Jennifer Hudson’s Memoir I Got This (with Tocarra Mallard)

Summary

Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Jennifer Hudson’s Memoir I Got This (with Tocarra Mallard)
Release Date: January 17, 2025
Host: Chelsea Devantez
Guest: Tocarra Mallard

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Introduction

In this episode of Glamorous Trash, host Chelsea Devantez and her guest Tocarra Mallard delve into Jennifer Hudson's memoir, I Got This: How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down. Released in 2012, the memoir ostensibly chronicles Hudson's journey through weight loss and personal transformation. However, Chelsea and Takara critically examine the book's true focus and its implications within the broader context of celebrity memoirs and diet culture.

Overview of Jennifer Hudson’s Memoir

Chelsea introduces the memoir as more of a promotional tool for Weight Watchers rather than a genuine personal narrative. She describes the book as "a really long Weight Watchers ad" and expresses skepticism about its authenticity and depth.

Chelsea Devantez [09:33]: "I don't think she really gave us a lot [about her personal life], actually."

Critique of the Weight Loss Focus

The primary critique centers on the memoir's heavy emphasis on weight loss strategies, branding it as "Glamorous Trash" for its superficial engagement with deeper personal issues. The hosts argue that the memoir neglects significant life events and traumas, such as the tragic loss of Jennifer Hudson's family members in a home invasion, which are only briefly touched upon without much detail.

Takara Mallard [10:02]: "It is clearly an ad for Weight Watchers disguised as a memoir."

Key Stories from the Memoir

Jennifer and Walter: The Teenage Manager

One of the standout stories discussed is Hudson's relationship with Walter Williams III, her teenage manager. Chelsea and Takara find this narrative both endearing and problematic, highlighting the imbalance and control Walter exerts over Jennifer's early career.

Takara Mallard [12:22]: "Walter is shopping for her on his own credit card, returning them, picking out outfits for her. This is, I mean, it's my favorite relationship slay."

Auditioning for American Idol and Quentin Tarantino

Jennifer's audition journey, including her brief stint on American Idol and an unexpected encounter with Quentin Tarantino, is dissected. The hosts question the authenticity and relevance of these anecdotes, suggesting they serve more to populate the memoir with celebrity interactions rather than provide genuine insights into Hudson's life.

Takara Mallard [25:54]: "I don't think that happened. I think words were exchanged. I think she remembers a laugh. But I cannot believe that."

Analysis of Recipes and Weight Watchers Promotion

The memoir transitions into numerous Weight Watchers recipes and tips, which Chelsea and Takara find both intrusive and unhelpful. They critique the practical application of these recipes, finding them either unappealing or impractical.

Takara Mallard [49:54]: "They say, put a teaspoon sized cookie dough. So instead of like putting a spoonful of cookie dough on the baking tray, you make a teaspoon of just regular cookie dough. And now you have Weight Watchers mini chocolate chip cookies."

Personal Reflections and Emotional Response

Throughout the discussion, both hosts express their frustration and disappointment with the memoir's lack of vulnerability and genuine storytelling. They emphasize the missed opportunity to explore Jennifer Hudson's artistic journey and personal struggles more deeply.

Chelsea Devantez [11:03]: "I would love for her to talk about this in a real book. What family means to her and what disclosing that at that time did for her."

Postscript: Updates on Jennifer Hudson’s Life

In a separate segment recorded later, Chelsea and Takara provide updates on Jennifer Hudson's personal life that emerged after the memoir's release. They discuss revelations about Hudson having 25 siblings from her father's relationships in Africa, a detail not covered in the original memoir. This information adds complexity to Hudson's personal narrative, highlighting aspects of her life that remain unexplored in her published work.

Takara Mallard [77:29]: "She was like, I can't imagine letting my children walk barefoot in Chicago. Which is like, very okay, but it's very different."

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

Concluding the episode, Chelsea and Takara reiterate their disappointment with I Got This, urging listeners to seek more authentic and thoughtfully crafted celebrity memoirs. They advocate for memoirs that balance personal vulnerability with professional insights, moving beyond surface-level narratives tied to commercial interests.

Chelsea Devantez [68:28]: "But hopefully she'll write another one. She'll be more honest, more thoughtful and we'll be really able to discuss her art and her craft in a more thoughtful way and we'll be able to push herself forward."

Conclusion

This episode of Glamorous Trash offers a critical examination of Jennifer Hudson's memoir, exposing its shortcomings in providing a comprehensive and authentic portrayal of her life. Through insightful dialogue and candid reflections, Chelsea and Takara highlight the challenges of celebrity memoirs that prioritize commercial endorsements over genuine personal storytelling. The discussion serves as a call for more meaningful and honest narratives within the genre, encouraging both writers and readers to seek depth and authenticity.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Chelsea Devantez [09:33]: "I don't think she really gave us a lot [about her personal life], actually."
• Takara Mallard [10:02]: "It is clearly an ad for Weight Watchers disguised as a memoir."
• Takara Mallard [12:22]: "Walter is shopping for her on his own credit card, returning them, picking out outfits for her. This is, I mean, it's my favorite relationship slay."
• Takara Mallard [25:54]: "I don't think that happened. I think words were exchanged. I think she remembers a laugh. But I cannot believe that."
• Takara Mallard [49:54]: "They say, put a teaspoon sized cookie dough. So instead of like putting a spoonful of cookie dough on the baking tray, you make a teaspoon of just regular cookie dough. And now you have Weight Watchers mini chocolate chip cookies."
• Chelsea Devantez [11:03]: "I would love for her to talk about this in a real book. What family means to her and what disclosing that at that time did for her."
• Takara Mallard [77:29]: "She was like, I can't imagine letting my children walk barefoot in Chicago. Which is like, very okay, but it's very different."
• Chelsea Devantez [68:28]: "But hopefully she'll write another one. She'll be more honest, more thoughtful and we'll be really able to discuss her art and her craft in a more thoughtful way and we'll be able to push herself forward."

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Conclusion

Chelsea Devantez and Takara Mallard provide a thorough and critical analysis of Jennifer Hudson's memoir, emphasizing its shortcomings in delivering a heartfelt and comprehensive personal narrative. Their insightful critique invites listeners to reconsider the value and authenticity of celebrity memoirs that prioritize commercial interests over genuine storytelling.

Transcript

[Chelsea Devontes]

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[Takara]

Be Honest. When's the last time you had a homemade meal?

[Chelsea Devontes]

We get it.

[Takara]

Between meetings, workout classes, and the kids after school sports, who's got time to cook? That's where HelloFresh comes in. No matter how busy you get, HelloFresh has everything you need to get an easy home cooked meal on the table. With flavor packed recipes like Parmesan Herb Crusted Salmon. You'll be filling your kitchen with the cozy aromas of a homemade meal in no time.

[Chelsea Devontes]

So go ahead, try HelloFresh.

[Takara]

It's homemade made easy. Learn [e-mail] hey, welcome to Glamorous Trash. This is a celebrity memoir podcast where we dig into all of the glamour and all of the trash. If you have ever casually referenced Mariah Carey in therapy, then this might be the podcast for you. I'm your host, Chelsea Devontes. I'm a TV writer, comedian, filmmaker, author, and sometimes I'm in step two. And today we are book clubbing Jennifer Hudson's memoir slash scam, a scam that she called a memoir that is actually just like a really long Weight Watchers ad titled I Got this How I Changed My Ways and Lost what Weighed Me down, published in 2012, which of course, what other year would give us such a title? And I have to say, the Weight Watchers stuff that we discuss in this episode is actually a very small part of the episode. There's a lot of juice. A lot of wild stories you're about to hear that have nothing to do with Weight Watchers. A little, you know, too many wild stories. Some might say too much juice. There's a lot of juice in this book. And before we dive into this episode, I want to take a moment and acknowledge that we are in Los Angeles. Everyone who works on this podcast is in Los Angeles except for our beautiful, perfect sound engineer, Marcus, who is in New York City. We're all here and the fires have hit our city really, really hard. Not only does everyone I know know someone and multiple someones, or is someone who have lost Their entire home. But a member of our team lost their home in the fire. And I just want to thank all of the cookies who showed up online when we posted the GoFundMe and they reached their goal and they're slowly trying to. To put life back together. So I just want to thank everyone for donating to that. And that leads me to my next point, which is something I'm not sure I had actually put a lot of time into, because when tragedies happen, GoFundMes pop up because, you know, the government isn't doing a great job of taking care of us. And so GoFundMes are the way of. Of the community getting someone back on their feet. But in order to run a successful GoFundMe that, you know, makes enough money for you to rebuild everything, you have to be technologically savvy, you have to have Internet access. You have to be a certain type of writer, a certain type of communicator in order to, you know, to tell that story. You have to know people. And not only do you have to know a lot of people, but those people have to have money. And people paypals and Apple pays and credit cards and money that they can give. And so there are so many people in this city who are already living in poverty before the fires and don't have those resources. And so Ashley Nicole Black, who is my bestie and dare I say our bestie, our podcast bestie, she's been on this podcast a lot. She has partnered with Letters from Altadena, which comes from a charity that she and I work with. We're. We're both on the board, used to be called Letters to Sienna. And it's going to get money directly into the hands of the people affected most. And I've been a part of this program where on Christmas, you show up and hands, you know, one of the adults in the home like an envelope filled with cash. Because no one knows how to run your life better than you. No one knows what toy might bring your kid joy after losing their home more than a parent, you know, no one knows how to best use that money than them. So donations are wonderful, and please keep doing them and, and getting goods and things like that. But it's really powerful to actually get a grant to get that money to build your life back together. So we're going to link it in the show notes. I know it's really overwhelming to feel like you want to help, but also there's so many places to donate, and also you're, you know, we're all dealing with our own lives and our own stuff. So if you think in your heart, do I have $10? Do I have $10 I can spare? Give that $10 if you can. And it's linked in our show notes and it's posted on my stories. It's. And it's on Ashley stories and called Letters from Altadena. So with that, we are going to hop into this episode that we actually recorded a long, long time ago. Well, maybe not that long. Basically, I had just gotten back from book tour and when we recorded this episode, I was brain dead and forgot to plug my mic in. So the audio you're gonna hear, it's. It's not this, like elite, very beautiful, perfect, smooth audio you're hearing right now. It's just normal audio and it's totally fine. Still, it's still great, but it's just, it's just not this. But then at the end of the episode, so much had happened since we recorded it that my guest came back and we did a 25 minute postscript on all of the updates in Jennifer Hudson's life. Because there's so many. There were so many. So please enjoy this episode as a kickoff to your 2025 anti diet culture. Anti any of the stuff this book stands for. We're going to get into wild, wild gossip and then we're going to talk about what has happened in Jennifer's life this past fall since the book came out. And with that, let's dive in.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I am telling you.

