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Welcome to Glamorous Trash. This is a podcast that book clubs, viral articles, celebrity memoirs and trashy discourse to elevate your life. I'm your host, Chelsea Devontez. I'm a TV writer, comedian, filmmaker, author, and sometimes I'm in stuff too. And today we are book clubbing. Janet Jackson's memoir titled True A Journey to Finding and Loving yourself, published in February 2011. Now, I'm a big Janet Jackson fan, but this book is a very bad. It is bananas, bonkers bad. Which means this episode's gonna be good. We're gonna share some gems, we're gonna have some laughs. We need some laughs right now. And discuss the total icon, Janet Jackson. The ninth child of the Jackson family. And in the 1990s, Janet Jackson became one of the highest paid artists in the industry. We know her music, rhythm Nation, control, all for you. This woman must give us a memoir one day. But also, I don't know if she will. She gave us a four part documentary series on Lifetime in 2022. And I did watch all of it last night because this book left me with so many questions. But don't worry, I found the answers. And just a quick note to say that we will be discussing diet, culture, eating disorders and mental health. So please take care when listening. Now let's dive in. Guess I'm gonna have to ride it tonight. Tonight, our guest today is returning guest Amir Yass. Back in the saddle. Amir is the host of the Vault podcast. He's also a social media influencer and pop culture aficionado. Amir, hi.
B
Hi, darling. I mean, this book was buh ba bad.
A
It was so very bad. Okay, first tell me when you chose the book, what drew you to Janet Jackson. What were you thinking the book was gonna be?
B
So I was just trying to stick it to my ex. Josh, if you're out there, if you're listening, I know you love Janet Jackson, and you begged me to go to her concert. Nothing against Janet, but I was not gonna pay $400 in 2005 for that. So that's a no for me.
A
Yeah.
B
Wow. So if you do the math on that, it's probably like a thousand dollars today. I was like, no, I don't like her that much.
A
Okay. But 2005 was one year after the super bowl craziness where she went on tour despite the world being like, 4 you. Janet. So was Josh a women's rights supporter?
B
Maybe he wasn't my supporter, but he was a woman's rights supporter. That's true.
A
Okay, so then this book was maybe vindication, since Josh was such a fan. Were you, like, what the hell?
B
I really wanted to like the book. And then halfway through, I had this, like, existential crisis at the pool in Palm Springs, and I was like, is Chelsea gonna like this book? And then I'm gonna be on an island? And then I was like, no way. Like, I know her well enough to know that she's not gonna like this book.
A
Yeah. I mean, listen, so this book is obviously a wellness diet book disguised as, like, let me tell you some stuff about my life, which everyone knows on this podcast. Sometimes those are good. Removing all of the memoir aspects of this, this is also one of the worst diet books, and I'm saying that as like, they're all bad, but this one specifically is bad at selling itself. This book is nothing. It's honestly nothing.
B
It's really nothing. Honestly, I kind of enjoyed it once I accepted that it was bad.
A
Yeah, yeah. She did one hour long phone call with her co author, and it was. I mean, it's dark and creepy, and I'm saying dark and creepy. Like sad and dark and not nice. But then when you spread it out of a word count that ends with a double space, pretty big type font, 179 pages, a lot of pictures, and then a third of the book is some of the worst recipes I've ever read. It's like, it makes it even weirder.
B
Just weird.
A
I also have to say we both read this book drunk by a pool. Actually, I'm assuming you were drunk. I don't know if you were, but that's okay. Okay. I was day drinking, which I. I'm not even very good at that. And I was. But this book, I Was like, I'm not putting this in my brain. Clear headed. I need this. Coming in garbled so that it leaves a little easier.
B
Yep, I don't blame you. I mean, I was definitely heat stroking in Palm Springs. So I think that when I was reading this book, I was like, are these recipes for real? And then the pictures, like these weird, like child model, I don't know, like pageant queen. I was like, what are these photos? And then there was a story about her friend who got assaulted in the middle of a recipe. I was just like.
A
But also, they're not stories from her friends. They are random. They're. Okay, we'll get into it.
B
Co hosts.
A
That was not a friend. That wasn't a friend. That was just a random lady's story in the book. Okay, let's get into it at the acknowledgments. Now in the acts first page, I said, fuck, we're fucked.
B
Okay, I didn't read this. I didn't read the acknowledgments. Let me open.
A
Always read the acknowledgments. Secrets are in the acknowledgments. Okay. Always read the acknowledgments. I read the acknowledgments first.
B
Not the nutritionist.
A
Okay. So she said, david Ritz, my co author. We've been talking about doing something for years. We finally made it happen and I am grateful to you and David, you dirty dog. You talked about something for years and ended with a vague wellness book. Okay. Karen Hunter for passion and patience. Now, Karen is listed in the same paragraph as David Ritz. It's just the two of them. I have no idea who she is. I'm going to guess the editor then. Paragraph break. My nutritionist, David Allen. I wrote. No. Chef Andre of a cafe and Chris Strong. No. Both from Cathy Ireland Worldwide. No. For recipes and tasty food. These recipes are real. We enjoyed them over and over again. Thank you to mother and my entire family. Interesting, because she ain't thanking father, but I guess he's technically included in my entire family. And finally, I give thanks to Jesus Christ who leads me and protects me every day. And I said, well, Jesus did not protect you from a bad book.
B
That is very true. Jesus would have stopped you. Because what I don't understand is when I think Kathy Ireland, I think of a lamp. I think of, you know, good info commercial.
A
Oh, I think of a Walmart clothing line that's a little elevated.
B
Yes, I remember those. So I'm like, what an you didn't thank Kathy Ireland? You thanked her employees. I thought that was interesting. I guess she wasn't involved.
