggest travel day of the year.

[Ashley Hess]

The Monday. No, Sunday. Oh my gosh. So we're recording this before Thanksgiving, obviously, but I was telling you that flights for Sunday post Thanksgiving, which is usually the bit one of the biggest travel days of the year were the most expensive I've ever seen booking flights maybe ever. They were $900 one way in coach. It felt crazy and it felt like predatory because comfort or whatever the next tier up is depending on the airline. And then first even lay flats. Like there wasn't that much of a disparity. I mean they were maybe 1500, 2000, 3000, but like the thousand dollar one way coach seats. I'm like what is going on? Also that was before everything got back to normal. Okay, but that day, I mean, which was yesterday, now that the plan was as of now, I flew on that day and we flew out of Boston to come back to LA at 6am in comfort.

[Reina Greenberg]

Well also they just know people have to fly this day.

[Ashley Hess]

Exactly, exactly. There's. You have no other options. I used to always try to do Saturday though because that Sunday after Thanksgiving is so brutal. So hope you guys didn't have any serious travel nightmares yesterday. I may have. Who's to say?

[Reina Greenberg]

Getting back to LA from Pittsburgh is a lot.

[Ashley Hess]

It's a lot.

[Reina Greenberg]

That's what I'm doing today.

[Ashley Hess]

And we are 12 days out from our holiday show in New York. It will Saturday, December 13th at BAM, which is the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Our first really big, our first holiday show in Brooklyn. We are so excited. Gonna have all the extravagant, fun performances and gifts and all the things you've come to expect at a Girls Gotta Eat show. And of course, more. They're always different than what you've seen and they're always tailored to whatever city we're in. And we can't wait. It's gonna be so fun. One show all year and this is it.

[Taylor Donahue]

This is it.

[Reina Greenberg]

So we'll see you guys there. You get tickets to Girls Gotta Eat Dot com. We can't wait to see you.

[Ashley Hess]

Yes. Okay, so I have something funny to share. I have an egg carton update. So if you're new around here. My husband and I passed back this two egg carton and it was in our vows and whatever. There's a whole lore behind it. It's been going on since what feels like forever. A long time. Six months now. Plus. And I padded at the altar with our rings at the wedding. And I'm like, what am I gonna do next? And so what's she gonna do next? We had these two pairs of Adidas shoes that we had to bring back. Like he was gonna change into a pair at the wedding and then he didn't. So he never wore them. He was gonna return them. And then he had picked me up another pair of the gold sneakers I wore. Cause I thought I needed a smaller size, but I didn't. Whatever. Regardless, that's not important. Two pairs of shoes, Adidas shoes. Going back to the store where he bought them in Santa Monica, the Promenade store. So we were supposed to take them last weekend and we didn't get around to it. So they were in my car, just like two shoeboxes in the back and we just left them in the car. We're like, we'll do them next weekend when we're running errands. So this was yesterday. So we're running errands. I had put the egg carton in one of the shoe boxes. And because you know that the salesperson will always lift up the bike every time you've returned shoes, they open the shoebox to. They usually take em out to make sure they're both the right shoes. They're the same S. You're not trying to scam them in some way? Yeah. The salesperson is going to open the box and they're going to see the egg carton. So then last week, though, while they're in my car, I'm like, oh, my God. Like, what if he gets them out of the car and returns them on his own and I'm not with him? So I was so scared about it, and I'm like, I'm just not going to bring it up. And I'm sure we'll do it together over the weekend. So yesterday we went to Adidas, and I had butterflies.

[Reina Greenberg]

Like, it's going to happen. And also, like, what if he opens it before you get to the Adidas store?

[Ashley Hess]

No. So I was like, is Shashank going to open these? Like, the way that I envisioned it was the sales guy would open it. Yeah. But also, I'm up at the counter, like, hovering. Because also, what if this salesperson opened it and Shashank didn't look or he was on his phone or something, so they do mine first. Whatever. He takes it. And it was like, I was on the edge of my seat. He takes the shoebox, and the guy opens it and picks it up like it was trash and tossed it at us like it was trash. He thought it was trash.

[Reina Greenberg]

Oh, he just gave it back. Like, the way he say to you, like, do you want me to throw this out?

[Ashley Hess]

He was. He was moving quick. He was like someone that was really trying to be efficient, get his job done, popped it open, sees a piece of trash, throws it at Shashank, ran. I cover my mouth and ran away. I was like, I almost bust out. The way he threw it, like, get this trash out of here. And Shashank, like, literally was, like, so shocked, and he wanted to laugh. And I just abandoned him at the.

[Reina Greenberg]

You have really stepped your game up. This is funny.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah, it went. We went retail.

[Reina Greenberg]

This is insane. Took it out, brought a third party into this.

[Ashley Hess]

But when I tell you, I really was felt nervous, like, am I going to be able to execute this?

[Reina Greenberg]

And a lot of things could have gone wrong. That guy could have just kind of lifted up the flap and kind of put it back down. You guys wouldn't have seen it. He could have been on his phone. I mean, a lot of things could have gone wrong.

[Ashley Hess]

And how he reacted, he could have been like, what is this? The way he just was like, these people have trash in their box. He threw it, like, get it out of here. Shashank Caught it and I ran away. I was in the back of the store.

[Reina Greenberg]

I don't know how you're going to top this. I don't know what you're going to do. I sit up at night sometimes. You just think about it. How are we going to top this? This was pretty good.

[Ashley Hess]

You know, he's probably going to try to do. I'm just going to get ahead of it because I love to be right, and I like to have a receipt for being right. He's probably going to try to wrap it under the Christmas tree. Basic.

[Reina Greenberg]

Not even creative.

[Ashley Hess]

I know.

[Reina Greenberg]

Be so uncreative.

[Ashley Hess]

I know.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay. But, like, he let me think of.

[Ashley Hess]

Other ways we could be. Like, do these.

[Reina Greenberg]

You turn it into an ornament, and it'll just be on the tree.

[Ashley Hess]

That'd be good.

[Reina Greenberg]

You guys have a tree at home?

[Ashley Hess]

We're about to put the tree up.

[Reina Greenberg]

Real or fake?

[Ashley Hess]

I got a fake one.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah. We're barely here for the next two months.

[Ashley Hess]

When we were long distance, we got a tree the last two Christmases in. In Boston, and he. It would be in his apartment. And, yeah, we're not going to be here a lot. So I just have this, like, fake one.

[Reina Greenberg]

I wanted to get my first Christmas tree ever. I was so excited. But I'm like, all the whole month of November here.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Reina Greenberg]

So what would be the point? But I think I'm team fake tree. What did you have growing up?

[Ashley Hess]

Always? Oh, I don't know. From the.

[Reina Greenberg]

Your dad, obviously.

[Ashley Hess]

My dad this year with his new hip.

[Reina Greenberg]

I can't wait.

[Ashley Hess]

He's about to go out. They cut him down right from the yard.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah. I don't know. I'm talking about. I come there every year. It's my ninth Christmas.

[Ashley Hess]

Ye. Like, we walk around the farm and we're like, how about that one? And he just goes out and cuts it down, like, brings it in. So, yeah, Always. Always real.

[Reina Greenberg]

Always real. Okay.

[Ashley Hess]

And as it is a month from the wedding, I am ready to break my silence on gift bag gate.

[Reina Greenberg]

This has been an ongoing developing situation.

[Ashley Hess]

I've talked about it a little bit. I don't want to talk about too much because I get upset and people are like, what happened with the gift bags? I have a few dms about it, so I'm ready to tell you guys. I did bring yours.

[Reina Greenberg]

You know that you gave it. Who'd you give it to? The other day, and I just opened up her bag.

[Ashley Hess]

I brought one. Brittany.

[Reina Greenberg]

Brittany. And I just opened up her bag and started going through it. At dinner.

[Ashley Hess]

Okay, so we're gonna do an unboxing on air. But I just want to say. So there was just some miscommunication at the wedding, and the gift bags really did not get out. Like, I did a total of 80, which I did the math on couples, one per couple, and then people who weren't couples and then people who just came on Saturday. You're not gonna get a gift bag, especially if you live in la. Like, they're mostly people who've traveled and are checking into the hotel. And so 80, only about 30 of them went out. And I don't want to throw anybody under the bus. I'm going to take a lot of blame for myself. I've been beating myself up nonstop. Like, I put so much time into these, like, picking that perfect little jute bag. Obviously, Jacqueline weighed in on that. The ribbon. I customized that ribbon. It matched the wedding colors. And then we're going to go through what's in them. But I spent so much time and money on them and for them not to get out to people. Like, I wanted people to have this experience when they got to our wedding that, like, Ashley and Shashank, like, did this for us.

[Reina Greenberg]

I did 20, 20 gift bags for my birthday. I worked so hard on them. If somebody. I even drove to the other house in traffic just to leave them on people's beds, I would have been devastated.

[Ashley Hess]

80, 80. I'm going to put some videos up on the screen. Like, it took us a whole day to stuff them all, but even aside. So we'll go through it together. But every step of the way, like, that bag was a separate purchase on Etsy from the ribbon and the customized tag from everything that's in it. There's some custom stuff in it. It took me so much time. It was my whole personality. Like, Shashank was like, say gift bags one more time. Like, it became my whole personality. We to drive them all over to the W. A separate day, because it wouldn't fit. Obviously, on the day of, like, so much time and energy and for them not to get out to people, it really took me down.

[Reina Greenberg]

No, it would take 25. Cost me a fortune.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Reina Greenberg]

So I can't even imagine.

[Ashley Hess]

And so there was just some miscommunication again, Like, I. I want to take some blame, and I've had some apology since. Like, everybody's upset that they didn't get out that the way that they should have. And by the time I kind of remembered, it was, like, too late. Whatever. But I wanted you to open Yours. So I want to do not like a flat tote. I wanted to have something that sat up but that wasn't too big because I didn't want to put that much stuff in it. So this is this little jute bag and then the little ribbon on it. I love this little jute tote.

[Reina Greenberg]

And it says, welcome. Thank you for making the trip to be here with us. We are so excited you're here, and we can't wait to celebrate with you. Love, Ashley and Shashank. A little ribbon. Who titled the ribbons you or him?

[Ashley Hess]

He did the ribbons. That's really. He put a lot of work into this. Okay, so first I want you to open the envelope. Okay. So what we did was he and I never did real invitations. We did everything electronically. So this is our commemorative invitation. So what we did that I felt was different was that we basically gave people an invitation when they arrived or a commemorative invitation. No one's doing this.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay? But what's important to me is that the itinerary. The itinerary is on the back. And it's just like, you know what? Everybody texted me all day, every fucking day. What are you wearing? You know what? No one texted me, what time do we have to be there? Not one person asked me.

[Taylor Donahue]

Okay.

[Reina Greenberg]

Good. At that wedding website.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay.

[Ashley Hess]

This was just like a welcome. And that does not look. That matches the hotel lobby. Like, we put so much time into these fucking invitations.

[Reina Greenberg]

Beautiful.

[Ashley Hess]

I'll put them up on the screen.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay. I don't know what I'm gonna do with this now. I'm gonna save it.

[Ashley Hess]

It's.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah, it's commemorative commemorative invitation.

[Ashley Hess]

Okay. Okay, next. Those snacks. Yeah. Okay, so just a few snacks. We did a bunch of mini snacks.

[Reina Greenberg]

I love Cheetos. I. What's your favorite snack?

[Ashley Hess]

Doritos. Doritos. Not your cheese. Doritos. Cheetos. Close second. Cheetos. So there was a mix. Doritos, Cheetos, and then sweet. Sweet. We wouldn't do sweet and savory. So you have your Oreo minis.

[Reina Greenberg]

Also cookies. I think Oreos are the best in terms of small cookies to put.

[Ashley Hess]

You got one of the premium ones.

[Reina Greenberg]

Because, you know, chocolate chip cookies, they do be getting stale. And the stale ones.

[Ashley Hess]

Okay, next, let's bring out the liquid iv. Okay, so everyone got three sticks of liquid iv.

[Reina Greenberg]

I can't believe I didn't have this.

[Ashley Hess]

I know.

[Reina Greenberg]

What was I supposed to do about my hangovers? Besides walk it off?

[Ashley Hess]

Exactly. So we did lemon, lime, guava, and grapefruit. Oh, you got two guavas. I'm sorry about that.

[Reina Greenberg]

No, I'm not.

[Ashley Hess]

I wanted everyone to get one of each.

[Reina Greenberg]

I'm not a big pomple Moose fan.

[Ashley Hess]

Okay. The grapefruit is elite, but. Okay, so there's your liquid iv. So thank you to them. They provided the. What should I provided the product. There's only two things left in there, right? Okay, let's do the. The money piece. The money shot.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay.

[Ashley Hess]

Okay.

[Reina Greenberg]

So this is the thing I was most sad about. So it's a custom candle. It says for better or for worse. It's a picture of Azul with his old teeth.

[Ashley Hess]

We'll put it up on the screen. So I knew what I wanted to do for the label. The picture of Azul and the tagline. And then Anna designed that. And the company is called Soul Scent. So do you remember they made candles for us. Mine was like big and pink and had the girls got to eat the.

[Reina Greenberg]

Logos with the wicker flame.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah, With. They have the wooden wick. So Soul Scent, I was like, they know the show. They've made us candles before. And I reached out to them. We're like, would you guys be able to do this? Can you make 80 of these? And so it was so fun to collab with them. They sent me their catalog, and then we decided it has the little cork top. It smells amazing.

