Glamorous Trash x The Tangle: Chelsea Devontez on Memoir, Silencing, and the High-Low of Hollywood

Podcast: Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast
Host: Kyle Ridley (The Tangle)
Guest: Chelsea Devontez
Date: August 29, 2025
Focus: Memoir writing, celebrity memoir culture, silencing of women’s stories, personal transformation, and the joys of being both "glamorous" and "trash."

Episode Overview

This special crossover episode sees Chelsea Devontez, comedian, writer, and host of the beloved "Glamorous Trash" podcast, switching roles to be the interviewee on Kyle Ridley’s "The Tangle." The conversation delves into Chelsea’s acclaimed memoir I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This, But I’m Going To Anyway, the silencing of domestic violence survivors, the evolution of her podcast, Hollywood’s class divide, donor conception, grudges, and the peculiarities of celebrity memoir. The episode is honest, hilarious, poignant, and generous, offering listeners both literary insight and pop culture delight.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Weight and Relief of Publishing Her Memoir

• Chelsea marks the one-year anniversary of her memoir’s release, reflecting on the journey from secret-keeping to public revelation:
  • “It truly feels like I checked a really heavy bag. It’s still mine, it’s still meeting me at my destination. But like, I’m not physically carrying it and I really feel the lift of that weight.” (08:58)
• Book launch day ≠ TV premiere: the feedback trickles in months later, not immediately. The initial reception was “fun and joyful” but followed by a slow processing of audience reaction. (09:54)

2. Writing for TV vs. Memoir

• Contrast in creative process and fulfillment:
  • TV = external validation (“an incredible joke hit”), collaborative, and more impersonal.
  • Memoir = internal fulfillment, deeply personal responses from readers.
  • “With the book, the notes process is so much better…just the writing is getting better and clearer. Whereas in television and film…the writing is getting worse as a bunch of people give notes.” (11:19)
• Pressure: TV has a machine that lets you slip in or out; the book "there is no book if I do not finish the book." (12:50)

3. The Evolution of "Glamorous Trash" Podcast

• Started as a “personal side project.” Its success comes from being fluid and evolving with Chelsea, rather than being strictly "branded."
  • “I’ve really been stumbling my way through and that’s why the podcast has evolved so much…it means and has always meant so much to me on a personal processing level, personal growth level, personal fulfillment level.” (17:14)
• 300+ episodes; 326 memoirs read, including some double- and multi-book episodes (e.g., all Spice Girls books at once). (18:44)

4. Rules & Ethics of Book Selection

• Avoids memoirs by comedians she's worked with to prevent bias and because “those books are…a different kind of book” (19:19).

5. Embracing "Glamorous Trash"

• The brand name comes from Chelsea’s lived dichotomy:
  • "We really hid the trash…finally, when I really came to the core of who I am, I was like, oh, that’s exactly what it is. And now I am so proud of the trash parts of me. I think they are the best parts of me." (20:35)
• Only other copyright use of "Glamorous Trash" was Dolly Parton using it to describe her style: “when they went and did the copyright search…[found] Dolly Parton told someone the way she likes to dress is glamorous trash. And I said, then that’s definitely the name.” (22:06)

6. Writing and Publishing Her Memoir

• Always dreamt of it, thought it would happen “when I was 97 years old, if I accomplished enough.” Getting to publish it “way too young, by most standards” was “the most incredible thing.” (23:00)
• First memoir she ever read: Delta Burke’s, which “blew open my world” on beauty and its weaponization. (23:28)
• Achieved an exclusive Delta Burke interview after 20 years of her being absent from media. (24:03)

7. Redactions and Silencing Survivors

• The memoir's “thrust” was her domestic violence story—ultimately redacted at her publisher’s insistence due to legal fears.
  • “The publisher's lawyers made this crazy decision based on my own writing of how dangerous he was. They were like, he seems really dangerous. We don’t want to take the risk of you including this. And they used my own writing against me.” (26:21)
• Chose to include black-barred (redacted) pages instead of omission:
  • "I tried to, instead of telling my story, tell the story of how our systems are set up to silence victims at every stage of their life, including me at my most successful." (28:00)
• Reader response to the redacted chapter was overwhelming for those who've lived similar stories: “...the book is going to be for who it’s for. And it is really, really deeply for a certain set of people.” (30:34)

8. Donor Conception and Industry Ethics

• Chelsea is a “donor conceived adult” and critiques the lack of industry regulation:
  • “There are no federal laws, there are no state laws, there are no medical, moral practices across the board…there is no tracking. And on purpose, for many years, even though that's slightly changing now, they destroyed, hid, or kept private the records of the genetics that created you.” (33:22)
• Calls out the predatory profit motive—says the industry doesn’t want to hear from donor-conceived adults.

