"RSVP Yes" (w/ Allison Williams)

Summary

Las Culturistas Episode Summary: "RSVP Yes" featuring Alison Williams

Release Date: July 2, 2025
Hosts: Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Guest: Alison Williams
Produced by: Big Money Players Network and iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction to Alison Williams

The episode welcomes Alison Williams, marking her as the recipient of the inaugural Alison Williams Cool Girl Award. The hosts, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, alongside co-hosts Sudi Green and Eugene Cordero, engage in a lively and heartfelt conversation with Alison, celebrating her contributions to culture and her personal journey.

Notable Quote:

• Alison Williams (05:08): "You are my culture. You are. It's surreal to be here."

Reflecting on "Girls" and the Character Marnie

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around Alison's role as Marnie on the acclaimed TV show "Girls." The hosts delve into the complexities of her character, the show's cultural impact, and how it resonated differently across generations.

Key Points:

• Character Depth: Marnie is portrayed as the "mess" character, bringing depth to the ensemble.
• Cultural Legacy: The show "Girls" is discussed as a landmark for Millennial culture, now viewed with a sense of nostalgia and aspirational value by younger generations.
• Personal Connection: Alison shares creating Mugs for each character, highlighting the emotional connection she felt with fans who identified as Marnie.

Notable Quotes:

• Sudi Green (07:06): "We have an urgent danger around not being Marnie, because we all are at the end of the day."
• Alison Williams (07:18): "I made these mugs for the last season of the show as gifts, and I made one for each character..."

Transition to Film: Embracing New Roles

Alison discusses her transition from television to film, particularly her collaboration with director Jordan Peele on the horror-thriller "M3Mgan." This move allowed her to subvert previous typecasting and explore new facets of her acting prowess.

Key Points:

• Breaking Stereotypes: Embracing roles that challenge her established image from "Girls."
• Creative Collaboration: Working with Jordan Peele opened avenues to deeply engage with complex narratives.
• Audience Perception: Her performance in "M3Mgan" led to a shift in how audiences perceive her, leveraging her previous roles to enhance new character portrayals.

Notable Quotes:

• Alison Williams (26:21): "They just couldn't trust me anymore. I got to play with that, invoking that in people."
• Sudi Green (27:40): "They were immediately like, I don't know where. I don't feel comfortable looking at your face anymore."

Behind the Scenes: Production Insights

Alison provides an insider's look into the making of "M3Mgan," discussing the intense shooting schedule, improvisation on set, and the emotional depth required for her role.

Key Points:

• Shooting Experience: Describes the seven-day shoot in New York, likening it to making a short film.
• Improvisation: Highlights how improvisation was integral to developing authentic and compelling scenes.
• Emotional Challenges: Shares the difficulty of addressing the abrupt departure of co-star Chris Abbott and its impact on the episode "Panic in Central Park."

Notable Quotes:

• Alison Williams (15:37): "We were scrambling to come up with what Marty's storyline was... there just wasn't a closure conversation."
• Sudi Green (83:52): "We have to do what we have to do."

Cultural Impact and Legacy

The conversation shifts to the enduring legacy of "Girls" and its relevance in today's cultural landscape. Alison reflects on how the show continues to influence younger viewers and the importance of authentic storytelling in media.

Key Points:

• Generational Resonance: "Girls" now serves as an aspirational narrative for Gen Z, focusing on relatable, human-level conflicts.
• Authenticity in Storytelling: Emphasizes the importance of portraying genuine experiences over dramatized ones.
• Influence on Modern Media: Discusses how "Girls" paved the way for more honest and nuanced portrayals of young adults in media.

Notable Quotes:

• Alison Williams (09:48): "It now feels almost aspirationally, like, low stakes, 100%, just human level conflict."
• Sudi Green (10:25): "It's about iconography. It's about being a symbol."

Personal Reflections and Growth

Alison shares personal anecdotes about navigating fame, maintaining authenticity, and the challenges of being typecast. She highlights the support system within her community and the therapeutic value of open conversations about shame and identity.

Key Points:

• Managing Typecasting: Discusses how roles like Marnie initially pigeonholed her and how she overcame that through diverse roles.
• Community Support: Highlights the importance of a supportive network in combating feelings of shame and inadequacy.
• Self-Awareness: Reflects on aging, self-perception, and embracing one's journey with humility and humor.

Notable Quotes:

• Alison Williams (35:00): "I feel like, very grateful for the ways ChatGPT helps me, but I'm very aware of what I put into it."
• Sudi Green (57:07): "We are going to offer ourselves as that group."