[Reina Greenberg]

So sometimes you get like gift bags and there's like a full size candle in it. And I'm like, I gotta put this in my suitcase.

[Ashley Hess]

That'll get you stopped.

[Reina Greenberg]

I gotta lug a 20 pound candle back with me. This is an appropriate travel size. Like, I just. I saw how small it was, and I was like this because you and I, like, we go to venues a lot, people give us gifts, and it's always a full size candle, which I appreciate. It's expensive. But a glass jar candle, lugging that back. Perfect size.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah. Okay. So the last thing, I threw it in there for you. But this was something that was out at the reception. But we're gonna send them out with the gift bags, which I'll get to. But this was out at the reception. And so these were just custom matches.

[Reina Greenberg]

These are beautiful.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah. Jacqueline was like, let's do some custom stuff.

[Reina Greenberg]

Let's get lit. I think it's beautiful. I like the gold and the green. So the custom matches, listen, the W is great and I love them, and they could not have been a more amazing wedding, but if someone be with my gift bags, I would be.

[Ashley Hess]

So it was like, was miscommunication across a few lines. And, you know, not everybody stayed at the hotel, so we knew that they were supposed to get out at a different time, and it just didn't happen. And it was like I didn't communicate properly. And again, I would. I beat myself up about this for weeks, because when I realized that most of them weren't out, I was like. It was like a gut punch. Like, I. I couldn't believe it. So what I'm doing now is a full fucking PR mail out of these gift bags. Raina, if you're watching this and you came to the wedding and you didn't get one, it will probably be on the way. I'm gonna do my best. What I'm doing now is I have made custom thank you cards for people that got gifts for us with a photo from the wedding.

[Reina Greenberg]

They've already arrived.

[Ashley Hess]

I got them expedited custom photo thank you cards with the gift in the same month as the wedding. That is elite bride level unlocked. Basically, I'm just trying to keep the wedding going at this point. I just. I have a spreadsheet. I'm, like, working with a local shipper to execute.

[Reina Greenberg]

People are like, oh, I thought we were done with the wedding. You're like, no, we're doing it every week.

[Ashley Hess]

So Santa Monica mailboxes, shipping center. Just make sure you get the right one. It's on Broadway. Ray and I went in there. We're, like, doing this together. And this. We're recording this kind of farther out. It's still November. As we're doing this, everyone will get them. That so far, the first batch by the end of the month.

[Reina Greenberg]

But I don't know a bride that isn't like, I'm done. I'm done here. I've done enough.

[Ashley Hess]

I can't look at these in my house. Like, they upset me too much, I guess. Yeah.

[Reina Greenberg]

What would you do with them?

[Ashley Hess]

And I spent money on these, and I'm going to.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah, you're trying to spend more money on them now.

[Ashley Hess]

But I really want to support this shipper, this local business. Like, they are so wonderful to me, and they take all my packages back, and they're so great. And I'm like, I want to give you the business. So I'm really trying to sell, spin this to make it a positive and make myself feel better, because this took me down for a while. I was upset to spend money and.

[Reina Greenberg]

Then have to spend more Money is rough when you're just like, I, I did the wedding. We paid for the wedding, but it.

[Ashley Hess]

Is really kind of taken over my life. And Shashank is like, I'll do this whole thing if I never have to hear the word gift bag again. Like, he's come close to where I was. Like, he's. I had to shut the fuck up about the gift bag.

[Reina Greenberg]

Hyper fixate.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah, I'm super fixing.

[Reina Greenberg]

I mean, you know, I like to just say the same thing over and over and over again. I mean, how short would my voice notes be if I just didn't say the same thing four times? I get it.

[Ashley Hess]

I wasn't able to shake it. So that's what I'm up to. Everyone, the tour's over. The wedding is over. This is all I have to live for. And then what Rain is doing in 2026.

[Reina Greenberg]

You'll come with me.

[Ashley Hess]

Should we bring a few of these to the holiday show?

[Reina Greenberg]

The front row gets your gift bags. And you're like, shashank and I are so happy you have come here. Thank you for viewing your memorandum invitation. I think you should. Thank you. I think you should. It won't say for me.

[Ashley Hess]

You'll cross his name out.

[Reina Greenberg]

We'll make him do that. He'll be like, I'll do it if you just stop talking about this.

[Ashley Hess]

Okay, well, I'm bringing some of these. Sorry. To the guests. That should get them. They're going to go to the Girls Got to Eat Community now? No, I'll get them out eventually.

[Reina Greenberg]

I have never gotten a gift bag this nice at a wedding. Who has means?

[Taylor Strecker]

The world.

[Reina Greenberg]

Who? Or after a wedding? Can you definitely not after.

[Ashley Hess]

Welcome to LA gift bag. It's really.

[Reina Greenberg]

The jute bag is really nice. The snacks are on point. Three Liquid IVs. You must be rich. That is crazy.

[Ashley Hess]

Look what he said.

[Reina Greenberg]

The hydration multiplier.

[Ashley Hess]

All these people and be like, did you get a gift bag? And everyone's like, no, but it's okay. And I'm like, it's not okay. It's not okay.

[Reina Greenberg]

Shashank's like, please, please say every single. He sent a text to other people.

[Ashley Hess]

Person I've texted has said, it's okay. And I said, it's not okay. All right? Not over. This is not over.

[Reina Greenberg]

My table versus your table is crazy right now. You have, like, a nice, clean table with your phone and your iPad and your water. I have dildos. I have the whole content to this bag on here. I have lube. I have Azul's candle. I look crazy. All right, well, you did a great job with the gift bags. It was very Thoughtful.

[Ashley Hess]

And it's not really me. I'm not like a. You're more of a. I did the.

[Reina Greenberg]

Gift bags for your bachelorette.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah, but you're more of a, like, hostess. Get like, I'm not. I was really proud of myself because it doesn't feel, like, so natural to me to do cutesy stuff. I'm just not, like, crafty or hosty.

[Reina Greenberg]

Typically, you are a much more thoughtful gift giver than I am. You know, I just.

[Ashley Hess]

I'm just.

[Reina Greenberg]

I'm not a thoughtful gift giver.

[Ashley Hess]

You always say that, and then you do good gifts.

[Reina Greenberg]

I don't.

[Ashley Hess]

I don't do good gifts. You're fishing for compliments.

[Reina Greenberg]

No, I just. I've always said this. Every one year you got me a painting and I was like, I just have to spend 800 on a bag for her because I can't match the niceness of this.

[Ashley Hess]

I made out in that one. That was because you spent the money.

[Reina Greenberg]

But, like, it was so profoundly thoughtful. You, like, commissioned a painting that said, girls gotta eat. It was so beautiful. And I was like, I'm gonna get your YSL bag. Yeah.

[Ashley Hess]

Totally equal.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah, I like that kind of gifty, crafty stuff. Etsy is just great.

[Ashley Hess]

I've really. You. You've always been an Etsy person. I mean, a hot take Etsy. But I feel like I'm really on Etsy a lot now and I'm obviously trying not to do Amazon as much as I can.

[Reina Greenberg]

I'm glad that you brought this up.

[Ashley Hess]

Okay.

[Reina Greenberg]

I've been meaning to tell you this. So the. The bear cup. The Starbucks bear cup. I was like, I will get one. I will get one and I will get it for cheaper. And I kept seeing on Etsy, there were. I send you this, this photo. Like, there are. There are stores that are selling it for $40,000. The Starbucks Barista Cup. It's a 20 ounce glass commemorative, like, Starbucks cup. We talked about it the other day. Employees are, like, stealing these and selling them on the black market. People want them and they're selling for like $2,500, $5,000. And there was like a couple of Etsy stores that I kept finding that were like 40, 50, $60 for the cup. And I was like, you fucking idiots, look how quick I can get this. I have ordered from three Etsy stores and all three orders have been canceled because Etsy is in there. Cancel. Cancel. Canceling the stores because they're fake.

[Ashley Hess]

They're fake.

[Reina Greenberg]

They're fake.

[Ashley Hess]

Well, good for Etsy. You always think you found a loophole. This is like the lefufu. You were like, oh, I got you this Labubu. They let me open all the boxes, and its feet spin around and it's all scratched up, but I'm sure it's real.

[Reina Greenberg]

I thought I was like, you idiots spending like $500 for a cup.

[Ashley Hess]

It's crazy. Etsy's like, your order's been canceled.

[Reina Greenberg]

Three separate stores on Etsy in the last week have canceled my order.

[Ashley Hess]

Oh, my gosh.

[Reina Greenberg]

So I guess you do have to spend 500 to $2,500 on. Want that cup? I love that cup.

[Ashley Hess]

All right, well, we'll start a GoFundMe. Okay. And we'll get you that cup. And you guys follow my Instagram for my Etsy links.

[Reina Greenberg]

I'm gonna link that bag.

[Ashley Hess]

Have you ever seen anything like that? That was like. You know how when you. You were like, I need this thing that I don't know if it exists. Like, I was like, I want a stand up, small, compact gift bag that's not paper, not throwaway, not a canvas tote.

[Reina Greenberg]

Canvas totes are so floppy.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah. Something easy to pick up. And Jaclyn, here, here's the link icon.

[Reina Greenberg]

I like it for la. It's like Jute. It's not a giant bag. It's a small bag. Again, I don't like when people give me things that are too big to carry back home. I don't have the space.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Reina Greenberg]

I barely had the space in my luggage to go back to Venice from Hollywood.

[Ashley Hess]

The one thing missing out of it is water bottles.

[Reina Greenberg]

I was gonna ask you.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah, it just. We. I'm gonna feel like it.

[Reina Greenberg]

For 80 people. That's a lot of.

[Ashley Hess]

We would have had to do tiny one. I don't know. It was crowded in there, but he was like, we're gonna get people liquid IV without water. I'm like, they can figure out the water.

[Reina Greenberg]

I agree. You were staying at a hotel.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah. There's water, there's a sink. Figure it out.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah, it's. It's not New York City water. It's gross water.

[Ashley Hess]

But. But you'll live.

[Reina Greenberg]

You'll be fine.

[Ashley Hess]

Okay. All right, well, let's talk about our partners then. We will get into it with Taylor and Taylor.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay. This podcast is sponsored by Squarespace. Ashley and I have used Squarespace as the platform for our website for many, many years. Our personal websites. The Girls Gotta Eat website. It does everything you could ever want. It is the all in one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and Exceed online. So if you guys are just starting out or you're managing a growing brand, Squarespace will make it easy to create a beautiful website, enjoy it with your audience and engage with them and sell literally anything from content to products to time. Tickets, Tickets. I mean you go to the girls gotta eat site and it has literally everything. So you see every episode we've ever done, all of our partners, our tickets, our merch, everything. They'll help you set all that up. I think a lot of people are like, I don't know how to design a website and that's what stops them. So Squarespace is great AI tools and so many templates and they're going to help you design whatever you want. It'll look as professional as you could ever imagine. It'll allow you to sell content. There's tons of SEO tools, there's Squarespace payments. So you can manage your payments all in one space. Like I said, tons of visual design tools and it's user friendly.

[Ashley Hess]

Oh my God. So easy.

[Reina Greenberg]

I think that like what people get nervous about is that they won't be able to use it. But my dad is 79, just built a website on Squarespace. He was like, the AI tools, I was like, cutie.

[Ashley Hess]

No, it's so, so easy. And it can be as basic or high level as you want. I mean, I set one up for my comedy, my tour and stuff and it was just like so easy and I just wanted it to be kind of one long scrolling thing and have the tickets and like great images. You would think like this took years to make. No, literally I did it in like an afternoon.

[Reina Greenberg]

A designer.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Reina Greenberg]

So you can head to squarespace.com GGE.

[Ashley Hess]

For a free trial.

[Reina Greenberg]

And when you are ready to launch your business or your website, use GGE to save 10 off your first purchase of a website or a domain.

[Ashley Hess]

Okay. And Helix, we are in snuggle up in bed season. Never leave the bed season and you just, you need sleep more than ever. I'm leaning into how much sleep I need. And it gets dark at 4 o' clock and I'm in the bed.

[Reina Greenberg]

I never left the bed for the Phoenix.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah, I never left the bed. So we both have Helix mattresses. These are the mattresses we cannot recommend enough. We have them in our beds, in our guest bedrooms. Our families have them. They make an incredible gift. I gifted buck and Lindsay1 one year. I've gotten my brother and my sister in law. They have one of the plus size mattresses. I have the midnight luxe. I think you do too. And my guest bedroom is the moonlight luxe. And so they have the standard Helix mattresses and the Luxe collection and also the Elite collection.

[Reina Greenberg]

And also Taylor and Taylor, who are on our episode today, stayed at my house after the episode and they were like, the bed was unreal.

[Ashley Hess]

It's truly, I mean, anyone who you, if you haven't slept on Helix and then you do, it's, you're gonna feel the difference and just realize they're such a game changer. So you will get on their site, take a quick sleep quiz. They will match you with your perfect mattress based on your personal preferences and your sleep needs. We obviously all sleep differently on our back, on our side or on our stomach or we roll around. People sleep hot, they run hot. Or you want a firm mattress, a soft mattress somewhere in the middle. And so they're just incredible. You're going to find the one that's perfect for you. It is the most awarded mattress brand, tested and reviewed by experts like Forbes and Wired. Free shipping, seamless delivery. Again, we've had multiple shipments from them. The delivery is seamless, just like they say, delivered right to your door. Free shipping in the US and there is a happy with Helix guarantee. There is a risk free customer first experience designed to ensure you're completely satisfied with your new mattress. So we just have had these as long as you guys have been listening to us talk. I mean, I had it in New York. I have them now. Like my families have them. I never want to sleep on a mattress. Isn't a Helix if I can avoid it. So we have a discount for you. You can go to helix sleep.com GGE for 27% off, off site wide. That's helixsleep.com GGE for 27 percent off site wide. Make sure you enter our show name into the post purchase survey so they know we sent you. Helixsleep.com GGE and holidays are coming up.