9. On Grudges, Justice, and Friendship

• Her chapter "Shit Bitch, Grudge City": not advising grudge-holding but admits she’s “carrying it every day” (37:17).
• Friendship breakups and reconciliation: The healing began only after her ex-best friend acknowledged her harm and offered “grace”—but the relationship can’t go back to "how it was." (38:06, 40:11)
  • “We still say things at the exact same time…We really felt like we had one soul...I still grieve all the time this other life I could have had, doing this career with my best friend. And I'll always be sad about it.” (41:00)

10. Family Readership and Mother-Daughter Healing

• Her mother was the person Chelsea was “most nervous” to have read the memoir, due to the pain and honesty it revealed:
  • "I was stating things out loud that she and I had both lived through that we’d never examined together.” (41:25)
• Ultimately it brought them closer: “I was holding on to so much anger in order to not hurt her…. What I didn’t expect is that it brought us together." (42:41)

11. Chelsea’s Current Projects and Obsessions

• She’s prepping for a major project (“right on the precipice…six years, finally happening”), but can’t reveal details yet. Watches two films a day for inspiration and reads Girl on Girl. (44:40)
• Binging "Love Island", "America's Sweethearts," "House of Dragons," and "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives." (45:54)
• Analyzes reality TV villains: “Demi thought she was the hero...her world is blown open. She’s cowering. She’s hiding. Whitney is a great villain…that’s a fun villain. That’s the Joker.” (46:07)

12. The Podcast’s New Directions

• Now includes viral article discussions alongside memoirs.
  • “There are certain articles that took over entire offices I was in…’Bad Art Friend’, ‘Cat Person’…I just never had the time…. And it’s been phenomenal.” (47:40)
  • Also, article episodes are easier for guests (no reading a whole book)!

13. Rapid-Fire Favorites

All-time Top Memoirs: Demi Moore, Mariah Carey, Gabrielle Union’s first memoir (48:55)

Biggest Disappointments: Liz Phair, Elliot Page, Ellen (“She didn’t even hit the surface, babe.” 49:16)

Most Shocking: Ione Skye, Julia Fox, Anne Heche (49:36)

Saddest: Mackenzie Phillips, Tatum O’Neal, Ronnie Spector, Sally Field

Biggest slog: Barbra Streisand; Betty Gilpin’s first chapter and Tina Knowles’ "Matriarch" ("when they're a slog, it's usually because I hate it"). (50:13–50:40)

Favorite Men’s Memoir: Daryl Hammond ("Dark and sad as well—one of the darkest ones of all time." 50:43)

Wish List: Sandra Bullock, Rihanna, Stevie Nicks, Alanis Morissette (51:53)

Favorite Housewives Franchise: Salt Lake City: "One of the best shows ever on television…including it in the narrative category." (51:41)

14. Being a Dog Mom

• Multiple rescue dogs give her purpose and joy: "More dogs, the better, baby. It feels like getting up in my dose of meds." (52:09)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On memoir release:

  “It truly feels like I checked a really heavy bag...I’m not physically carrying it and I really feel the lift of that weight.” (08:58, Chelsea Devontez)

• On podcast as processing:

  “It means and has always meant so much to me on a personal processing level, personal growth level, personal fulfillment level.” (17:14, Chelsea Devontez)

• On silencing in publishing:

  “They used my own writing against me…It was a horrible, horrifying, brutal experience...to go through lawyers again who are supposed to be on my side…to also brutalize that story and me again...it really set me back in many ways.” (26:21, Chelsea Devontez)

• On redactions:

  "Instead of telling my story, I tried to tell the story of how our systems are set up to silence victims at every stage of their life, including me at my most successful." (28:00, Chelsea Devontez)

• On grudge-holding:

  “I don’t think anyone should hold a grudge. I’m just letting you know that I do…It’s not a burden. It’s a heavy burden.” (37:17, Chelsea Devontez)

• On mending with an ex-best friend:

  “She did [apologize]. …That is your version. And that, to me, was such a beautiful offering of grace that we have become friends again.” (38:06)

• On reconciling with her mother:

  “I was holding on to so much anger in order to not hurt her…What I didn’t expect is that it brought us together.” (42:41)

• On being a dog mom:

  “More dogs, the better, baby. It feels like getting up in my dose of meds. …If you're suffering inside your head, it's so nice to get out of your head and care for a living thing.” (52:09)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Memoir Anniversary, Emotional Relief: 08:42–10:42
• Comparing TV & Memoir Writing: 10:42–12:50
• Podcast Evolution & Philosophy: 16:50–18:38
• Glamorous Trash Origin Story: 20:09–22:49
• Delta Burke & Memoir Influences: 23:21–24:28
• Redactions, Publishing Trauma: 26:11–32:15
• Donor Conception Exposé: 32:15–36:55
• Grudges & Friendship Breakups: 36:55–41:00
• Mother’s Reaction & Healing: 41:00–43:22
• Current Projects/Pop Culture Obsessions: 44:30–47:32
• Article Episodes & Podcast Future: 47:32–48:41
• Lightning Round Memoir Picks: 48:41–51:53
• Dog Mom Joy & Wrap Up: 52:02–53:28

Tone and Atmosphere

The episode is deeply candid, equal parts vulnerable and funny, with a recurring theme of resilience and transformation in the face of silencing and trauma. Chelsea’s blend of humor and seriousness underscores her approach to both her book and her podcast: “a classic high-low.” The rapport between Kyle and Chelsea is warm, appreciative, and book-clubby, inviting listeners into an intimate, supportive space.

For further reading/listening:

• I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This, But I’m Going To Anyway by Chelsea Devontez
• "Glamorous Trash" podcast
• "The Tangle" podcast by Kyle Ridley

Trigger Warnings: Discussion of domestic violence and legal silencing of survivor stories.
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For memoir lovers, pop culture obsessives, and anyone interested in the silenced stories women fight to tell—to hilarious, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful ends—this is essential listening.