A
So Kathy Ireland worldwide, so. And also this is a 2011 book, so it's like that is past Kathy Ireland's prime. I'm not talking about you, Kathy. I'm talking about your company. But this wasn't like a hot company in the zeitgeist to be like, collaborating with. Well, I also think it's really interesting too, because if you love Jesus, I love that. So all love for that. But her family, the Jackson family, is famously Jehovah's Witness, which is a really distinct religious institution. And I think there's so much hidden for Janet and so much turmoil because of that upbringing. And I feel like I've spoken to a lot of former Jehovah's Witnesses who have that, like, deep, dark, shameful. Keep it inside. However, I'm bringing this up because the book is going to end with a new lover. It's a soft launch. Okay, so she soft launched him in the last photo of her book, but also no name. I now know that is her ex husband who is Muslim, and she converted to Islam for him, many reports say in 2010.
B
Oh, but it's not before they met.
A
I don't know. I don't know. All to say, though, she does convert to Islam shortly after this book. But a lot of this book is about how, like, God is in control of your food portion, not you.
B
This is kind of a more technical question. Do all memoirs have like a little table of contents or is that not the norm?
A
Well, all books have their chapters listed. Almost all of them. Unless you are. Oh, God, who is it?
B
I haven't read it in a while.
A
Lauren Bacall doesn't have chapter breaks, but other than that. Yeah. Every book. Yeah. Does every book have a table of contents? Amir, get your ass to a library right the fuck now.
B
I really expose myself as illiterate. I promise, guys, I used to read like two books a week. But it's just. It's gotten tough. It's gotten tough.
A
Times are hard. That's why this podcast is here for you holding all your hands.
B
I mean, I was already kind of nauseous with the heat in Palm Springs, and then I read the recipes and I was like, who's eating this? And then she was talking about, like, portioning and God, and I just. She was losing me.
A
It was a lot. Okay, so let's get into. There's gonna just be like five stories we're gonna share with you. It's gonna be a Fun episode. Don't worry about it. Because I'm honestly not gonna pass on the brutal, brutal body hate in this book. I'm not giving that yet. I'm straining it. Okay. But I will say that obviously there is a Dringo immediately. I mean, she lists her exact weight throughout the book. And basically there was this one time she was training for a movie and running five miles a day, but was 180 pounds and was like, oh, no. Oh, no. And this book is like, I don't know, maybe like a couple years after that, because that's when she, like, lost the weight or whatever. Now, she said she'd been having body image issues since she was 10 years old, which is when she was cast in good times. And they wanted her to remain more childlike and were like, binding her body. And so it's really a book about being a child star in Hollywood, growing up in a very fucked up family life career.
B
It was sad.
A
Yeah. And I think the weirdest part of the book for me is that it's dedicated to Mike, as in Michael Jackson, if that's not clear for any of you.
B
I was like, who's Mike?
A
Well, I was like, oh, yeah? Yeah, Mike. Okay. And throughout the book, I'm gonna say six to 10 times, she talks about how Mike was the hardest on her, about her weight. And it was so intensely from Michael that I was like, what is going on? And why is it dedicated to him? And then in the documentary that I watched last night, because I was like, what the hell is going on? She mentions it in the documentary that it was really hard on her about her body, but then was like, no, but it was like, all in good fun. And he didn't mean it in a harsh way, but he absolutely did.
B
I think he absolutely did. I think it's. Cause he passed. And then she kind of felt bad. Cause I read something online that when she was doing the Press, she never talked about the fact that she brought up Michael. So she tried to kind of avoid that. So I feel like she probably just feels bad. I mean, calling her a donkey or a pig in front of everyone is pretty rough.
A
And saying she's like 12, y' all, that's weird. Yeah. I think one of the most interesting things to me, and I'm saying interesting, that sounds positive. But it's a bad. It's a bad thing, which is I didn't realize how complicated her and Michael's relationship is. And from the book, I was like, what the hell is going on here? And from the documentary which is, you know, she doesn't share that much. They were very competitive.
B
I could see that. They were the most famous ones, right? Like, I could see them wanting to take each other's jobs. And Michael's obviously projecting, of course, and.
A
I think, like, it's a hurt people. Hurt people, like, totally. That's the other thing too. So Janet also in the book is like, so my dad told us to refer to him as Joseph. He's a really good guy. I owe him a lot. And then she explains the worst man on earth who you should owe nothing to, calls him Joseph. Throughout the book, we know he was abusive to Mike and other members of the family. And so there's just so much missing from the book that when these tiny things come out, you're like, wait, you guys.
B
Hello.
A
Hello.
B
A little confused. I wanna give her a little bit of grace and credit that the book was written such a long time ago that we didn't have TikTok and Instagram and, you know, we didn't have ChatGPT and like, there was so much that we could use now and be like, girl, like. So I feel like this came out at a time where people maybe were willing to accept kind of this half assed memoir. But we've talked about this offline. You were like, if you're gonna write something, write something. Like, really tell us something. Like, dig in, right? Like a Delta Burke or even I was asking you, like, should I write a memoir? You're like, if you're gonna do it, you need to like, you need to say something.
A
Yes. Oh, yeah.
B
You don't want to give them just like a coming out story. Like, that's not enough.
A
And I also mean it in that, like, if you're like, hey, I don't want to bleed out on the page, but I do want to share some fun stories. I just think there's like great avenues to do that that aren't a memoir. Oh, right. Like the Chelsea Handler book. You know, it's like 10 fucked up stories about dating. Do a bunch of those books and so do a cookbook.
B
She could have done a cookbook like, like what Ariana Maddox did. She wrote like a cocktail book and then added a little like emotions in there a little bit.
A
Okay, you remember you read that book.
B
I did.
A
How fucking dare you say that is a good example of what you could be doing? That book isn't. That book doesn't even do what you're saying. That book was like, here's a cocktail for heartbreak. And it would be like, Vodka and a cube of ice. You stick. Stupid bitch. It's like you're not even gonna make all of these recipes.
B
I love it. I couldn't think of anything. I knew you were gonna. And then I instantly saw your TikTok where you talked about it. So I was like, oh, fuck, I fucked up. Anyway, it's okay.