[Reina Greenberg]

You guys want a gift idea? The skims pajama sets. Unbelievable. Great gift for anybody at the soft lounge. So I just like stayed in the house for like days and days this weekend and I was wearing one of my soft lounge PJs and I spilled something on them and I was like, no worries. I'll just change it to another one because I have three pairs. I have black, red and green. Oh yes, the red.

[Ashley Hess]

I just got the green.

[Reina Greenberg]

And then I realized that the other two pairs were in the laundry. So all of my pairs were dirty. And then I just had to like put on PJs from, like, another brand. And I was like, ooh, what is this on my body? Like, they're just so high quality. They're so soft. They look so good. I mean, I'm alone in the house, but I just want them to, like, look good. They feel so good. I sleep in them. I never slept in pajamas before, but they just look so fantastic. It's the best sleep set. And they have tons of stuff from skims sleep, so lots of different designs. Listen, some people like old T shirts to sleep in, and that's fine too. But if you want to just, like, you know, be a little stylish with your PJs, I really recommend soft lounge sleep set. Again, like I said, great gifts. And they have tons of gifts for everybody on skims. I just love their bras and their underwear, their boxer shorts. You can shop our favorite pj'[e-mail]. after you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you. Select podcast in the survey and be sure to select the show in the dropdown menu that follows. And if you're looking for the perfect gifts for everyone on your list, the skims Holiday shop is now [e-mail]. okay, you guys, we are very excited to welcome back a guest, and we finally got her wife to come back with her this time. They are the host and producer of Taste of Taylor. They were stars of Vanderpump Villa season two.

[Taylor Strecker]

Thank you for. Thank you for putting respect in our name.

[Reina Greenberg]

They came out here to film something. We might get it out of them, we might not. Please welcome back to the show Taylor Strecker and her wife, for the first time ever, Taylor Donahue.

[Taylor Donahue]

Hey, girl.

[Ashley Hess]

Hey. Hey, girl. Hey.

[Taylor Strecker]

Look at her. Look at her. She has a moniker just dose, and she's stealing my moniker. Hey, girl.

[Ashley Hess]

The panic between you two.

[Taylor Donahue]

I know we're gonna do it.

[Ashley Hess]

Well, Raina recorded with Andrew Kahl last week. Like, he subbed in for me, and she said, hi, Gu. He didn't respond. Like, for eight years, we've done, hi, guys. Hi, guys. And Andrew just sat there.

[Reina Greenberg]

I don't realize that I'm, like, waiting for it back. It's like, is it Pavlov's dog? Like, you just. You wait for, like, the. The bell to ring, and then you get, like, the satisfaction. Like, I said, hi, guys. And I'm just used to, like, putting out my hand and getting a treat and, like, nothing happened.

[Taylor Donahue]

Hi, guys.

[Taylor Strecker]

I know. I get that with the hey, girl.

[Reina Greenberg]

Hey.

[Taylor Strecker]

It's like, sometimes People refuse to say it back to me. And I get it. It's a little chooks, but it is what it is, you know?

[Taylor Donahue]

No.

[Ashley Hess]

That's who we are, right? Yeah.

[Reina Greenberg]

Hi, guys.

[Taylor Strecker]

Hey, girls.

[Ashley Hess]

Hey.

[Taylor Donahue]

Thanks for having us. Congrats to the newlywed.

[Ashley Hess]

Oh, thanks. I know.

[Taylor Strecker]

I'm so sad we weren't there.

[Ashley Hess]

You guys were invited, but you didn't. We were.

[Taylor Strecker]

We were. The FOMO was beyond. We literally were working, which I know sounds crazy, but trust and believe. We were.

[Ashley Hess]

Well, I want to tell you that I did get not one, but two go birds in my vows.

[Taylor Donahue]

No, really? You said them or. Shashank said them?

[Ashley Hess]

I said them.

[Taylor Donahue]

Really?

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah. And the Thursday night, like, after party, after the welcome drinks, I was, like, joking about it at the table, and he was like, you're not gonna do that.

[Taylor Donahue]

You're not really gonna do it.

[Ashley Hess]

What do you mean? Of course I am.

[Reina Greenberg]

Why not?

[Ashley Hess]

I only had one planned, and at the end, I just. I kind of panicked and I just did it again.

[Reina Greenberg]

You ended the speeches, and it was great.

[Ashley Hess]

Like the last one, I just did, like, a Go Birds. Like, should I dare I do it again?

[Taylor Donahue]

It's like a cheers. It's just like, go words.

[Ashley Hess]

Exactly.

[Taylor Donahue]

We got rave reviews about it. Your speech or you're officiating?

[Taylor Strecker]

Yes.

[Taylor Donahue]

I told you, Andrew, he was like. It was a roast slash officiating.

[Ashley Hess]

The whole night was a roast.

[Taylor Strecker]

Oh, your dad.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah, the thing happened.

[Taylor Strecker]

We heard it all.

[Ashley Hess]

Everyone stood up, like, ran around the room. It was just, like, an insane thing.

[Taylor Strecker]

It looked like so much fun, and it was all three nights. Everything looked so fun. I am just so happy for you.

[Reina Greenberg]

So you guys are out here, you're filming something maybe. And I don't know if you can tell us.

[Taylor Strecker]

We're out here working. We are.

[Taylor Donahue]

For a few months.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah. I mean, we film our podcast, you know, every time we go to Dear Media, so we're doing that.

[Taylor Donahue]

Yeah, we're staying busy.

[Taylor Strecker]

We're staying very busy.

[Ashley Hess]

How coy you are. So also, you're pregnant as shit. When are we gonna.

[Taylor Donahue]

Pregnant as shit?

[Ashley Hess]

Yes.

[Taylor Donahue]

You know, I'm eight months pregnant.

[Reina Greenberg]

When's your due date?

[Taylor Donahue]

January 4th.

[Ashley Hess]

Oh, my God. Very soon.

[Taylor Donahue]

No offense to this baby, but I'm ready for her to get the out of my body.

[Taylor Strecker]

I'm not. I'm like, stay in there forever. Oh, my God. Stand for another 10 months.

[Ashley Hess]

I don't care.

[Taylor Donahue]

We were at the Magic Castle last night. You guys been there?

[Reina Greenberg]

No.

[Ashley Hess]

So we were supposed to go for my birthday with Taylor, she was gonna bring me, and then it was closed for, like, renovations.

[Reina Greenberg]

Like, we, like, had tickets.

[Ashley Hess]

I'm devastated.

[Reina Greenberg]

Dying to go.

[Taylor Donahue]

Oh, it was so much fun. But we were there for six hours.

[Taylor Strecker]

It was crazy.

[Taylor Donahue]

And I thought I was gonna die.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah. Are you walking around?

[Taylor Donahue]

Yeah.

[Ashley Hess]

No.

[Taylor Donahue]

And waiting in line to get into little shows before the big show. Yeah, six hours was a little too long.

[Ashley Hess]

It's a long time on your feet.

[Reina Greenberg]

Wait, you have to be there for six hours?

[Taylor Strecker]

Well, there are benches, like, in line.

[Taylor Donahue]

Yeah. You could sit a little bit, but you're totally dressed up. People wearing, like, black tie.

[Ashley Hess]

Black tie?

[Taylor Strecker]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Taylor Donahue]

I mean, I love magic, so it was, like, amazing.

[Ashley Hess]

Oh, you do?

[Taylor Donahue]

Oh, yeah.

[Taylor Strecker]

She, like, wants to become a magician.

[Taylor Donahue]

I take a magic class online when I'm alone. No.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah. Like, I love.

[Taylor Strecker]

I did not know this about her before I agreed to marry her. And had I known, it might have gone differently.

[Reina Greenberg]

No, I think that's so cool. I want to learn. I don't want to learn, but I want to know how magic is done. Where do you take a magic class?

[Taylor Donahue]

Julianmagic.com I pay 12.99amonth. I haven't done. I haven't done classes in, like, a year subscription. I haven't done it in so long. But I keep paying for it because I don't want to quit, you know, if I'm still paying, I'm still in it.

[Ashley Hess]

Right.

[Reina Greenberg]

Have you learned magic?

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Taylor Donahue]

I'll do something later.

[Reina Greenberg]

What's your best magic?

[Taylor Donahue]

I'll do it later. I have some tricks.

[Taylor Strecker]

She has one on her phone.

[Taylor Donahue]

It's a good one.

[Taylor Strecker]

It's really good, actually.

[Reina Greenberg]

What is it?

[Taylor Strecker]

I feel like you could actually do it right now.

[Taylor Donahue]

I'll think about it.

[Taylor Strecker]

Okay.

[Ashley Hess]

I'll do it at the bar.

[Reina Greenberg]

Is it like card game magic or, like, make a ring disappear magic? Like, what kind of magic are you trying to do?

[Taylor Donahue]

I have, like, a calculator trick.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay. And then I have.

[Taylor Donahue]

I need, like, a salt shaker. I have a salt shaker trick.

[Reina Greenberg]

Where do. Do you make it disappear?

[Taylor Donahue]

I make it go through a table.

[Ashley Hess]

Okay. We'll see it at the bar.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah, we're going to a bar.

[Ashley Hess]

Every time the birds score tonight, I'll.

[Taylor Donahue]

Do a magic trick.

[Ashley Hess]

Okay. Would you date a magician?

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay. It's okay.

[Taylor Strecker]

Magicians are. No, no, man magician. Actually, I have to stop because the reason we got into the magic castle was because of a man magician. Shout out to Phil, the magic man.

[Taylor Donahue]

He's the goat.

[Taylor Strecker]

He is the fucking Best.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay, I want to answer this question.

[Ashley Hess]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Reina Greenberg]

Magicians are like DJs to me. It's embarrassing until it's not embarrassing.

[Ashley Hess]

I don't think DJs are if you're just.

[Reina Greenberg]

I want to date with that DJ. He was 45. He had a roommate. He wasn't successful.

[Ashley Hess]

Okay.

[Reina Greenberg]

If you are a successful DJ and you're good at it. Hot. I. I think that's cool. Magicians, kind of same thing.

[Taylor Strecker]

To me it is.

[Taylor Donahue]

No, you know what I think is cool mentalism. Who is that mentalist? I can read your mind and stuff.

[Taylor Strecker]

That's Phil the magic man.

[Ashley Hess]

Okay.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah, he's a mentalist.

[Ashley Hess]

Isn't that. It's a little creepy. No.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yes. But also, Phil will, like, explain to you. He's like, I'm not a magician. Magician. This is not magic. I'm just really good at.

[Taylor Donahue]

Like, you think of something and he literally knows what you're thinking.

[Ashley Hess]

No, no, no.

[Reina Greenberg]

I like it.

[Taylor Strecker]

I know what it is. I think that what they do is they're very good at, like, implanting. Like, they know where they want to end. So they're just really good at, like, placing it in your head subconsciously.

[Reina Greenberg]

You don't think it's like a psych.

[Ashley Hess]

You're not making it sound any less.

[Taylor Donahue]

I think it's like Jennifer Aniston's boyfriend.

[Reina Greenberg]

I think he's like, they have no therapist.

[Taylor Donahue]

Yeah, he. I think he plants.

[Reina Greenberg]

That's how he got her.

[Taylor Strecker]

That is how he got her.

[Ashley Hess]

She was on his vision board.

[Reina Greenberg]

He was like, he wrote that book and he was like, I will get it to her somehow. And I'm gonna fuck you out of.

[Taylor Donahue]

Rare with his potions.

[Taylor Strecker]

Kind of like Travis Kelce a little.

[Taylor Donahue]

What?

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah, you know, he. He manifested. Yeah, with friendship bracelets.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Taylor Strecker]

Live your dreams. You know what? Live your dreams. Become a magician for real.

[Taylor Donahue]

I am.

[Taylor Strecker]

I'm not threatened by that at all.

[Ashley Hess]

I disagree. And that. I don't think it's hot at the top level. Like, like, like, if. I know I'm not. It's not for me.

[Reina Greenberg]

Like, okay, I guess top level of, like, dj. I would still date a mid range dj. That's still cool to me.

[Ashley Hess]

Yes, that's my point.

[Reina Greenberg]

A magician would need to be like, have a Hulu deal. They would need to be like David Blaine. But a Vegas residency or just.

[Ashley Hess]

Well, what about foodie magic? Like, if you were. If you're an entrepreneur, hustler, you're a businessman.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay, so he makes a ton of money.

[Ashley Hess]

That's what I'm saying.

[Reina Greenberg]

Flown around the country. Yes.

[Ashley Hess]

I'm Indonesia. What if you're a. You're a businessman? Like, you're just happy to do magic? That's how I'm gonna tell you to my friends.

[Taylor Strecker]

Okay.

[Ashley Hess]

He's just.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah, he's a millionaire, and he does it with magic.

[Reina Greenberg]

But magicians are a little weird usually. Like, DJs.