[Takara]

The best man.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I'll ever know that's no way I.

[Takara]

Could ever, ever go no other way.

[Chelsea Devontes]

No, no, no, no I'm living without.

[Takara]

You I'm not living without you not living without you I don't wanna be.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Free I'm staying I'm staying I'm you, I'm new I'm.

[Takara]

And you are just gonna love me.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Hi, Chelsea. Thanks for having me back.

[Takara]

I'm so happy to see you. This is how I force us to hang out. Because we no longer work together and you are still in New York where I forced you to move for the show.

[Chelsea Devontes]

That is very true. Why would you do that to me?

[Takara]

I know, I know. And then I left immediately. Okay, so I pulled you in to discuss this book because I thought it could be a hidden gem. And again, as you may have heard, Delta Burke's memoir was my favorite celebrity memoir. It was the first one I ever read. And it is a half like, actually, it's not a diet book, but it's like A style book for, like, having curves. And so sometimes I'm like, these can be gems. And I thought this one might be a hidden gem. And what do you think, Takara, was it?

[Chelsea Devontes]

No, ma'am. I think this book could have been a cookbook. I don't think she should have written this memoir yet.

[Takara]

Yeah, and the way cookbooks have those long, rambling stories where you're like, I don't care. Get to the recipe. Like, this is like. Those were what the stories were like, too.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Exactly. Exactly.

[Takara]

Yeah. It wasn't great. It wasn't great. However, she actually did say a lot of her life stories in the book. Do you feel that way?

[Chelsea Devontes]

I don't think she really gave us a lot, actually.

[Takara]

Interesting. Okay, maybe. Well, you know, let's get into it. Let's find out. We do have to start the episode with something extremely dark. This is a violent trigger warning. This is something that is not in the book. But I think about often when I think of her, which is that in 2008, her sister's estranged husband broke into their home and murdered her mother, her brother, and her nephew, his son. And this is, like, when she's getting famous and these horrible murders happen. And it's something that I, like, couldn't stop thinking about when reading this book because it's, you know, it's a weight loss book. But I just kept thinking about this, like, deep life tragedy that, of course, is not mentioned in these pages. But she would refer to, like, her mom who had passed away. But, like. And I knew the context behind it, and I know she's since spoken on it, but she was very quiet about it for a long time. And, like, I just couldn't stop thinking about an entire diet book. You know what I mean? An entire diet book. But this other life story, not touched on. Not that she had to.

[Chelsea Devontes]

It just.

[Takara]

It kept. I don't know. So in that way. Yeah. No, she didn't tell her life story in any way at all because, like, not only are those not present, but her sister Julia does a testimonial for weight loss in the book. And Julia is the sister whose estranged husband committed those crimes.

[Chelsea Devontes]

That's right. I remember when this book was coming out, I thought for sure it would be in the book. But then when she was making the rounds to chat about the book, she said she did not owe anybody anything and that some things are just too personal. And I was like, oh, well, then I'm not gonna check out this book, because I don't know if it's going to go anywhere near as deep as I'd expect a memoir to go. And maybe that's just my bad for thinking that all memoirs should be raw.

[Takara]

It is clearly an ad for Weight Watchers disguised as. Disguised as a memoir. And so, like. Yeah. And I think it really would have been weird for her to talk about those stories and then be like, and by the way, a sweet potato is better for you than a regular potato. You're like. That said, in choosing what to put your time into, what to put out into the world, what is the most important takeaway you have to give to the world? She's doing a weight loss book. And that part's weird.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yeah.

[Takara]

Because I think all those dark events are always tied. This is. Maybe this is my weird theory, but it's like your real life, your deepest, darkest everything, affects your image and your body and your whatever. Like, those two aren't.

[Chelsea Devontes]

And your art.

[Takara]

And your art. Yeah. Those two are very much intertwined. And so to just say the diet part and not say the life part is, like, somewhat pointless. But we read it anyway. Okay, let's get into some of the stories. So the book, there's not really childhood stuff. It's really just talking about what she looked like as a child, but then as a teenager, she says she's really into her music, and she focuses on her music even as a kid. And the standout star of this book for me is Walter iii.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Love him.

[Takara]

Walter Williams III the third, who is her gay best friend, teenage, like, bestie, who says to her, I'm gonna be your manager when they're in high school.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yeah, yeah.

[Takara]

And he's like, I'm gonna, like, run your career. And the best in this book is them together at prom. And he's just, like, a full foot shorter than her, and he literally is going to make her who she is.

[Chelsea Devontes]

But Chelsea, why they go to prom together is hysterical. Because she has a boyfriend in high school, but he didn't have a car.

[Takara]

That's right.

[Chelsea Devontes]

But Walter had a car. So it wasn't like, oh, we'll all go together. It was like, no, I can't. I'm just gonna go with Walter. So silly.

[Takara]

Why would you do that? That is. You're so right. Like, the boyfriend couldn't even be in the backseat. Yeah. And Walter, I mean, listen, he's making moves. He's a businessman, you know? Like, he's not about that high school life. Like, he's got bigger dreams. It is so funny because he's. He's her manager. In the way that only a teenager could be your manager. Which is that he's just like giving her advice, but in a really intense way. And so she wrote this. Somewhere around the end of my freshman year of high school, Walter phoned me up and said he wanted to be my official manager. My first response was a gut busting laugh and one of my classic whatevers. Then I said, all right, you wanna be my manager, fine. I figured he would last a hot minute. Much to my surprise, Walter took his new position very seriously. He started booking shows for me almost right away and escorted me to all of my events. Neither of us could afford to buy the fancy dresses I needed to wear for my gigs. He used his credit card to buy them and I would wear them once. Walter would then return the outfits for a full refund. Oh, some of those outfits were something else. Walter did the shopping, and because of my curves, we were limited in where we could shop. One outfit I may never forgive Walter for was an orange suit consisting of a jacket and capri pants. I believe there was some gold trim involved. So. So Walter is shopping for her on his own credit card, returning them, picking out outfits for her. This is, I mean, it's my favorite relationship slay.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I loved it. I loved it. And then he got her gigs at weddings, right?

[Takara]

That's right.

[Chelsea Devontes]

$25 a song, which, I mean, a hustle is a hustle. That's not bad.

[Takara]

You're right. I mean, a wedding's gonna need, you know, I assume they're like, come in and sing one song for our first dance and then leave. But what if they were like, give us 10 songs.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Exactly.

[Takara]

That ain't bad. Yeah. And she enters contests and Walter is like, you need your own glam squad and like find like some rickety ass makeup artist to like pretend to come with her. So she would like intimidate people. And I love it. Cause they're just two teens trying to make it. She's working at Burger King. He has like business cards printed up for her to like pass out to people.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I love him.

[Takara]

And Walter is like, you have to audition for American Idol. She says no. She goes to perform on a cruise ship instead. When she gets back, he's like, you are auditioning this season? Season three. And I've already bought the tickets and they're non refundable because, you know, we know they're on Spirit Airlines. Like that's, that's, that's where you're flying at that point in life.

[Chelsea Devontes]

So she's in Orlando on the Cruise ship.

[Takara]

Yeah.

[Chelsea Devontes]

He must be in Chicago. And somehow they have to get to Atlanta for the auditions.

[Takara]

Ooh, good geography. You're right. So her flight was a lot shorter.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But he's like, meet me here. This. We have to make this happen.

[Takara]

Meet me here.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Intense.

[Takara]

Yes. And then he's just stand with her, like, outside the arena where hundreds of thousands of people line up to with their camping gear. Yeah, I think hundreds of thousands. That's a lot. Yeah. Camping gear to audition for American Idol. And she takes us through, like, there was like, folding tables set up on a football field and you just walked up and sang while everyone else was singing. As you, like, make it to the next round. And the next round.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Terrifying.

[Takara]

And so, yeah, truly wild. Now, actually, one thing I accidentally skipped was that before she does American Idol, she. She auditions to be one of Barry Manilow's backup singers. And Barry Manilow is like, you're the best, but you're too fat. No, you're too fat to. To sing in the background. Lol. Barry Manilow. What are you talking about?

[Chelsea Devontes]

Absolute nonsense. And the whole time she's thinking that she nailed it. Everyone's like, so complimentary. And then that's it. It's all about image. And that's actually the theme throughout the book. Yeah. And it crescendos to a point where I'll get to it, but it made me so mad that she did that. But we'll get there.

[Takara]

Oh, I can't wait. It is meant to make you buy into Weight Watchers after reading it, where it's like every life story has, like, a thing about her body just, like, hidden in it. And then right after that, she was signed to a record deal with Chicago based independent label called Righteous Records.

[Chelsea Devontes]

She had a five year deal. Yeah.

[Takara]

Which I have to tie in to our Ani DiFranco episode where she named her record label Righteous Records. This record label that I'm talking about sued her and was like, no. And she was like, oh, yes, I'll do Righteous Babe Records. Ooh. So Ani DiFranco is righteous babe Records. And this is the Righteous Records. And this one, though, run by a man named David Johnson. Full name, full name, drop in the book. We love it. I'm reading from the book now. He created a contest for me to be inspired to lose weight, hitting me against another girl on the label who was much smaller than I was. David said we both needed to lose weight, and whoever lost the most would win money. And then what does she do to lose Weight, Billy Blanks, Taebo. Now, Takara, I believe you are a handful of years younger than me. You probably never had Billy Blank's typo ruin your life.

[Chelsea Devontes]

No, solidly ruined my life. Absolutely. Yeah.

[Takara]

Wait, really?

[Chelsea Devontes]

Uh huh. Uh huh. Don't do this to me. Don't do this to me. Chelsea, eighth grade, mom was like, you're gonna join Curves. Remember Curves?

[Takara]

The gym?

[Chelsea Devontes]

So I did.

[Takara]

I was a free trial member. Yes.

[Chelsea Devontes]

No, no, not me and my mother. We were there. So we did the Curves. We did Senor Billy, and I think she mentioned she did the aerobics of Denise Austin as well.

[Takara]

Yes.

[Chelsea Devontes]

So I did all of those. Don't do this to me, okay?

[Takara]

Takara, we were on the same circuit. Yeah, I absolutely did. Billy Blank's Taebo at home, in my living room, fully in high school. Like, I think using canned goods as, like, Taebo wafers.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Oh, my God, stop it. I used Gatorade bottles.

[Takara]

I am just.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I was like, where do I get some 3 pound weights? Kmart? I can't do that. Yeah, I'll just use big Gatorade bars and the 99 cent Arizona Iced tea if I was desperate.