A
Listen, this. We're in an era of just like 10% of our best is okay. And to that I say, Janet Jackson. This is. This is okay. All right, well, you're kind of spreading a really bad message, Janet. But other than that. Yeah, listen, we can't all be doing our best at all times.
B
She didn't even give us 10%. She might have given us, like, five. The battery on that phone was dying.
A
Was dying. I blame the David's. One of the Davids is a nutritionist. The other David is the author. I blame the David's.
B
I blame the David's. Nutritionists are historically like, of the devil. I think I'm just like. They are just. I don't like nutrition. I don't like nutrition. Okay. I don't want to, like, throw all nutritious. One of my best friends, nutritionist. But she's good. But I think that a lot of select. Okay, I should say celebrity nutritionist, just from my experience as a publicist. And every time our client was paired with a celebrity nutritionist, it led them on a very dark path. It was very much, don't eat, look a certain way. The studio would come in, and it was like, you're fat. I mean, I've been in those meetings. So some of the stuff she's saying is not far off.
A
Yes. I think, like, distinct difference between a real nutritionist who would really be giving you nutritional quality and what you're talking about, which sounds like manipulators brought on from the studio to, like, walk your client into, like, eating baby food or something.
B
Basically. Basically. Or eating, like, an insane amount of calories to bulk up, and then that's all good on your heart, your system, your organs.
A
Okay? So Janet. Janet is in a tough spot. She defends Michael, his treatment of her, let alone later in the documentary when she's defending all the other allegations. She also was like, joseph was, like, a pretty good dad, you guys. Meanwhile, she calls him Joseph, and she tells this story in the book about how one time she, like, happened to come up with a little song, and her dad was like, wait a minute, Wait a minute. Let me hear you sing. Now, what's not clear in the book is that she'd already been performing in television shows as a child star. And the family, as children, were Vegas performers. I don't know if you clocked this, but she described it in the book and I saw it in the documentary. This little child. Janet was doing a Mae west impersonation around 10 years old.
B
When I saw that, I was like.
A
Can you put that together? Everybody in your brain and no 10 year old should be impersonating Mae West. And so that's what she was up to in Vegas. And in the book she's like, my dad realized I had talent and was like, you can be a singer. And I owe him so much. In reality, I'm pretty sure that the Jackson 5 fired him as their manager. And so he was looking for a different kid. He could make a star. That was Janet the baby, who he still had control over. And then he was gonna make her bigger than Michael. So that's obviously where the competition comes in from. Your fucked up father makes sense. And then later, around 19 years, she fires Joseph and everyone. Where do you move to produce your own record? Far away from your father and take over the world as one of the best selling pop stars? Everyone guess in your head where this is. Okay, we're gonna take a quick break right now and we'll be right back with a Venmo debit card. You can Venmo more than just your friends. You can use your balance in so many ways. You can Venmo everything. Need gas? You can Venmo this. How about snacks? You can Venmo that. Your favorite band's merch? You can Venmo this. Or their next sh show. You can Venmo that. Visit Venmo Me Debit to learn more. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp bank and a pursuant to license, my MasterCard International, Inc. Card may be used everywhere. MasterCard is accepted. Venmo purchase restrictions apply. If you went on a road trip.
B
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A
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A
Okay, let's dive back into the episode. Amir, do you remember?
B
I don't remember.
A
Minneapolis.
B
I was Minneapolis. I was, like, guessing with the audience. I was like, I read this. I promise.
A
I was just really surprised. I was like, wait, that, like, that's how far she needed to get away from Joseph? Not even Nashville or not even Miami.
B
Not New York, Bahamas. Like, she could have gone anywhere.
A
I don't know. Okay, Christina has just come in to be like, hey, you dummies. She was working with two producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who are based out of Minnesota and worked with Prince. That is where he had a lot of music. Okay, this makes more sense. But honestly, Christina, like, they should have put that in the book instead of the oatmeal pancake recipe. Like, would have loved some context.
B
Oatmeal pancake. I was like, that's a bar pancake. No, thanks.
A
That is a. Come on. I mean, listen, I love some oatmeal flavored stuff, but me too.
B
Not a pancake.
A
That was it. The ingredients did not make a pancake in my eyes. Okay, there's another little funny story and memoir crossover that I want to read. So first she says that Mike introduces the family to vegetarianism because of he has, like, a heart for animals and animal rights. So I thought that that's obviously, like, very sweet. And so she's was a vegetarian. But then on the next page, she's like, mike introduced us to vegetarianism and nightclubs. That's my sentence. Paraphrasing. I was 11. 11 and on a break from good times when Mike invited me to New York. It was 1977 and the height of disco madness. Latoya was also there. Excitedly, Mike told me about this club called Studio 54. Nightclubs weren't anything new for me. What?
B
Bitch, you're 11.
A
My siblings had been taking me to clubs for years, so that's 11. What do we think years means? Nine, eight, six.
B
Like, I just don't. This makes Drew Barrymore look really good.
A
Oh, yeah. And I'm also like, why do we know about how Drew Barrymore was exploited at clubs as a young child? But we don't know about Janet Jackson. Again, her family is strict Jehovah's Witness at this point. She is 11 and in nightclubs.
B
Okay, I don't. This is not the math. Is not math. You don't celebrate birthdays, but then you're at Studio 54.
A
Yeah, but. Or is that exactly what's happening? You're like, well, I can't celebrate my birthday. I will be at Studio 54 every fucking night before I hit puberty.
B
Wow. Wow.
A
She said long lines of people dressed in fabulous outfits were waiting to get in. Once we were spotted, we were whisked right inside. Okay, 1977. Take it, you idiots. Then she writes, people are sniff. Were sniffing flour. Why are they doing that? I asked, not understanding that it wasn't flour they were sniffing. No one answered me. Everyone was too busy looking. That's the sentence. Everyone was too busy looking at what? David. David, finish the sentence. What were they looking at?