[Ashley Hess]

Not weird. Usually.

[Taylor Strecker]

I will say we've met a lot of magicians, and actually, I think they're getting better and better and better from a branding perspective. You know, they need better pr.

[Ashley Hess]

Magic is back. Yeah, magic is back.

[Taylor Strecker]

You heard it here first. Wait. Criss angel, though. He's a freak.

[Ashley Hess]

I can see that. We saw him.

[Taylor Strecker]

She waited in line. In line to go on stage, meet her people, to try on his straight jacket. It was the loseriest thing I've ever witnessed in my entire life.

[Taylor Donahue]

And it was Covid. So I'm, like, sitting in this line with a mask on for, like, 40 minutes.

[Taylor Strecker]

I was not.

[Taylor Donahue]

I got up on stage, and I tried it on, and then I saw the picture that I could buy for, like, a million dollars, and I was like, I don't want this picture. I can't have this proof that I did this.

[Ashley Hess]

Did he ever date, like, a famous celebrity?

[Taylor Strecker]

I don't know.

[Ashley Hess]

Like, is he a thing?

[Taylor Strecker]

I mean, you're his number one fan.

[Ashley Hess]

You tell us.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah, right. As part of the community, Taylor.

[Taylor Donahue]

I mean, he never dated anyone famous. There's been scandal with him. He's not a good guy. No. I was telling Joe so many cancelable things on.

[Taylor Strecker]

On that stage.

[Ashley Hess]

It was.

[Taylor Strecker]

He was giving, like, creepy vibes. He was giving back massages. Back massage with his words.

[Ashley Hess]

Did you know that or you guessed it?

[Reina Greenberg]

I just guessed it. He is back massage on stage.

[Ashley Hess]

Energy. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Ye. Wait. I got massaged on stage. We went to the Chippendales. The same stripper, literally. Raina basically touched his dick. And me, he lightly rubbed my shoulders. I was like, there's two types of girls. He was like, you got a knot right there. And meanwhile, I'm the bride. Like, I was like, I don't want to do it. Reina loves to be hummed. And Raina's small. Like, that's why I don't like to be stripped on either. Like, she's a perfect, like, stripper, like, doll.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yes, yes. She can be just flipped around.

[Ashley Hess]

Like, if they picked us up, our legs would, like, touch the.

[Reina Greenberg]

The.

[Ashley Hess]

They wouldn't come off the floor. You know what? I'm saying, like, they would be hanging down their back.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay. Some strippers have tried to pick up Ashley and they can do it. No, the way that it looks when.

[Ashley Hess]

A stripper tries to pick me up.

[Reina Greenberg]

I am like, when I try to.

[Ashley Hess]

Pick a up, like, I literally ground, like, to the floor, like, four paws down. I don't. If he picked up.

[Taylor Donahue]

No.

[Ashley Hess]

One time they came towards me in Toronto when we had a hockey stick for a prop on stage, and I had the stick, like, trying to fight him off, and he was coming closer.

[Reina Greenberg]

Once you're in Texas, there's a great photo of us doing. He made me hold Ashley's waist while he stripped on me and picked me up. And I had to use her body to take her.

[Ashley Hess]

Okay. Anyway, so you. You're loving her being pregnant anyway?

[Taylor Donahue]

I'm pregnant.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yes.

[Taylor Strecker]

I'm loving it.

[Ashley Hess]

What, like, what do you love about it?

[Taylor Strecker]

Well, I'm loving it because the baby's still in there. That's why I love her being pregnant.

[Ashley Hess]

You don't have to be a mom yet.

[Taylor Strecker]

I'm like. I'm like, this is so fun with her living in there.

[Taylor Donahue]

I can drive her around.

[Taylor Strecker]

Oh, Dee Dee, that's so fun. I mean, listen, I am scared as to have a baby. Like, I am like, we love sleep so much. I finally started sleeping so well once we came out here. I don't know what it is, but I've been, like, sleeping through the night.

[Ashley Hess]

That happens.

[Taylor Strecker]

And I'm like, oh, my God, it's gonna go away in three seconds flat. So I don't know. I'm just. I'm excited to meet her. I think you're more excited to meet her. I am just. I'm really freaked out. I'm really scared. I'm really scared.

[Reina Greenberg]

I'm glad you said that. I think that a lot of people are really scared to be a parent.

[Taylor Strecker]

And they don't say it. Not that you are lying. I believe that you are, like, like, nor, like, a normal amount of scared. I'm an abnormal amount. But I think more people feel like me and they just don't say anything.

[Ashley Hess]

Well, can we talk about the decision? Yes. Because you've been super open about not knowing if you wanted to have kids. And then I'm curious, did you always want to have kids? Like, how did you guys come to this decision?

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah. And then I want to talk about. The fear is anchored in.

[Ashley Hess]

So let's do all of it. Okay.

[Taylor Donahue]

I've always wanted to have kids.

[Ashley Hess]

Yes.

[Taylor Donahue]

And I. I've always wanted to Be pregnant.

[Taylor Strecker]

It's been like a dream. Like a, like, vision board.

[Reina Greenberg]

Right?

[Taylor Donahue]

It's just one of those things. Like, I look at pregnant women and I. I'm like, I just want to know what that feels like. Like, and I didn't. I was never ready until earlier this year. I was at the grocery store, I remember, and I saw a pregnant woman, and I felt jealous for the first time. And I was like, whoa, I've never felt that way.

[Taylor Strecker]

And she came home and told me, and I felt guilty. So I always say I love her more than I love not having kids.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay.

[Taylor Strecker]

So I'm just so selfless. It's, like, unbelievable. But she really wants kids, so I was like, if she's gonna. If I'm gonna be with her, which I. I mean, she's my life.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Taylor Strecker]

I'm gonna have to, like, make concessions. And I just felt like if we didn't have kids, you would probably resent me forever. And if we do have kids, I'll probably resent you. But I think if one of us has to resent the other, I'd rather be the resenter.

[Reina Greenberg]

You should be able to talk about that. Like, what would you rather regret more, having kids or not having kids? Did you guys talk about this before you got married?

[Taylor Strecker]

No.

[Reina Greenberg]

You thought she would just change her mind?

[Taylor Donahue]

Yeah. I figured she would just give in.

[Ashley Hess]

That's what a lot of you was, correct. Yeah.

[Taylor Strecker]

I mean, we've been together for 10 years, so it took a very long time to get there. But I also, like, when you came home from the grocery store and said, you know what? She's waited so long. Like, it's fucking time. Like, we had. We already had done ivf. Like, we had the embryos ready to.

[Taylor Donahue]

Go, like, three and a half years ago.

[Ashley Hess]

We did that. Oh.

[Taylor Strecker]

I was really pushing this shit off.

[Taylor Donahue]

As long as I could, to be honest.

[Ashley Hess]

You're like, wow, they disappeared. So weird. I don't know.

[Taylor Strecker]

That's so crazy.

[Reina Greenberg]

They shut down.

[Taylor Strecker]

Oh, they thawed. I forgot to pay the bill.

[Taylor Donahue]

They rot. No, we were really trying to time it around this project that we have in la. And that's the truth.

[Ashley Hess]

Yes.

[Reina Greenberg]

And you wanted to get pregnant for the project?

[Taylor Donahue]

No, no, no.

[Taylor Strecker]

We wanted to wait.

[Taylor Donahue]

I wanted to wait.

[Taylor Strecker]

So I kept using that as an excuse.

[Taylor Donahue]

Like, so we kept getting pushed and p. And finally we were like, fudge it. I'm just going to be pregnant for this project.

[Ashley Hess]

Yep.

[Reina Greenberg]

You guys are really busy, though. I mean, you've been on tour with Stassi Schroeder for many years, and you produce a daily podcast. When do you even know? Like, now's the time. We're ready. You know, you're really busy.

[Taylor Strecker]

I just really followed your lead, I guess, on it. But. But you said something to me that fucked me up so bad. It was definitely after you were pregnant or maybe right before. But you said something like. I was like, well, what would you have done if I, like, said I didn't want to have kids? And, like, that was 100% no go. And she was like, I would have been upset, but, like, I would have been okay. And I was like, it would have been okay. What the fuck?

[Taylor Donahue]

I don't remember saying that.

[Taylor Strecker]

You're welcome, little girl.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Taylor Strecker]

Cause I really. I think I would have dug my.

[Reina Greenberg]

Heels in a little bit more. I knew this was an option.

[Taylor Strecker]

I didn't know it was an option. But I do think that there's a part of me that may have regretted not having a child.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Taylor Strecker]

So I'm like, you know what?

[Taylor Donahue]

You never wanted to be pregnant, though.

[Taylor Strecker]

No. That was.

[Ashley Hess]

Seems like an easy decision on who was gonna carry.

[Taylor Strecker]

My insides are the upside down. Like, when they went in with the mom, they were like, good thing you don't want to carry because you like, not.

[Reina Greenberg]

Wait, I have a question. Taylor Strecker. So you were married. You were on our show years ago. We talked about this a lot. So I encourage you guys to go back. Listen. But you were married to a man prior to you guys being married. Did you think back then when you were with him, you guys might have kids or you've always been, I'm out on it.

[Taylor Strecker]

No, I just. So when I married wasbind, I was just, like, going through the motions. So I was just checking the boxes of life. So kids was definitely on that list.

[Reina Greenberg]

It was a box.

[Taylor Strecker]

But, like, I was. I was taking plan B. Like, it was. I mean, vitamins. Like, I every. We didn't have sex a lot.

[Ashley Hess]

Right.

[Taylor Strecker]

But on, like, those three times a year that it happened, I was running to get plan B. So I definitely was aware enough that I didn't want kids, but I thought it was. I didn't want kids with him because, like, just, like, there was just, like, so much fighting and chaos, so.

[Ashley Hess]

Which is a smart decision. We. I feel like we've seen that. I feel like we have some friends that were like, I think she wants kids, just not with him. I think you see that.

[Taylor Donahue]

Yeah.

[Taylor Strecker]

So I kind of thought that's what it was for me. But then I don't know, I just kind of of. I think I also became the breadwinner, like, in my mind after we got divorced. And I was always, like, depending on a man to take care of me.

[Taylor Donahue]

And that was a mind fuck for you?

[Taylor Strecker]

It was. I was brought up really traditional, and so then when we got together, I was like, wait, I'm the man now. And, like, I. I just. I. I saw the world through a different lens. And so then I was like, well, kids, money is my biggest fear and trigger. And so then it's like, well, children equal money. And so I. Maybe I'm just scared of money. It's not even that I'm scared of the child. I'm just scared of how much the child's gonna cost.

[Reina Greenberg]

It's good to think about that. I mean, people are just like. When people say to me, like, we'll see what happens, I'm. Listen, no, you guys do whatever you want, but to not plan a bank account and be able to afford it in New York, the people that are like, the. We'll just. If it happens people. I'm like, you are living free on a level that I cannot imagine in this economy.

[Taylor Donahue]

In this economy that doesn't keep you up at night.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah, like, keep me up and Taylor Donahue. You all always wanted kids. Yes. Okay.

[Taylor Donahue]

No matter what.

[Taylor Strecker]

Even if you were single, I feel like you were like, I'm gonna have a child no matter what.

[Taylor Donahue]

Yeah, Yeah. I always wanted a big, big family.

[Taylor Strecker]

Well, okay, listen, listen, I. We're happy baby girls in there. I might really dig my heels in. I'm just saying, one at a time.

[Taylor Donahue]

One at a time.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah. One thing at a time. But, like, I already. I can't even go there. I'll get angry.

[Reina Greenberg]

We'll do one thing at a time. Well, how did you pick a. A donor?

[Ashley Hess]

It's Andrew.

[Taylor Donahue]

Super.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah, it's Andrew Collins.

[Taylor Donahue]

Do you want to see him?

[Reina Greenberg]

Did you have sex with him? Be honest.

[Ashley Hess]

No.

[Taylor Donahue]

It was a lot cheaper that way.

[Taylor Strecker]

Oh, my God.

[Ashley Hess]

Can we talk about that?

[Taylor Strecker]

I wish she had had sex with him.

[Taylor Donahue]

We chose him based off of his looks.

[Taylor Strecker]

Complete vanity decision.

[Taylor Donahue]

But then he happened to be, like, tall and athletic and smart.

[Taylor Strecker]

Thank God, because we were picking him no matter what.

[Reina Greenberg]

Did you meet him?

[Taylor Strecker]

No, but, like, the.

[Taylor Donahue]

Do you want to see him?

[Taylor Strecker]

We went through California Cryobank, and they have, like. It's very thorough. It's like, like, education and baby pictures and adult pictures and. God, what else? I mean, it's every.

[Ashley Hess]

It's.

[Taylor Strecker]

It's everything. They they interview them. You hear their voice quality like you hear their voice.

[Reina Greenberg]

Wow.

[Ashley Hess]

I mean, it's, it's really. It's.

[Taylor Strecker]

It's amazing.

[Ashley Hess]

I mean, it should be thorough. Yes.

[Taylor Donahue]

They write essays and if they're musicians, you hear their music. If they're poets, you read their poems.

[Taylor Strecker]

Oh, yeah.

[Taylor Donahue]

A guy's not a poet.

[Reina Greenberg]

But do they have to be. I heard this thing the other day. They have to be college educated or.

[Ashley Hess]

Is that not a thing?

[Taylor Strecker]

You know, I think think they are.

[Taylor Donahue]

There's really high standards for them.