[Takara]

Those were big ones. Those were hefty. Yes. God, I can't. Yes. She really took us back to those DVDs. And. Yeah, it's so funny how I think with the Internet now, when you go through, you know, the horrible diet culture or whatever, there's just so many options, people to follow, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But if you are our age, we were all on the same three Atkins, the Zone. Like, we all. We were. We were all suffering the same. South Beach. Oh, God, string cheese. Just 19 times a day. Okay. So then, you know, she loses weight and whatever he gives her money, she goes on the cruise ship, she comes back. Now she's auditioning for American Idol and she gets on. She gets on the show. Except. And I. I wasn't watching the first. I mean, I've actually never watched American Idol. I've just seen like, the. Pause.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Wait, pause.

[Takara]

You.

[Chelsea Devontes]

You didn't. Like, the first three seasons were like, canon. Like, you didn't watch American Idol religiously.

[Takara]

So we did not have TV in high school. And so I literally did not have a television. You know, I don't have to, like, go back though, right?

[Chelsea Devontes]

No, but it was just such a time in reality tv.

[Takara]

Yeah, you're so right.

[Chelsea Devontes]

It was like pre Laguna beach, the hills, post Paris Hilton. It was just the competition of it all. It was just. Wow. It was crazy.

[Takara]

It was huge. Yeah. It was so huge. Okay, so you know this. I didn't know this. She ends up in the final 12 by a stroke of luck. She's a wild card pick. And so she really was in the bottom of this show almost the entire time. And they are. I know from the cookies and the DMs and a little bit from this book, they were vicious to her on the show. Like, you're too big, you're too fat, your fashion is hideous. She insinuated in the book. She was like, I wore some wild shit. And I looked it up and I said, yes.

[Chelsea Devontes]

She needed Walter there by her side the whole time, methinks. Yes. I never liked anything she wore. And I actually wasn't particularly, like, impressed with her as a singer. Even. Ooh, God, they're gonna get me even too. Even now I'm like, she's just a touch too loud, and there's a little bit too much texture. I'm always like, do you have control over your voice? It seems to have control over you. But even so, there's this moment during the run of the show where. And she talks about this in the book, but I don't think she goes as in depth. Cause this was a crazy moment where she's in the bottom three with Fantasia and Latoya and Elton John, who was a guest judge on the show. Cause he loved the show, loved her. She did the circle of life on the show. But after they were in the bottom three, she goes home. Elton John was like, american Idol is racist. And that was like, front page on every newspaper. Fox News was talking about it all the time. They were trying to get more sound bites of Elton John. Ryan Seacrest on the next show had to be like, remember, guys, this is a talent show, not a popularity contest. Because of this moment. Like, no one could believe that that was the bottom three. However you feel about Jennifer Hudson, latoya and Fantasia were always pitch perfect in my mind. But it was truly a popularity contest. And the fact that she didn't go in depth to talk about that, to talk more about her press run and the questions that they were asking her, like, do you believe American Idol is racist? Do you believe? And it was just such an interesting time because it was pre Kanye west being like, george Bush doesn't care about black people. But it was Elton John being like, american Idol is racist. And no one could believe someone would publicly say something about what was then a truly American institution. It was almost saying the United States was racist at that point, which. Well, I mean, also I mean, what do we do?

[Takara]

Wow, I'm so glad you shared that. That is so. That is 20 years ago.

[Chelsea Devontes]

20 years ago. Yeah.

[Takara]

That's recent.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yeah.

[Takara]

Not far away. That's what's crushing. Okay, so, yeah, when she was talking about being in the bottom three with Fantasia and Latoya, like, she touched on it, but I. And I was like, oh, that's. And she said, like, oh, it was, wow that the three black women were in the bottom. And again, we didn't have tv. But did I listen to Fantasia's albums? Every day of my life. I believe, like, she's incredible. And I was like, she was ever in the bottom. Elton John. What a guy. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. This book sucks. So. I can't believe she didn't talk about it.

[Chelsea Devontes]

It was just wild that he would. He would be so upset about this show.

[Takara]

Yeah.

[Chelsea Devontes]

And there was. I think there was just so much to say about it.

[Takara]

It was culture making. And also, Ruben stuttered. Won season two.

[Chelsea Devontes]

He did.

[Takara]

And so I bet they also had a lot of confusion about, like, how could we be racist if he won? And, like, you know, all the nuances that were probably not covered in Justin to Kelly, the beach, the movie, hour long movie special, the movie musical, Wild. Well, Jennifer is six to get eliminated. She doesn't make it that far. And then for some reason, in a book that doesn't include much, she tells us that, you know, she goes to start her life, you know, post American Idol, and she meets Quentin Tarantino. So she says, the producers of American Idol said we'd be attending a screening of Quentin Tarantino's latest film, Kill Bill, Volume 2. Believe it or not, I actually fell asleep in the screening. Then later, she says, after the screening, all of the contestants and crew had a reception for Quentin. I still hadn't met him, so I didn't realize that the guy who had asked me what I thought of the movie was actually the director. I fell asleep, I said, completely oblivious to whom I was speaking. Thank goodness Quentin had a great sense of humor. His reaction was simply to laugh. I hope he thought I was kidding. Later, when I realized who he was, I figured I blew any chance I ever had of being in a Quentin Tarantino movie. Funnily enough, at his request, I auditioned for him. Several years later, I was told to show up at his house wearing cutoff blue jeans, shorts and flip flops. I didn't get the part. Red flags now. First off, we gotta show your feet as you show up to Quentin Tarantino. We're not connecting the dots. Then again, she didn't even know who he was at the reception for him at the screening. You just saw like, you know what, let's just break this down. Let's go step by step, please. One, she had a very like, sheltered life experience, the way lots of people do, but to a point where like, she saw a movie screening, fell asleep in it, and the first person asked her what she thought of it at the event. She told the truth. Okay, that's crazy. 2. Quentin laughs. Now what I know of Quentin, having also read his book, I'm kind of shocked he was cool about it. Shocked, yeah, I'm. That feels unbelievable. So maybe he really did think.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I don't think that happened.

[Takara]

Really. What do you think happened? You think there's a lie of a nice story in this Blit Watchers book?

[Chelsea Devontes]

I think words were exchanged. I think she remembers a laugh. But I cannot believe that. It just feels impossible and was like, hahaha. Something. There was more there.

[Takara]

There is like some, some interview clip burned in my brain of Quentin Tarantino and Mira Sorvino on the red carpet. And Quentin's getting interviewed and at the corner of his eye he sees a journalist who wrote something shitty about him and I think his dad that he didn't like. And he starts like pulling Mira and he's like, that's the journalist I fucking hate. Fuck you. I fucking fuck you. And like, mira, look, Mira, look. And Mira's just trying to like leave her body. Like, she's just like smiling as, like the light leaves her eyes as she's trying to be like, I'm an actress on a red carpet. I can't imagine his response to I fell asleep during Kill Bill.

[Chelsea Devontes]

No. He is such a self indulgent, narcissistic director. Doug. I Love Kill Bill, Volume 1, Volume 2. But I just. The response to that being just to laugh. Insane. Insane. I don't believe it.

[Takara]

But then he's like, come audition for me. So I guess he is over it. Then she includes what he asked her to win. Don't like that. Yeah. And I will say there's a story coming up where when you read it in the book, it's nothing, it's mush. But she left enough details in there to Google it. And you realize there's a really dark, deep story behind this. And I'm wondering if that's what this is where she's like, I had to wear flip flops. I don't know. I don't know. Really weird. Okay, so then she goes home, she's just living life. And again, she's like dieting for some reason, I don't know why. And she kind of skips, like going on tour with them. She's like. She said, I had never been to a concert. My first concert was my own, the American Idol.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I love that line.

[Takara]

You do?

[Chelsea Devontes]

I thought that was really sweet. Again, noting that you said she had a very sheltered. She's like solidly in her twenties at this point and never been to a concert. And the first one that she goes to, she just happens to be on stage. I both love that. And I'm also like, ooh, man, you gotta do the thing. Yeah, you gotta get out there.

[Takara]

Yeah, yeah. I was very. I was very conflicted. And she ends that Walter is still her manager. She does some like, club performances, then goes home. And then she says, this is my favorite story in the book. It was around early spring when I began hearing about a buzz in Hollywood that Jennifer Hudson was being considered to play the role of Effie White in the upcoming film adaptation of the highly popular and successful musical Dreamgirls. I kept seeing articles and reading blogs that mentioned me for the part, but I hadn't heard from anyone connected to the film. I had no idea how the rumor got started. I'd never even seen the stage version. I only knew of Jennifer Holiday, the originator of the role, because Barry Manilow had spoken of her on American Idol. Also full circle moment. And then she talks about Effie White, who had been the lead singer of the group due to her amazing voice, but sidelined because she's a full figured woman. And that's like the dream girl story. And then she says, it turns out that the producers of the film were in fact trying to reach me, but since I didn't really have a manager at this point, parentheses Walter had taken a job at this time. No one associated with the film knew how to find me. And then she has a cousin who was a publicist for Ebony magazine. And one of the casting agents finally made the connection that both their last names were Hudson. And they call her cousin and they're like, do you have Jennifer Hudson's phone number? And then they call her and they're like, do you want to audition for. For this movie?

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yeah.

[Takara]

That's wild. Just the last moment of no cell phones.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Exactly. I can't get a hold of her. I don't know how to reach her. Does anyone have her email? No. This was truly very funny.

[Takara]

Does anyone at American Idol have a contact info sheet?

[Chelsea Devontes]

That's what made it so funny. I was like, no one knew how. I mean, she was on a very public television show.

[Takara]

Surely nobody had her number.

[Chelsea Devontes]

There's a supervising producer with her info.

[Takara]

What job does Walter have?

[Chelsea Devontes]

I know, this is wild. Now I want to know why he took another job. As soon as she put that in parentheses, I was like, why? Interesting.

[Takara]

Yeah. But also, I guess he had to have a job because what money was she making? Like, what money as her manager, could he have been pulling in?

[Chelsea Devontes]

Well, she had said from the start it was her gay fans and the gay clubs that, like, kept her afloat. So she would do these shows and be in Chicago. So I was like, who was booking you these. These shows at gay clubs and Pride festivals? Who's doing that?

[Takara]

Yeah. A weird blip in her history. That makes no sense. But she goes on to audition for the role of effie white against 800.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Other actresses, including Fantasia, which I read. I didn't realize that was one of the people she had to audition against.

[Takara]

And then she says Beyonce gave her some advice, which was, you are going to have so many options after this. Make sure you pick your projects well. Be very choosy and very careful. And Jennifer Hudson says, it was amazing advice. She's followed it and thinks of it ever since. And on the next page, she's like, and so I played Louise in the Sex and the City movie.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Wait, pause, pause, pause, pause. Before we leave Dreamgirls, I also wanna say something that wasn't in the book but was also huge surrounding the movie was the fact that everyone was like, beyonce is jealous of Jennifer Hudson. That was all anybody was talking about. Because the buzz surrounding the movie was about Jennifer Hudson and never having acted before this film, going to Cannes, like, her being, you know, she's gonna get nominated for an Oscar. People were like, oh, but what about Beyonce? She's super upset. Like, she's playing this role. Like, it was intense, this, like, comparison and this beef. And I don't know, I wish she would have addressed that in the book a little bit too, because that also surrounded the movie.

