Alison Rich Disobeys Bridger

Summary

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Podcast Summary: I Said No Gifts! – Alison Rich Disobeys Bridger

Host: Bridger Winegar
Guest: Alison Rich
Release Date: August 28, 2025
Network: Exactly Right / iHeartPodcasts

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Main Theme:

This episode of I Said No Gifts! features comedian Alison Rich, who, as tradition (aka "rule-breaking") demands, brings a gift despite Bridger's titular plea for emptiness. Amid playful banter, Bridger and Alison spiral through a variety of comedic and thoughtful topics—including beverage preferences, family dynamics, their fraught relationships with religion, guilty media pleasures, cults, and, of course, the ceremonial unwrapping (and roasting) of Alison’s "bad books" gift.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Beverage Banter & Fridge Murkiness (04:12–07:57)

• Alison confesses to leaving unfinished drinks everywhere and describes how her fridge imparts a suspicious metallic-chemical flavor to leftovers.
• Bridger and Alison debate the pointlessness (and waste) of half-sized soda cans and nostalgia for finished drinks.
• The two commiserate over grappling with weird beverage flavors:
  • Spindrift: Bridger loves grapefruit; Alison dislikes blood orange and grape; neither loves the ambiguous "grapeade."
• Memorable riff: “Maybe we should move in together…We won’t finish each other’s sentences. We’ll finish each other’s drinks.”
  (Bridger & Alison, 06:32–06:37)

2. Pop Culture Tangents & Road Rules Revelations (07:57–10:37)

• Alison shares how Jamie Chung, now a respected actress, tries to distance herself from her Road Rules reality past.
• The pair joke about canceled personalities, forming snap judgments based on hearsay, and far-reaching podcasts that stealthily disappoint.

3. New Niece, Bad Gifts, & Family Philosophy (13:07–16:56)

• Alison’s brother has a daughter—her first niece. She affirms not being a “gift person,” describing her Venmo-based family and their practical approach to occasions.
• Discussion on gift etiquette for newborns and new moms—and diapers as underappreciated but crucial gifts.

4. Car Trouble & Social Justice: (15:42–21:10)

• Alison recalls her car being towed and broken into in San Francisco, including the odd, urban legend-esque tale of a cop’s laptop—full of car theft data—being stolen from his own car.
• Both agree: If your car gets towed, the universe owes you 50 bad-incident-free years.

5. If I Made a Cult… (21:02–24:09)

• Alison pitches her ideal religion: keep good holidays (especially Halloween), weekly check-ins (not quite church), and dress code upgrades—a faux-cult of fun, companionship, and style.

6. Religious Upbringings & TV Fixations (24:09–32:14)

• Alison (Catholic) and Bridger (Mormon, from Utah) compare notes on church attire, parental religious intensity, and the expectation to "dress up” for God.
• The two gleefully analyze the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reality show, identifying favorite and least favorite cast members, Mormon marriage-divorce cycles, and why secretly, Mormonism would have fewer problems if everyone became gay men.
• Quote: "The last thing a Mormon ever will be is a gay man. And unfortunately, that would save their marriage situation."
  (Bridger, 28:25–28:33)

7. True Crime, Cults, & Bad Books (43:15–52:31)

• Gift Reveal: Alison gifts Bridger two “bad books” from her unread shelf—a Lee Harvey Oswald true-crime biography and a self-help book she describes as so bad she almost regrets giving it away.
• Discussion meanders into true crime consumption (Manson, NXIVM), why women are more susceptible to cults, and the compulsive desire to read “dangerous” nonfiction.
• Alison confesses to reading TV scripts for fun, declaring, “The only book I can read right now is TV.” (47:21–47:22)

8. Leaving Religion & Coming Out (52:31–57:17)

• Both share personal journeys of faith and doubt—Bridger’s Mormon mission led to a nervous breakdown and eventual exit from the church; Alison’s faith faded through college and family conversation.
• They reflect on how queerness or difference can accelerate or demand self-understanding, leading to “claiming and choosing yourself.”

9. Gift or a Curse? Game Segment (62:05–72:58)

• Standard podcast game where Alison must declare common things a "gift" or a "curse":

  1. Tootsie Rolls: Gift (Alison) / Curse (Bridger: "No one seeks out a Tootsie Roll" 65:19).
  2. Reposting Birthday Wishes to Instagram Stories: Curse (Both; “it feeds into needing attention to too far a degree” 68:51).
  3. Sculpture of a person on a public bench: Curse (Alison) / Gift (Bridger; “It keeps you from looking like a loser—now you’re sitting next to Mark Twain!” 71:38)

• Producer’s "Gift or Curse": Flavored Chapstick:

  • Alison: Gift.
  • Bridger: Curse (“Nothing that close to the mouth should smell like food if it’s not edible.” 73:07).

10. Listener Advice: The ‘New Yorker in Hawaii’ Dilemma (75:16–78:34)

• Listener Katie seeks a New York-themed gift for her Hawaii-based friend—should she bring a Boston find?
• Alison jokes: “Bring her a rat—take a live animal onto a plane.” (76:00)
• Ultimately, they suggest making a quick trip to NYC to find authentic gifts (and avoid introducing rats to Hawaii).

11. Best & Worst Gifts Retrospective (79:07–80:57)

• Bridger recounts favorite gifts—a car garbage can, a waffle maker, fancy champagne from Drew Carey—and the worst: a chewed-up dog toy (immediately thrown away).

12. Recommendations (63:02–64:12)

• Alison champions a rewatch of Girls ("excellent"), and Bridger recommends the new Naked Gun and Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure for pure comedy enjoyment.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Bridger on Religious Exit:
  “Being gay is a tough one for a Mormon… It was like, well, I’m this thing… they tell me it doesn’t exist, that it’s not a reality. And I know it’s a reality—what else are they telling me that’s not true?” (31:43–32:02)

• Alison on Gift-Giving Philosophy:
  “My love language is not gifts and my family's was not gifts… we’re very much like, ‘It’s Christmas, Venmo me 50 bucks so I can go buy this thing I want.’” (13:45–14:04)

• On Public Bench Sculptures:
  “If you sit down alone, who’s this friendless loser? But if you’re sitting next to Mark Twain—someone might just think you have a friend.”
  (Bridger, 71:49–72:06)

• On Flavored Chapstick:
  Alison: “I think there should always be a flavor on your lips.” (74:14–74:25)
  Bridger: “They should just be wax.” (73:42)

• Gift Reveal Banter:
  Bridger: “Should I open it here on the podcast?”
  Alison: “You absolutely should.” (39:01–39:03)
  Bridger: “It’s two books. The Gunman and His Mother… And Unlocking Your Artistry—my thing is, I have a habit. I go into a place with books, I buy a book, and then I never open it.” (42:18–43:09)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Gift Banter & Wasteful Habits:
  04:12–07:57

• Car Drama & Justice:
  15:42–21:10

• Cult/Religion Creation Riffs:
  21:02–24:09

• “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” Analysis:
  24:09–32:14

• Gift Reveal & Book Discussion:
  42:12–47:32

• Leaving Mormonism & Catholicism:
  52:31–57:17

• Gift or a Curse? Game:
  62:05–72:58

• Listener Email Advice:
  75:16–78:34

• Best/Worst Gifts Retrospective:
  79:07–80:57

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Tone & Language

Deliberately conversational, playful, and warmly sarcastic, the episode showcases both Alison and Bridger’s quick wit, comedic timing, and mutual understanding of the oddities in modern etiquette, family, spirituality, and pop culture. Despite occasional forays into earnest or personal material, the mood stays friendly, irreverent ("I'm a big skimmer. I screw up a lot because I'm deleting keywords," Alison, 38:30), and inviting—even when digging into trauma or existential doubt.

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In Summary

This episode—the perfect fusion of low-stakes banter and meaningful self-disclosure—showcases the unique comic charm of both host and guest. Listeners will appreciate its blend of everyday absurdities, candid confessions, pop culture fixations, and the perennial curiosity about why we give (and keep) weird gifts.

Perfect for fans of: Irreverent comedy, reality TV hot takes, religion deconstruction, and anyone who’s ever returned a book to the shelf unread.

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Transcript

[Allison Rich]

This is exactly right. I just think the process and the journey is so delicious. That's where all the good stuff is. You just can't live and die by the end result.

[Simone Boyce]

That's comedian Phoebe Robinson. And yeah, those are the kinds of gems you'll only hear on my podcast, the Bright side. I'm your host, Simone Boyce. I'm talking to the brightest minds in entertainment, health, wellness and pop culture. And every week we're going places in our communities, our careers and ourselves. So join me every Monday and let's find the bright side together. Listen to the bright side on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bridger Weiniger]

What would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose between a maximum security prison or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth? Unfortunately for Mark Lombardo, this was the choice he faced. He said, you are a number. A New York state number, and we own you. Listen to shock incarceration on the iHeartRadio Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danielle Robaix]

Just like great shoes, great books take you places through unforgettable love stories and into conversations with characters you'll never forget.

[Allison Rich]

I think any good romance, it gives me this feeling of like butterflies.

[Danielle Robaix]

I'm Danielle Robaix and this is bookmarked by Reese's Book Club, the new podcast from hello Sunshine and I Heart Podcasts where we dive into the stories that shape us on the page and off. Each week I'm joined by authors, celebs, book talk stars and more for conversations that will make you laugh, cry and add way too many books to your TBR pile. Listen to bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Books is the official audiobook and ebook home for Reese's Book Club. Visit Apple co Reese Apple Books to find out more.

[Allison Rich]

When I invited you here, thought I made myself perfectly clear. When you're a guest in my home, you gotta come to me empty handed. I said no guests. Your presence is present to me enough. And I already had too much stuff, so how do you dare disobey me?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Welcome to I said no gifts. I'm Bridger Weiniger. Oh, I hope you're doing better than I am. It's been quite a morning. There was the traffic on the way here. I got here moments after we were supposed to start recording. What else is going on? My electric toothbrush battery died. I had to brush my teeth manually like they did in the Bible, which is tough for me. And now I've. I didn't even start recharging it. So now I'll have to do it with. Tonight I'm going to have to do it again. If that's tough for you to hear, you should, I mean, think about how I feel. No one is ever watching out for me emotionally on this podcast. It's all just me. No one ever thinks about how I feel. Oh, is there anything good happening? I bought a bag of dirt yesterday and that's probably all we'll talk about today because that's the bright point in my life and I think that's everything. I've brought the mood way up. People are cheering. They're so excited to be here. I actually am excited to be here because I love today's guest. Everybody really adores today's guest. It's Alison Rich. Allison. Welcome to. I said no gifts.

[Allison Rich]

Hello. Thank you so much. Can I start off with a big regret?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, I love regret.

[Allison Rich]

So I was trying to do a little joke before by slurping loudly into the mic with my diet Coke and now I still have like detritus or something in my throat, so I've got to cough.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Micro choking. Please. Let's.

[Allison Rich]

I was holding it in.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Let's hear it.

[Allison Rich]

Okay. Whew. Now I can free throatedly.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Can I match you, please?

[Allison Rich]

There we go.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Just in case.

[Allison Rich]

And it may come back. You know, it's.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And I didn't even cover my mouth.

[Allison Rich]

I'm. Yeah, I'm not in a top podcasting form. It's been like, I don't know, a month since the last time I made a podcast.

[Bridger Weiniger]

When was the last time you had.