[Taylor Strecker]

I think what they said. It's harder to be approved to be in California cryobank than it is to, like, get into Harvard.

[Ashley Hess]

Oh, my gosh.

[Taylor Strecker]

Something like that.

[Ashley Hess]

That's so funny.

[Taylor Strecker]

I might have just made that up.

[Taylor Donahue]

Obviously don't show him on camera, but that's him.

[Ashley Hess]

Oh, wow. Unit. Look at him.

[Taylor Donahue]

Look at, look at him. Look at him go.

[Ashley Hess]

Nice. Okay.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay.

[Ashley Hess]

You guys are gonna have an athlete.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yes, I know. So tall, so excited.

[Reina Greenberg]

And I just remind me, when you donate sperm, can that person, like check a box, essentially that says, like, I will allow myself to be.

[Taylor Strecker]

Now, like after, like, I think it was like five years ago. Like, if you are donating, you have to be open to having the child reach out to you when they turn 18, you have to. There's no more anonymous donating. But like, if you have a donor from like 2010, I don't know when the years. But like an older donor, they might have not.

[Reina Greenberg]

It could be anonymous. When I was.

[Ashley Hess]

I didn't know what you were asking. So you have to be able to.

[Taylor Donahue]

Have your children at California Cryo bank.

[Ashley Hess]

At least reach out.

[Reina Greenberg]

So when I was like broke 22 years old in New York, I went to an office to talk about donating my eggs. And I had to say whether or not I allow them to contact me or not, whether or not I would allow the parents to contact me or the child.

[Taylor Strecker]

Right.

[Reina Greenberg]

Those were different. And you said I didn't go through with it. Okay. So I just. I don't know, I go back and forth. I mean, I would want it to be their choice.

[Ashley Hess]

Right.

[Reina Greenberg]

I guess. But I was 22. I just. I changed my mind.

[Ashley Hess]

Well, we are just going to take a quick break and we will get back into it. This episode is brought to you by Saks Fifth Avenue. I am just going to dive right in. It's December 1st. We're thinking about holiday gifts. So I just went straight, straight to Saks.com I went to the holiday gift guides. I Went to gifts for her. I am sorting by 50 to $150. You can sort by 0 to 50 and 3,000 and above. So whatever your budget is, you can find something for somebody. And I want everything in this list.

[Reina Greenberg]

No, of course.

[Ashley Hess]

This favorite daughter. Oversized sweatshirt. There's incredible fragrances. This like coffee mug set. Like, if you're a big. I'm such a coffee slut. So I would love something like that. Anything, anything that goes with like my morning coffee routine. I would love incredible sunglasses. Slipper, Missoni slippers. I didn't know Missoni made slippers. Rena, mark this down. Missoni best soft slippers. That's what I want. Pajamas, like makeup, sets. Just really incredible stuff. And I mean, I'm in like a for her category. But the gifts for guys are great too. I think they can be harder to shop for this incredible, like waffle robe. A robe is always really great.

[Reina Greenberg]

Robes, slippers, blanket, blankets.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Reina Greenberg]

Not leave the house.

[Ashley Hess]

Exactly. So get on here and shop for gifts and anything else you guys need for the holiday season. So outfits and dresses and really unique, stylish clothing to wear to your holiday parties and stuff for your home. If you're hosting holiday parties or dinners, whatever you guys have going on or if you're staying cozy at home, they have your pajamas and loungewear for that too. Stuff to wear to work. They really have everything. And we always say it's just stuff you're not going to see everywhere. So it's just so fun to get on their site and shop so you guys can make shopping easier this holiday season. In store at Saks Fifth Avenue [e-mail] and I'm going to tell you about aura frames. So these truly will make the most perfect holiday gift for anyone on your list, including yourself. Rain and I both have these and have gifted these and we are just so obsessed. These are digital photo frames. They are so incredible and they're so easy to set up and. And really just the perfect gift for anyone that you have photos with. You want to share photos with long distance relatives and friends. This is great for we've given them to our brothers and we have photos of the kids on there, our parents. So you'll never struggle again to find the perfect holiday gift with aura frames. So what you do, you're gonna get the frame. The Carver mat frame is gorgeous. The gift box is included. It comes in premium packaging. Gift box, no price tag. You're gonna love it. And then you can preload photos before it ships. You just download the Aura Frame app. You can set it up in gifting mode. So super easy just to put photos and videos on there before you give it to someone. Unlimited free photos and videos. You can personalize it, you can add a message before it arrives and then over time you share photos and videos effortlessly to the frame. They will be able to load photos and videos on the frame themselves straight from your phone again all year long. Really makes it super easy and it just is such a thoughtful gift and it's so fun. Again, if you are doing this as somebody who doesn't live near you and just a new photo or video will pop up on their aura frame and there's a all different sizes and they look so good in your home and so we just cannot recommend them enough. So for a limited time, save on the perfect gift by visiting auraframes.com to get 35 off or a frames best selling Carver mat frames named number one by wirecutter by using promo code GIGI at checkout. So that is a U R A frames.com promo code GGE. This deal is exclusive to listeners and frames sell out fast. So order yours now to get it in time for the holidays. Holidays. Support our show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. So how many. This is the dumbest question interview I know, but like is there a limit on how many kids?

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah, so there's literally they're supposed to be.

[Ashley Hess]

Well, that's what I'm saying. You can have a bunch of people reaching out.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay, so it's illegal because people can donate so much sperm that they start having like kids. But their kids might like sleep with these like inbreeding.

[Ashley Hess]

Too many kids.

[Reina Greenberg]

I can see that documentary about that guy.

[Taylor Donahue]

I know that we never watched it because we got scared. So they can only give 20 vials of sperm.

[Taylor Strecker]

That's it.

[Taylor Donahue]

We have nine.

[Taylor Strecker]

We have nine of the 20 of them. So 11. And there could be another family that have 11 of them. So there could potentially be just the two of us that have all of his sperm. But when we are done after her.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay. Give her a biological sibling.

[Taylor Strecker]

Well, yeah. Oh, absolutely.

[Taylor Donahue]

We can sell back the vials and stuff.

[Taylor Strecker]

We can sell the sperm back so that they could go back into rotation.

[Ashley Hess]

So that somebody can buy.

[Taylor Strecker]

People could use his sibling.

[Ashley Hess]

Wait, you guys have nine vials? But how many did you use for the. For her?

[Taylor Strecker]

Oh my God. One.

[Ashley Hess]

One.

[Taylor Strecker]

Oh. So there's like billions in each vial. It's like bananas. And I believe they take them out like individually.

[Ashley Hess]

She has bought like potentially nine kids. From him.

[Taylor Strecker]

Oh, more.

[Taylor Donahue]

I mean, I don't know how many. I don't know how many vials goes with each round of IVF.

[Ashley Hess]

I was saying that guy could have 20 kids. Oh, absolutely.

[Reina Greenberg]

For sure.

[Taylor Strecker]

So. Absolutely.

[Reina Greenberg]

Documentary. The crazy thing was they said that, like, siblings in the world, when they meet each other, they feel a familiarity towards each other. But people can misinterpret it as a romantic familiarity.

[Taylor Strecker]

I saw that online. Or svu.

[Reina Greenberg]

And they can sleep with each other.

[Ashley Hess]

Because you have that. I feel like I know you.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yes.

[Taylor Donahue]

California Cryobank has, like, an intense sibling registry.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yes.

[Taylor Donahue]

So they track and so they'll know. But they also say when your kid hits a certain age, you wanna have a conversation with them to say, if you're gonna sleep with somebody, just, like.

[Taylor Strecker]

Mention the donor parent.

[Taylor Donahue]

Mention that you have a donor father so that they don't put it on your hinge. Right.

[Taylor Strecker]

Honestly, that's such a good way to keep her from ever scared.

[Taylor Donahue]

Yeah. You have 7 million siblings, so you can't have sex with anybody.

[Taylor Strecker]

Do you want to have sex with your brother or sister? Yeah, we're sitting here. Lesbians that we are.

[Ashley Hess]

Guys, if you guys could stop being so straight.

[Taylor Strecker]

But I definitely. Yeah, I'm gonna scare her so much with that. Like, you really don't want to fuck somebody you're half related to. So, like, just make sure to, like, have the discussion before, which is good. Because she'll really have to, like, feel comfortable with somebody to have that discussion.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Reina Greenberg]

And so she can. You're saying the laws change so she. She legally has to be allowed to reach out to the donor.

[Ashley Hess]

Correct.

[Taylor Strecker]

So he is. Yeah, he's not anonymous. He is available for reaching out. But, like, I also want to be there for that because I also saw online or SVU that you, like, fall in love with your donor dad.

[Taylor Donahue]

I want to check.

[Reina Greenberg]

But it's the same thing as a sibling because it's family. Because you're like, her familiarity with this.

[Ashley Hess]

Person, they feel like home.

[Taylor Donahue]

Did you ever see the Kids are All right? Where Annette Bennet. It's literally Julianne Moore.

[Taylor Strecker]

It's a horror film for lesbians.

[Taylor Donahue]

Julianne Moore and Annette Bening are married lesbian moms.

[Ashley Hess]

They have kids.

[Taylor Donahue]

Kids. And one of them meets the father, donor dad, Mark Ruffalo. And one of the mom, Julianne Moore.

[Taylor Strecker]

Falls in love with him.

[Taylor Donahue]

So Tay doesn't want me to meet the donor dad because she thinks I'm. Oh, because I'm so straight. Yeah, because I'm going to fall in Love with him. I don't know.

[Ashley Hess]

But you have a kid together.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah.

[Ashley Hess]

I can see.

[Reina Greenberg]

I could see it might be like, we're a family. We are a family.

[Taylor Strecker]

Exactly. This guy, you know, I don't like. You can't be alone with him either.

[Ashley Hess]

I know. It's almost like. Wasn't good. He's so hot. No, I'm kidding.

[Taylor Strecker]

I made a mistake.

[Ashley Hess]

Pick someone uglier.

[Taylor Donahue]

Rather have an ugly kid than have me run away with him.

[Reina Greenberg]

Does he. Okay. Does the kid have to be 18 to reach out? Or, like, can your kid be 10?

[Ashley Hess]

No.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay.

[Ashley Hess]

18. 18.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah. I had to check both boxes. Could they reach out at, like, a certain age? It was a whole thing.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah.

[Ashley Hess]

Oh, right. Your personal experience.

[Taylor Donahue]

But now we have an extra. We have an embryo. We have a male embryo. So if. If, for whatever reason, we decide not to use him.

[Taylor Strecker]

Right.

[Ashley Hess]

Well, Matt's gonna be the Eagles player, so you should.

[Taylor Donahue]

Right. He'll be on Eagles.

[Taylor Strecker]

When you say it like that.

[Taylor Donahue]

We could donate that embryo to a couple who can't.

[Ashley Hess]

That could be adopted, which, if I.

[Taylor Donahue]

Was, like, 15 years younger, I would have been, like, creeped out by that. But now, like, later in life, I'm like, oh, that's actually a really nice thing.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah, I would do that.

[Taylor Strecker]

Would it drive you nuts, so knowing that you're, like, your son was out there?

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Taylor Donahue]

I don't know. I would do it.

[Ashley Hess]

Sibling.

[Reina Greenberg]

Have you talked about, like, who's. You're gonna be the mom. Taylor Donahue. You're gonna be the dad.

[Taylor Strecker]

I want to be f. Yeah.

[Reina Greenberg]

You want to be, like, on tour?

[Ashley Hess]

No.

[Taylor Strecker]

It's 2080.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yes. Absentee father.

[Ashley Hess]

Psychotic. Are you going to change diapers?

[Taylor Strecker]

I will change diapers. I'm not Donald Trump.

[Reina Greenberg]

Are you going to get a night nurse?

[Taylor Donahue]

Yes, we just found one.

[Taylor Strecker]

Her name is Summer. We're. Imagine. Honestly, with all the cats he's been adopting, he probably would be a great night nurse.

[Ashley Hess]

It all comes back to. Yeah, he got another. We were confused.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah. Texas Tony, Andrew co hosts your podcast.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yes, everyone, I have a daily show. It's called Taste of Taylor. Monday's available for everyone. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday on Patreon. Patreon.com Taste of Taylor. So Andrew is like a regular co host on the show Us two now. Yes. I just love him. I can't quit him.

[Ashley Hess]

It was such a fun thing to be like, oh, this can. I can just call out.

[Reina Greenberg]

No, I don't like it.

[Ashley Hess]

No, it's just. It's happened once, but he was like, the perfect, perfect Fill it.

[Reina Greenberg]

He was absolutely.

[Ashley Hess]

He prepped for a man.

[Reina Greenberg]

I. I mean, yeah, I always said. I said, we. Our snack episodes on Thursday. It's all pop culture. I sent him, like, a list of articles. He read every one of them.

[Taylor Strecker]

He also is very pop culture savvy. I was shocked by that when we first started doing it. I was like, there's no way he knows Housewives. He doesn't really, like, watch it, but he knows enough. He knows the players.

[Reina Greenberg]

You have to be angry. Yeah. Okay.

[Ashley Hess]

Okay. So what's next? Raina said, opposites attract.

[Reina Greenberg]

I want to talk about your relationship. I think you guys know a lot, so, I mean, we've known both of you for a long time. And Taylor Strecker, you're out front. You're doing the live shows. You've gone towards Sassy. Schroeder, you have the podcast, and Taylor Donahue, you're the producer. Like, you, none of this exists without you. Like, I asked Taylor Strecker questions a lot, and she's like, you gotta. You gotta ask Taylor Donahue.