[Takara]

Oh, yeah, that's such a good point.

[Chelsea Devontes]

When they were bringing this up to her because they were also, like, in interviews, you know, Jennifer or Beyonce. Are you jealous of Jennifer? She's like, why am I jealous of Jennifer? This is an ensemble cast movie. I don't need to prove to anyone that I can sing at this point. I have nine Grammys. She's like, I'm doing this movie to prove I can act. I was like, you should not have said that either. You should have said, I'm not jealous. This is an ensemble cast. We're having a great time.

[Takara]

Yeah, I'm happy for my friend who did a great fucking job. I mean, she's, you know. Yeah. Wow, that's incredible. I did not remember that well. And then, yeah, the only Beyonce mention, you know, you do a whole movie with Beyonce and it's just that she gave me advice to be choosy about my career roles. And I'm saying I listened to it. But when you look at my IMDb, I def took the wrong lesson away.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Sex and the City Cats. What are we doing?

[Takara]

What are we doing? What are we doing? And what was fascinating about her Oscar run in the terms of this book is that after the movie she goes home and she works very hard to lose the weight she had gained for the role. And then they call her up and they're like, we're gonna need to do reshoots of two shots. You have to gain all the weight back. And this unknown who's never done anything ever, ever in her life says no. I was so happy for her in that moment. I was like, holy shit. She was like, no, I will not do that. Work around it. And she pushes back so hard that they reshoot it and they just use a close up of her face was available the whole fucking time. And then goes on the Oscar run, which is basically a year long press tour. That's what an Oscar run is like. You're doing all this press to win it. And they say to her, you have to gain the weight back. People can't see you as Effie White. You want to remind them that you were Effie White. And again, it's so wild. It's like Christian Bale praise for gaining weight, losing weight, whatever. And then he's back to Christian Bale and celebrated Charlize Theron and Monster, you.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Know what I mean? It's like.

[Takara]

But with her, they were like, gain it back or you won't win the Oscar. And again she's like, fuck off. Then, then I won't win it. But I was so weird. I was like, why was that their ass?

[Chelsea Devontes]

They were saying something about like, they don't know Jennifer Hudson. They know Effie. They fell in love with Effie. You need to look like Effie. And I'm like, do you think people are stupid? Like, they know this is a movie and she is an actor in the movie. Like, this is going to be okay. But they were just so, like, this is it. Everyone was just so Invested in this Oscar. They wanted to do anything and everything to make sure they win it, including making sure she was in character. Effie White the whole time. I still can't believe she pushed back. I don't know if I would have had the gall. First movie, didn't even have an album out. Like, no leg to stand on, really, in the industry. But she was like, no, I'm not gonna do that.

[Takara]

Yeah, it was the coolest moment. And, yeah, I don't think I would have had the backbone to do it. And she wins the Oscar. Okay, I take it back. This is my favorite story in the book, even though it's not really in the book. It's on my Instagram story. She writes about how she said yes to wearing something to the Oscars. It's so vague in the book. Like, I said yes, it was agreed upon that I would wear this. And I wore it because I said I would. And I ended up on the worst dress list the night she wins the Oscar. And I was like, I got to see this outfit. I look it up. It is.

[Chelsea Devontes]

It's so bad.

[Takara]

Way worse than I thought. We are obviously going to post it on the Patreon. Like, it is. And I. And when I saw it, I remembered seeing it. It is beyond bad. It is. It is a bridesmaid's dress.

[Chelsea Devontes]

It's a hater dress with. Yeah. Yes. Someone who hates you puts you in that dress.

[Takara]

Someone who hates you puts you in that dress. It is brown, but it is not even close to the shade of her skin. So we're not doing, like a monochrome nude moment. We're doing weird brown dress in bridesmaid. You know when they do those little tiny folds all over the boobs, all over the waist. Yeah. And then a metallic bolero was a.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Flared collar, A popped collar. Popped is what I meant to say. Awful.

[Takara]

No, popped and flared it is. And you know, I have joked on this podcast that my alternate memoir title should have been Bridesmaid in a Bolero. Because when you're the, quote, curvy girl, you gotta cover your arms. You know, you can't wear the little strips. You gotta put your bolero on. And like, boleros make me want. I'm. They make me sick to my stomach because I had so many of same. Boleros and shrugs. Boleros and shrugs. To highlight my waist and cover my monster arms. Yeah. Unbearable. And so to the motherfucking Oscar. She wears a bolero that doesn't match. Okay, so I post this on my stories, I'm like, this was so much worse than I thought. I did say this stylist should be put on trial for their crimes. And someone writes me back and says the stylist was Andre Leoncelli.

[Chelsea Devontes]

You're joking.

[Takara]

I am not from Vogue. From Vogue, you then look it up. The cookies are honestly incredible. We are a cabal of journalists. And instantly in my messages, messages with screenshots from Vogue covered her Oscars journey and wrote stories of like, Andre Leon Talley and Vogue are dressing Jennifer Hudson. She came into the showroom today. She really doesn't like the option that was picked. She wants to wear the other dress. Andre says no, she can't. Jennifer doesn't seem happy, like, but we're gonna make her wear the bolero. Yes.

[Chelsea Devontes]

That's awful.

[Takara]

And it's so horrible. And her stylist, praise be, her, like, personal stylist has another dress made. I think it's a Givenchy for her. And it's a. She hates the outfit so much. But she said yes to Andre Lyon in Vogue, that she wears it to the Oscars, gets on the worst dress list, and the moment she wins, she changes into this second dress.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Oh, Roberto Cavalli.

[Takara]

Cavalli.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I think so.

[Takara]

That seems right for me. And I posted that one too. And it's just this gorgeous, gorgeous, like gold, well fitting dress. And what is so insane to me is that one, Andre did this to her.

[Chelsea Devontes]

What a hater.

[Takara]

2. In one of our earliest episodes, the Gabor a Cidibe episode, she opened her book talking about Andre Leon Talley calling her up, being like, I want to style you. And then she walks into the room and overhears him calling her like this fat fucking bitch. And those are nicer words. I'm paraphrasing some worse words. And he seemed to have this thing with like, women he thought were overweight and dressing them and like forcing her into this bolero. It's such a complicated, layered story. Knowing that he also was made fun of for his weight and his size. And he sent Jennifer Hudson in one of the worst Oscars looks you've ever seen in your life at an awards ceremony where black women really win. Oh, but you know, I mean, like, sorry, am I. Is this depressing?

[Chelsea Devontes]

I just can't believe it. Say it like that. It's. It makes it so much worse.

[Takara]

I just, I really thought some stylist messed up. I can't believe it was Vogue and Andre Leon. Like, that's. That's nuts to me.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Wow. Cookies I. I kind of wish I didn't know that. I liked imagining it was, like, a family friend from Chicago she was doing a favor for.

[Takara]

Like, if it was Walter, I would have been like, look, we all make mistakes, all right? Walter did his best. You know what I mean? Yes. It was Vogue. Okay, I'll move on from this. I just, like. I think I, like, dreamed about it that night I found out. I was like, ugh. Okay, we're gonna take a quick break right now, and we'll be right back. This episode is brought to you by Amazon. Sometimes the most painful part of getting sick is the getting better part. Waiting on hold for an appointment, sitting in crowded waiting rooms, standing in line at the pharmacy. That's painful. Amazon One Medical and Amazon Pharmacy remove those painful parts of getting better with things like 247 virtual visits and prescriptions delivered to your door. Thanks to Amazon Pharmacy and Amazon One Medical Healthcare just got less painful. Oh, it's such a clutch off season. Pickup, Dave. I was worried we'd bring back the same team. I meant those blackout motorized shades. Lines.com made it crazy affordable to replace our old blinds. Hard to install.

[Chelsea Devontes]

No, it's easy.

[Takara]

I installed these and then got some for my mom. She talked to a design consultant for free and scheduled a professional measure and install hall of fame, son. They're the number one online retailer of custom window coverings in the world. Blinds.com is the goat.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Go to blinds.com for 40% off site wide. Blinds.com rules and restrictions may apply.

[Takara]

Okay, welcome back. Let's continue the conversation. Okay. Right after this. She gets married to a man named David. She's 27 years old, and he's very handsome. Photos of him in the book. I'm like, oh, what? You know, handsome dude. You might know him. He was an actor. And then, whoa. He tells her he wants to become a pro wrestler.

[Chelsea Devontes]

That floored me again. I remember this happening as it was happening.

[Takara]

What were your thoughts and reactions?

[Chelsea Devontes]

She knew exactly what to say to everyone who asked her about it. Or she. I think she said in the book, like, I got to follow my dreams. I want him to follow his dreams.

[Takara]

I want him to move to Florida. Tampa, Florida. Tampa.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Eight, 1 3, six months to train.

[Takara]

Yeah, it's.

[Chelsea Devontes]

And did he ever do it? Like, did he ever become, like, a name in the biz?

[Takara]

Let's see.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I didn't look. I was just like, oh, boy, she is in love with that man.

[Takara]

Okay, what was his character? Okay, so Takar and I just took a break to look this man up. I first want to apologize for saying he's an actor. Because that's what she wrote in the book. She said he's an actor. And I am now reading that he was a contestant on I Love New York, too.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Tiffany Pollard fans, stand up. We're up.

[Takara]

We're back.

[Chelsea Devontes]

That's fantastic.

[Takara]

He was given the nickname Punk.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Punk. Oh, my God.

[Takara]

Now you know who this man is. David Otunga.

[Chelsea Devontes]

We know who he is.

[Takara]

So I can. I was so upset with myself. I read in the book that he was an actor who wanted to be a wrestler. And I said, okay, wow. And I just kept turning career twist. I just kept reading. Cause I wasn't interested in this man. I can't believe now, okay, here's what is going to be even Wilder Takara. He went to Harvard.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I'm hanging up on you. What are you talking about? Like, I got a certificate like Kim Kardashian did. What do you mean?

[Takara]

He got his JD From Harvard University, went on I love New York. Two was in a single thriller and one episode of General Hospital. Met Jennifer Hudson, decided to become a wrestler. And his ring name was Dawson Alexander. And despite not being a huge, like, professional wrestling fan, I do know professional wrestlers. I'd never heard of Dawson Alexander in my life. Had you?

[Chelsea Devontes]

Never? Never. And I have friends that, like, also wanted to be wrestlers and went to Tampa and did the things and. Okay, so no, Chelsea, one plus one is not equaling two. Because in the book, she was like, oh, I had seen David around. He was an actor, but I didn't approach him. I just thought, you know, what's meant to be will be. Like, in what circles were they both traveling in?