[Allison Rich]

A drink of liquid or alcohol?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Of liquid.

[Allison Rich]

You know, three minutes ago when I was trying to do this.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I know. But before this, you're obviously not in practice.

[Allison Rich]

I know. You know I took a spin drift for the road. Yeah, kind of. So now there's an open can of spindrift in my car.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And it's hot outside.

[Allison Rich]

I know it's gonna be.

[Bridger Weiniger]

How much did you drink?

[Allison Rich]

I probably drank like three sips. I'm terrible.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, that's wasteful.

[Allison Rich]

I'm so wasteful when it comes, you know, and then I'll put it back in the fridge and be like, I'll come back to that and then I won't. And my fridge has a weird something to it where if you leave a drink in there for a minute and you drink it later, you're like, there's a new Taste.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, no. So there's like some sort of renegade food in your fridge that's making everything taste like that. Maybe like a strong hummus or.

[Allison Rich]

But it's a real like chemical, metallic, like not food seeming taste. Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Morning.

[Allison Rich]

The sheddings of the fridge itself.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Wow. I. Yeah. If I. You're fooling yourself every time. When you put a carbonated or sparkling soda back in the fridge.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It will not be consumed. And when. If you do force yourself to consume it, you're going to be so unhappy.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It just throw it away.

[Allison Rich]

I guess I just wish more things came. More bite size, you know, because I don't really. I'm very non committal with anything I eat or drink.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right. Well, they have a lot of those sodas now have the like half size, which I hate.

[Allison Rich]

I know. So wasteful. The packaging.

[Bridger Weiniger]

The packaging is wasteful. I want the full thing. I need a full can of.

[Allison Rich]

Maybe we should move in together.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Interesting finish.

[Allison Rich]

We won't finish my half drunk drinks.

[Bridger Weiniger]

We won't finish each other's sentences. We'll finish each other's drinks.

[Allison Rich]

Exactly.

[Bridger Weiniger]

What sort of spindrift did you have?

[Allison Rich]

It was a lime.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Okay. Not my favorite.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah, it's. I find most are like. I'm on board with most of them. One or two. I'm like, absolutely. No, thank you. And I think I have one or two faves. But then you drink them too much and you're like, oh, now I'm over this. So I think lime is fine. But there's like a blood orange or something that I'm like, that's kind of bitter.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, you don't like the blood orange?

[Allison Rich]

I don't.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Is that on your absolutely not list?

[Allison Rich]

It's on my avoid. Me and my man, we go back and forth at the grocery shopping, so sometimes he might buy it, you know, and then I'm like, okay, well, it's here, I'll drink it.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But we've been talking a lot about spindrift. We talked about this recently on the podcast and I said that I love grapefruit.

[Allison Rich]

Oh, see, I don't love grapefruit.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I guess I just like an unpleasant beverage. Yeah, apparently that's all I'll consume.

[Allison Rich]

I thought you were gonna say GR Grape aid. Do you know they have that one too?

[Bridger Weiniger]

I heard about that and it sounds horrible.

[Allison Rich]

It's packing way more of a flavor punch than the rest of the.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I don't even understand what the aid is.

[Allison Rich]

It's like a made up flavor.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Is it like lemonade Is it sour?

[Allison Rich]

Well, actually, maybe that's exactly what it's supposed to be. I was like, they're just adding suffixes, but it tastes. I feel like it tastes like Welch's grape juice water. Like, bubbly or something.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, that doesn't sound good to me.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah, I don't know.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Do you remember the Welch's grapefruit girl or. No, the Welch's grape juice girl.

[Allison Rich]

Yes. Ish. There was a little girl. Would she like a Dakota Fanning type? Like, short blonde hair?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yes. Yeah, it may have been Dakota Fanning. Maybe that was.

[Allison Rich]

I don't think we would have known that. Trivia. Right.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Well, she might be keeping that from the general public.

[Allison Rich]

Okay. You know who does that a lot is people who were on Road Rules, you know who. Like Theo Vaughn.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I didn't know he was on Road Rules.

[Allison Rich]

This actress, Jamie Chung, who's extremely successful, and I was in, like, a Hulu show with her years ago, and I remember halfway through filming being like, weren't you on Road Rules? And she was like, shh, I'm a good actress now. And she is. She's fantastic. But I think she tries to, like.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Well, then look at you on this kind of anti PR tour taking you down.

[Allison Rich]

No, I haven't seen her in years, and she's a lovely person, and I.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Want to look her up because I feel like, obviously, we all know Theo Vaughn at this point. No one's a fan. Let's see. Or are people. No. I feel like he's a tough situation.

[Allison Rich]

I don't know enough about him.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I'm ready to start a war.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I feel like there's some.

[Allison Rich]

There's a. You know, I have some conservatives in my family, and I also have, like, doofy straight dudes in my family. So I feel like I have greater patience. But I don't know, like, if you're gonna tell me, like, oh, he was actually, like, a Nazi or whatever, I'd be like, okay. No, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I'm not up on the facts about him. So he sucks or whatever.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah. I'm like, I will hear names enough that I just start to think, oh, that's a poisonous person and connected to other things. And I start putting the pieces together rather than looking into it. I just start taking all of my collection of assumptions and making one grand assumption.

[Allison Rich]

See, I don't feel like I do that enough where I'll be, like, weeks into consuming someone's podcast, and a friend is like, that. You know, that person's bad. And I was like, what? But their banter's fun. You know, I don't do my due diligence.

[Bridger Weiniger]

There was a podcast that I was strongly recommended to me and I was going on a trip, so I downloaded almost every episode.

[Allison Rich]

Okay.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And got about four episodes in and thought, oh no, what am I listening to? And what does this mean for anyone who's listening to this, including the person who recommended it to me?

[Allison Rich]

Okay, wait, what was the part?

[Bridger Weiniger]

I'm not even going to say because I don't want to give it any more press.

[Allison Rich]

Okay.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But yeah, I go through the same thing where I'm like, you can kind of just be lulled into certain things.

[Allison Rich]

Yes, falling in love with the personality, but this.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I felt like I had been scammed.

[Allison Rich]

Okay.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I felt like, oh, I.

[Allison Rich]

You're going to have to tell me off air.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Then you might be like, I love that podcast.

[Allison Rich]

I actually produce that podcast.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I'm actually the host of that podcast.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah, it's me you're talking about. Me.

[Bridger Weiniger]

What would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose between a maximum security prison or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth? Unfortunately for Mark Lombardo, this was the choice he faced. He said, you are a number, a New York state number, and we own you. Listen to Shock incarceration on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danielle Robaix]

Just like great shoes, great books take you places through unforgettable love stories and into conversations with characters you'll never forget.

[Allison Rich]

I think any good romance, it gives me this feeling of like butterflies.

[Danielle Robaix]

I'm Danielle Robaix and this is bookmarked by Reese's Book Club. The new podcast from hello Sunshine and I Heart Podcasts, where we dive into the stories that shape us on the page and off. Each week I'm joined by authors, celebs, book talk stars, and more for conversations that will make you laugh, cry, and add way too many books to your TBR pile. Listen to bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Books is the official audiobook and ebook home for Reese's Book Club. Visit Apple Co ReeseAppleBooks to find out more.

[Allison Rich]

Betrayal Weekly is back for season two with brand new stories. The detective comes driving up fast and just like screeches right in the parking lot. I swear I'm not crazy, but I think he poisoned me. I feel trapped. My breathing changes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

More money, more money, more money and I went white.

[Allison Rich]

I realized, wow, like, he is not a mentor. He's pretty much a monster. New stories, new voices, and shocking manipulations. This didn't just happen to me. It happened to hundreds of other people. But these aren't just stories of destruction. They're stories of survival, of people picking up the pieces and daring to tell the truth. I'm gonna tell my story and I'm gonna hold my head up. Listen to Betrayal Weekly on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bridger Weiniger]

What's been going on with you? Anything exciting?

[Allison Rich]

My brother just had a daughter, so I'm about. And our family already had plans to get together this week, so I'm gonna see like a four day old baby.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Wow.

[Allison Rich]

Fresh. Just gonna snort her fresh stem cells or whatever.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Is this your first niece?

[Allison Rich]

First niece, but I have three nephews.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Okay. So, wow, that's really exciting.

[Allison Rich]

I feel like it, like, has made me fully click into kooky and because I'm like, the things I want to tell this little nub about being a woman in this world. And like, I'm very.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Are you a big. When a baby comes, a big gift buyer for babies.

[Allison Rich]

No, I'm a bad. Like, I mean, and how ironic to be on this podcast. My love language is not gifts and my family's was not gifts. We're very much like, oh, it's Christmas, Venmo me 50 bucks so I can go buy this thing that I want, right? I'm going to like. I also, I feel like for my own siblings, I, like, didn't get them wedding gifts. I'm like, oh, you. We love each other. I don't need to, like, get you a present, you know, like, of course. So I'm bad. But I did say out loud 2 days ago I should get her a gift. But has. Has anything been done? No.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I'm kind of in the same with a baby especially. I'm like, I feel like if it's a family member, they have friends and other people who are probably getting the baby a bunch of things. And if it's. Especially if it's not your. The first one. Yeah, it's a little like.

[Allison Rich]

But I feel like I hear that you're supposed to get a gift for the mom.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, that. I've never even thought about that. I'm deeply inconsiderate.

[Allison Rich]

No, I mean, me too.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But then again, what do you get? The moment?

[Allison Rich]

I think like, maybe big underwear or something or like massage stuff or, you know, just something to acknowledge. Like, you've been through a physical trauma.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right. I guess they have diapers.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Things like this.

[Allison Rich]

I'll show up with some diapers for mom.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah. No one ever thinks about the mom's diapers in these situations. The baby's drowning in diapers, and meanwhile, what's the mom doing?

[Allison Rich]

I'd like to think that the mom is putting the baby's diapers on and the dad's putting the mom's diapers on.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, interesting.

[Allison Rich]

That's how it'll be.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I love to think about that.

[Allison Rich]

I love to think about that.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Is your family in LA or elsewhere?

[Allison Rich]

They're elsewhere. I'm from Long Island. My parents are trying to sell their house there, and my older brother's in Virginia, and so my parents are gonna move down there, and then I have two younger brothers in San Francisco, so we're kind of all going up to San Francisco.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, that sounds nice.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I feel like that's my number one option out of those three choices.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Like, as far as vacations go or Trav.

[Allison Rich]

Sure, sure, sure. Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Do you spend much time up there?

[Allison Rich]

No, it's been a minute. When the pandemic happened, I fled up there for, like, six weeks. So I sort of, like, felt like I lived there for a little bit, Got my car broken into, as happens out there, and I drove back from San Francisco to LA with a trash bag on the window of my car because I, like, went to, like, an auto glass repair place, and they were like, we don't have whatever piece is in the door.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right.

[Allison Rich]

That, like. So. So they were like, we can't. I think they took the chunks of glass out of the car, but then they were like, we can't put new glass in. So I did the janky thing of taping, like, a trash bag, you know, and this would have been like May 2020.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I mean, it's oddly Covid. Friendly.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. That. Keeping my car's airborne illness inside.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Did they steal anything?

[Allison Rich]

No, there wasn't even anything.

[Bridger Weiniger]

This, to me.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Take something.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. Well, I. I'm proud of myself for not having left any valuables, you know, because I would have. I'm not a careful gal. I. I should have been robbed many times by now, so good job, me.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Well, that's an ambitious car robber, then. I mean, they just thought they were very optimistic. They don't see anything in there, and they just break in.