B
Or they probably were also sniffing flowers. Let's be honest. They just didn't want to say that.
A
They were too busy looking for more coke. Looking at the drugs. Like, what? Okay, anyways, that the paragraph ends there, if anyone was curious. No, it does not continue. Is David also 11 as he's writing this? What if David's like a small child writing a book for her?
B
I think that's what's happening, because sometimes it feels like an. Like, it feels like someone. You know, when you meet someone and you're like, they've been through a lot of trauma, and they almost seem like a child. It's like as if a child that. Like a traumatized adult wrote it, but it's almost coming off like a child wrote it.
A
I think that's right.
B
That's what. That's the vibe I got.
A
We got to look into David.
B
It made me icky.
A
I was like, oh, it's not great. Well, here's another sentence. I felt privileged to be there with the exception of Brooke Shields. What other young kid could gain entrance? It was a fascinating glimpse into the world of extreme celebrity glamour. Okay, now, Brooke Shields, do you remember her relationship with Michael Jackson?
B
I don't remember her relationship with Michael Jackson, but I knew she had a lot of trauma about the whole Studio 54. She's talked about it. So her saying, oh, I was lucky. Like, I was like, Brooke Shields. It's like she missed the whole boat on that.
A
Oh, yeah. And Brooke Shields kind of apologizes to Michael in one of her memoirs, where basically they were really, really good friends and found a lot of solace in each other. Both had abusive parents. Both were being sexually exploited. Exploited in many ways. Like, and they would talk on the phone all the time, and Michael wanted to, like, make the appearance that they were dating. It's very complicated. I'm not getting it exactly right, but it's Something about, like, Michael trying to be like, me and Brooke Shields are dating and Brooke saying no to that, or Brooke not wanting to go along with that. Michael, obviously, because he was dealing with his sexuality and Brooke was a famous virgin. So this is someone you could date in the public eye and not be pressured to be sexual with. And then Brooke, like, hurt his feelings, like, didn't go to something. And their friendship was never repaired. And then Janet Jackson is name checking her in this memoir years and years and years later.
B
Girl.
A
Right? This is where it's like, I don't think she read over the book.
B
I don't think she did. I think she missed the book. And it's kind of sad that Brook Shields is saying, I'm getting sexualized and then she gets sexualized by her friend. That they're. I mean, it's like, talk about the double trauma.
A
And it was also, oh, my God. Who was the other singer that was dating her before he came out?
B
Bret Michaels.
A
Did you say Bret Michaels? George Michael.
B
You did, But I knew what I meant was George Michael.
A
But wouldn't it have been fun for Bret. Michael's Vegas show, Brooke Shields shows up and is like, okay, you know what? I'm not even sure they filmed that in Vegas. It just doesn't it feel like Rock of Love was shot in Vegas?
B
I feel like it was shot in Burbank.
A
Probably was. So another tiny thing in the book is her love life. And she talks about how she married James DeBarge at 19.
B
Yes.
A
Yeah. And what's not in the book is that he had a serious drug addiction and their marriage was annulled a year later. So that was kind of like just like shrugging by. And then later, the other person she will name check is Jermaine Dupre. Now, do you remember that relationship?
B
I do remember that relationship. I thought, for some reason, I thought they had a kid. And then I was like, no, no, no, it was. Yeah, it was the other husband. Okay.
A
Yeah. I would say Jermaine was probably the most out front, front facing relationship that she had. And Jermaine she speaks highly of in the book and in the documentary. However, when they ask her in the documentary why they broke up, what do you think she said?
B
I can only imagine what she said because I feel like she doesn't. I feel like everything she says is like veiled with the truth is veiled. So I don't really know what she could have said.
A
She said, he cheated on me. And then she said, but that wasn't really the reason the Reason is that he was a workaholic and he had no time for me. And then Jermaine's on camera going, yep, I cheated on her.
B
I need to watch that documentary.
A
Yeah. It's got a little bit of a gentle vibe, the way this book does. Like, she's just a very shy, inward person and doesn't. You can tell, she just. I mean, she's also been lambasted by the media, like, lost everything in 2004. So I think she's. Obviously doesn't want to open up, but. Yeah. So I go through an Us Weekly in my Instagram stories once a week.
B
It's my favorite part of your stories.
A
Oh, thank you. It's so fun. And Jermaine Dupree recently was the 25 things you didn't know about me.
B
Risa was Jermaine Japris literally two issues ago. Oh, my God. Okay.
A
Every single. Except for one. Every single fact you didn't know about him is him bragging about something in his music career or one of the facts was just like, please take me seriously as a producer. And the one fact that wasn't about, like, music or his career was the best advice Quincy Jones ever gave me was never get married.
B
Oh, well, sir, he took that to the train.
A
You would have been so lucky. But his 25 things, he has no personality. He just had facts about music, and it's like, oh, that's what Janet Jackson said broke them up. That he was a workaholic and he had nothing else to give. And I said, oh, okay, well, that's still true. In 2025, he couldn't even give to the quiz in Us Weekly. He ain't going to give to a relationship.
B
No. Not someone who's so delicate like her. No.
A
Yeah, yeah. Okay. And then the third person mentioned, not the soft launch at the end, but do you remember or know anything about the husband who she said this about? It is page 125. And she wrote, meanwhile, the relationship I was in that had brought comfort now showed signs of serious strain. Eventually, it would collapse. Yes, I'm legally prohibited from detailing this relationship, but in truth, I answered it of my own free will. Again, it was a choice for which I take responsibility. I don't believe in making excuses, nor do I believe in blaming others. In the end, it does no good. Now, if you're like, what the hell is she talking about? Why is this in the diet book? What?
B
Word salad.
A
Listen, same question. There's no. I don't even know why this is in there. So this is her partner Renee, who you might know as the hands cupping her breasts on the Rolling Stone cover.
B
That I was like, where have I heard that word? That name Renee? That's where it's from.
A
Yeah.
B
Okay.