[Takara]

Yeah, what exactly. What set were you both on? Like, this is. And I mean, I imagine she was like, oh, I was on a reality competition show. I guess that's the same as. I love New York, too. Not even the OG season. I am so floored. And here's what is so nuts. There is a page in this book where I was like, oh, my God, this man is full of red flags. And I didn't even know the actual red flags. Here's what's in the book that she printed as a nice. This.

[Chelsea Devontes]

She printed. You're so funny, Chelsea.

[Takara]

She was like, this should be in my book. I'm jumping ahead towards the end of the book where she's lost a lot of weight, and she says, even people I'm close to have had a hard time accepting my new shape, including my fiance. If David had his way he'd keep me dressed in flowing moo moos all the time. To be honest, he doesn't really like it when I wear something that shows off my body. If I try to put on a pair of shorts that he thinks are too short, he freaks out. I think it's kind of funny because my man makes his living wearing drawers and nothing else. Why is it okay for him and not for me? Again, this is printed in a book. David has always been the type of man who tells me what he thinks that I am beautiful and that he loves me when I don't wear makeup. He likes me best when I am plain. One more paragraph. Every now and then, David will make comments that his old girlfriend never dressed in tight clothes or wore a lot of makeup. Of course, he is referring to me before I lost the weight. Sometimes when we go out to eat, he'll occasionally offer me bites of whatever he's having, knowing that I don't want to add the extra points into my day. Sometimes I think he'd love to stuff me back into my old weight because that's what he was used to.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I highlighted this too, and it makes perfect sense why they're not together anymore. And I probably still would have read this in 2012 and been like, oh, I don't like that. Not with the certainty that I have now that he was not a good dude. Cause it was 2012. But I still would have been like, oh, that's not fair. But reading this now, I'd be like, run.

[Takara]

Run for your fucking love. He resents your success.

[Chelsea Devontes]

He resents your determination. He resents your resolve and fortitude. Get out of there. Totally makes sense.

[Takara]

He doesn't actually love you. He does not love you. Yeah, he does not actually love you. Yeah. And they, you know, they got pregnant very early, and I'm sure that's a lot of what kept them together. Yes. It's also, you know, I have no idea what she thinks and feels because obviously so much is missing from the book. She seems really quite happy with her pregnancy, but it does come at the exact moment when her career would have been taking off post Oscar. So she's supposed to play Winnie Mandela in a movie. Hello. I am popping in, you know, post recording to make a couple of amendments. First, Jennifer Hudson and David were never married. They were actually engaged. So just want to clear that up. And after recording the episode, we did more research and found that after they split, she got a restraining order from him. And so I think what is kind of crushing to me is that When I was re listening to this episode to do the audio and I heard us talking about him, you know, wanting her to dress a certain way and not show off her body and being so controlling, I was like, oh my gosh, that is. I know we were saying it's a red flag, but it's, it's a, it's a red flag for something that could turn into abuse. And so to, to realize that it did, it was just really, really terrible. And I'm so glad she got free from that relationship. So I just want to note that it ended really. I just. Yeah, my heart hurts for her and it ended in a restraining order. Okay, we are going to pop back into the episode. I was waiting for the whole book and I thought, I will love this book if she does not list her exact weight. Because that happens in memoirs that are not weight loss books. And I said, oh my God, it's been a long time. Then on page 107, Dringo lists her exact weight as a pregnant woman and is like, I never wore maternity clothes. I just wore my regular clothes. So that probably meant my regular clothes were like, I shouldn't be that size. And I was like, that is such fucked up non logic. And it made me sad.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I'm like, oh man, I wish there was like a trigger warning on this book for pregnant people. I was like, oh, that's just such one though. That's a very harsh line.

[Takara]

I think not all of them, but I'm gonna say, I would say most celebrity memoirs, if you are pregnant, like maybe don't read them because there's so much like fucked up shit in there of like. And then I was back to my regular, like, Erika Jayne is like, I weighed 120 pounds the day I gave birth. And you're like, sh up. It's so bad. Okay, then right after this, the book turns into a full on ad for Weight Watchers. Points plus chapters eight through 12.

[Chelsea Devontes]

People get ready.

[Takara]

Oh my God. So it is like. And clearly they're like, you're gonna push the points plus program. It's a new program with plus points. And we're still gonna continue going because weirdly there's a. I'm just gonna pull out the handful of things from these weird chapters. Okay. She said one time she was making, I think it's salmon. It's fish of some sort. And instead of paprika, she accidentally put cinnamon on the fish. And it's so good that now she only puts cinnamon on fish. And it's like a hack for like, if you want like sugary sweets glaze, this is like your weight loss hack or whatever I put on Instagram. Everyone's like, don't do this. Disgusting. And then one friend DMs me and she says, I used to work Casey Balsham, shout out to her. She's a great podcast. She said, I used to work at a weight loss clinic, like a HGC weight loss clinic. And we would tell people to put cinnamon on their, like whitefish salad and their tuna salad as like a treat. And then she also said she was giving women full on shots in the ass of hgc. No training. Just some girl who. Just some actress who needed a job.

[Chelsea Devontes]

That's wild. As someone who I just like food that tastes good. I too have accidentally put cinnamon on my fit.

[Takara]

Okay, please tell me, tell me it's nasty.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yeah, it's not good. And I don't know who's gonna be like, well, maybe no, it's gross. It is not a substitute for your teriyaki sensation. If you want paprika, get the smoked paprika. That's delicious. Cinnamon on your fish with lemon. You dummy bitch. That's disgusting. Don't do that.

[Takara]

Also, I don't know much about cooking, but it's not like there's sugar or maple glaze. It was literally cinnamon and lemon.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I'm like, yeah, that is not gonna do much for you. I'm like, well, how are you cooking? What are you doing? Anyway, I had a lot of questions.

[Takara]

Shakar. No, you saved me. Because there was a part of my brain that's like, I should try it.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I mean, I mean, if you want to. That's how some people learn, Chelsea. But I'm here to tell you, you can skip that part. Cause I have done it and it's nasty.

[Takara]

Thank you. No, I would like to take it. Okay. I loved this. It was written terribly, to the point where I just have so many questions. She signs up to be a Weight Watcher. First of all, they send a representative to hang out with her.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Shout out to Liz.

[Takara]

Shout out to Liz, who becomes a full on life coach. It's pretty painful. She doesn't say she's a life coach, but she is. And Liz is like, here's how Weight Watchers works. And she signs up to become a spokesperson. And she goes in the Points plus program and contractually loses a ton of weight. Then she's like, she's out shooting. I think she's finally shooting the movie and loses the weight. She comes back to film the commercial that she has signed up for.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Oh, my God, I love this.

[Takara]

She wears. I don't know why I love this. It's so weird. She puts on a fake pregnancy belly.

[Chelsea Devontes]

That's right.

[Takara]

And then pads other places so that she would show up to this shoot where she has contractually said she would lose weight looking like she had it, which I think is so fucking funny. And. But then it's like. It's so weird. She says. She shows up and just. No one says.

[Chelsea Devontes]

No one says anything.

[Takara]

They're all like, okay, hi. And then finally she's like, haha, prank. And like, everyone's like, oh, thank God. Oh, thank God. But it's, like, not funny. They're all, like, crying. And then she's like, psych. I'm Finn.

[Chelsea Devontes]

But she says she couldn't get her hands on a fat suit. So she's like, I will. I'm like, oh, I'm sorry. You couldn't get your hands on a fat suit for this break. So she settles for faking like she's pregnant. And everyone's just, like, silently doing the light. Silently doing her hair. Silently, like, being like, oh, I don't know about this wardrobe. Like, people are scared that they're not gonna be able to work that day. Right. They're sweating bullets. And she is laughing to herself. She's like, I'm prank Sinatra. You know, she's just having the best time of her life. And finally someone with the gall asks her, so, you're pregnant? And she's like, no, I'm not. I'm just joking. And I'm like, babe, that was a joke for you. And you only. That's crazy.

[Takara]

You only. It's like, I. I think it's so funny to Punk Weight Watchers, but, like, she did it in the wrong. I don't even know if there's a right way. It's so funny to Punk Weight Watchers. But everything she did was wrong.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Everything she did was wrong. Everything she did was wrong.

[Takara]

Yeah. Yeah. And then kind of the other two gems are that when she loses weight, people hate her for it. They boo her at her concerts. They tweet about it. It reminds you of what happened, like, a year or two ago when Adele lost weight. People are like, fuck you. Which it's so fucked up.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Asking if she could still sing. That was crazy. Crazy.

[Takara]

Yeah. That is nuts. And also the idea of just, like. You just can't. You just can't win. It's like you're playing Effie White. Like, you are. You're up there for women everywhere, who knows what this feels like? And the moment you can be like, but actually, I don't want that. You know, it hurts more, you know? But then again, like, there's just so much, like, nuance. And she. Then it was really funny. She wrote this thing in the book where I was like, ooh, that's actually the wrong lesson. But it's really funny. It's so. It's like. It's kind of amazing. I want to read it. She says, I wish the principles of healthy eating and exercise were a requirement for kids in school. Just like math or reading, Society puts an emphasis on being thin and looking good, but so few people are given the tools early in life to adhere to those expectations.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Adhere to those expectations is such a crazy way to end that sentence.

[Takara]

I know. It's so funny, though, because it's like the quiet part. It's like, all we want you to do is be thin and adhere to these expectations, but we're not gonna teach you how to do it. And instead of her being like, hey, I think those expectations are wrong, she's like, I wish they taught us how to do it, that they're gonn for it. It's really funny.

[Chelsea Devontes]

And I'm gonna blame it on the Times. I'm gonna blame it on the editor, but I'm also gonna blame it on Weight Watchers. Because if the point of this program is getting is being healthy, learning how to eat nutritious foods, portion control. Why would you have Jennifer Hudson say the word skinny so many times in this book?

[Takara]

Yeah. Yeah. That's so true.

[Chelsea Devontes]

What are we doing here? They were jealous of me being skinny.

[Takara]

Huh? It's just like a pageant girl being like, I'm doing it for the scholarship money. It's like, that's a tiny part of it, but that's not the headline. Yeah, good point. And as we end the book, she meets Barbra Streisand at an event, and she tries to convince Barbra Streisand to do Weight Watchers. And Barbara's like, but I love pasta. And she's like, that's why I love Weight Watchers, because you can have your pasta. And I'm just like. All I could think about was, did Barbara sign up?

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Takara]

I feel like. No. I feel like Barbara was like, how many points is coffee ice cream? Okay?

[Chelsea Devontes]

During the run of the last couple chapters of the book, where she's, like, really, really pushing Weight Watchers, you know, she has her family members, like, come in and, like, do, like, at first, I was skeptical, like you know, like these like infomercial sections. And I was okay with that until she gets to her 12 year old cousin.