[Allison Rich]

There's a real racket there. And I've heard this story that at this point, I'm like, is this real? But there's a story that there was so many break ins in San Francisco that like, cops were, you know, doing this big operation to find out who's behind all these carjackings. And then apparent. And they had like created a. They had like some spreadsheet on their computer being like, these are all the cars that have been robbed and these are the suspects and blah, blah, blah. And then that person left their laptop in their car with all the like data about the carjackings. And then their car got broken into and the laptop of data. I'm sure that's not fully true because it's like, do they not have the cloud? Is that not like a Google Doc? But it just felt like a great detective.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Amelia Bedelia.

[Allison Rich]

Exactly.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Well, walk me through. I'm always curious about situations like this when like the person finds out their car has been broken into and like, what led up to it, because I just emotionally. And your reaction to that sort of thing is. I feel like, is such a weird thing.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. Well, let's see. I had been leaving my car in the garage under my brother's apartment building. There was parking for the residents and I just parked my car in like a little. Not even a corner, just a part of the parking garage that didn't have a spot. But I was like, parking in San Francisco is really expensive or like dangerous. So for like a couple of weeks. Yeah, it's all coming back to me. I just kind of hid it in the parking garage. And then eventually the car got towed because they were on to me. They were like, this is not a resident's license plate.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right, right.

[Allison Rich]

So then got towed, picked up the car, and then a couple. Then I had to start parking it on the street. And so then one night I go to get it and the window had been bashed in.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And then when you found the car, when the window had been bashed in, was it just like a. Yeah, yeah. Oh God.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. You know, I feel pretty lucky in life that like, I generally am dealing with a combo of good and bad. Like, a bad thing happens, but a good thing's around the corner. But there have been patches where you're just like, bad, bad, bad. And it just strikes at my sense of like, justice. Like. Cause I think I go around being like, things are mostly fair, which is complete bullshit. But like, has allowed me to like, trot along. Being like. But then sometimes life really smacks you in the face a couple times being like, there's no justice there'.

[Bridger Weiniger]

If your car is towed, nothing bad should have to happen to you for 50 years.

[Allison Rich]

That's what I'm saying. Certainly nothing car related.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Absolutely not. Yeah. That is essentially going to prison. As far as your car, that is so unfair to a person.

[Allison Rich]

I've had my car towed twice. Have you?

[Bridger Weiniger]

I've had. I was in college on a road trip to la Ish with some friends, and our car got towed, but it wasn't mine. But it still was just such a deeply inconvenient, weird experience. So expensive.

[Allison Rich]

Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I think I've probably said this on this podcast before, but I think it is one of the worst things human beings can do to other human beings.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. It's just so.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Come on.

[Allison Rich]

The one other time it happened was at the Jack in the Box in Hollywood. I was like, running to do something else, and I was like, I'll just park my car in the Jack in the Box. And I was gone for like 15 minutes. When I came back, it was gone. And then I walked into the Jack in the Box and everyone turned around and was like, it was you. Because clearly, like, the tow truck guy was like, does anyone own a, like, 2003 Nissan Sentra?

[Bridger Weiniger]

15 minutes. That's ridiculous. It was fast.

[Allison Rich]

It was really fast.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I think minimum, it should be eight hours.

[Allison Rich]

Exactly. Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

15 minutes. That's.

[Allison Rich]

Let my car hang out for eight hours. It's not like the Jack in the Box was full.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Give me a break.

[Allison Rich]

Come on.

[Bridger Weiniger]

There should be a. We should give each other that grace of eight hours of letting your car be wherever you want it to be.

[Allison Rich]

That's the kind of society I want to be in.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yes. But 15 minutes. That manager at Jack in the Box is a psychopath. That's all there is.

[Allison Rich]

It just made me think of, like, okay, if I got to decide how society was, what would my top rules be? I've always thought if I was ever to be president, I'd sort of. The only law I would make is, like, all menus need to have photos. You know? Cause I'm just like, that would help so much. But recently I was talking to someone about if I were to make up my own religion, what would be in that? And I don't remember everything I said, but I definitely said, we're doing holidays.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Okay. You know, new holidays.

[Allison Rich]

No, we're keeping some of them.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Christmas, some of the classics.

[Allison Rich]

Putting Halloween in there.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Sure, of course.

[Allison Rich]

You know, and maybe add some new ones. I also was like, I do, like, weekly meetings. It's not necessarily church, but like, let's get together, let's chat.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right.

[Allison Rich]

I can't Remember what else I said? But you know, I'm obviously still forming the idea, but I feel like you've.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Got a good, good bedrock.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. Holidays.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah, holidays. The weekly check ins and yoga maybe.

[Allison Rich]

You know, it's really easy for it to go culty, but how about an.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Excuse to dress up?

[Allison Rich]

Oh, we love that. Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I feel like that's kind of church.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Although I feel like I was talking to my boyfriend about this recently. He's like, I think it's good that you should have to dress up for church. But I feel like everyone's kind of reluctantly dressing up for church.

[Allison Rich]

Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

When I would go to church as a kid, nobody really wanted to be dressed up. I think we need to make it more of an affair.

[Allison Rich]

Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

A really. Go for it. A black tie thing.

[Allison Rich]

Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

You know, everyone should look incredible.

[Allison Rich]

Yes, I think so. Isn't that also that like when commercial flights started as a thing, people would like dress up for the flight? I think we just live in a more cash time.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yes. You know, but I think church needs to class it up.

[Allison Rich]

Come on, Jesus.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah.

[Allison Rich]

Or whoever.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Or whoever.

[Allison Rich]

Or whoever. What kind of church did you.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I grew up Mormon.

[Allison Rich]

Wow. That's a. That's not a. That's not a Unitarian. That is the real.

[Bridger Weiniger]

There's a real central specific thing you do.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. And you know, throwing down Catholic, I'm like, that's no joke. But Mormon is really no joke.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah. Catholics, you can kind of create your own at this point.

[Allison Rich]

See, there's a spectrum.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah. There's a reason.

[Allison Rich]

My mom is at one end of the spectrum.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Hardcore.

[Allison Rich]

And then there's, you know, going to church on Easter and Christmas.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Catholic. Right. As a kid, would you go to church weekly?

[Allison Rich]

Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And would you have to dress up?

[Allison Rich]

Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Okay. Yeah. My boyfriend said he would wear jeans, which I thought that just doesn't really calculate in my head. Like.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. What was the Mormon practice?

[Bridger Weiniger]

You have to dress up. You would have to wear big long underwear, full underwear, nothing else.

[Allison Rich]

Yep, yep, yep.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Kind of dragging on the ground, really baggy under.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah, yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

No, you would just have to dress up. Which like meant women in dresses and men in slacks and ties and shirts or suits.

[Allison Rich]

But you know, I mean, so sorry to think of all the stereotypes, but are you from Utah?

[Bridger Weiniger]

From Utah.

[Allison Rich]

Okay, so have you been watching?

[Bridger Weiniger]

I'm going with stereotypes. I love stereotypes.

[Allison Rich]

Well, wait, I think I was. Cause I was listening to an episode on the way and did you. You watched the.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. I finally got the title down. After watching. Well, I've now watched. Well, I've watched the entire series. I'm rewatching season one right now.

[Allison Rich]

Okay. I watched season one and I started season two and I stopped. Not because I wasn't into it, but now living with a man. Like, the freedom to watch what you want when you want to watch it. I'm in a prison.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I feel like I'm in a prison as well. I should be able to watch whatever I want whenever I. I shouldn't have to think about anyone else's feelings.

[Allison Rich]

Exactly. No. And my boyfriend is actually quite, like, flexible. And like, I'm putting on in just like that. I'm putting on girls. And he tolerates it.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right.

[Allison Rich]

Whereas he, like, wants to put on anime. And I'm like, ugh, must we? But. But you can't. You can't. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. I.

[Bridger Weiniger]

He wouldn't go for it. He wouldn't go for it. Did he ever try?

[Allison Rich]

Wasn't even that. I was trying to make him do it. I would just sit down, turn the TV on, and he'd be like, what's this? And I'd be like, you're so not. You're not. This isn't for you.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Give him a no.

[Allison Rich]

He.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It's one of the dumbest shows ever created, ever.

[Allison Rich]

But I really like that Taylor girl.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, fan favorite.

[Allison Rich]

I can't tell how much of it is just. Cause, like, I think she's so gorgeous, but I actually think she has a good heart.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It's a big. It's a big part of the show in season two, especially because there is a. One of the other gals is named Demi and she decides that she's a fan favorite. She's simply not. Big loser.

[Allison Rich]

Which one was Demi? There are two women that I'm like, you look the same, but one looks older. I mean, no, they all. But they blur so much.

[Bridger Weiniger]

There's Demi. She might be confused with Jen Affleck or Jessie.

[Allison Rich]

Jenn Affleck is such a funny.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Jen Affleck lied about being related to Ben Affleck.

[Allison Rich]

That's a lie.

[Bridger Weiniger]

That's another thing that we go over this season.

[Allison Rich]

Holy shit.

[Bridger Weiniger]

That's a whole controversy.

[Allison Rich]

Okay.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I mean, I've been. Unfortunately, I'm now just recapping the episodes. I'm literally recording myself talking about. So I know everything about the show.

[Allison Rich]

One of them owns, like a hair studio now.

[Bridger Weiniger]

That's Jesse, and she owns some. Called Jay Z Styles and Academy. And I not to brag. Last time I was in Utah I made a visit.

[Allison Rich]

How was it?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Incredible experience. I walked in, whoever, the cashier or whatever, they have two sections. They have the retail, where you buy your extensions.

[Allison Rich]

Okay.

[Bridger Weiniger]

An entire wall of hair, and then the salon. And I walked into the retail and asked the cashier or whoever. She was just on her phone. I said, could you take my picture? She said, you're the fourth person who's been here today.

[Allison Rich]

Wait, okay, so if that's not Demi, is Demi the younger who has an old husband?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yes.

[Allison Rich]

Okay.

[Bridger Weiniger]

So that's another. And my apologies to the listener if I'm so sorry if this is all I ever want to talk about.

[Allison Rich]

Stop listening. Okay. Bridger and I are just hanging out.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Demi is married to Brett. Brett is, I believe, 49. And she's like.

[Allison Rich]

And Demi's like, 30.

[Bridger Weiniger]

30Ish. There's a. And he met her, I believe, when she was nine.

[Allison Rich]

Ew.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And I think he was 26.

[Allison Rich]

He was actually 49 at the time. He's kind of stuck there. He.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And he has been in reality shows. He was in the Bachelor.

[Allison Rich]

Whoa.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I think. And then the Pandemic threw his season off or something. He was married to. Do you watch Real Housewives of Salt Lake City?

[Allison Rich]

I don't.

[Bridger Weiniger]

There's one of the friends of. On the show. I can't remember her name. He was married to this woman. This guy will do anything possible to get into a reality.

[Allison Rich]

I also think it's so funny that so many of these women have been married and divorced. And, hey, no shade to, like, life is hard. You know, you're making a decision when you're young, but it's like, isn't that a big thing in your religion that you.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Do you stay married?

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yes. But it's also a big thing to get married young for Mormons.

[Allison Rich]

Right. And to, like, hold onto your virginity. Like, it's a recipe for divorce.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right.