A
And he's like, the documentary is really cool in that it shows the behind the scenes of when she really became a sex symbol. And Renee was like the music video director, like, directing her and positioning her. And he's like, he had all this, like, video footage of her and he has an accident. And it's like, very sexy and, like, artistic and like. But I don't know why she can't legally talk about it in this memoir, but in the documentary, seems to have gotten all the VHS from his bitch ass and used them in her documentary.
B
Wow. He must have given her an NDA. But then I guess he. She could use that. She could use the footage.
A
No, I know. Clearly there's an NDA here. But I'm like, did it expire? What happened?
B
It might have expired. Because 2011. Yeah, that's a long term.
A
Why would you ever sign an NDA to Jant Jackson and be like, but you know what? In 10 years, go ahead.
B
I mean, all of mine expired.
A
But wait, how many NDAs have you signed?
B
26. Seven.
A
And they expired.
B
They all expired. That's how I started talking about it on my TikTok.
A
Oh, cause you were a publicist?
B
Because they thought I wouldn't be. I would be a nobody. Right. I was just an assistant.
A
Oh, my gosh. And that's where all your tea comes from?
B
That's where all my tea comes from.
A
Wow. My friend Chris derosa quotes a housewife who says, NDAs are like toilet paper unless they come with a monetary punishment. Like if you speak, you owe me half a million dollars, then it's no longer toilet paper. Then it's a real piece of paper that you shouldn't wipe your ass with.
B
That's a good one. That's a good one. I should live by that. But I don't think any of them. I don't think any of them had money. Well, I don't have any money to give, so anyways.
A
Okay, well, listen, then hit that TikTok. What's that handle again? Amira.
B
Amir Yossofficial. Hit it up. Let me know.
A
So another tiny. Listen, we're just starving for gems. We're starving like Janet Jackson was starving in this book, literally, for tea. Here's a little piece. So she's working with Renee. They decide she's gonna be a Sex symbol in the what have you done for me lately? Video. And she said, I went to Canyon Ranch in Arizona with Paula Abdul, then a choreographer and friend. We shared a house and spent weeks exercising. I loved the natural beauty of my surroundings, but I hated the exercise. I've always hated it. Still, I was as motivated as ever to come out on top. I did the strenuous routine, the running, the hiking, the no nonsense diet. I felt good when it was over. I enjoyed the compliments about my new shape. I shot the video and did in fact, reshape my image. But at what cost? So Paula Abdul, before she's famous choreographer, spotted by the Jacksons, becomes Janet Jackson's choreographer and is the friend where you're like, bitch, go on this diet with me. We're going to Canyon Ranch. For weeks.
B
I've been to Canyon Ranch and they don't salt their food. They don't put anything. They're so strict.
A
Wait, you went for weight loss?
B
No, no, I didn't go for weight loss. I just went because I was like, oh, it's gonna be fabulous. And then it was like I was literally running across the street to the fast food. I was like, I need some salt.
A
Wait, so Canyon Ranch is just like. We're just like a fun hotel with shitty food? Yeah, I thought it was like a weight loss place.
B
No, it's not. It's like a, like kind rehabilitation. Like relax, do like yoga, hang out. Like. And. And the food, I mean, listen, the food is good. It just has no salt. Like, and everything's expensive. I mean, it was thousands and thousands of dollars a week. I mean, it was not cheap. Like, we went for like, I think five or six days, and it was very expensive.
A
That's $6,000.
B
It was really expensive.
A
Amir, did you get any of your money back? What's going on?
B
No, no, no.
A
Wow. You just had to.
B
Jafar paid. My dad paid.
A
So whatever is your dad's name? Jafar.
B
Yeah, it is.
A
I really love that. Now, your dad, for people who didn't listen to your first episode, will you share the tea on your dad that he almost produced Real Housewives?
B
Oh, yeah, that's the best. Scott Dunlop. Yeah. So he's the producer of Real Housewives of Orange County. His daughter went to my high school. He pitches this. This whole show to my dad and, you know, I just need $5,000. All I need. And he was like, no one's going to watch a bunch of women eating lunch and going on trips. Well, Jafar was wrong.
A
Last words. Having overheard the ladies who learned Jafar. Come on, take them to a musical.
B
I know, I know.
A
And then there's, I don't know, 15 stories about other people's lives in the book. And then they would, like, vaguely tie into her music. And two of the stories are about twins. And they're like. And they were twins. And so it's like, these two twins suffered a lot. But then they really loved Janet's album Control. Anyways, so Janet's losing weight, and you're like, what the fuck is going on?
B
Convoluted.
A
This is why I'm saying it's the worst book ever. Because you didn't even use it to, like, shame me into joining, like, whatever cleanse you're not selling in this book. Like, it wasn't like. And then the twins went on David's cleanse and they got into college. Like, nothing. They're just like, here's a story about some twins, and they liked Janet's music.
B
I don't understand. Then there was a whole story about this woman, Sheila. Her boyfriend, like, date raped her. And, like, is that the same. Is that the abortion?
A
Yes.
B
Yeah, okay. See, I started to lose the thread on that. I was like, what is happening?
A
I mean, like, listen. And then all of them will be like. And then they really loved her music. And now sometimes when we talk about control in our lives and control about eating, and I'm like, maybe it was fan letters. And she was like. They were like, please, Janet. Like, if you don't give us 30,000 more words, we are legally not allowed to print this idea of a book. And she was like, okay, print these fan letters. They signed off their rights when they sent it to me, I guess, but.
B
Just do a damn cookbook. I don't know why she couldn't just do a damn cookbook.
A
But here's the thing. Janet really did suffer from body image issues, from how the press treated her, from how her family treated her, from it with herself. And, I mean, one thing I really related to is she talks a lot about emotional eating and, like, me too. How. Yeah. How it is a emotional soothing aid, you know? And then when you're in an industry telling you to do the opposite, it exacerbates that issue. So she clearly deeply suffers. I just don't think she was in a place to give over any advice about it. Because, listen, if you could put your trust in God to heal your relationship with food, I would. I'd be baptized myself every morning.