[Ashley Hess]

Well, and you'll even text. We become friends with you later. We were friends with you first for a couple years, even. But you seem like you are the one to be in charge of her sometimes. It has to. Yeah.

[Taylor Donahue]

I'll text you back from her phone and be like, hey, it's td you guys.

[Reina Greenberg]

Just like Arian and Yang. I want to talk about it. Like, are you so opposite?

[Taylor Strecker]

So opposite?

[Taylor Donahue]

I'm just entertained by her all the time. I am not, like, attracted to people who look or act like me.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Taylor Donahue]

Like, people who are, like, mellow or, like, I don't know, tall, blonde, and hot.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah, yeah, works for me. You're much quieter than I am, but that doesn't mean that you, like, don't speak, obviously, as we're seeing. But, like, like, you. You like to be behind the scenes. You like to be mellow. You like to be chill. The thing is that she listens to me talk all day long, but, like, once she's done with the work part, like, she needs her quiet time away from me. And I get it, because it's, like, a lot to listen to me every day, maybe like, two podcasts a day on some days, edit it, pull video clips. Like, I'm like, are you gonna get sick of me? And then, like, I want to talk afterwards. And she does need breaks. Like, she's like, you have to give her.

[Ashley Hess]

Well, you are, like, a main character energy. And it sounds like you aren't Nor do you want to be. And I feel like that's the only way romantic relationships work, not network relationships. Like, we've seen this, and you sometimes see two main characters come together and it doesn't work out.

[Reina Greenberg]

They're just fighting for the spotlight. And you still seem, Taylor Donahue, like, very much in charge, poised, confident. Like, you don't seem like you're a backseat to her.

[Taylor Donahue]

No. But I think. I don't know, there must be a personality type that's an observer. My whole life, I've been kind of just watching the world as a kid and even now, and so it's like, I just happen to have married an entertainer who I can work with and observe her and grow our business together. So it just happens to work perfectly. But, yeah, I just like that role of listening and reacting versus just like, rah. You know what I mean?

[Taylor Strecker]

I think it's your quiet confidence. She walks into a room, and every. Everybody's just like, she's somebody. Like, you're drawn to her. I feel like she was a healer in a former life.

[Ashley Hess]

You remind me of Shashank that way.

[Taylor Strecker]

No, I was like, yes, totally. It's like. Like, just chill. Like, I come in the room, I'm like, like.

[Taylor Donahue]

You know what I mean?

[Taylor Strecker]

So thank God we're so opposite, because if I. If there was two of me, I would have drowned myself.

[Ashley Hess]

It just doesn't work. I mean, we've been seeing it more and more. It's. I'm. I'm fascinated by.

[Reina Greenberg]

Right.

[Ashley Hess]

Because I think sometimes those types of people are drawn to each other because they're like, we can be a power couple and do this. I don't know. And then you kind of watch them, like, Raina said, like, fight for the spotlight.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah, right? The only thing we fight about that I feel like is probably going to be an issue in the future.

[Reina Greenberg]

Oh, my gosh.

[Taylor Strecker]

So, you know, we're working on projects, we're doing things. I see you becoming more of, like, a presence in your own. Right. On social media, she's so fucking crazy about pictures. Like, she'll post carousels before me. And. And I'm like, my Instagram makes us money.

[Ashley Hess]

What?

[Taylor Strecker]

Like, would you like to give me some of those pictures? Because I'm so bad, you guys. I'm so bad at social media. And I'm like, help me. And she's like, they're my pictures. It's my carousel. And I'm like.

[Taylor Donahue]

And I'm like, I'll post a carousel, and she'll come downstairs from the office and not talk to me. I'm like, she's.

[Taylor Strecker]

That's not true.

[Reina Greenberg]

I yell at you.

[Taylor Strecker]

Wait, no, no, no.

[Taylor Donahue]

But why? You'll get quiet.

[Taylor Strecker]

You like you had time to do your own carousel.

[Taylor Donahue]

She wants me to make a Carolina for her before mine.

[Ashley Hess]

And you scooped her on the picturesque. I took them all.

[Reina Greenberg]

Why don't you collab?

[Ashley Hess]

I just don't teach what she's mad about.

[Taylor Strecker]

Just take the pictures right now for everybody. This is. This is what happens. You take them all. Like I need them.

[Taylor Donahue]

So take them.

[Reina Greenberg]

So give them to me.

[Taylor Donahue]

I will, but I'm gonna do mine first.

[Taylor Strecker]

Just cause I'm telling you it's a collab.

[Reina Greenberg]

Why don't you collab?

[Taylor Donahue]

I don't want to collab on everything.

[Reina Greenberg]

Explain it.

[Taylor Strecker]

No, no, no.

[Ashley Hess]

Let's break this down. I'm my own person.

[Reina Greenberg]

This is how she exerts her independence. That's what it is.

[Taylor Donahue]

Power.

[Reina Greenberg]

It's just like I work on you all day, every day.

[Taylor Donahue]

Photos are my thing. Like I'm a photographer.

[Ashley Hess]

Yes.

[Taylor Strecker]

Okay.

[Taylor Donahue]

So it's like curating a carousel is something I like to do. Give me something.

[Taylor Strecker]

Listen, it's fine.

[Taylor Donahue]

Once you do your links. Do your.

[Taylor Strecker]

I will do my links.

[Taylor Donahue]

Six year links.

[Taylor Strecker]

That felt so hurtful.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay. Taylor. Taylor Sugar's links. She is my number one that like I click her links and like give you shot my money. Thank you.

[Taylor Strecker]

Thank you.

[Reina Greenberg]

Every outfit you put on is so cute. I'm like, I must have it. You walked in here. Where's your shoes from?

[Ashley Hess]

I'm trying.

[Taylor Strecker]

Dolce Vita. Thank you.

[Reina Greenberg]

Link.

[Ashley Hess]

We'll link it in the episode notes. Coach, There was a couple that fought about this. Like a famous couple. And I can't remember.

[Reina Greenberg]

He scooped her on the phone.

[Ashley Hess]

He was like, he would post photos first. Then she was so pissed.

[Taylor Strecker]

Now I'm dying to know.

[Ashley Hess]

I know and I feel like I.

[Reina Greenberg]

Do not know now.

[Ashley Hess]

I'll try posting first.

[Taylor Donahue]

It's different, right? Doesn't it feel different?

[Ashley Hess]

It's like, how dare you.

[Reina Greenberg]

Around the world, right? Do you have like, if Shashan posted.

[Taylor Donahue]

Your wedding photos first, would you be like, what?

[Ashley Hess]

I actually wouldn't care because he's private and not.

[Reina Greenberg]

And that's different. Right?

[Taylor Strecker]

Right.

[Ashley Hess]

He can do whatever he wants, but.

[Taylor Strecker]

He also probably doesn't. He's not running to his phone.

[Ashley Hess]

No, he never.

[Taylor Strecker]

I gotta beat Ashley. Can you imagine?

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah, he like never really posts, but. And if he's posting a carousel, I am over his shoulder. What photos are you posting?

[Taylor Donahue]

I haven't seen you.

[Reina Greenberg]

Do you respect, like, she has to look a certain way?

[Taylor Strecker]

Oh, no, not at all.

[Taylor Donahue]

Now I do.

[Taylor Strecker]

Pull up the fucking picture right now and you can show this to everybody. I. We were at Stossibo's wedding in Italy. I officiated. I was just not feeling the best version of myself. She was just like a golden goddess, like she always is. And I got into a fight with her at their wedding. At the table sitting across from them, I looked at my phone and she had posted a fucking picture of me.

[Reina Greenberg]

She snuck a cat.

[Taylor Strecker]

I look like.

[Ashley Hess]

Not even.

[Taylor Strecker]

She just posted one picture. I look like a potato bug. I'm like, why wouldn't you fucking ask me?

[Taylor Donahue]

You always look beautiful. But now in retrospect, I know you weren't feeling really great about yourself at the time.

[Taylor Strecker]

No, you have to be honest. It's bad. You're looking at a blob. Is this in a tailor?

[Reina Greenberg]

I mean, the reason why it's bad is that Taylor Donahue does. You look like a model now.

[Taylor Strecker]

I make her leave it up just to prove a point.

[Reina Greenberg]

Six foot tall model. I had to.

[Ashley Hess]

It's not.

[Taylor Strecker]

It's horrible. It's just I looked at her and I said, do you hate me?

[Reina Greenberg]

I hate a weird face. It's the angle.

[Ashley Hess]

Taylor Donahue secondhand mad years later about this.

[Taylor Donahue]

It was pre GLP1. She wasn't feeling good about herself, but I didn't notice.

[Taylor Strecker]

So the way I'm gonna show her that I understand with all of her feelings, I'm going to pose.

[Reina Greenberg]

It's also like, it's. She looks so good. Like, it's really.

[Taylor Strecker]

I was like, did you only look at yourself?

[Taylor Donahue]

Like, went to the bathroom and like, I was like.

[Ashley Hess]

When you said blob, I was like, there's no way.

[Taylor Donahue]

And now I'm like, I'm so sorry.

[Taylor Strecker]

81 Comments and caption My heart, not the caption.

[Ashley Hess]

It doesn't have anything to do with, like, weight. It just like, you're just a little.

[Taylor Strecker]

It's just a bad angle.

[Reina Greenberg]

Well, I said to somebody this morning, I have a different weight in every photo somebody takes of me.

[Ashley Hess]

It's just.

[Reina Greenberg]

Angle just has 100% to do with it.

[Ashley Hess]

It's just.

[Reina Greenberg]

That is so funny. It's like it reminds me of people post carousels for other people's birthdays. And like, you're like, happy birthday to my bestie. And it's like, that girl looks good in all the photos. And the bestie, like, looks. Looks like mid. Yeah, that's what she did.

[Taylor Strecker]

You know what she did. I know what it is. She truly thinks I look exactly the same right now as I did the whole time. Her, like, she's blind with love. And so in. Like, I knew the intent. Intent is important. But I'm like, I know she just, like, loves me, and she thinks we look, like, very in love in this picture. But, like, you need to ask photo approval now.

[Taylor Donahue]

I do.

[Taylor Strecker]

And my birthday carousels are crazy, but I've given up.

[Ashley Hess]

But this, it's what. It is what you want, as opposed to the alternative. Because I feel the same way. Like, I can't believe photos that Shashank is like, you look so beautiful here. I'm like, that's the worst foot I've ever. How can you even say, what. Who is that? He doesn't see it like that. So that's what you want, as opposed to a partner that's like, you don't look good in this.

[Reina Greenberg]

Right.

[Taylor Strecker]

Right.

[Ashley Hess]

You know what?

[Reina Greenberg]

Justice for me.

[Taylor Strecker]

You're Justin Long and I'm Kate Bosworth, which actually is, like, the greatest compliment I could ever give.

[Reina Greenberg]

What happened with them?

[Taylor Strecker]

Justin Long opposed the most. Like, like, Kate is so beautiful. She couldn't look bad if she tried. But she. It's always like, pictures without makeup on or she's, like, smiling like this.

[Ashley Hess]

But he thinks she, like, looks. But it's.

[Taylor Strecker]

It. That's like. That's like his Kate, you know?

[Reina Greenberg]

Can I tell you that is true.

[Ashley Hess]

It's sweet.

[Reina Greenberg]

I don't know that they're a couple.

[Ashley Hess]

And I know about every couple I still do. We used to talk about Justin Long.

[Reina Greenberg]

I know. I remember because I think I saw.

[Ashley Hess]

Him on Raya and then we started a conversation like, is he hot or not? I feel like that's a real debatable thing.

[Taylor Strecker]

He's too actual. So Kate grew up in my town, so I have an unhealthy obsession with her. She's fully aware of it, and I think she was very nice about it, but I think she thinks I'm like. And she's a little. Right, okay. Yeah.

[Taylor Donahue]

You're, like, single white female.

[Ashley Hess]

I like Bosworth. Like, when Blue Crush came out, I can't even imagine her having, like, a tie to her.

[Taylor Strecker]

She. So she moved to town when she was in the Horse Whisperer.

[Taylor Donahue]

Tay was, like, the actress in town.

[Taylor Strecker]

It was me. I was Annie. It was me. And then I left, and I'm actress to go to all girl private Catholic school where I was training to become a lesbian. And she moved into town And I was like, everyone's gonna miss me. And they were like, taylor Sugar.

[Taylor Donahue]

Who?

[Taylor Strecker]

This girl's hot blonde. She was in movies. She's legit famous.

[Taylor Donahue]

She had been in the Horse Whisperer. So she was.

[Taylor Strecker]

And, like, no one gave a shit about me. She stole my best friend.

[Ashley Hess]

Oh, my God.

[Taylor Strecker]

She didn't steal him. He literally was. I mean, he was willing, ready, and able. I remember I would call, I was like, what are you doing? He was mad at me that I left. So then he was like, oh, Kate's coming over to watch Dawson's Creek.

[Ashley Hess]

And I was like, I can feel this. I hurt.

[Taylor Donahue]

He weaponized Kate Bosworth against me.

[Taylor Strecker]

He weaponized Kate Bosworth against me. Chris, shout out to you.

[Ashley Hess]

Chris. Trust no Chris. Yeah, we've said trust no Chris for years.

[Taylor Strecker]

Trust no Chris. And I love him, and he's like, my favorite person ever, but he tormented me with her. Anyway, it's a long saga, and quite frankly, I'm. I am. Yeah. But it's one sided.