[Allison Rich]

It's like, if you don't want people divorcing, you would get the. You know who doesn't get divorced is actually gay men. They say the lowest divorce rate. The lowest divorce rate. If you look at straight couples, lesbians, and gay men.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right.

[Allison Rich]

Gay men stay together because, for one, they wait for, like, 30 years to get married.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Like, they've been really figuring, yeah, I'm still not married.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. Yeah. And then also, women often initiate divorce. And so if you got two women, oh, it's like, who's getting divorced first? But gay men, they're like. Or men in general are like, I'll stay.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Wow.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

So, I mean, I say give us some time.

[Allison Rich]

Be just gay men. Okay.

[Bridger Weiniger]

The last thing a Mormon. That a Mormon ever will be is a gay man. And unfortunately, that would save their marriage situation.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But, yeah, everyone on Secret Lives, I think almost every one of them has been divorced once. Not. They're a couple who haven't and probably should and probably will.

[Allison Rich]

Like Jen Affleck. Right.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Jen Affleck is in her first marriage.

[Allison Rich]

To Zack in her first of six.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I'm gonna guess 14.

[Allison Rich]

But he's bad, right? Like the bit I saw, I call.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Him the White Witch.

[Allison Rich]

Yes. Oh, gosh.

[Bridger Weiniger]

He looks like something that would offer you Turkish Delight.

[Allison Rich]

Yes. Which looks good, but is disgusting.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Can we talk about Turkish Delight for just a few minutes? Through elementary school. Did you read the Narnia books?

[Allison Rich]

I think I read a couple.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And especially in elementary school, you don't really know what even. What it is. But Turkish Delight is this thing in the book that's like the ultimate temptation. Then you find out later in life what it is, and you're like, that's disgusting.

[Allison Rich]

So gross.

[Bridger Weiniger]

That's grandma food.

[Allison Rich]

It's like, worse than saltwater taffy.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Way worse.

[Allison Rich]

It's so bad. Yeah. And I think sometimes I forget, like, years will go by and I'll be like, oh. Like, I think I remember actually going to San Francisco once and, like, stopping in Monterrey and there was, like, a place where you get Turkish Delight. And it was confusing a bit with, like, baklava.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh. Which is a Turkish. That is a Turkish Delight.

[Allison Rich]

It's Turkish and it's good.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yes.

[Allison Rich]

But Turkish Delight, you're like, this is, like, colorful dough that, you know.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Well, it's like slime.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It's like very soft gummy. Right. And no one likes a soft gummy, especially one that almost feels like it's been left in the car.

[Allison Rich]

Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And the flavor is not powerful enough. The fruitiness isn't there, but whatever flavor.

[Allison Rich]

It is, it is bad. It's like a weak bad.

[Bridger Weiniger]

If you're going to put delight in the name, you've really got to, you know, find the perfect product.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. Like, if it was just called, like, Nobbins, you'd be like, okay, I forgive you. But to be, like, yummy food, you know, delicious savories.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah. Turkish Delight was the ultimate disappointment for me as far as food and candy go, because I was like, this little boy is being essentially sent to hell for this treat. Then we find out what it is.

[Allison Rich]

I don't remember much of the plot.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah. I think the witch is like, come have some Turkish Delight.

[Allison Rich]

Okay.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And he falls for it.

[Allison Rich]

And then he goes and marries Jen Affleck.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And then he marries Jen Affleck and.

[Allison Rich]

Gets mad at her for going to, like, Alvadi Vegas show to going to chip and dance when she pays the bills.

[Bridger Weiniger]

She absolutely pays the bills.

[Allison Rich]

He sucks.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah, he sucks. He's a bad egg. He kind of. And then he promises he's going to medical school, then drops out of. That was the only reason to stay in the relationship. She was going to be married to a doctor. And now he's just kind of a loser.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

The whole group. I feel bad for all of them. But again, you know, you watch the show, you're like, oh, I feel so terrible. Their lives are being ruined. And then I think, well, but this is a decision they've made. Yeah, but what a program.

[Allison Rich]

Or maybe it's, you know, it's gotta get bad for you to snap out of it. But if your whole community is in. I mean, what was it for you to.

[Bridger Weiniger]

To leave?

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I mean, well.

[Allison Rich]

Or are you still fully in it?

[Bridger Weiniger]

I'm here to get you to convert.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. Okay.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Hey, I'm available to the religion that won't have me.

[Allison Rich]

It's religion in certain ways.

[Bridger Weiniger]

So it has some good qualities.

[Allison Rich]

Oh, yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But a lot of bad ones as well. I mean, being gay is a tough one for a Mormon.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah, yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah. But I feel like that also, for me, was a nice, like, cheat, because it was like, well, I'm this thing that. And they tell me that it doesn't exist. It's not reality. And I know it's reality. What else are they telling me that's not true.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. It's sort of like, such a clear thing that you're like, I can't stay. Whereas, like, you know, if you're a straight woman, you're like, maybe I can believe that this is what it's supposed to be.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right. You know, and get my own reality show. Yeah. So it's. That was. That was it for me. And I think most of the secret lives of Mormon wives gals are leaving as well. Or they're. It's like. They're like, we want to be part of it. But then it's like, well, you don't do anything that has anything to do with that religion.

[Allison Rich]

I know they. A lot of them, like, drink.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah.

[Allison Rich]

Doing.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, they talk like crackers.

[Allison Rich]

The thing is, like, I feel like, you know, it's a rule of thumb that if, like, something is forbidden, then people go hard the other way.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Uh, huh. And yeah, that is a thing within Mormonism is there's no, like, once you leave it, there's no real support system or way out. And so I think a lot of people swing in a crazy direction, which.

[Allison Rich]

I'm sure for people who are still in Mormonism are like, that person has drugs now on methods.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Totally. That person's now on meth.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

We were right.

[Allison Rich]

Yep.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Not me.

[Allison Rich]

Wait, did you ever. Do you watch Couples Therapy?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, another the best. I just want to. I feel, like, drown in that show.

[Allison Rich]

So. But in one of the seasons, there was a couple that had been with.

[Bridger Weiniger]

That's right. And can I just say, extremely annoying people.

[Allison Rich]

Oh, they sucked. They sucked.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Two of the most annoying people.

[Allison Rich]

She was very annoying. But then I think she's gone on to live a crazy life, which I'm sure, like, if you're still in Mormonism, you're like, well, if I leave, I'm gonna become her.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right. Here's the perfect example of how awful it can be. But then again, they got to be on Couples Therapy. The ultimate thing.

[Allison Rich]

They're huge stars now.

[Bridger Weiniger]

They got to meet Orna.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And if I. I would do anything to meet Orna.

[Allison Rich]

I would love to. Except do we want to? Because what if she's a real person and we're disappointed?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right. She's not what we see on camera.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Orna reach out.

[Allison Rich]

I mean, I always want to know what, like, her and Esther Perez, like, what are their relationships like?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, of course. Like, what is their real life situation? And Orna has that. The mentor. What's her name?

[Allison Rich]

Oh, yeah. I can't remember.

[Bridger Weiniger]

They'll, like, cut to it, and she'll be like this.

[Allison Rich]

She's like a cartoon cat, you know, she's.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah, she's always, like, lounging on pieces of furniture. Like, she's melted to them.

[Allison Rich]

If you were just like, what's kook? Spooky old New York therapist. It's a red glasses.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, she's so great.

[Allison Rich]

Scarves, all that shit.

[Bridger Weiniger]

They need more of that show. There are plenty of dysfunctional couples.

[Allison Rich]

I know. And, you know, they're so classy about it. It's not like. It's just such a slow burn. Honestly, this last season, I was like, almost a little too slow of a burn.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, interesting.

[Allison Rich]

Did you see? There was the guy. I don't know if this is interesting at all for your viewers, but I don't fucking care about you guys.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Okay.

[Allison Rich]

But did you watch the last season?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah, of course.

[Allison Rich]

So the guy and the Girl where the guy was like a little bit. Oh. He kept being like, my trauma from college, I can't talk about. I can't talk about it.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, right. And what did it end up being? It was like so like minor league.

[Allison Rich]

And then she. You come to find she had some real trauma. She's like, I'm okay. And he's like, his thing was basically this was like his college buddies found some porn of his on his computer that was like, had heavy. People had like, there was some queer porn. And he was like, I was so embarrassed. And you're like, dude. And now he's like 40. And he's like, when I was 20, my. My fraternity bros found that I had some porn of that wasn't just like blonde tits, you know?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Like, I think that was literally it. It was like, okay, everyone has different types of trauma, but it's like, come on.

[Allison Rich]

So basic, bud.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Let's let go. Let's let go of this.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. Meanwhile, his wife was like, oh, when I was 12, I was like brutalized.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I watched my family be killed.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you're like, I think she gets to be the one who traumatized.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Did they end up ending the relationship?

[Allison Rich]

No, I think they lasted. But that other couple with the short haired blonde woman and Boris.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Boris. Oh, Boris.

[Allison Rich]

Woo.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Boris. He was a tough one.

[Allison Rich]

He sucked.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah. He was not a fun person.

[Allison Rich]

They were very weird. I feel like we can make this interesting even for people who haven't seen this. Basically there was this couple and the guy took up all the oxygen. He would always be like, my love, we're talking about me right now. We'll get to you. But me, we live in a city that I don't feel is home. And we've moved 80 times, but I need to feel her. And it's like.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And I can't write my book.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah, get over yourself. And then they stopped coming.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yes.

[Allison Rich]

And she was like, yep, I think I lost them. And then they came back and you were like, has the woman been brainwashed? Because she was like, I had asked him to leave many times and he said no. And then I found out that he was planning a little birthday party for me. And I was like, that's so nice. And then we went out dancing and I saw him dance and I remembered, this is a little Prince boy. And you're like, that's not what you.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Want out of your husband. A little Prince boy.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. And then sure enough, later they got divorced. And now I watch her on TikTok.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, how's she doing?

[Allison Rich]

She's better now. She's been free from him for three years.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I wonder if that period when she kind of fell for him, he got, like, a book deal and she thought, maybe I can make this work.

[Allison Rich]

Well, she had been married to someone else and left him for this guy. And in the show, Boris goes. When Jessica came to me, she was extremely disoriented because what you fucking, like, hit her over the head and, like, dragged her into, like, I was like, that's not a crazy.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I mean, that actually probably is true if she ended up with him. You have to be disoriented to date Boris. He's such a loser, such a little baby. He is a little prince. We wish him nothing but badness. Well, look, there's something else we need to talk about that might be contentious that Orna could help with. I was really excited to have you here today. I thought, Allison is so wonderful. She's so lovely. She's so funny. How could anything could possibly go wrong on the podcast? The podcast is called I said no Gifts. So I was a little thrown, shaken, maybe upset when you kind of stormed into the studio today holding what, from where I'm sitting, appears to be an absolute gift. It's wrapped in red shiny paper with a silver bow. Is that a gift for me?

[Allison Rich]

It is a gift for you. It's a bad gift if that happens. Helps.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Well, I don't know if that helps or hurts. I mean, you've obviously created an issue and made a mistake.

[Allison Rich]

Well, I misread the email. I thought it was called I said Gifts.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, you're a skimmer.

[Allison Rich]

I'm a big skimmer. I screw up a lot because I'm deleting keywords. But, yeah, I thought it was I said gifts, which I was like, wow, Bridger, that's an awfully demanding title for.