B
That's how I feel. I'd be like, very Much. Cause you have to really, like, I think with food noise and I had a lot of disordered eating, you have to really talk yourself off the ledge. But if you don't trust yourself and everyone around you is basically like, you're wrong and you're bad and you're everything, you're gonna feed into it. So I think for her, that's where I disconnected. Cause it's like, if you don't digest your suffering and your trauma, you shouldn't be giving advice or writing a book about it.
A
Exactly, exactly. And, like, I think, like, you said, like, I also suffered from disordered eating. It's kind of like a constant just making sure that I don't slip back into that or that doesn't slip back into my life. And I've never. There's so many tools and ways you can work out of that, but, like, portion control via the Davids and God, like, doesn't sound like the way it's not actually healing her. Food noise is very loud in this book.
B
Very loud. And when everyone's kind of being aware of what you're eating and you're. It's like, kind of you're trying to convince us that this, like, healthy cookie is fine, and I'm fine, and. But you're kind of screaming in silence. That's where I struggled with this book is, like, even with, like, there was a moment where I thought, okay, this. She's sharing something. And then she quickly moved on. She talked about how, like, on the set of Fame, remember, like, they didn't get respect. They had to go to the, like, public restrooms. They, like, barely had dressing rooms. I was like, okay, we're pulling on a string. And then she immediately went and moved on. I'm like, yes, we're, like, starting to get something from you where you're not being respected. You're a Jackson. You're, like, brought on as a guest star, and you're not being respected. Like, I would like to hear more about that.
A
I will say she lightly touches on the fact of the racism that went into the way people talked about her body, the way people controlled her body, the way people discussed how she should look. Obviously, this happens across all cultures and all races, but still, specifically in these years, as a black woman having curves, having a butt, and the way she was asked not to look like that.
B
Absolutely.
A
And she lightly gives it a little dab, and you're like, oh, my gosh, tell me more. And then we're moving on to, like, a recipe about cauliflower popcorn. That made me want to run into a wall. I said, cauliflower popcorn.
B
Unnecessary. It's unnecessary. It's like Khloe Kardashian adding protein to popcorn. Popcorn is historically a guilt free snack. Stop touching it. It's a guilt free snack.
A
Like protein popcorn. You're like, oh, my God.
B
I'm like, I'm never gonna go to the bathroom again. Like, if you eat that much protein.
A
What the hell do you think they did? To powder. To powder protein on top of popcorn? I can't.
B
I can't just eat something and just enjoy it. Like, I don't know. That's kind of how I felt with this book. I was like, just eat the shortbread with the walnut and the orange and shut the fuck up. And I'm sorry to say that, like, I don't mean Jen. I mean the David.
A
Yeah, I mean everyone. Oh, that's what I'm saying, though. It wasn't successful in any way. Not as a memoir, not as a fun book, not as a diet book, not as a. Even if you don't believe in diets, there are a lot of diet books that sell. I can't even imagine this one sold well. Okay, there's another thing in the book I wanna ask you about.
B
Yes.
A
There's a photo of her with her dog Buckwheat, and she says, this is the caption here with Buckwheat on my way to the MTV Movie Awards the same day I got home from the hospital. If you look closely, you can see I'm still wearing my patient ID bracelet. Things aren't always the way they seem. Did she talk about a hospital in this book?
B
Not that I clocked. Not that I clocked. I got to say, just for everyone listening, that's like, oh, did he read the book? I was at a hot pool in Palm Springs with a lot of cute guys, and it's hot. I did my best with this book. But, like, there were moments where I was like, is this a dream?
A
I know. And I. Okay, thank you. Thank you for your book confession. She never wrote about this hospital, but there are two of us here say there's a whole caption of, like, the MTV Movie Awards the day you got home from the hospital. Your dog Buckwheat, and I don't know what the fuck you are referencing or talking about. I don't know what she's talking about.
B
But what in. In this kind of nefarious, like, you never know what it seems like. Did you, like, have a 5150 or did you, like, twist your ankle. We don't know where to think. We don't know what to think.
A
And also, like, I feel like we would have remembered that story. It wasn't in there.
B
Or maybe it was, and it was Sheila's story or Danny's story or Johnny's story. I mean, all these other people. Like, I remember I got up this morning and I was like, well, I hope you know Sheila's doing well, or whoever that girl was who got the abortion. Because I'm like, those are the people I'm remembering. I'm not remembering.
A
Yeah, they gave way more than Janet did. No, I'm going to. I'm going to put money on the fact that the MTV story is not in smoking. It's like, the final drafts came in, and one of her reps was like, actually cut that story. Let's not talk about MTV or something. But then, like, she had already given the captions for the book, and one of the Davids was like, send it to print. Like, no one double checked. No one gave it a glance. No one skimmed. No one connected the dots.
B
Okay, that's unfortunate.
A
Well, then she writes. So I'm like, okay, we're nearing the end of the book. And she's like, meet David Allen, my nutritionist. And I said, no. David starts writing the book. David takes over the ends of the book, and he starts writing about it.
B
What'd you think of that? I not gonna lie to you. It was him the whole time. Like, the call is coming from within the house.
A
The other David is the author.
B
This is David.
A
I was like, these are the Davids.
B
The Davids are like, why are you passing the baton, my love? Like, that's what really. I had to tell my friend. I looked at her and I was like, the book is now being written by someone else. Like, what's happening?
A
And also it's being written by the nutritionist when there's another David who's here to author the book. He could have kept this in Janet's voice.
B
Yeah. Why? Why did we need to do that? There's no reason. It's like. It's like reading a book, and then halfway through, they're like, oh, yeah, you know, so and so's not gonna write anymore. They're gonna pass it to their assistant. You don't need to know that. We don't need to know. When I'm reading Crazy Rich Asians. I want the author. I don't want her assistant. Like, I mean, come on. Like, this is.