[Taylor Donahue]

Tay did a monologue, entire podcast by alone, like, talking about Kate Bosworth. And guess who heard it.

[Ashley Hess]

Kate Bosworth.

[Reina Greenberg]

Did she reach out?

[Taylor Donahue]

No.

[Taylor Strecker]

Here's what I know. I know she's a. She was made aware of it, as was Justin. I don't know in what capacity they were made aware of it. I don't know if it was, like, secondhand. I don't know if they sat down and listened. I do know it was sent to them, but I will say the takeaway was very, very, like, oh, wow. I always thought Tay was, like, so cool in high school, and, like, I didn't know she felt this way. So basically, like, I think she was creeped out, but, like, had a very nice way of saying, like, basically, like, I always thought Taylor was, like, cool and pretty.

[Taylor Donahue]

She's media trained.

[Ashley Hess]

I'm, like, thinking about someone doing this for me and, like, listening to it. It's like, I can't even imagine it, like, because obviously people hated all of us in high school for some reason or another, right? Like, I. I had a girl come to me one time years later at a party, and she was, like. Was running for, like, school president, whatever. She. And my biggest best sign got ripped down and stuffed in the trash can. It, like, brought me to tears, and I was like, who would do that? Like, that's crazy. And, like, years later, this girl came up, she was like, I did it. I was. I was jealous of you. And she was like, I ripped down your poster. And, like, I'm thinking of like, you're so lucky.

[Reina Greenberg]

I don't think that I was the villain in anyone's story. I just, like, I don't think I.

[Ashley Hess]

Somebody's boyfriend. I probably did.

[Reina Greenberg]

No, I don't think I did that. I just. I don't think I really. His boyfriend. Like, I want to be the villain in someone's story. I want somebody to just, like, sit up at night thinking about me, mad at me, looking at my photos, like, fuck this, bitch.

[Taylor Strecker]

But that's me. I'm the person.

[Reina Greenberg]

I want that power over somebody. I want to be Kate Bosworth, just blissfully unaware that I am just literally. That's what I'm saying.

[Ashley Hess]

Like. Like, I'm the Kate Bosworth. Like, to hear that podcast and. And, like, even though I do know, like, this girl would be with me, but, like, to listen to that as Kate is just so funny.

[Taylor Strecker]

I mean, I would hope she would take it as, like, a compliment. I think it was probably also a little scary. Like, I think that that was the whole point of, like, I thought that she was cool. Little did I know she's, like, literally making hair dolls of me and, like, making them into. What is it called? Zombie dolls. What are those called?

[Reina Greenberg]

Voodoo dolls. Zombie dolls.

[Ashley Hess]

Okay.

[Reina Greenberg]

I did have one person, but it doesn't count as an ex. It's different. But my ex, like, married somebody, and I was talking to him after that relationship, and he was like, she hated you. We had fights about you. And I was like, oh, that sounds so good. Especially because him and I never spoke again after we broke up. So to find out, out that I was a problem in their relationship. What a pleasure.

[Taylor Strecker]

I think a lot of people just like, why, Kate? Why? Like, I'm friends with famous people, Kate. I am cool. Like, be my friend.

[Reina Greenberg]

Be my friend.

[Taylor Donahue]

I check to see if she follows you, like, she does once a month. Also, she's probably like, can I stop getting Google alerts of my name with Taylor Shucker talking about me? Because you literally.

[Reina Greenberg]

We're gonna put an episode description.

[Taylor Donahue]

Like, she's getting paid.

[Ashley Hess]

Don't you think she should, like, be cooler about it?

[Taylor Donahue]

She should follow you.

[Taylor Strecker]

I really would love to have her on the podcast, but also, I would die. Like, I don't think, like, I'm.

[Taylor Donahue]

So what if she rejected coming on?

[Taylor Strecker]

I mean, she probably would for her own safety. I. I understand that she's well worthy, which means I want to, like, kidnap her, put her in my well, make her look, put lotion on the skin, does what it's told, or else it Gets the hose again.

[Ashley Hess]

All right, well, now I see why she hasn't reached out, but she looks.

[Taylor Donahue]

Like Tay interviewed her at Sirius.

[Ashley Hess]

I did.

[Taylor Donahue]

And she said we should get in touch. We should stay in touch. And Kate gave her email.

[Ashley Hess]

She's like, DM me.

[Reina Greenberg]

We did like, hello at Kate Bosworth too. It wasn't really her either.

[Taylor Strecker]

First of all, I think that's why I'm so confused, because it's been like. It's been. It's really a blue ball situation, me being the testicles. Okay. Like, it's just like we. She moved to town. She was friends with my best friend. He cut me out. It wasn't her fault. He cut me out. Then her and I were like, together. We were building houses for people in Appalachia. We all smoked one cigarette together. All that, she denies it. It's the truth.

[Ashley Hess]

This is.

[Taylor Strecker]

So she was like, we should hang out. And then we were talking about Chris and I was like, oh, Chris. I think Chris is, like, trying to pit us against each other. And she was like, oh, that Chris could do that. So then we, like, kind of were like, becoming friendly. And then she was like, my ex boyfriend really likes you. You should date him. So I did.

[Ashley Hess]

Wait, wait.

[Taylor Strecker]

And I dated him because I wanted to be friends with her.

[Reina Greenberg]

What if you like a man?

[Taylor Strecker]

Correct.

[Reina Greenberg]

Transfer kid bods were correct. You're a lesbian.

[Ashley Hess]

The Kate. This Kate Bosworth more is like, unmatched saga.

[Taylor Donahue]

Yeah.

[Taylor Strecker]

Oh, no.

[Reina Greenberg]

This is honestly crazier than Nikki Glazer and Taylor Swift.

[Ashley Hess]

Get out of my brain. I was just gonna say, why hasn't Taylor Swift addressed Nikki yet?

[Reina Greenberg]

I don't get it. Because, like, at this point, what was the. Like, Nikki Glaser has spent. What. What was the number? Like, not 50,000.

[Taylor Strecker]

Something insane.

[Ashley Hess]

Nikki Glaser is the most famous comedian in the world right now.

[Taylor Strecker]

Like, she just did snl.

[Ashley Hess]

I know, but Taylor Swift would look so cool to acknowledge her. And, like, I don't. Nikki told us at the. At Andrew Collins wedding, like, they kind of had an opportunity to meet, but it. Things went south. Whatever. Nothing shady happened. I don't want to speak on these famous people, but, like, Taylor should be.

[Taylor Strecker]

Like, well, cuz, you know, the.

[Ashley Hess]

This would really give me cool, like, clout. But, like, she's friends with everybody.

[Reina Greenberg]

That's what I don't understand. Like, every person is in her, like, press box at the tour, and she has so many friends. Like Nikki Glazer. It's a thing. I know how much Nikki loves her.

[Ashley Hess]

But she is the most famous comedian right now. Like, Nikki is not Taylor Swift, but she is on the level.

[Taylor Strecker]

She is.

[Ashley Hess]

Put her in the box. I know.

[Reina Greenberg]

Crazy. She's not in the box.

[Taylor Strecker]

But Taylor's in the box. Also a grudge holder. So it's like. And Nikki talked about this, right?

[Ashley Hess]

Yes, yes.

[Taylor Strecker]

Where she like, she made fun of Taylor at some point. It was a gajillion years ago. Hasn't totally. And then what? And then it was. Was it Miss Americana?

[Reina Greenberg]

Yes. Netflix Nikki was on it or something?

[Taylor Strecker]

No, she was like talking about people talking shit about her. And like in the package, Nikki was one of the people. She wanted to die. She wanted to die. When she saw that, she was like, oh my God. And she has profusely apologized. Spent.

[Ashley Hess]

And so she was jealous.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. It would look really cool if Taylor were just like. I just.

[Ashley Hess]

Why would you not want to be tied to like the coolest.

[Reina Greenberg]

I know.

[Ashley Hess]

Comedian?

[Taylor Strecker]

It would be such a boss move of Taylor to do.

[Ashley Hess]

I agree.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah.

[Reina Greenberg]

I'm just. She's friends with people way less famous. She's known for being like the girl, the town. She was in New York all week while Nikki was doing snl just going out. She should have been in snl.

[Taylor Strecker]

Why would that.

[Ashley Hess]

That. That now it's blowing my mind even more.

[Taylor Strecker]

It's giving Taylor Swift and like the.

[Taylor Donahue]

You know, giving Kate Bosworth and Taylor Strecker.

[Taylor Strecker]

Giving Kate Bosworth is my point.

[Ashley Hess]

No offense. Taylor Swift.

[Reina Greenberg]

No, she should have been. I know the bet.

[Ashley Hess]

That would have been the best cameo. There would be no better cameo for Taylor Swift to be at a hundred percent. Instead she.

[Reina Greenberg]

I mean, listen, it's good but like it's been done.

[Ashley Hess]

Tired of the paparazzi photos. It's nothing against her. I'm just tired of them. Like when she was out with Travis every night, I liked it.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah.

[Ashley Hess]

And now I'm just over. Besides the one of her with Carpenter look like me. And right now, oh my God.

[Taylor Strecker]

Literally the two of us.

[Reina Greenberg]

Taylor is also in the forefront. So she looks even 6 inch heels. The dumbest outfit as per always. But those shoes always.

[Ashley Hess]

Is this little.

[Taylor Strecker]

Thimble wearing near her kitchen heels.

[Reina Greenberg]

I know Taylor Swift has 6 inch high heels on.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Taylor Strecker]

It's crazy.

[Ashley Hess]

And Kate, if you're listening and we.

[Reina Greenberg]

Think you can be friends.

[Taylor Strecker]

Please. God, Kate, I'm so sorry. If you're listening, I. I profusely apologize. It's just going. It just. There's too many ups and down. Like I remember when I was at Sirius, I was like you guys don't understand the amount of dreams I've had about Kate and, like. Like meeting Kate and hanging out with Kate and being friends with Kate. It's really crazy the way that this started.

[Ashley Hess]

I thought it was gonna be like, a quick little, like, we're from the same town, an anecdote.

[Reina Greenberg]

We're gonna move on.

[Ashley Hess]

This is the best.

[Reina Greenberg]

But does she know that your friends. Taylor, your friends are like, a lot of famous people?

[Taylor Strecker]

I know. I remember she was, like, hanging out with Lala for a little bit because Randall, she, like, was like, he was a movie producer, so they worked. And I was like, if she's gonna hang out with Randall, she's hanging with Lala. And then Lala's friends with Stassi, and then Stassi who becomes friends.

[Reina Greenberg]

We'll be friends.

[Taylor Strecker]

Like, I was like, it's gonna happen.

[Taylor Donahue]

Kay doesn't follow any of the famous people Tay's friends with. I check.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah, but she has to listen to.

[Ashley Hess]

Like, I see you checking the Instagram.

[Taylor Donahue]

This is a science. It's part of my job.

[Reina Greenberg]

But we, like, okay. We came to the relaunch of your podcast. It was Hannah Burner. It was tanks. It was the Toast Girls. I mean, it was a who's who of media. And us, obviously, were there. You guys.

[Taylor Donahue]

Heather McMahon. Yes.

[Ashley Hess]

Heather McMahon.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah.

[Ashley Hess]

But, yes, Kate Bosworth's like, she's been around. Yes, she's got it. She's a name. But yes, those women are, like, more of it girls at the moment. And those are all who you surround yourself with.

[Taylor Strecker]

Like, Kate, I'm cool. Cool people like me. So we literally.

[Taylor Donahue]

I'm gonna bring this up in therapy. I'm surprised we haven't talked about it yet.

[Taylor Strecker]

We literally, though. So she finally came to Sirius to promote a movie. She was with her ex husband, Michael Polish. It was a movie they did together. And I'm like, oh, my God. And I'm like, there's no way she's gonna do my show, because if she knows how psycho I am, she's gonna avoid me. She does a show, I'm like, coming in. I'm like, is she gonna remember me? I came in and it was like, we were best friends. Like, it was like, oh, my God. And this, that, and the other, and. And we took a picture together, and she, like, put my head against her shoulder and, like, held it like, my mother.

[Reina Greenberg]

This is insane.

[Taylor Strecker]

And I was like, oh, my God, this is it. We're gonna get to be friends again. Kind of. We never were. And then gave Me, her email. Like, this is. It's. I get there, and then you have.

[Reina Greenberg]

To want it a little less. And listen, we all were fashion out of the tube. No, let me just explain to you how, like, people work. It's hard to manufacture, but you have to play hard to get. And listen, we're too far down the road. You just said, I want her in my well. But, like, I don't. I listen. I think that, like, I don't know, we. I just. What's a metaphor for it? You've already rung the bell, okay? You can't unbring it. You have to want this last. That's the only road to cake. I want it.

[Taylor Strecker]

I want it none.

[Ashley Hess]

Right? Just like Tony Robbins do. I don't know what just happened. Her tone changed. She's.

[Reina Greenberg]

That's how you get a man.

[Taylor Strecker]

Like, you can't like a man totally.

[Reina Greenberg]

Communicate that to a man. That man will never like you.

[Taylor Strecker]

Also the fact that I'm an out and proud queer woman now. Like. Like, she's like, so she's been in love with me.

[Ashley Hess]

Oh, okay, there's that.

[Taylor Donahue]

But also, like, I was on Netflix the other day and I was just like, clicking through and I just, like, happened to stop on something random and I wasn't paying attention and I stopped on Blue Crush and all I hear is, Tego, Are you fucking serious?