[Takara]

Oh no, that's not even what I was thinking about. I was thinking about her sister whose family was murdered by her husband who was like here's how I do points. And I was like damn the dualities of like I have survived the unsurvivable. But also how many calories are in a cup of rice? Oh my God. The 12 year old cousin. Please, please continue.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I have to read this. I'm gonna pull a Chelsea and read this cause this is. Maybe it's me, but this is wild. So again we've gone through like her 78 year old aunt, her all adults. But then we get to her cousin, star. Even my 12 year old cousin Starr has benefited from the program Weight Watchers. Her story is very near and dear to me because she is a young girl with a bundle of talent who has always been a little chubby and didn't have the self esteem to see herself as the beautiful girl she truly is. Her mother came to me a while back to ask my thoughts on how to break her daughter into the music business as I knew from my own experience that there is so much competition out there and like it or not, my cousin was going to be judged in her appearance before her talent. Lord knows I had lived through that scene too many times in my life. I encouraged her mother, who was also a Weight Watchers member, to share with Starr the new healthy habits from the program. That way Starr could face the competition that she was up against with a fair shot of breaking out. Star said she was scared to make changes. Discouraged by Star's refusal, her mom asked me to talk to her, hoping that I might be able to convince her to listen to the advice and learn how to eat healthy. She then go on to say that she spoke to Starr for an hour. Starr did the program and now she's so confident and great and happy. And I just thought that was really weird because I thought it was like, you know, telling that was the first half of the book was leading with talent. And you were so upset that the girls in Fate's Cousins, your Destiny's Child girl group, you know, couldn't sing as well as you and all this other stuff. Talent first, talent first. And then the first line of advice you give to Starr is that image is everything. It's all a competition. You need to get on Weight Watchers and lose weight.

[Takara]

And Starr to her credit, said no. And then they brought In Jennifer Hudson to bully her into what I am sure is a lifelong disordered eating relationship. Amazing. It's not true. Even within Jennifer Hudson's book. So even like yes, like weight appearance in Hollywood, blah, blah, blah. In her book there's multiple times of people being like, please gain weight. Please gain weight for your success. She loses weight and people are like, boo, boo at her own concert. We love you as you are. So the takeaway is not that you, like, you categorically do not have to put 12 year old star on a diet for her to be successful. You just don't. That's crushing. Well, thank you for that. Listen, I did Andre Leon Talley to us and you did this, so I think we're even.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Oh yeah.

[Takara]

One, one, one, one. We're at the end of the book with five pages of the most vague, insane travel story about saying yes to Oprah's show and getting stuck at a thing in the snow and the plane. And then Oprah comes in and is like, what have you done? Tell me the truth. Don't lie. It's exactly like the Andre Leonitali story where like somehow it was documented so we know what she's saying. But in the book it was so vague. I need to know what the real story is. Here it is. The whole book ends with like Oprah yelled at me for like being late to a plane.

[Chelsea Devontes]

There was definitely more going on in the story. I was very confused that that's where she put it. And I get it. It's like 2011. Like, you know, the book comes out in 2012. It just makes sense chronologically. But like ending this weight loss book that way seems very, very strange with I lied to Oprah and got caught.

[Takara]

Yeah. It was like, it was somehow like an apology to Oprah. She wanted to end the book like that. Whatever Oprah thought happened didn't happen. I'm gonna end my book with it.

[Chelsea Devontes]

And then Oprah was like, next time tell the truth. Or like whatever life lesson Oprah gave. And I was like, okay, this is your book. What life lessons do you have for your reader?

[Takara]

Your life lesson is like, don't get caught in a snowstorm.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I guess don't over promise.

[Takara]

Don't overschedul yourself in winter.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Don't do Jamie Foxx favors.

[Takara]

That's right. Cause she was at a Jamie Foxx gig. Yeah. Really, really weird. This is the last few sentences of the book before it turns into pages of recipes. I wanna wish you my love, support and inspiration in your journey. Remember, you're making A lifetime commitment to health. It won't happen overnight, but if you stick with it, I promise it will come to pass in good health.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Jennifer. And I want everyone to know if she like signs her name, it's like script Jennifer. Like, it's like a letter.

[Takara]

Yes.

[Chelsea Devontes]

And not a book.

[Takara]

Yeah, it's like, it's like you have an autographed book almost. I want to end and please, you are welcome to the same with calling out. Actually, my favorite Weight Watchers recipe in this one.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Oh, my God, stop. Okay. I hope we don't have the same.

[Takara]

Yes. Dear God. Okay, so it says mini chocolate chip cookies points plus value one. And I was like, wow, they got a cookie to be one point, whatever that means. And then she writes the recipe for chocolate chip cookies. And it is just the Nestle recipe for chocolate chip cookies. It is the real recipe for chocolate chip cookies. And then they say and just put a teaspoon sized cookie. So instead of like, you know, putting a spoonful of cookie dough on the baking tray, you make a teaspoon of just regular cookie dough. And now you have Weight Watchers mini chocolate chip cookies.

[Chelsea Devontes]

These are bite sized. One bite will do the trick and then you're done.

[Takara]

That's what they said. Wait, no, I even. Oh my God, I gave it too much. Drop a half teaspoon of dough.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Oh, shit.

[Takara]

I don't know if anyone has been around a teaspoon lately, but a half teaspoon is half of your pinky nail.

[Chelsea Devontes]

That's, that's crazy.

[Takara]

Yeah. Anyways, so a real fun hack, you guys. A fun hack. Mini Chocolate chip Weight Watchers cookies. What was your favorite recipe?

[Chelsea Devontes]

My favorite recipe was definitely the grilled yellowfin tuna with teriyaki sauce. Only because this teriyaki sauce sounds not right. So it's orange juice, low sodium soy sauce, water, and like 1 teaspoon of brown sugar. What are we going to do? What are we going to do here? What are we going to do here?

[Takara]

I, I, I feel like if I was a better person, more committed to the bit, I would be making these recipes on my Instagram. But like, I can't, I can't just do the thing. Just orange juice, water. Yeah.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Orange juice, water, low sodium soy sauce, brown sugar. Oh, sorry. And cornstarch. Oh. And ginger root. Okay, this sounds really complicated.

[Takara]

Yeah, that's the other thing with these recipes. Each one has 19 ingredients. I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. Okay, let's get to it. The booktool test. First question, was the author vulnerable in the sharing of her truth.

[Chelsea Devontes]

No. Next question.

[Takara]

Agreed. Next question. Was it entertaining to read?

[Chelsea Devontes]

Oh, wow. No, not all the way through.

[Takara]

I'm sorry, I'm going to have to say full no. Full stop. No, double no. Final question. Did reading this book elevate your life in any way?

[Chelsea Devontes]

I'm sorry, that is also a no.

[Takara]

Yeah. I gonna say it made my life worse after reading this book. So despite doing Billy Blanks, you know, as a kid, the Zone, you know, all of it. I have actually. I never did Weight Watchers ever. Never signed up, never did it. This bitch of a book. I said, you know what, Let me open the app. I just want to see what she's talking about. I wanted to know if Points plus was still a thing.

[Chelsea Devontes]

It's. Is it currently on your phone?

[Takara]

All right. I did download the app and to even get in, you have to buy a month. And I was like, no way. Yeah. So I was like, fuck, okay, I'll do it for a month. I just wanted. I was like, how many points would I get? What are points? Like, I knew about free foods from the commercials, all that stuff. Anyways. So yeah, a fucking Weight Watchers app is on my phone. I do know how many points I'm supposed to have for a day, which I think was like 20 or something. And I just plugged in. I start my day with two cups of tea that have honey and steamed half and half in them. Okay, that's. I do it every day. It was eight points, so it was literally almost all of my points. And I'm sad. I know that now. And I was like, fuck this app. Fuck all of it. And they have a program specifically for. For nine years old and up. And studies have been done saying that it ruins every child who participates in this program. It creates disease, it creates obesity, all these things. And, like, people have tried to stop them and been like, look at these studies.

[Chelsea Devontes]

And they just keep going, okay, so now it's 2. 1. Cause you've just ruined me again. So now I think this is interesting because I don't know when Oprah joined the board of Weight Watchers, but ending with Oprah is really interesting because we have JHUD promoting Weight Watchers. We know that Oprah goes on to do that. She does that. Really? I love bread commercial. Right? Remember?

[Takara]

Yeah. And I was like, we could have been eating bread this whole time. This whole time. Run off a cliff. How dare you. Get out of here. Headfirst.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Go. But now we have Ozempic and there's an article I Think by the cut. I don't know the author, so I'm sorry, but it's called like Girlhood in the Age of Ozempic and it follows one girl, but then, you know, has, you know, is telling a much bigger story. But it just talks about, you know, the things that we used to say to girls. You know, just be yourself. You know, those days will soon be over because now it's like if you do not willfully change or follow these programs, it just means you don't care about yourself. And how that's really going to change what girlhood, what childhood looks like. Because we're going to be perceiving children in a much different way. Because we know that there's these things that exist that could change the way they look and would be more pleasing to us because we don't want to see chubby kids. We want to see cute tweens with low rise jeans.

[Takara]

And you know what? I saw this a few years ago whenever Kim Kardashian was like wearing the Marilyn Monroe dress on the red carpet. Sacrilege. Yeah. And people were like, curves are out. You know, heroin chic is coming back in. And I said, the fuck it is. And I do mean that in the sense of, like, there's too many of us. I think specifically, like women our age probably. If you're listening to this podcast. No.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yeah, we refuse.

[Takara]

We decide culture. We are culture makers. No, no and no and no. And I didn't go through like, like, we learned so much. I'm not going back. Which is also why I like doing episodes like this where it's like, no. If enough people are loud enough and raise their children right and like, say no, the answer's no.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I hope we're strong. I hope we're strong enough to do that. But now my fear is, is that people were lying to make themselves feel better because of body positivity. We need to work on our shit because there's always gonna be a generation coming up and I. And I don't want them to suffer the way a lot of us suffered in the early aughts. Yeah, shit was not for the weak, man.

[Takara]

I think that is the perfect ending. Note the suffering that is accounted in my journals and I did try and write about it in my book the early aughts. Eating, disordered suffering for like about 10 straight years that I went through of just was so brutal. Was so, so brutal. It was like the worst thing I'd ever experienced. And I've experienced much worse. And yet that stuff felt Just like so brutal that like I just can't imagine going back and I don't want anyone else to go through it. Wow, Saddest podcast yet.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Thank you, Jennifer Hudson, you the best. Also, I just wanna say shout out to Jhud because she is an egot and one of the youngest ones out there and a lot of her egots were for performances and a lot of egots get them for like producing and such. So I wanna just shout out to her for her performing Oscars and her performing Grammys. Like it's very cool that she has that. So this book is kind of. Is mid definitely kind of gives me the ick. But hopefully she'll write another one. She'll be more honest, more thoughtful and we'll be really able to discuss her art and her craft in a more thoughtful way and we'll be able to push herself forward.