A
Oh, yeah. Well, I think it's also. It's like, we know she didn't write the rest of it.
B
We're not dumb. We're not listening. Even in 2011. We're not dumb now. We're really not dumb. We're aware that Most celebrities like 99.9% and you can confirm this, have someone helping them, whether it's a ghostwriter or a co writer or something. Celebrities, not only do they not have time, they don't know how to write stuff. They don't know how to pull stuff out and say it correctly.
A
Yeah, no, you're right. Okay, So I just had to look him up. So David Ritz is a lyricist who says his songs include Sexual Healing as well as compositions with Janet Jackson, Smokey Robinson. Okay. Was this man a songwriter who was like, I could do a book. That's just what, like a long song? Just a long song.
B
I mean, Sexual Healing is no joke. That's a big song.
A
I guess. Yeah. Okay. His other books are, I guess he went on to write Willie Nelson book and Divided Soul, the Life of Marvin Gaye. So I guess this was just like a musician whisperer guy. So Christina, our producer says it looks like he does have experience writing about music, but this is the worst. And I'm sorry, I'm going to call out Mel B. Scary Spice from Spice Girls, who was like, there was a reporter I really liked. And so she wrote my memoir. And for some reason in Mel B's motherfucking published memoir, there are three copy pasted paragraphs three times in the book. And I'm just like, listen, y' all need to be hiring real authors, okay?
B
Or an editor.
A
Anybody? Okay, so when David writes the book, this is the one sentence I will repeat. Dringo him. Janet was kind enough to invite me to her 40th birthday party. She was dressed in white and looked absolutely radiant. She had done more than achieve her goal of 130 pounds. She had overachieved it. She weighed 120. She lost nearly 56 lbs. Pounds in 18 weeks. I felt like a proud dad. And I said, well, then I hope you are not a father, sir.
B
That's disgusting.
A
Daddy, Daddy, I lost weight. Daddy, are you proud of me?
B
Daddy, are you proud of me?
A
I'm thrilled to not have a dad. I can't be putting up with this content.
B
Happy Father's Day to David.
A
Oh, my God. Okay, so I hate to say, Charles.
B
That is a very normal. Like, I've heard that before. Like, I'm so proud that you lost weight. Like, I'll Hear agents say that to clients. I've heard that kind of stuff. So.
A
Yeah, but. And listen. And I know dads do it too, and I just. It just makes me sad for them. It's Jessica Simpson's dad being like she's double D and she's slimmed down. Everyone gather round.
B
He's real gay now.
A
He is. He is.
B
Yeah, he is.
A
He's moccasin level. Moccasins to the grocery store. Okay, before we do the booktool test, which we can all guess the answers to, may I please ask for you to share your favorite recipe from the book?
B
So listen, the recipes were delightful. It was my favorite part. The titles. First of all, what makes a sloppy Joe kid friendly? I'll never know. And then she has a zesty red pepper soup. So those are like. I feel like they're in Thai. I just love that she called it zesty.
A
Yeah.
B
What makes it zesty?
A
I don't know, but. And what made the sloppy Joes kid friendly?
B
It's still me. I'm like, I don't understand. It's not like she did something different with it.
A
It's not like there's drugs in the rest of it. Or are there?
B
I guess maybe there are. That would explain the David's.
A
Okay, my favorite recipe was the last one. It's walnut orange shortbread.
B
I saw that one.
A
And when she lists the ingredients, it sounds actually like it would make what it's saying. Like it's not like stevia and like it's all the ingredients. It's flour, it's sugar. And I'm like, oh, okay. How is this in here? And then at the bottom of it, I guess they've given nutrition grades to all of the recipes. And at the bottom it gets a nutrition grade D. I was like, why is it in the fucking book then? That's why I was like, what are you selling me? I really don't know.
B
Don't understand. Why did they give it a D then? Yeah, What? Okay, yeah.
A
And then all the desserts are like, grade F. And they're like, but have it, you stupid bitch.
B
But you get an F. Did mine get a grade? I don't think mine.
A
Yeah, but what's the grade of Kid Friendly meatballs?
B
Let's see. So it's funny, the. Oh, yeah, the food does have recipe. I mean, it does have ratings. Okay, let's see. Oh, it got a B. Okay, that's not bad. I guess that makes it kid friendly. Why does it. Why did it get a B?
A
I don't know. But also, I want to be clear to everyone. It's not like they even teach you how to grade your food, which I don't think anyone should do. But, like, if the book was like, here, David Allen's gonna teach you how to give grades to your food so you feel like shit about yourself. And so much of this makes it an A. And they don't even tell you. They're just like, hey, bitch, this is a D. But, like, make it if you want.
B
Yeah, like, tell us why it got a B. Like, it would be nice if under it it said, okay, it would get an A if it was using, like, I don't know, better ingredients or something.
A
If you used broccoli instead of butter, David would give this chocolate pudding an A.
B
Exactly. I'm done with these recipes. I can't to.
A
Let's do the booktast. You ready?
B
Yes.
A
First question. Was the author vulnerable in the sharing of her truth?
B
Silence. I mean, she told us nothing. You get pictures of baby me? I don't. I don't know.
A
No, absolutely not. I will say, janet, you can do what you want, girlfriend. You lived through the 2004 Super bowl where Les Moonves, if anyone knows that name, it's because he was accused of sexual harassment and sexual assault by everyone. He's also the man who took away Designing Women and all the female LED TV in the 80s and 90s. 90s and whatever year it was. Anyways, Les Moonves is who banned her from cbs. And she had to deal with a lot after the super bowl where Justin Timberlake went on to dance as little Robinhead to stardom so she can do what she wants, but the answer is no. Second question. Was it entertaining to read?
B
I enjoyed it because it was so ridiculous.
A
I mean, no, no, no. This book was a fucking crime. Final question. Did reading this book elevate your life in any way?