[Reina Greenberg]

Oh, you can't play house.

[Taylor Donahue]

Are you trying to hurt me?

[Taylor Strecker]

I think next year for Halloween, I'm gonna be Kate and Blue Crush get the contact. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, that's her real eyes.

[Ashley Hess]

I know that's. You would have.

[Taylor Strecker]

Sorry. I'm the number one fan of her.

[Reina Greenberg]

You have to act like you don't care and you don't know. Okay? You don't know anything about her eyes.

[Taylor Strecker]

Chris is still my best friend, and he is still her best friend.

[Ashley Hess]

Like, she really doesn't want to be your friend. Yeah. So we wanted to move on. We. This topic, I feel like, is perfect because we're talking about you and all your. All your famous friends, not including me.

[Taylor Donahue]

I'll take this one day.

[Ashley Hess]

Reina Kinnatruzi.

[Reina Greenberg]

Well, you said this thing. We did this great. We did Lady World with Lady Gang together in Florida. And you came with Stassi and you're. We keep saying this. You're the godmothers, right? Of her child, of her children.

[Taylor Strecker]

Her little boy is our God, baby. Yes.

[Reina Greenberg]

Okay. And you said this thing to me and you said, I'm the number one, number two. And you say it was like Your whole chest with, like, so much confidence. And I think some people, people, like, always kind of feel like I'm the sidekick.

[Taylor Strecker]

I. I have to claim it. You know what I mean? I also am, like, a big fan of saying things before other people get to say them. Right? So I'm like, I am a professional social climber. That is like, what I do. I can't get over Kate because she was my first failed attempt. But whatever, let's keep it moving. Stasi's my best friend. Claudia Oshri's another one of my best friends. Like, these women are powerhouses. Hannah Burner. Like, I. You guys, you guys.

[Reina Greenberg]

You weren't gonna mention it, but Taylor Donahue did.

[Taylor Strecker]

Well, I'm thinking about an individual person. Cause they're two. They're bigger than me.

[Ashley Hess]

Bigger. We get.

[Taylor Donahue]

We.

[Taylor Strecker]

But like, okay, I know what it is. My best friend from college, Nicole, she works at Sirius still. I got my job because of her and I got the gig. And she actually didn't get the gig. She still was like, at reception for a while. And then now she's like, on the radio. She's still there. She didn't get fired from Sirius, like, so she started getting a lot of opportunities and as best friends, she wasn't jealous of me when I got the gig and she didn't. So I want to open, like, pay it back to her and, like, be happy for her. But she got to go and like, Chelsea Handler, like, big things that I was like, oh, I'm jealous, but, like, I'm gonna be happy.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Taylor Strecker]

So I train myself. It's like, way better to be happy for somebody than to be jealous of them. But maybe I've taken that a little too far and, like, made an identity.

[Reina Greenberg]

I think it's amazing. I think that you've surround. You both, have surrounded yourself, but with incredibly talented, amazing women. And I think that you wanna support them and uplift them and they do the same for you also, like, you're right there with them, but you just. You feel like, empowered by being in the presence of other amazing women.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yes, but I don't.

[Ashley Hess]

That's an interesting thing you said. That's really, like, vulnerable to share. Because I think it's like a human thing. Like, everyone has jealousy. I want what she want has or he has. We talk about this all the time. And this. You have to kind of curate your social media follows and things like that. And just take care of yourself when it comes to that. Because I think it's like just such a human nature. But you're saying you like almost. Maybe you overcorrected a little bit. Correct.

[Taylor Donahue]

And I fought against for a long time. Cause I was like, you should be the star of your own show. You should be the number one. And it took me a while to realize that because she is saying this, it doesn't mean she wants any less. Yeah, she doesn't not want to do things because you think you're number two. It's just sort of like a narrative you play. It's like a schtick that you have.

[Taylor Strecker]

But I mean it.

[Taylor Donahue]

I know you mean it.

[Reina Greenberg]

Anyone.

[Taylor Strecker]

I'm proud of myself.

[Ashley Hess]

But you, like, I know you really are like a hype girl. Like you really.

[Taylor Donahue]

She's like the best friend you could have. She's like the most loyal, uplifting, self deprecating friend you can have.

[Reina Greenberg]

Yeah.

[Taylor Strecker]

But I just like to see other people win. But I think that maybe. Yeah, it's. Maybe there's a little overcorrection. Like I'm too comfortable in the number two spot and like I need to like see myself as main character energy too. So it's something I'm actively working on.

[Ashley Hess]

Like I think some people really want.

[Reina Greenberg]

To be the best.

[Ashley Hess]

Like the. The number one.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yes.

[Ashley Hess]

I don't need it. I want to be at the top. I don't need to be that. I'm not.

[Reina Greenberg]

I will stop at nothing till I'm the most.

[Ashley Hess]

Whatever the. Like, I would just want to be in the top and be doing well and then have all these other things in my life that are really great that not everybody has, whether it's like friendships or marriage, family, all these things. I want to have a really impressive career and I want to feel like I am accomplished, but I don't need like the number one. I think some people are really driven by that. I think it will stop at nothing. So I just don't think of you like that. But I think you're also still a really driven, ambitious woman and you want these things like we all do.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah, totally.

[Reina Greenberg]

And I think of you as a star.

[Taylor Strecker]

Thank you.

[Reina Greenberg]

Like, you are like such a star in your own right and you are able to like give other people their flowers and be a part of their success and be such a powerhouse in your own right. And you have to like almost remind yourself like all of these people wouldn't want to be around me if I wasn't. So. Also impressive and amazing and incredible.

[Taylor Strecker]

Thank you.

[Ashley Hess]

But you're like an OG too.

[Taylor Strecker]

It is a weird thing like, because like Stassi will be Like, I got into podcasts because of you. Hannah's like, you were the first person that I like.

[Ashley Hess]

I came on your radio show and I was like, that I want to be her.

[Taylor Strecker]

It's so crazy. It feels like that was like, a different life. Back in Serious.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Reina Greenberg]

How long was it?

[Ashley Hess]

My God, 2017. I did this thing with Bravo. They sent me to do it. Cheech set it up. It all comes back to, she was doing Bravo, right?

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah.

[Ashley Hess]

Yep. But it's interesting when you do see people who are real pioneers in this, in a. In a space, and then it feels like they get surpassed.

[Taylor Strecker]

That's totally. I always say I'm like, what am I doing wrong? Everybody is. Is, like, flying by me, you guys. Truthfully, Stassi. No, no, no, no, no. I'm serious, though. It's like, I'm proud that I've been in this business for so long. It's gonna be 20 years. March of 2026, I'll have been in this industry for 20 years. And it's like, I'm proud of that. But then I'm also like, God, should I be embarrassed? Should I be, like, further along? Do you know what I mean? And then I think about Jennifer Coolidge, and I'm like, that's my trajectory. But it definitely.

[Taylor Donahue]

You're playing the long game, I guess. No, but you also operated coming from a place of fear for 15 years of your career.

[Taylor Strecker]

I will.

[Taylor Donahue]

And it's only until the last few years that you're like, okay, I'm not scared of doing X, Y, and Z.

[Taylor Strecker]

I think being at Sirius gave me a great platform, but it held me back for a long time. I mean, they fired me, so it's not like I chose to leave, but it was the best thing that they could have ever done because it forced me to go out on my own. So I guess if you take the 12 years that I was at Sirius, I've been in this business for eight years as, like, a solo entity.

[Reina Greenberg]

Right.

[Taylor Strecker]

So fine, fine, fine.

[Ashley Hess]

Eight years.

[Taylor Strecker]

I like that better.

[Ashley Hess]

You're new. You're green.

[Reina Greenberg]

She's green.

[Ashley Hess]

I'm just a little baby. I'm an infant. No, But I guess to my point, like, I think people who are real OGs in any industry, like, always command respect. And I just think of you like that. And you've had longevity.

[Taylor Strecker]

Thank you. See, it's all perspective.

[Ashley Hess]

Right? Yeah.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah.

[Reina Greenberg]

I don't know the backstories of all these people that you're friends with, with, but, like, you have a ten year long Relationship. You have all these friendships. I mean, to Ashley's point, like, there are other things that you have done with your life and gotten that other people could never even imagine doing such a thing. I mean, to go to your podcast release party, really, and to see the room of people that showed up for you. I mean, people would die to have those type of genuine love and connections in a room. People showing up for them. None of those people needed to come. Those are all really successful people. And everyone wanted to show up and show after for you.

[Ashley Hess]

Yes.

[Taylor Strecker]

Thanks, guys.

[Ashley Hess]

But then even seeing the parties you guys host at your house, like, you guys are just real people. Like, we say this all the time. You meet so many fake people in this industry, and you guys are, like, real ones. You live a real life. You're friends with real people who aren't famous, too. You know, it's even seen, like, every single time you guys have a party, we are invited. And, like, we didn't. We haven't been able to come. And I'm just, like, watching, Like, I just want to be there, like, doing karaoke or whatever the you guys are doing. Yeah.

[Taylor Strecker]

Out until, like, 4:00'.

[Ashley Hess]

Clock. Just, like, you're so loved.

[Taylor Donahue]

We are rich in friend and friendships.

[Ashley Hess]

Yes.

[Reina Greenberg]

For sure.

[Taylor Donahue]

We are famous. Not famous, anybody.

[Ashley Hess]

Both. Yeah.

[Taylor Donahue]

Yes.

[Taylor Strecker]

Yeah.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah.

[Taylor Strecker]

But, oh, my God, this is, like, so much fun. Kate, I hope you're listening.

[Reina Greenberg]

Now, wait, hold on.

[Ashley Hess]

Who was at the party that we were like. Oh, my God.

[Taylor Strecker]

Was it Anna Delvey?

[Ashley Hess]

Yes.

[Reina Greenberg]

Insane.

[Taylor Strecker]

That's through Kelly.

[Ashley Hess]

So much fomo. When you guys have these parties.

[Taylor Strecker]

Oh, you guys, you. You have to come once. Once. Little girl's here, we'll get back on the party.

[Ashley Hess]

When we talk about moving back, I talk about moving into your neighborhood. I want to talk more about it.

[Reina Greenberg]

Quarterly parties, sending her listings of stuff, literally, because I'm gonna be back there. So Ashley's just gotta come.

[Ashley Hess]

Come on. I have, like, a husband. He has a job.

[Reina Greenberg]

He wants to come, too. Him and I are moving back.

[Ashley Hess]

All right, we'll work on him.

[Reina Greenberg]

Well, we love you guys so much. We actually have to wrap because the Eagles game starts in a few minutes.

[Taylor Strecker]

And we gotta go.

[Reina Greenberg]

And then you guys are sleeping over my house because you want to be closer to your hair salon in the morning.

[Taylor Strecker]

The traffic is no joke.

[Taylor Donahue]

It'll save us an hour in the morning.

[Reina Greenberg]

I get it.

[Ashley Hess]

Right? I love that you guys are sleeping over. Should we sleep over? Please.

[Reina Greenberg]

Also, if you guys want my king size bed, you can have it also.

[Ashley Hess]

Oh, my God.

[Taylor Strecker]

You are so sweet. Absolutely not. No way.

[Reina Greenberg]

I was going to give you the can.

[Taylor Strecker]

No, no, no, no, no, no.

[Taylor Donahue]

It's fine.

[Reina Greenberg]

Taylor's going to be in that bed.

[Taylor Donahue]

I might sleep in the bed.

[Ashley Hess]

You just take her room. It's really stunning. No.

[Taylor Strecker]

I will be so mad if somebody keeps you happy.

[Ashley Hess]

It's just take.

[Reina Greenberg]

The four of me could fit in my bed and there's three of you.

[Ashley Hess]

Like a hotel room. Just dig it.

[Reina Greenberg]

I'll show you. Listen, you'll sit.

[Taylor Strecker]

Okay. Can we watch Blue Crush together?

[Ashley Hess]

You know what's very funny is there's, like, naked pictures of Reyna in her. All around her house. But in your bedroom.

[Reina Greenberg]

That's where they are. In my bedroom.

[Ashley Hess]

And Shashank was up there one day and he was like, where can I look? Like Raina's naked over here. He was literally sitting on the couch.

[Taylor Donahue]

Just, like, staring at the floor.

[Ashley Hess]

About to look.

[Reina Greenberg]

Tasteful nudity, but you know, it's my nipple. All right, well, we have to go watch the Eagles game. Where can everybody find you? Guys? Listen to your show. Look at Taylor Donahue's Instagram.

[Taylor Donahue]

Okay, so check out my carousel.

[Taylor Strecker]

Most importantly, listen to the podcast Taste of Taylor every Monday. You can listen to it wherever you listen to podcasts. And then Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday is on patreon.com Taste of Tail and it's commercial free. Just saying.

[Ashley Hess]

Love that.

[Taylor Strecker]

And then follow my lovely wife, Aylor Donahue on Instagram if you want to see all the best pictures and videos, because she always makes me do it. And then you can follow me at.

[Taylor Donahue]

Taylor's tracker, see all my reposted videos.

[Ashley Hess]

And your links.

[Taylor Donahue]

And your links.

[Ashley Hess]

Yeah, and you guys can find [e-mail] Girls Gotta Eat. Podcast and Instagram and TikTok. I'm Ash Hess. Reinaisrena Greenberg. Subscribe on YouTube. Share this Episode with a friend and we will see you Thursday. Yes. Bye.