[Bridger Weiniger]

You to assume I'm that tacky.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah, I thought you were, and I'm not sure you're not, but I do acknowledge I miss you.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I think the last half hour of talking has proved that I have pure I'm class. I'm very classy.

[Allison Rich]

Fair, fair, fair, fair.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Well, it's here. You've made the mistake. There's egg all over your face. Should I open it here on the podcast?

[Allison Rich]

You absolutely should.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Okay.

[Danielle Robaix]

Just like great shoes, great books take you places through unforgettable love stories and into conversations with characters you'll never forget.

[Allison Rich]

I think any good romance, it gives me this feeling of, like, butterflies.

[Danielle Robaix]

I'm Danielle Robe, and this is bookmarked by Reese's Book Club. The new podcast from hello Sunshine and I Heart Podcasts, where we dive into the stories that shape us on the page and off. Each week I'm joined by authors, celebs, book talk stars, and more for conversations that will make you laugh, cry, and add way too many books to your TBR pile. Listen to Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Books is the official audiobook and ebook home for Reese's Book Club. Visit Apple Co ReeseAppleBooks to find out more.

[Allison Rich]

Betrayal Weekly is back for season two with brand new stories. The detective comes driving up fast and just like screeches right in the parking lot. I swear I'm not crazy, but I think he poisoned me. I feel trapped. My breathing changes. More money, more money, more money. And I went white. I realized, wow, like, he is not a mentor. He's pretty much a monster. New stories, new voices, and shocking manipulations. This didn't just happen to me. It happened to hundreds of other people. But these aren't just stories of destruction. They're stories of survival, of people picking up the pieces and daring to tell the truth. I'm going to tell my story and I'm going to hold my head up. Listen to Betrayal Weekly on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I just think the process and the journey is so delicious. That's where all the good stuff is. You just can't live and die by the end result. It's scary putting yourself out there, especially when it's something you really care about and something that you hope is your passion in life and you want people to like it.

[Simone Boyce]

Let's get delicious and put ourselves out there. I'm Simone Boyce, host of the Bright side, and those were my recent guests, comedian Phoebe Robinson and writer Aaron Foster. On this show, I'm talking to the brightest minds in entertainment, health, wellness, and pop culture. And every week we're going places in our communities, our careers, and ourselves. It's not about being perfect. It's about going on a journey and discovering the bright side of becoming. Few people know that better than soccer legend Ashlyn Harris.

[Allison Rich]

It's the journey. It's the people, it's the failures, it's the heartache, it's the little moments.

[Simone Boyce]

These are our moments to laugh, learn, and exhale. So join me every Monday and let's find the bright side together. Listen to the Bright side on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bridger Weiniger]

As I said, it's kind of like a book size gift with red paper and one of these bows that seems difficult to. I'll just stretch it.

[Allison Rich]

Just stretch it on out. Stretch it. Yes. So you said it's book sized. Cat's out of the bag. It's two books.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Two books. It's two books.

[Allison Rich]

It's two books. And let me tell you, they're bad books. Because my thing is I have a habit of going in. Yeah, show them the show.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Okay. The first is the gunman and his mother. Yep.

[Allison Rich]

It's about Lee Harvey Oswald and his mom.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And then the other one is unlocking your artistry.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. So my thing is I like to buy. I get ambitious. If I walk into a place with books, I'm like, I'll read. I read, let's read. I buy a book and then I never open it. So these were ripped from my bookcase. 50% of my bookcase I haven't read. And I was like, I gotta. My boyfriend was like, there's a lot of lame books on the. You know. And I was like, this is honestly a gift for him because I'm a little culling. And I think these two books exemplified the two shitty categories of book that I buy that I think I'm gonna read.

[Bridger Weiniger]

What a spectrum.

[Allison Rich]

One is self help creativity and the other is true crime.

[Bridger Weiniger]

True crime, absolute violence and assassination.

[Allison Rich]

There's a little flicker in me that goes, take back the gunman in me. Because I want to read it.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I mean, this looks like it was self published.

[Allison Rich]

First of all, it truly. It's like a large font. Look at that.

[Bridger Weiniger]

The and his mother font is very classy.

[Allison Rich]

It's basically a stapled together book.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It's Lee Harvey Oswald, Marguerite Oswald and the Making of an Assassin. So it seems like it's gonna blame Margueri.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah, I mean, moms are the cause of all problems.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Every single problem on earth.

[Allison Rich]

You know what I did read that sort of got into some of those themes were there's this book called Hidden Valley Road.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Okay. Oh, wait, what is this book about? The Schophrenic family.

[Allison Rich]

It's about a family with. It's either 10 or 12 kids. I think it's 10 kids and six of them end up having schizophrenia.

[Bridger Weiniger]

That's wild.

[Allison Rich]

And this is like in the 60s where, you know, there was a school of thought, the main school of thought in medicine was like schizophrenia comes from a bad mom. So the poor mom was. When it's actually Just genes, you know, you either have like how about maybe there's a predisposition.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah.

[Allison Rich]

Maybe there could be genetic predisposition here. That was a very good book. And that I was. And I read that book which the thing is I don't have a built in time in my life for reading. I read that book on a vacation.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh perfect.

[Allison Rich]

I'm a reader on a vacation, but I only go on a vacation like maybe once a year.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right, right.

[Allison Rich]

You know, but yeah, then I buy these books in my regular life and I never touch them.

[Bridger Weiniger]

So like for example, for the gunman and his mother.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Did you just. Did you. Were you seeking out a Lee Harvey Oswald book or you just saw it on the shelf?

[Allison Rich]

I just like up real stuff, you know, I'm like crime, a child and kill, you know. And I like. I like nonfiction. I. I haven't been able to read fiction since I was like fiction can be.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I feel like nonfiction can. Is surprisingly easy to read.

[Allison Rich]

Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I think as you get older or something where it's just like you want to be reading but you also want to be like learning because you don't really have any other area of life where you're learning. It's like in school you are learning constantly. So I feel like fiction's easier than you want to get away and like.

[Allison Rich]

Fiction chapter to chapter, ostensibly like build on each other. Whereas like nonfiction if you're especially a lot of the self help and psychology shit I read. It's like if you didn't really take in all of chapter two, you can probably still read chapter three.

[Bridger Weiniger]

You can just breeze through whole sections of those books. But. Okay. Well, I feel bad taking this away from you. I know so little about Lee Harvey Oswald other than the big crime. I didn't know that Marguerite had so much had everything to do with it.

[Allison Rich]

Well, maybe the book says she was totally normal. Her kid was a freak.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But then she bought him that gun for Christmas.

[Allison Rich]

Did she? I don't even know that.

[Bridger Weiniger]

That's my assumption. Oh, ok. Have been a Christmas gift gone wrong.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

How do we know?

[Allison Rich]

We don't.

[Bridger Weiniger]

That's the ultimate conspiracy in the jfk.

[Allison Rich]

Yes. Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It was a Christmas gift. That could have been something else. A train set.

[Allison Rich]

Yep. Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And then we'd. Well, still. We wouldn't still have jfk, but he.

[Allison Rich]

Wouldn'T have gone the way he went.

[Bridger Weiniger]

We would have and the curse probably would have ended. But because of this gift, Lee probably asked for something else.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

He probably wanted a truck or a new sweater and Marguerite thought, no gun.

[Allison Rich]

Gun for my child.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But that's really all. There must be documentaries about this.

[Allison Rich]

I feel like I've seen, I'm sure.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I'm sure a million documentaries about the Manson family.

[Allison Rich]

Yes. Can I tell you, actually, the book that I'm reading right now is tv. And by that I mean the last time I went to the bookstore, I'm like, my book taste is so embarrassing. Went to the bookstore and there is a book that is just Fleabag. The scripts of Fleabag. It's called Fleabag the Scriptures. And it's just the two. And so I am reading tv.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Wow.

[Allison Rich]

That is the only. I do actually love reading scripts of things that I've already seen because it's like just the movie or TV shows replaying in my mind.

[Bridger Weiniger]

You don't have to really imagine anything.

[Allison Rich]

But how lame that I'm like, the only book I can read right now is. Is tv.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But I bet those scripts in particular, because of the way that show is, are very written.

[Allison Rich]

Yes. And she's brilliant. So it's like I'm reading college degree tv. Okay.

[Bridger Weiniger]

How do you read a full script at a time? How does that help?

[Allison Rich]

I do. Because they go fast. And so I'm on episode six. That's so funny. That's so lame. Cancel me.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Every show should do this. Release the scripts.

[Allison Rich]

I know, I know.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Wow. Really interesting. I guess most shows are bad and that's why they don't do it.

[Allison Rich]

But yeah. And I'm sure, you know, that was such a hit that she's like, look, I'm gonna ring this for all its work.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And it's self contained. She really made a lot out of those two seasons.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And now she's what, writing some movie?

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. I'm not sure. And you know, I'm think, like, I've also been revisiting a lot of Lena Dunham.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, sure.

[Allison Rich]

And I'm like, you know what? When you put out a great work, you get to go away for 10 years if you want, or you can never do anything again.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right. You know, I think that's the way to go. Usually it's like, why tarnish the thing?

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

If you got away with it for. For eight seasons, take the money and just read scripts, do whatever you want.

[Allison Rich]

Exactly.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But yeah, I just saw a new Manson documentary, learned nothing. And I'm like, what does that say about my consumption habits that I just simply now know everything about the Mansons?

[Allison Rich]

Cause you have consumed a lot about them.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah.

[Allison Rich]

Okay. That's one that I feel like I've maybe seen a documentary, but it's not one that I've. But I am like every other basic bitch who's watched like a ton of true crime.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right.

[Allison Rich]

I'm trying to think of like, like a particular topic that I'm like, I know a lot about that one, but what does it for you with Manson?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Well, for a while it was so eerie, you know, there were so many eerie elements of it. It was so. All the witchiness and all of the mystery. But then like, once you know enough about it, you. This final documentary for me was like, oh, these were just idiots who were bored.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Like, that's all. There was no real evil or anything. They were just morons who had bad ideas.

[Allison Rich]

Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And it was a wild time.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. You know, one of the true crime things I've consum a lot of is like the NXIVM stuff.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, sure.

[Allison Rich]

I've like watched two documentaries. I listened to podcasts, you know, a lot of stuff. And I remember when I was consuming that being like, what is wrong with us women? You know that it's like, you. How often do you see a cult that's like a lady at the top and 90 men, like here and there. There are some cults run by women, but mostly it's an ugly dude who plays volleyball and. And 100 women selling their, you know, liquidating their IRAs. And it's just. And. And stuff like that where I'm like, ladies, we got. Because we are, I think women by nature. If something's not going right in their life, they're going, I'm probably a piece of shit. Something is wrong with me. I gotta fix me.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I bought my son a gun for Christmas and then he killed the president.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. And so I think that leaves you vulnerable to. This man is confidently saying, something is wrong with me. We are in agreement. Let me follow him and give him lots of money and do group blow jobs. Have you heard about this?

[Bridger Weiniger]

No.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah, apparently when like the cops were honing in on Keith Ranieri, he fled to Mexico where there was a whole other NXIVM branch and he had his like top slave ladies there with him. And. And like, as one final ceremonial act, he had them all give him a blowjob.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Like a, like the spanking machine.

[Allison Rich]

What's the spanking machine?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Like, I remember like at birthday parties or whatever, like, or something as kids you would go through and everyone would spank you.