[Takara]

That is so goddamn beautiful. Okay, and with that, we are back. We recorded a post script in December to talk about three very juicy updates to Jennifer Hudson's life. So let's go in to the second part of the episode now. Okay. Please quickly plug your TikTok for anyone out there who might have a child and need to hear these hot book takes. I mean, you, you're a book tick tocker.

[Chelsea Devontes]

You know I am, but only for people 0 to 5. It's called Takara's Library and that's I recap children's books and I find the fun themes that we all can relate to because I actually think adults should be reading children's books. We like to keep things simple. Aesop had his fables, Jesus had his parables. Keep it simple, stupid. So I love children's books.

[Takara]

We recorded this episode. I quickly was like, oh, I didn't plug my mic in. We'll just release it down the road when we clean the audio up. And then so many things happened in Jennifer Hudson's life that I was like, we can no longer release this episode without coming back on and doing a hot refresh. And then you guys will listen to what we previously recorded. So the three things I know we need to talk about for our hot update are common. Her 25 surprise siblings. A surprise to her, but then a surprise to the world when she told everyone about it. 25 siblings from her father and Africa. An Africa thesis that we forgot to put in the episode. And you sent me these voicemails.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Unhinged.

[Takara]

These voice notes, which is how I prefer my voice notes. I want them all to be unhinged. I re listen to them before doing this podcast episode. So let's start with Common. So they've been together almost a year now.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Almost a year now. And Common, we're talking about Common, the rapper from Chicago. Good music. Associated with Kanye West. He's most often known as, like, a social conscious rapper, and he wears, like, a beanie and he talks about struggle. But then I was gonna say something really mean, so you keep saying what he does, and then I'll say my mean thing.

[Takara]

Okay, I like that. So you also know Common from the movies, Barbershop. He was Eve's love interest to tie back to our A memoir connection. We covered Eve memoir on this podcast. I loved it. He also is starring in Silo on Apple, which I don't know if anyone but me is watching it.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I was gonna say, you know, he's known for being, like, this social rapper and, like, being, like, very, like, woke, quote unquote. But he's, like, pretty ran through. Like, when I think of Common, I'm like, my God, who hasn't been with that man?

[Takara]

I actually. I love that you said that, because I have pulled up a list of his dating history.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yes. We love receipts.

[Takara]

And so when I just say some names. Kim Jones. Erykah Badu. Tarashi P. Henson. Serena Williams.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I knew Serena Williams.

[Takara]

Yep. Angela Rye. Tiffany Haddish. And do you know who this list did not name? Laura Dern.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Pause. Laura Dern. Laura Dern.

[Takara]

Laura Dern. Laura Dern.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Laura Dern. Like, Laura Dern. I will not not be rich. Laura Dern. Yes.

[Takara]

Yeah, I was trying to. Oh, big lies.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yeah, big little lies.

[Takara]

Big little lies. Yeah. It wasn't coming to me.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Okay. The TV show Big Little Lies, you.

[Takara]

Know, actress and everything. Yeah. Her and Common dated for, I think, like, four months, and all Yasser and I did was send pictures back and forth to each other.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Oh, I need that lore. I will be reading all about that after we get off this.

[Takara]

Yeah. What is so interesting, too, about his dating history is that they're often like, they're people who. You can't even see them being friends.

[Chelsea Devontes]

With each other 100%. You know what I mean?

[Takara]

Not all of them, but it's just like, he's really, like. He doesn't have a personality type, let's say.

[Chelsea Devontes]

No. No personality type, no body type. Like, I'm just like. I don't know. Tiffany Haddish to Laura Dern or Laura Dern to Tiffany Haddish is wild.

[Takara]

Yeah, it's. It's an Angela Rye in there, you know, it's just like, huh. So now, that said, I think he and Jennifer Hudson are the ones to each other. They seem. And I please listen. Fight me. They seem like such a match. And to this I say, like, I don't know if she's always worn glasses. I haven't always seen her in glasses, but on the clips I saw on her show, when he joined her on her show, she has glasses on. And I feel like she put glasses on. And Common was like. It was like a bat signal. It was like, ooh, she's deep. They're on the same wavelength.

[Chelsea Devontes]

To me, Chelsea, this is so interesting because before I came on Today, I also watched the clips from the show, and I watched it and I'm like, this can't go on much longer, can it? So I'm usually so aligned with you. And I'm like, no, Chelsea, absolutely not.

[Takara]

Let's tell people about the clip and then tell me why. No. So the clip I think we both watched is that she. He comes on her show with another rapper who's like. Becomes this really awkward third wheel pretty instantly. And she's like. She's treating him like she doesn't know him. And she's like, so, Common, you recently spoke about marriage on a radio show. It was Breakfast Club. And he was like, yeah, if I ever get married, it's Jennifer Hudson. Like, she's the one for me. And she was like, well, I think you should do that. And he was like, well, yes, I might. And then she gives him an award for being an amazing. Before we say goodbye, I wanted to take a moment to honor this very special man. He is a man who radiates positivity and embodies it in everything that he does. When you hear his name coming, you think of a storyteller, a poet, an artist who speaks truth to power. But when I think of this man, Rasheed, I think of your heart, your faith.

[Chelsea Devontes]

And when what I love most about.

[Takara]

Him, he is a praying man. Okay.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yes, you are.

[Takara]

And he's a man. He is a man of his word. He is like nobody I have ever seen in my life. I talk about choosing joy. You are joy. You are my joy. And you are light.

[Chelsea Devontes]

So with a whole lot of love.

[Takara]

I present to you the joyful spirit award. Because you are every bit of that. Come on. How are they not a perfect match?

[Chelsea Devontes]

They did that publicly. You know what's crazy is, like, she's, like, doing, like, her interview voice and, like, being so serious. And then he's like, if I were to get married, it would be to Jennifer Kate Hudson. Like, using all three names at her just did something to me. I was like, why are you doing this? It felt so performative.

[Takara]

It was not a wink enough to be funny. Like, if you were just a stranger who watched this, you would be like, oh, he must be talking about a different Jennifer K. Hudson.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yes.

[Takara]

Like, they are. These are two strangers on an interview show.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yeah. He didn't like the. The eye contact. I don't know. I just. I didn't like it.

[Takara]

Okay, so wait.

[Chelsea Devontes]

No, no, no. I have to say this. I have to say this.

[Takara]

Okay.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Common is 52, 53 years old, and I believe never been married.

[Takara]

I think that's right.

[Chelsea Devontes]

But he's also not. She's not the first person he's, like, dangled marriage to.

[Takara]

Ooh.

[Chelsea Devontes]

And I just feel like. I think Tiffany Haddish also got the, like, oh, they're getting really close. Common is thinking about marriage. He can really see himself settling down with her. And I just think, like, dangling marriage as a. Like, okay, I'll stick around is a weird power play to me, and I don't like that. Either marry this person or, like, have a conversation, but don't be like, I could really see myself falling for you. I could really see myself marrying you.

[Takara]

Why do you as, like, a PR quote?

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yes.

[Takara]

Like, he told Breakfast Club before he told her.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yes.

[Takara]

Yeah, Well, I. It's not that I'm like, this is a good way of doing things. I just see them both participating in it in a way where I'm like, you both seem to enjoy this. That seems like a match. You know, like, you gave him an award, but it wasn't like, tongue in cheek. Like, my boyfriend is on this show. It was like a real award. Maybe just like. Anyways, I don't know what they're doing, but I think he wants to make full eye contact and read a poem to a woman in bed. And I think she's the kind of woman that wants to hear it. Therefore, I see a future with them together. They are both deeply invested in God in the exact same ways, you know, where, like. Yeah, yeah. I see them being very happy together. Takara, I'm sorry.

[Chelsea Devontes]

That's fine. I mean, we'll see come next year. We can do, like, a really quick insta live. And if there's a ring on the finger, I'll give you 20 bucks.

[Takara]

Okay, I'll take that. $20. Thank you.

[Chelsea Devontes]

That's fine. You're very welcome.

[Takara]

All right, let's do our other update, which Is that Jhud went on a podcast and was like, oh, yeah, My dad had 27 children, and I have 25 other siblings. And I'm the youngest.

[Chelsea Devontes]

The youngest part is the part that made me fall to my knees.

[Takara]

Tell me, tell me more.

[Chelsea Devontes]

No, I'm just like, 26 children, right. Is an unbelievable number. But the fact that every other child is older is overwhelming to me. So I think it's so strange that she's the youngest of the 26 children because that means she's probably not gonna meet these other children. Right? Some of them are probably not living anymore.

[Takara]

I think the part that really boggles my mind is that there was no further information in any way as to say, like, he had multiple wives or, like, him and one lady really went at it. It's like, 20, you know, like 26. 26.

[Chelsea Devontes]

That's nasty.

[Takara]

Or like, what if they're not that much older? Then that. Then that kind of. Then it's like, is it cheating? Is it overlap? Is it purposeful? How's everyone feeling about this? What's going on?

[Chelsea Devontes]

As, like, is the dad, like, one of these quiverful guys who just, like, loves going around getting people pregnant at the same time?

[Takara]

Yes, that is my question. Or like, does he actually have multiple partners? Do they know about it? Is it like, your secret family all over the place, or are they in on it? They love it. It's a commune. We're all here together. Like, there was just no details. And for her to be the youngest impacts, like, we need those details because. Because it couldn't be like, oh, he then went and left and did a blah, blah, other life, and he. Her mom raised her alone. She reconnects later with her dad. She finds out when she's a teenager that she has these other siblings and immediately was like, this is amazing. I'm a family gal. I want to get everyone together one day for dinner, for Thanksgiving or Christmas. So her goal is to get everyone in one room. And also she went through a lot of tragedy later in life that we talk about in this episode where family members of hers were murdered. And so I also think wanting to bring other family in probably has stayed with her a long time, but we're missing a lot of that story. And listen, as a donor child, being like, oh, I have 25 siblings, it's like, she really took to it positively. She's known for a long time. So what's new is that she decided to tell the public that's true. Which that, to me, I'm also like, More details. Why now are you putting out the bat signal? Come to Thanksgiving dinner, please. Also, can you imagine being like, oh, my gosh, I have a sister and it's Jennifer motherfucking Hudson.

[Chelsea Devontes]

That's right. Or the cynical side of me is like, is she, like, patting down a potential PR crisis by revealing this?

[Takara]

Yeah, I can. That. That was also where I went.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I'm like, okay.

[Takara]

But I felt bad.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Congratulate. Okay, so here's the thing. I am one of seven. My dad, my mom. There's four of us. And then my dad got remarried, had one. Then my dad got remarried. There's two. I have siblings that, like, I've met only one.