B
No, because I just realized that you could be like anyone and write a book. I mean, it pissed me off that, like, the David just took over the book. It's a no.
A
You're like, give me that job.
B
Yeah, well, you could have done it better 10 times.
A
I'm also a no. It stole about 23 minutes of my life from this, my friend's birthday party where I was like, I need to read this in time for the recording. I do think I read the whole book in 23 minutes. I'm not sure how time filters through the Bloody Mary I was drinking, but it felt like 23 minutes. And it stole those minutes from my Life. But I hope you all enjoyed it. And I hope everyone listening instead of giving you the book Dill Test Elevation, I will pass on something I've been thinking a lot about with food and wellness, which is that life is really hard right now. Live your best life, eat the best foods, and fucking love yourself.
B
Absolutely. And I want to say something real quick for people who like those influencers, like those fitness influencers. Oh, I'm so healthy. I don't eat this. You could look healthy and on the inside, be super unhealthy. So this idea that you have abs or, like, you're skinny and that you're healthy, I know a lot of people who are fit, especially in the gay community, that do all kinds of drugs. The inside of their bodies are not healthy. They look good, but they're not healthy. So don't, like, base yourself off of that.
A
Yes. And also, you know what's really, really hard to do? Be happy.
B
Yes.
A
So let's save all of our time and energy and counting and grading for, like, ways to be happy and not waste any on this fucking garbage. Sorry, David's. Amir, where can they find you? Follow you, support your work, all of it.
B
Thank you. Yeah. Amir Yass official. And then I have my own podcast, the Vault with Monica and Amir, on all platforms. So thank you.
A
And that's the one where you share all the tea.
B
All the tea.
A
And, Amir, how many books you gonna read this year?
B
I mean, girl, I didn't know there was a table of contents in most books. So it's probably gonna be like, I mean, I've been trying to read at least one book a month.
A
I love that. Okay.
B
Really struggling.
A
New goal. Listen, life is hard. Thank you so much for coming on. Thank you. Oh, gosh. Let's go shake this book off.
B
Yes. I need to shake it off. I need a giant brownie. No nutrition grade. Like, fuck off.
A
Give me double D's of brownies right in my mouth right now.
B
Yes.
A
A huge thank you to our podcast producer, Christina Lopez, our executive producer, Jordan Moncada, our sound engineer, Marcus Hamm, and our amazing associate producer, Jaron Padre. I also want to let you know that if you love audiobooks, but you want to support independent bookstores, go to Libro fm, where it is easy to download audiobooks and support local bookshops. And right now, you get two Libro FM audiobooks for the price of one with your first month of membership using code Trash. That's right, Trash. T R A S H. Two audiobooks for the price of one at Libro fm. And if you have questions, go to the Patreon Chat Lounge and I will see you there.
Podcast Information:
Timestamp [01:04]
Chelsea Devantez introduces the episode, focusing on Janet Jackson’s memoir, True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself. Published in February 2011, the memoir delves into Janet Jackson's personal struggles, diet, cultural issues, eating disorders, and mental health. Chelsea expresses her enthusiasm for discussing Janet Jackson, one of her favorite artists, despite her initial disappointment with the quality of the memoir.
Timestamp [01:57]
Amir Yass, returning guest and host of the Vault podcast, joins Chelsea to discuss the memoir. Their dynamic sets the tone for a candid and humorous critique of Janet Jackson’s book.
Timestamp [02:42] - [05:18]
Amir expresses his strong negative opinion about the memoir, describing it as "buh ba bad." Chelsea agrees, highlighting that the book fails both as a memoir and as a diet guide. They discuss the book's structure, which blends personal stories with wellness and diet advice, ultimately finding it disjointed and ineffective. Notable quotes include:
Timestamp [05:18] - [12:05]
Chelsea and Amir delve into the content of True You, criticizing its lack of coherent memoir elements and overemphasis on diet and wellness. They highlight how the memoir intertwines Janet’s personal struggles with recipes and nutritional advice, leading to confusion and lack of depth. Key points include:
Notable Quotes:
Timestamp [12:05] - [27:50]
The hosts discuss specific anecdotes from the memoir, pointing out inconsistencies and superficial storytelling. They examine Janet's experiences in the entertainment industry, her struggles with body image, and her personal relationships. Highlights include:
Notable Quotes:
Timestamp [27:50] - [41:48]
The discussion shifts to the involvement of co-authors David Ritz and David Allen in writing the memoir. Chelsea and Amir express skepticism about the authenticity and quality of the writing, suggesting that the book lacks Janet’s genuine voice and relies heavily on the co-authors' contributions. They compare this to other celebrity memoirs where ghostwriters result in disjointed narratives.
Notable Quotes:
Timestamp [33:04] - [36:22]
Despite the overall criticism, Chelsea acknowledges that Janet Jackson’s memoir touches upon significant issues like emotional eating and mental health struggles. However, she argues that the memoir fails to provide meaningful insights or helpful advice for readers dealing with similar issues.
Notable Quotes:
Timestamp [41:03] - [48:27]
In their concluding remarks, Chelsea and Amir summarize their disappointment with True You, emphasizing that the memoir did not achieve its intended purpose of offering a heartfelt personal journey. They reflect on the importance of authenticity in memoir writing and the pitfalls of overemphasizing diet and wellness topics without substantive personal storytelling.
Notable Quotes:
Chelsea and Amir advise potential readers to approach True You with caution, highlighting that the memoir may lack the depth and authenticity expected from celebrity memoirs. They suggest prioritizing personal wellbeing and authentic storytelling over curated diet and wellness content presented in memoir formats.
This episode of Glamorous Trash provides a thorough and critical analysis of Janet Jackson’s memoir, True You. Through candid discussions and sharp humor, Chelsea Devantez and Amir Yass expose the memoir’s shortcomings in delivering a heartfelt and authentic personal narrative. Their insights serve as a guide for listeners considering engaging with the book, emphasizing the importance of genuine storytelling in celebrity memoirs.