[Allison Rich]

Oh, okay. Maybe that's a Mormon thing, because I've never experienced it.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I don't even Want to Google that spanking machine.

[Allison Rich]

But just, like, so he would all.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Just in a row, or, you know.

[Allison Rich]

Maybe there was some alternate. They didn't get into the, like, choreography of it. And then apparently the cops, like, bust in the blowjob had been completed. I don't. You know, but the cops. The cops waited for a complete.

[Bridger Weiniger]

He was very nice about it, but.

[Allison Rich]

The cops bust in at a point, and one of his top ladies later said that he just, like, hid in the closet. And that was the moment where she knew. Knew this is not some, like, Jesus, like, person.

[Bridger Weiniger]

He's small enough to fit in a closet. He's just a little dork. Yeah.

[Allison Rich]

The poor one. Because if a cult came a knocking in my life when I was 19, I would be in prison for racketeering now. Because I have that personality.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right, Right.

[Allison Rich]

And, you know, now I'm, like, you know, worldly enough to be like. Like, maybe no one has the answers, but I. I would have. Cause I like to follow rules. I think that something's wrong with me. All those things, you know, they catch.

[Bridger Weiniger]

You at a low point. You're lonely. You're like, well, here's a group of friends who wants me to do things.

[Allison Rich]

But plan of, like, yep, yep, yep.

[Bridger Weiniger]

So, right. As far as I've gotten outside of religion is a book club. And I'm not even a good book club member. I'm just bad at it.

[Allison Rich]

Wait, so was there a point where, like, as a kid, did you believe? And was there a day where you're like, there's no God?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, I thought you were asking about the book club at first.

[Allison Rich]

No, and I'm sorry. And you can also be like, let's not talk about that. This is a common podcast.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Through childhood, there was like. There were little. I feel like there were little tent poles of like, okay, that seems weird. Yeah, that seems weird every week. Church is boring. So that's one thing that's just adding up over time. And then, like. Like, it just kept adding up. And then I went on a Mormon mission and still not totally convinced of the thing. And then, you know, I was, like, on a bike eight hours a day in Malaysia. And it's like, what am I doing.

[Allison Rich]

To a Mormon mission?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Two years. You go for two years when you're 19.

[Allison Rich]

Oh, my God. To just, like, spread the word, to.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Try to convert people. And I was in a. In Malaysia, where it was illegal to do that. So we, like, kind of had to be undercover, which the whole thing. I was like, what's going on?

[Allison Rich]

My boyfriend's half Malaysian.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, I could have got him.

[Allison Rich]

You could have. Why didn't you?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Okay, I'll come over after the podcast.

[Allison Rich]

Try to convert science and a little bit Buddhism, you know.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But, yeah, there I led to a literal nervous breakdown. And then I was like four or five months in. It was like, I'm going home. And then it was like the beginning of, like, okay, I'm gonna slowly get out of this. And then. But, you know, I left it. Stopped going, stopped believing, whatever. But it was. And then moved to la. And then it was years before I even came out. Because, like, all that just keeps a hold of you.

[Allison Rich]

I'm sorry you went through that, but also makes you so interesting.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I'm a really deeply fascinated.

[Allison Rich]

You had a nervous breakdown. You went to Malaysia. Oh, my God.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And somehow ended up the most boring person.

[Allison Rich]

No, you are fascinating.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But, yeah, it just. But there was never a. I think there was really never a time that I was so in on it, you know? But I was thinking the other day, I was like, it's weird that, like, at some point I was thinking going around being like, oh, I might not go. Go to heaven. Which is like, the fact that had a control over my life is really odd.

[Allison Rich]

I was very, like, I was pretty devout as a Catholic.

[Bridger Weiniger]

When. When did it turn for you?

[Allison Rich]

Let's see, you know, college. I loosened up, okay. Because I had mostly gone to Catholic schools. I went to Catholic school till, like, 10th grade, and then I went to a public school. Then in college, I met, like, so many different types of people that were cool. And then. Then I remember a couple years, like, when my younger brothers were in college, I remember coming home for the holidays one time and my younger brothers being like, we're atheists. And I was like, what? We are. And I remember, like, going into the bathroom being like, is there no? Like, just being like, is there? No. And, yeah. And then I also, like, as a kid was like, I'm gonna save myself till marriage. And then, you know, ended up being quite an old virgin. And a lot of that having to do with. With just reckoning, like, do I believe? Do I not? And. But then also once I was like, okay, I'm not going to hold on to this virginity, then being a little old. And so you would meet a guy and be like, let's do it. But then I was such a. I would tell them, right? There was no. Like, let me just slip it in.

[Bridger Weiniger]

How do you do that, though? There's no real normal way to have that. No.

[Allison Rich]

And so then it just made it take longer. This was a nice little mess.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah. I mean, I remember, like, being like, oh, I'll save myself to marriage. Why is every other boy having a hard time? But it's because I had no interest. It was so easy for me. I was like, this is a breeze.

[Allison Rich]

Save myself till death.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah, I could do this for the rest of my life, baby. So simple. But yeah, it leads to all kind. Slow the developments you have to make really quickly to catch up with everybody. Or. It's an interesting cycle to go through.

[Allison Rich]

But then in certain ways, I feel like my queer friends who dealt with that, like, I don't know, pre 25 or 30, I'm like, you're such a stronger person because you had to reckon with this giant thing about I'm being told a certain thing. My experience is different. I have to, like, claim and choose myself.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right.

[Allison Rich]

So that. Whereas I think. I think it's kind of like the Mormonism where if you're like a straight white woman, you're like, society's kind of. I don't know. I haven't had to rec. So I feel like you end up in your 30s or 40s and you go, now is when you go, this is bullshit. Or like, I want a divorce. Or, you know, like, I don't. Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But I feel like that sort of person, like, like what I said, I kind of had to cheat. Being gay. Like. Like an. An adult who's had a fairly normal life within their religion and then finally just puts it together. I'm like, that seems really difficult. Yeah, that seems like, wow, you like. Because you were really, like, saying, I figured it out on my own. There was no other. I don't know.

[Allison Rich]

I guess it's all hard. I remember also once asking a friend, my best friend from college, like, he was out in college. And then there was. We were like at some reunion or something, but we were talking about a person who was coming out who was like, 40.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Okay, okay.

[Allison Rich]

And I asked him. I was like, when you're around someone who's going through the coming out process, but they're 40, how is. Is that annoying for you? Because it's like, well, I figured this out. And my friend was like, a little bit, because this person is. Has to go crazy for your neck. And I'm sort of like, been there, done that. Which I was like, that's funny.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's. Yeah. I haven't really thought about that. Because you're excited for the person, but.

[Allison Rich]

Also you're like, well, now you're about to be psycho.

[Bridger Weiniger]

You're about to be a complete psycho and may stay a psycho. Some people stay psycho.

[Allison Rich]

Back in the closet.

[Bridger Weiniger]

You get back in there. Find a wife.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. Come on now. Bugging everybody with your self exploration.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Okay, well, we've talked a little bit about the gunman and his mother. Then do we have anything to say about unlucky? Did you look at this?

[Allison Rich]

Even more like a fake book.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Fully self published. It's by Pezo, the poet.

[Allison Rich]

It's so sad.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, there's some disturbing imagery.

[Allison Rich]

And I bought this this year. Oh, my God.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Look at that.

[Allison Rich]

What the fuck?

[Bridger Weiniger]

What is. There's like a baby.

[Allison Rich]

What kind of books do you read.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Holding a key in its mouth? I'm all over the place. I didn't read this recently, but I was going to recommend the library book. Have you read that by Susan Orlean?

[Allison Rich]

No.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Is that how you pronounce her name? The Blood Orchid Lady?

[Allison Rich]

I don't know.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Such a good piece of nonfiction. Unbelievably good.

[Allison Rich]

Is it a memoir?

[Bridger Weiniger]

No, it's about some fires that took place in LA in the 80s or 90s, I think. And about the person behind all of that.

[Allison Rich]

Okay, I'm sorry.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It's really good.

[Allison Rich]

I mean, that reminds me though of couples therapy this season with the throuple.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh.

[Allison Rich]

And how the guy had been behind supposedly one of the, like a big.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Fire, a massive fire, which she downplays is in the biggest way possible.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And yeah, if you just watched that and didn't look into it, you'd be like, this poor guy, he got blamed for something that he didn't do. Then you look into the actual news reports and you start seeing a different picture about this guy.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And he's so annoying.

[Allison Rich]

Yes. And it makes you think like the, the. I feel like this is maybe a tide turning in the therapy world where I, you know, I'm not a trained therapist, but I've. I feel like, isn't it a thing that the therapist is supposed to like, assume the greatest good of the. Like always give the person the benefit of the doubt? Right. But so like if you're the therapist to that guy who's like, I accidentally lit 2,000 houses on fire. And you're like, oh man, that must have been hard for you. Is that actually the best response?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right.

[Allison Rich]

When perhaps this person needs a dose of reality.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah. There was behavior that led to that which is now in the rest of his life.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. And there's this other. There's this therapist, Dr. Terry Real. That I've.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, I love that name.

[Allison Rich]

Doesn't it sound like a comedy? Like a sketch comedy?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Dr. Terry Real.

[Allison Rich]

Yes. And so he's a therapist who has, like, come up on. He was, like, on the New York Times podcast, and I've been reading some of his stuff, but he talks about. He does, like, couples therapy stuff, but he mostly focuses on, like, men's issues or whatever. And he was like, in my sessions, I tell them, you're wrong.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Good for him.

[Allison Rich]

And I'm like, that's cool. You know what?

[Bridger Weiniger]

That's how I would be as a therapist.

[Allison Rich]

But I wonder. I think it's a flawed idea that it's like, no, you gotta, like, be the person that can be. Like, your ideas are good. I don't know.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Because a lot of ideas are bad and a lot of personality traits are bad.

[Allison Rich]

Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

You come into my therapy office, I am blaming you from the moment you walk in. Yes, you have problems, and I can see you're the cause of most of them. You've created them all, and now you're creating even more problems for yourself. Let's get into it. Rather than be like, yeah, because then.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah, don't you just, like, feed the beast and let that guy in a throuple keep setting fires?

[Bridger Weiniger]

He's probably lighting one right now.

[Allison Rich]

Exactly.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I feel like he didn't learn anything that season, to be frank.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

He seemed bad at the beginning and bad at the end.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And did the throuples stay together?

[Allison Rich]

I don't think for the most part. You don't know if they stay together or not. They just like.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah. I think it has to be a pretty serious ending for them for you to know.

[Allison Rich]

Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I hope that they all found their way. They didn't seem like a great group of people.

[Allison Rich]

Nope.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Well, I think we should play a game.

[Allison Rich]

Let's do it.

[Bridger Weiniger]

We're gonna play a game called Gift or a Curse. But I need a number between 1 and 10 from you.

[Allison Rich]

Okay. 5.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Okay. I have to do some light calculating. So right now you have the microphone. You can promote, recommend, do whatever you want. I'll be right back.

[Allison Rich]

Oh, my gosh. Oh, my God. Yeah. I remember getting the email, and it said, promote anything that you're up to. And you know what? I had to, in my mind go, allison, you're incubating on stuff. Okay. This might not be a year of putting shit out there that people can consume, but it's a year of. Of planting the seeds, where in three years you'll go, this, Allison, Rich gal's popping off left and right. Okay. So I hope that's good enough for you. The public, you know, that's. I'm really getting mad.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Okay, well, they can find you online.