[Takara]

Wow. Wow.

[Chelsea Devontes]

And they're. They're cool. Yeah, they're very young. Like, one just started college. And I've met them, like, once, and I just can't imagine doing that with, like, over 20.

[Takara]

I know. But I do wonder why she chose to tell everyone this year.

[Chelsea Devontes]

One can only hope that. And I think we. We mentioned this in the other edit that she actually does, like, a true memoir. And it's not married with. I don't. I don't even want to say married to a relationship with her body, because we don't even get into that. We get into a relationship with diet and diet culture.

[Takara]

We get into a relationship with a weight watcher spouse.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Exactly.

[Takara]

That wrote half the book.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yes. Didn't. Didn't even try to hide it. But I would love for her to talk about this in a real book. What family means to her and what disclosing that at that time did for her. Because maybe she just wanted to say it out loud that she's not. Not alone. Because that's also really valid.

[Takara]

Yeah. Yeah. I. You know what? More. We just know. We need mem. More from her.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Okay.

[Takara]

The third thing we have to talk about. So you were the person who coins 9 11's a purpose pipeline.

[Chelsea Devontes]

That's me. That's right.

[Takara]

Yes, that's right. And then you said something about Africa and memoirs to me too. Or we need to come up with something.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Moratorium on Africa.

[Takara]

Moratorium on Africa. It's a Dringo, and we say moratorium on Africa, which is basically this pattern that have been. Has we found in a lot of memoirs, Takara and I, especially, where the memoirist talks in general about Africa and what is on the surface a positive story, but in fact, like, horrific. So Rebel Wilson. Really?

[Chelsea Devontes]

Oh, God. Deep.

[Takara]

Ricki Lake did it via, like, meet her Nana nanny or something.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yes, absolutely. Ashley Judd.

[Takara]

Ashley Judd. Okay. So, moratorium on Africa. Do you remember what you said to me in this voice note? Because I can also. I can remind you a little something about.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I know she was talking about. I don't know if she was in South Africa. She was doing the Winnie movie, and I guess she was, like, driving down the road and saw some kids walking down the road and they didn't have shoes on.

[Takara]

Yes.

[Chelsea Devontes]

And I lost it.

[Takara]

Yes.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Because she's like, oh, my God, now I'm just so grateful for my life.

[Takara]

Because she was like, I can't imagine letting my children walk barefoot in Chicago. Which is like, very okay, but it's very different. And then the part that made you really mad, and maybe I will just send our producer this voice note so we can play it.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Hey, Chelsea, saw that you're reading Rebel Wilson's book, and there's a huge chapter about South Africa and malaria. And, you know, I really think there needs to be a moratorium on celebrities mentioning Africa in their memoirs, because they always do a shitty job of talking about that continent, the countries within and the people that exist there. It's terrible. They're always like, oh, my God, I went to Africa. No one wears shoes, and everyone's poor. And now I get to go back to my very rich life and be super, super grateful, as if that's the only reason why Africa exists. That's insane. No one's ever like, wow, I wonder why there is so much poverty here. I wonder why there are pockets of extreme violence and inequity. No one's ever like, wow, I wonder if I'm rich because parts of this continent are so poor. No one ever talks about colonialism or imperialism or the fact that the United States of America, on multiple occasions, for political and capitalist reasons, have inserted themselves into Africa to destabilize countries and governments and systems for our own gain, for cheap bananas and goods and minerals and diamonds. And no one ever talks about that. They're always just like, wow, the roads, terrible. Malaria, aids. This is awful. But now I get to go back to my beautiful penthouse on the Upper east side and be really appreciative that I can understand the doorman's perfect English. Go fuck yourself. Also super guilty of this. Jennifer Hudson. Jennifer Hudson's book, what's it called? I Got this. How I Changed My Ways and Lost the Weapon. Rebel Wilson specifically has a lot of damn nerve. A lot of damn nerve talking about, wow, I've never seen this much violence. And it was terrifying. And you know what? I'm gonna give her that post apartheid South Africa, nothing to mess with the bombs, the violence, the extreme poverty, the backlash from the dismantling of the apartheid apartheid system in South Africa. Nothing like it. I mean, it's. I will give her that. However, talking about that country as if she does not exist because of the violence enacted on the Aboriginals in Australia is very wild. And for her not to even give that a footnote is. Is a wild thing to do. To be like, wow, makes me grateful I live in Australia. Well, you know who's not grateful? You live in Australia, Rebel Wilson. The aboriginals who were there first and exist on the margins and the fringes so that you can feel comfortable where you exist. Like, let's take it down a notch, ma'am. Let's take it down a notch.

[Takara]

And, like, we get it. We all. We're all growing. We're all getting better. It's fine.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I'm gonna say this. This is my second book with you, Chelsea. Big fan of the pod. I'm a member of the Patreon. Okay. You may see me in the comments. All right, girl. That's true. That's true. Love it. The two books that I have been a part of. Yeah. Have been thorns in my side, Chelsea.

[Takara]

They've been.

[Chelsea Devontes]

The next time I am on this podcast.

[Takara]

Yes. We're.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I want a book that changes my life, that makes me run into the street and say, yes, women. You understand what I'm saying, Chelsea?

[Takara]

Yes. As opposed to women.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Yes.

[Takara]

Okay. Okay. So tell me, what kind. What kind of book do we think we're looking for here? Are we looking for pop star, actress who wrote it, a good book? Are we. Are we going literary? Are we getting in the crevices? Are we going historical? Like, what can I bring to make this up to you? Because you deserve it.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Thank you. So my dream is I need a pop diva who has no more fucks to give.

[Takara]

Oh, I love that. So hopefully an older pop diva, probably.

[Chelsea Devontes]

So an older pop diva who's like, everyone's dead. No one's gonna get in trouble. I'm just gonna say. I'm gonna say everything. Share part two. I don't know. I'm just saying I need a pop diva who's ready to be like, I can go peacefully now because I've said it all. Okay.

[Takara]

I love that. Listen, you're booked. That being said, I think it's gonna be a long time before part two comes out. I think it's two years away. I'm sorry. I do. I think she barely got across the Finish line for part one.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Gosh darn it.

[Takara]

But there are other memoirs. And listen, if you are a listener out there and you know what this is, you're like, I know what memoir they need to read. Please, please, please write a comment on the Instagram. Write something in the Patreon. We need to know what it is. Patty Duke is maybe coming to mind. Patti LaBelle. I'm not sure what's in hers. I haven't given up.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Skim cookbook fan over here.

[Takara]

Oh, you are? Okay. I know her memoir's dense and Chaka Khan I don't think delivers, but I'll give it a skim when I'm back at my library.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Really? I love her on TikTok. Everyone has to follow her on TikTok. She does the best affirmations when it's a fuller new moon. Absolutely riveting.

[Takara]

Someone who is amazing at affirmations on TikTok is almost guaranteed to have the worst moon part ever written. They just. The two skill sets don't go hand in hand.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Lizabeth, you can't be good at everything. Okay.

[Takara]

Yeah, yeah.

[Chelsea Devontes]

She's given us so much, but I need those TikTok affirmations today, so I will give her that. I. I need someone to tell me I'm doing the best I can. God damn it.

[Takara]

Takara, you're doing incredible.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Thank you.

[Takara]

You're doing incredible.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Well, you should do TikTok affirmations.

[Takara]

Me, I.

[Chelsea Devontes]

They'd be so funny.

[Takara]

My affirmations will not be for anyone else but me. One of my affirmations is used to be, this is so dark. This was around 2014, 2015.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Okay.

[Takara]

I tie my affirmations to jewelry. I'll buy a piece of jewelry, and like a witch, I'll just stare at the jewelry and say my affirmation over and over again so that every time I see the piece of jewelry, affirmation comes to me. And I was in such a bad place with this. With this thing that went on. I wrote about it in the book. You can guess what it is that I got a ring on Etsy and I had it engraved to say, last one to get angry wins.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Oh, shit.

[Takara]

That's bad for your health. That's not good for your brain. I can't co sign it. But was that the thing that got me through? Yeah. The only way I could get myself to process my anger was to think of it as a way to win. Because I was so far away from a healthy place that I. That nothing about anger was helping me other Than thinking, like, not raging will will be the ultimate grudge win.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Swallow it. Yeah.

[Takara]

Yeah. Do you have a fucked up affirmation you've ever used?

[Chelsea Devontes]

No, but I'm doing this. I made a matchbook altar recently.

[Takara]

Oh. Like, of matchbooks.

[Chelsea Devontes]

So I have a. I have a little. I used all the matches in a matchbook. I took it out, you know, I was like, I wrote on a piece of paper, like, things I want. And I just have a little altar. And I like, printed out a very tiny picture of Josephine Baker.

[Takara]

Ooh, yeah.

[Chelsea Devontes]

And a penny and like a little glass of water and I put it in the altar with like a real penny. And I like, struck a match and I just, like, thought about some things that I want to happen in the new year. And I put that match in the matchbox and I kind of like, just look at it now. I'm like, okay, like, there are things in this matchbox that I need.

[Takara]

I love that. What? Where does the penny come from?

[Chelsea Devontes]

So now that. Now we're really getting hoodoo and like, woo, woo. Listen.

[Takara]

We just sold psychic moment candles where you, like, had an intention every time you lit it and blew it out. And I. All my merch is like, all the candle. I don't have any more candles left. And those things came out a week ago.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I know. That's how to get a candle.

[Takara]

I've been wishing.

[Chelsea Devontes]

So shout out to all you, you lucky cool people who got a candle. So I'm like in my hoodoo phase. So right now I just got a penny, the oldest penny I could find. And I have a lot of piggy banks because I'm weird. So I found the oldest penny I could find. I like, cleansed it with, like, salt water and vinegar. And so it's just like a beautiful shiny penny. Because I'm just. I want. I want new things. I want new thoughts, new emotions, new ideas, new streams of incomes. Like, I just want it to be new and I want it to be pure and I want it to be of me. And so I put it in this little matchbox. So that's where the penny comes from.

[Takara]

I love this. This feels like an original recipe. This is an original spell. It feels like you made this.

[Chelsea Devontes]

I hope so. I hope so. I want new stuff.

[Takara]

Go follow Takara on TikTok. She's so smart and so funny and she'll elevate your life and she's incredible. And she's coming back on this podcast the moment we find a good book. Book Takara, tell everyone your handle again, it's Akara's library.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Follow me on TikTok. Everyone should be reading Tillerfin's books.

[Takara]

I love it. Thank you so much.

[Chelsea Devontes]

Thanks Chelsea Boo.

[Takara]

A huge thank you to our podcast producer Christina Lopez, our executive producer Jordan Moncada, our sounds 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 2 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.