[Allison Rich]

You can find me online.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Follow you somewhere.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah, but get off my fucking back is mostly what I have to say.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Great. Do you have anything to recommend? Yeah, they're down. Do you have any recommendations?

[Allison Rich]

Oh, recommendations? Yeah. I could have taken a more positive recommendations. No, there's nothing good out in this world. No, there's lots of things. I did rewatch all of Girls and it's excellent.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I rewatched a little bit of it recently and it does hold.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah, I know Adam's a messy person, but she is a writing, an acting genius.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It's a well made show. Very well made show. I saw the Naked Gun.

[Allison Rich]

I'm so happy tonight.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Wonderful time.

[Allison Rich]

I'm so glad to know because everyone's been saying good things, but you're like, oh, is it just because, like, I think, like, I know the writers a little bit. Like, they're enough in our.

[Bridger Weiniger]

This is a real problem, especially within, like, our comedy community, where everyone's like, everything is the best thing they've ever seen.

[Allison Rich]

Right. And then you go and see it.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And you're like, oh, oh, that's happened to me. I think literally every time for me, this. It's very, very funny. I'm so excited. It's just fun to be in a movie theater watching a movie where the only purpose of the movie is to be funny.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Nothing else.

[Allison Rich]

Yep.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Wonderful.

[Allison Rich]

Love that.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah, that's a recommendation. Great. Okay, this is how we play Gift or a curse. I'm going to name three things. You're going to tell me if they're a gift or a curse and why, and then I'll tell you if you're right or wrong. Because there are correct answers. You can win, you can lose, you can fall in between.

[Allison Rich]

I love it.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Be very careful. All right, this first one is from our mega list of listeners from a listener named Sarah. Gift or a curse? Tootsie Rolls.

[Allison Rich]

I don't think this is the right answer, but it's my answer. Gift.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Why?

[Allison Rich]

Because I love the chew. I love that it's a good. It's. It's way better than Turkish Delight. You know, it's like an actual delightful flavor.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right.

[Allison Rich]

And. And it's. It's not gum where you're like, oh, good flavor for a minute, but then this now piece of rubber remains, and I just have to commit to it. It like, has a beginning, middle, end. It ends in your stomach, and it's not so chewy. Like an intense caramel where you're like, ah, fuck, this has made a mess of my mouth.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right.

[Allison Rich]

So the more I say this, the more I go gift, no matter what. Even though I get the sense that you're saying Kurt wrong.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It's a curse. Absolutely. A curse. Of course it's a curse. Tootsie Rolls. First of all, the Tootsie Roll is no one's favorite candy. I'm looking at the camera. No one's favorite candy is the Tootsie Roll. I would love to.

[Allison Rich]

I'm not arguing that it is.

[Bridger Weiniger]

We don't need it anymore. It's something from the past. No one knows what it is. It's not a. It is not a caramel.

[Allison Rich]

It's like chocolate.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It's not chocolate.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. I don't know what it is.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It's not gum. It's not.

[Allison Rich]

Is it a brown taffy? Taffy?

[Bridger Weiniger]

It's not Taffy. Taffy's softer. There's no reason for it to continue to exist. There's a certain category of candies, Tootsie Rolls, Necco wafers, I mean.

[Allison Rich]

But Necco wafers are flavorless and difficult on the mouth.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Awful tasting. Yeah, well, Tootsie Rolls are terrible and awful on the mouth. No one ever seeks out a Tootsie Roll. And also, we've kind of developed a better version. The fruity, the little fruit flavored Tootsie Rolls, which are better.

[Allison Rich]

Oh, those are better. Yeah. And I would only ever get those in Easter. There was a basket.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It feels like an Easter y candy.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah, those were. But wait, I'm thinking of the flavored Tootsie Rolls. Yes, but. So that is because they commit to a flavor. Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Lime, orange, banana. Oh, banana. But the flavors, as far as I recall, I haven't had one of those in a long time are pretty accurate. And it's an older candy, so they were. I feel like they were ahead of their time as far as flavoring goes. But the Tootsie Roll, no one wants it.

[Allison Rich]

I'll take them.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But you're not gonna go buy Tootsie Rolls.

[Allison Rich]

I'll do that fucking today.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Despite you, the only time Tootsie Rolls have ever been purchased is by bank managers or out of spite.

[Allison Rich]

Okay, well, I continue the tradition today.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Okay. One wrong. So far, not a good look. Number two, this is from a listener named Michelle. Gift or a curse? Reposting birthday wishes to your Instagram story.

[Allison Rich]

That is a curse. Why because that's going. Look at all the friends I have. Look at, you know, and actually, who. Gosh, is it Chris? What's his name? He does a much better, like, riff on this. You know, the guy with the long hair.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, Chris Fleming. I love Chris Fleming.

[Allison Rich]

Okay. I'm glad that you immediately knew who I was talking about, because I was like, I don't know. You know, when you describe someone, you're like, wait, are the descriptions, like, not. I was gonna be like tall Birdman. Now I've done the damage anyway. But Chris Lemming does a very funny thing about. About how, like, if you see someone and they've reposted all these, That's a scary bitch. That, like, the friend group is intimidated by this person. That, like, if they felt like they had to post about your birthday, it's because they were gonna bitch you out if you weren't like, you forgot my birthday. And yet I have on my own birthday reposted because I get sensitive on my birthday. I'm not saying a more mature me would not, but the me that I am gets sensitive. And I think I grew up in the time of Facebook, where your birthday, in Facebook times, you feel like the most popular girl in the world.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Jackpot.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. You're like, oh, my God, that person that I like, shared a college dorm. You know, just like, acquaintances are wishing you happy birthday. Now no one's on Facebook. So you wake up on your birthday and you're like, maybe your mom has texted you. And you're like, like, is anyone out there? So that one friend, you know, maybe in Atlanta, Johnston, you go, can you post about my birthday? And then you repost that. And then suddenly people are either reposting you or they're at least texting you. They're going, happy Birthday.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Sure.

[Allison Rich]

And you go, I matter.

[Bridger Weiniger]

You're being acknowledged.

[Allison Rich]

Yep.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But ultimately you say curse.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. Because it's fucking. It feeds into this thing of, like, needing attention to too far a degree.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right. Correct. Okay.

[Allison Rich]

Of course.

[Bridger Weiniger]

There's no way I could argue against this. I am on record. I feel like it is the same as taking the birthday cards you've been given door to door. It's so embarrassing. It's so demeaning to yourself. It's humiliating. No one likes looking at them. Them.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And we're all trapped in it.

[Allison Rich]

Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Because if you don't reshare them, then the person thinks that did the birthday wish. Thinks, well, why did I do this? It is the most toxic cycle on the Internet now.

[Allison Rich]

See, that's Like, I think the. The birthday haver. Resharing them is gross, but the friend who writes one, I don't necessarily think that's gross, because I'm like, oh, I.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Think that's very nice.

[Allison Rich]

Right. But I don't necessarily feel like if the person doesn't repost it, I'm mad at them. Unless they've reposted everybody else's.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Well, see, that's. But they're going to repost at least.

[Allison Rich]

One of those if they're me.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah, of course. Everyone. Everyone that's trapped in the worst cycle possible. It has to end. I don't know how we end it. Instagram just needs to kill Zuckerberg. Well, that would solve a lot of problems. Someone give your son a gun for Christmas.

[Allison Rich]

Bring back Lee Harvey Oswald.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But what Instagram needs to do is implement a birthday reminder, which would become annoying as well. But we've got to get back to that other toxic thing of Facebook of everyone reaching out to you, making you feel like the most important boy or girl in the world, but it's a bad thing. Curse. Absolute curse. All right, you've gotten one right so far. You've got one left to do. This is from a listener named Andy Gift or a curse sculpture of a person sitting on a public bench.

[Allison Rich]

Wait, is the sculpture including the bench, or the sculpture is the person and it's been placed on the bench?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Now, usually I wouldn't give you any more information, but this is a little unclear. These will basically be a bench, and then there'll be, like, a bronze statue of a person sitting on it that's permanently part of the bench.

[Allison Rich]

Okay. I would say curse.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Why?

[Allison Rich]

Because I have a general aversion to, like. Like, when I was a kid, we went on a vacation, and we went to a steakhouse, and there were mannequins throughout the. There was, like, a steakhouse? Yes. There was a mannequin. There was a male mannequin in the girl's bathroom. They were just, like. Just, like, body figures about. And I know a sculpture's in the same. It's more artistic, but it's also taking up, like, valuable bench real estate, you know? But I guess I give it points for, like, a little bit of whimsy in whatever city I imagine this to be part of, but I need that butt room is what I'm gonna say. And wrong. Okay.

[Bridger Weiniger]

These are a gift. This is what, a nice thing to keep you from looking like a loser? You sit down on that bench, and there's nothing else on it. Who's this friendless loser. You sit down on it, and you're sitting next to Mark Twain. If somebody just kind of looks, they'll be like, oh, that person's sitting next to a friend.

[Allison Rich]

I see. But don't we want to live in a world where we're secure enough to sit on a bench by ourselves?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Absolutely not.

[Allison Rich]

And are these bench people always famous like Mark Twain?

[Bridger Weiniger]

I think they are, because I feel like the one I've seen is Mark Twain, and I feel like it's in front of a Nordstrom rack.

[Allison Rich]

But also, aren't you assuming, like, the person observing you on the bench is either not paying attention or has bad vision that they. That's two people.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, interesting, right?

[Allison Rich]

Like any. But you're still a loser, you know?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Interesting.

[Allison Rich]

Got you there, Bridger.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Well, you're wrong. There's no. There's no winning. You got one out of three.

[Allison Rich]

Wow.

[Bridger Weiniger]

You were clying to get another point.

[Allison Rich]

I'm sad. I'm sad.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, God. Okay. And now producer Anneliese is going to do their gift or curse. They're going to present one thing, and we both have to speak to it, and they have their answer. Annalise, what is it today?

[Simone Boyce]

Gift or a curse?

[Allison Rich]

Flavored chapstick. Ooh.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Do you want to go, or should I?

[Allison Rich]

God, you go.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Flavored chapstick. Flavored chapstick is a flavor. Chapsticks a curse. I don't think anything that close to the mouth should smell like food if it's not edible. The cherry one is kind of the classic, and it isn't cherry. It's more medicinal. It's horrible. And then the ones that are like, Dr. Pepper or Apple or whatever, I don't like that sort of thing. It's a tease, and it's ultimately worthless. They should just be wax.

[Allison Rich]

See, I feel. I knew you would not like this. I feel like I'm learning you, and you're a hater. And, Annalise, I don't know you well enough, but I feel the answer is supposed to be curse, but I'm gonna go gift. I think, for one, I have bad taste. So, like, I know that my feelings. But I know my feelings are wrong.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Right?

[Allison Rich]

And so. But the flavored chapstick. I'm thinking more coconuts, vanillas, you know, not so much fruity, and it's a nice little added kick. Okay, I'll take it.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Annalise, it's a gift, and for the.

[Allison Rich]

Opposite reason that you said, Bridget, because I don't think anything should be flavorless that close to the mouth. I think that's unnatural.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, interesting.

[Allison Rich]

I think there should always be a flavor on your lips. Are you an eater of toothpaste? Like, what's. You know that? Well, you know, I don't. Oh, my gosh.

[Bridger Weiniger]

What am I gonna.

[Allison Rich]

Am I gonna actually say I don't swallow on a podcast? But in all honesty, I truly believe.

[Simone Boyce]

It is such a gift because it's also, like, if you ever have, like.

[Allison Rich]

A lip smacker on as an adult, it, like, takes you back to a happier time and place.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Well, you need to fix your pain. This nostalgia cycle you're trapped in. Wrong. Anneliese is wrong. You're wrong. Everybody's I'm right.

[Allison Rich]

I'm going to flip this table.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Good luck. I think it's cemented into the ground.

[Allison Rich]

I feel like we started this podcast as warm acquaintances. Now we're leaving as cold strangers.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Well, we have one final thing to do. We have to answer a listener question.

[Allison Rich]

Okay.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Hopefully we can come together for these poor souls.

[Allison Rich]

We'll see.

[Bridger Weiniger]

This is I said no emails. People write into I said no giftsmail.com or they send a voice note 60 seconds long in a quiet room. Will you help me answer a listener question?

[Allison Rich]

Absolutely.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Okay. This is Hello, Bridget, and honored guest. Okay, so, Bridget. Yes. That's start and strong. That was a mistake.

[Allison Rich]

Start and strong.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I hope that was a mistake or someone's already attacking me. I will be visiting a friend from college who moved to Hawaii a few years ago and would like to bring her a gift since she is hosting me. She is a New Yorker, and I think it would be nice to bring her something that reminds her of home. But I live in Boston, so I don't know what I could bring that would be of New York City quality slash expectations that I could find in Boston. Do either of you have any thoughts? Thanks for your help. Best wishes. And that's from Katie.

[Allison Rich]

This is gonna sound cliche, but bring her a rat. Bring her a rat.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Take a live animal onto a plate.

[Allison Rich]

A subway rat.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Or check it. Yep, check it. Check luggage.

[Allison Rich]

So maybe it arrives dead. There we go.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Do they have rats in Boston? Those famous Boston rats?

[Allison Rich]

I feel like rats are like, you know, the cockroaches of rodents.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Like, they can survive almost anywhere. Does Hawaii have rats?

[Allison Rich]

We could get that started.

[Bridger Weiniger]

We could.

[Allison Rich]

We could kind of ruin.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It's kind of like what happened. It's kind of how rats initially got around, right? They would board the ships as gifts.

[Allison Rich]

People were bringing them as gifts.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It was. It was like you know, cinnamon or all these things.

[Allison Rich]

Columbus went, hey, America, how about some rats?

[Bridger Weiniger]

These exotic rats.

[Allison Rich]

Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I think a rat is an interesting thing that could spread disease and lice and remind this person of why they shouldn't return to New York City.

[Allison Rich]

I'm assuming New York City because nothing else matters.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Why Katie's problem here is she's not a good enough friend. Boston is not that far from New York.

[Allison Rich]

No.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Book the flight out of New York.

[Allison Rich]

Uh huh.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Drive down to New York or take the train. Take the bus. What's the bus? That goes to the bus.

[Allison Rich]

That was like 15 bucks and. Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And it's gorgeous and wonderful.

[Allison Rich]

I can't remember if this was me or my brother. You know, a story gets told enough that you're like, was that my memory or something? Someone else's. But happened to someone in my bloodline where they were on the bus and then the person next to them like barfed into a plastic bag at the beginning of the ride and so they just like sat next to barf for four hours.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh boy. And then there's that famous story of the person being decapitated on a bus. That wasn't that bus line. That was a tough one to hear. But all that said, get on the bus, head to New York, get into the airport, they've got to give charge. Shop the Hudson News and you'll find all sorts of quality New York items there. Bag of M&M's classic T shirt that.

[Allison Rich]

Says I love NY.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I love NY.

[Allison Rich]

You know, a magazine, foam finger, Statue of Liberty. What is it like? Headband.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, the foam. Yeah, yeah, of course. Lady Liberty's headband.

[Allison Rich]

Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

She wearing a crown? What has she got on there?

[Allison Rich]

I don't know.

[Bridger Weiniger]

She's got a cute headband.

[Allison Rich]

I don't know what she looks like.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Cute gal with a cute headband. Katie, book the bus ride, Book the flight out of New York. Don't write back in.

[Allison Rich]

Thank you.

[Bridger Weiniger]

We answered the question perfectly.

[Allison Rich]

Boom.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Hawaii. Thank you. Thank us for the new rat. The rat epidemic.

[Allison Rich]

Do you feel closer to me or farther away?

[Bridger Weiniger]

I feel so close to you right now.

[Allison Rich]

Okay, great.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I feel like we've healed and I feel like nothing can stop us now.

[Allison Rich]

Let's take the city by storm.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Let's take the city by storm. I've had such a wonderful time with.

[Allison Rich]

You, a delightful time.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And I've got two books that will now crowd my bookshelf.

[Allison Rich]

I'm so happy and I hope it drives your partner crazy.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It probably will.

[Allison Rich]

Great.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I'm gathering, you know I mean, the amount of items I've got, it's too much.

[Allison Rich]

Wait, can you, like, has there been a best and worst gift and. Or most expensive where you're like, whoa, this person bawled out and it's inappropriate.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Let's see. That's a great question. The two best gifts I've gotten are probably a car garbage can from John Milstein and this beautiful waffle maker from Cola Scola. That's like a stand up. That was one of these things that was like, oh, that's just a nice item.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

That I just.

[Allison Rich]

It's like. Did you get married?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah, it's like I was getting married.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I think those are two. I feel like somebody else has really gone out of their way to buy me a big thing. And I can't remember. And I.

[Allison Rich]

Drew Carey gave you a bottle of Dom.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, that's right.

[Allison Rich]

Yeah. Because you got some fancy people on this where they. If they don't bring a good gift, that's.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I'll say some of them, I'm like, I know, I know. You're.

[Allison Rich]

You got the budget.

[Bridger Weiniger]

You could have gone bigger.

[Allison Rich]

See, a car garbage. That tells me a lot about you. That. Just because I would appreciate that, but I wouldn't be like, best gift. Is that. Is it. Are you a messy car guy? Are you a very clean car guy?

[Bridger Weiniger]

I'm a very clean. I'm now a very clean car. I always. My car was never like, disgusting, but there were always just receipts gathering. There are things that you just like, they just start gathering up in the cup holder. Yeah, exactly. Not anymore. Essentially spotless. Yes. And then I've got a waffle maker. Did you say worst? Yeah, I probably shouldn't say. The one I can say is Jamie Lee gave me a chewed up dog toy.

[Allison Rich]

Okay.

[Bridger Weiniger]

And that's the one thing that.

[Allison Rich]

Curse you.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I can't remember. She had a story about it, but that was the one item that I immediately threw away after the podcast. And her assistant told me that they wanted it back. But then I got in touch with Jamie and she's like, no, of course I don't want it.

[Allison Rich]

Oh, my gosh.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But those are. I think those are the kind of spot I got. You know, Paul Rubens was on the podcast and the things he gave me this, like, cactus candy and.

[Allison Rich]

Oh, my God.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Things like that that I feel very fortunate to have gotten.

[Allison Rich]

That's so cool. I just watched the Paul Rubens documentary. It was incredible.

[Bridger Weiniger]

So good.

[Allison Rich]

He was. Was like, I was a little too young to appreciate the Pee Wee Stuff, but it was like, wow, what a damn genius.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Absolute genius. And Pee Wee's Big Adventure, one of the all time great movies, I have to admit.

[Allison Rich]

I haven't seen it.

[Bridger Weiniger]

You haven't seen it? Oh, my God.

[Allison Rich]

Watch it right now. I know.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It holds up perfectly.

[Allison Rich]

Okay, good.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It is such a fun, delightful movie.

[Allison Rich]

How about his second movie with the big long kiss?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Wait, what's that? The big Pee Wee's big top. Oh, well, I never saw it.

[Allison Rich]

Well, and then did you watch the documentary?

[Bridger Weiniger]

Yeah, because I forgot about that weird.

[Allison Rich]

Thing in the documentary. They talk about how he, like, is like, let me hold like the longest kiss, and you're like, he really did it. But I think it's very funny.

[Bridger Weiniger]

I think that one is kind of universally thought as. Thought of as. Well, just don't watch it.

[Allison Rich]

It's not great. Yeah.

[Bridger Weiniger]

But Big Adventure, perfect movie.

[Allison Rich]

Yes.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Well, now we've gone into another thing because we healed and we can continue to have conversations.

[Allison Rich]

It's just flowing.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It's flowing. There's so much to talk about all the time. But I'll let you go.

[Allison Rich]

Please unchain me.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Thank you for being here.

[Allison Rich]

Thank you for having me. What a treat.

[Bridger Weiniger]

The podcast is obviously over. There's been, you know, a little bit of a hint that it was gonna end. And hopefully you started turning the wheels in your mind as to what you'll do with the rest of your day.

[Allison Rich]

I get the sense that you're sitting in your car, avoiding going inside your own home.

[Bridger Weiniger]

Oh, the dread, it's just mounting.

[Allison Rich]

You've been in your car for an hour and a half. Address what's inside.

[Bridger Weiniger]

It's just been idling, just filling the world with pollution. But yeah, you've got to go and tell your partner it's over. Yep, it's time to end things. Well, I guess that's the end of the show. I love you. Goodbye. I said no Gifts is an exactly right production. Our senior producer is Annelise Nelson, and our episode are beautifully mixed by Ben Tolliday. The theme song is by miracle worker Amy Mann. And we couldn't do it without our booker, Patrick Cotner. You must follow the show on Instagram at I saidnogifts. That's where you're going to see pictures of all these wonderful gifts I'm getting. And don't you want to see the gifts.

[Allison Rich]

Clear? When you're a guest in my home, you got to come to me empty handed. I said no guest. Your presence is presence enough. And I already had too much stuff so how do you dare disobey me?

[Bridger Weiniger]

What makes work beautiful?

[Simone Boyce]

It's when the people you hire become the people you admire. When one journey ends and a new one begins. When leaders want to be learned earners, LHH is your single talent partner for every step, helping you build strong teams, inspire leaders, and guide careers with empathy, clarity, and care. See [e-mail] beautiful recruitment, development, career transition.

[Bridger Weiniger]

LHH a beautiful working world.

[Allison Rich]

We're siblings like you fight, you disagree. It's really hard to be in a judge.

[Danielle Robaix]

You judge each other.

[Allison Rich]

You lead differently, and we've gotten to that edge.

[Simone Boyce]

Hey, I'm Simone Boyce, host of the Bright side, and this week I'm joined by Hollywood power sisters Erin and Sarah Foster. They're getting real about boundaries, rejection. Plus what's next for their hit Netflix series? Nobody wants this. Listen to the Bright side on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danielle Robaix]

Just like great shoes, great books take you places through unforgettable love stories and into conversations, characters you'll never forget.

[Allison Rich]

I think any good romance, it gives me this feeling of like butterflies.

[Danielle Robaix]

I'm Danielle Robaix and this is Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club, the new podcast from hello Sunshine and I Heart Podcasts, where we dive into the stories that shape us on the page and off. Each week I'm joined by authors, celebs, book talk stars, and more for conversations that will make you laugh, cry, and add way too many books to your TBR pile. Listen to Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Books is the official audiobook and ebook home for Reese's Book Club. Visit Apple Co reesapplebooks to find out more.