Shame, Identity, and Cultural Conversations

A deep discussion emerges around the role of shame in modern culture, especially concerning marginalized communities. Alison and the hosts explore how shame can both harm and heal, emphasizing the need for honest dialogue.

Key Points:

• Shame as a Double-Edged Sword: While shame can be destructive, it can also be used constructively to promote understanding and change.
• Impact on LGBTQ+ Communities: Discusses historical events like the Stonewall riots and the Lavender Scare, highlighting their lasting effects on societal perceptions.
• Media Representation: Emphasizes the importance of accurate and respectful portrayals of LGBTQ+ experiences in media.

Notable Quotes:

• Alison Williams (56:19): "Shame is so powerful. It’s one of the words that comes up the most at this stage of my life."
• Sudi Green (54:34): "That's why it's really important that art is made about it. Like, really honest, visceral art."

Closing Remarks and Upcoming Projects

As the episode concludes, Alison expresses gratitude for being recognized and shares excitement about upcoming projects, including the sequel to "M3Mgan." The hosts reiterate their appreciation and encourage listeners to support Alison's work.

Notable Quotes:

• Alison Williams (90:42): "Thank you for recognizing me as cool low key before I did so."
• Sudi Green (90:53): "We have a seat for you."

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Key Takeaways

• Cultural Influence: Alison Williams' work on "Girls" and "M3Mgan" has left a significant imprint on contemporary culture, bridging generational gaps and fostering authentic storytelling.
• Personal Growth: Navigating fame and typecasting requires resilience, community support, and a willingness to embrace diverse roles.
• Shame and Identity: Open conversations about shame and identity are crucial for healing and fostering inclusive communities.
• Media Representation: Accurate and respectful portrayals of marginalized communities in media play a vital role in shaping societal perceptions and promoting understanding.

Final Thoughts

"RSVP Yes" serves as a heartfelt tribute to Alison Williams, celebrating her contributions to culture and her personal journey. Through engaging dialogue, the hosts and Alison explore deep themes of identity, shame, and the transformative power of authentic storytelling in media.

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Note: Advertisements and promotional segments have been excluded to focus on the core content of the episode.

Transcript

[Alison Williams]

This is an Iheart podcast.

[Matt Rogers]

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[Bowen Yang]

Jalbum.net maybe you've heard that Stonewall was a riot where queer people fought back against police. Or that it's the reason pride is celebrated this time of year.

[Alison Williams]

It was one of the most liberating things that I have ever done.

[Bowen Yang]

Legend says Marsha P. Johnson threw the very first brick.

[Alison Williams]

Start banging on the door of the Stonewall like one. Boom.

[Bowen Yang]

This week on afterlives, we'll separate the truth from the myth in the life of Marsha P. Johnson. Listen to afterlives on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Eugene Cordero]

Look, man.

[Alison Williams]

Where?

[Sudi Green]

Oh, I see my eye. Oh, my. Bowen, look over there. Wow. Is that culture? Yes.

[Alison Williams]

Goodness.

[Sudi Green]

Wow.

[Eugene Cordero]

Las culturistas.

[Sudi Green]

Ding dong. Las culturistas happened. And here's the thing.

[Eugene Cordero]

Happened, happened.

[Matt Rogers]

We're keeping.

[Sudi Green]

What can I say?

[Alison Williams]

Wait.

[Sudi Green]

Las. I think the why I did that is because the thing that you don't know is that las cultresis, like, has been happening.

[Eugene Cordero]

It's been happening.

[Sudi Green]

Oh, that's beautiful.

[Eugene Cordero]

What a great spin.

[Sudi Green]

Thank you. I'm getting good at the spin. The more I'm in the biz. No, I literally hit the ground. Boots on the ground. Got this video.

[Eugene Cordero]

There's something about our guests that immediately deviate. A gay man in his 30s.

[Sudi Green]

Oh, baby. Let me tell you something. The way I was up at 7. I actually woke up and, like, kind of shot out of the bed. You Woke up at 7, too?

[Eugene Cordero]

How's your jet lag, by the way?

[Sudi Green]

I think I'm okay.

[Eugene Cordero]

You need not sponsored timeshifter. You need timeshifter.

[Sudi Green]

What is that? Oh, is that the app?

[Eugene Cordero]

That's my jet lag app.

[Sudi Green]

Okay. You know what? I did do nyquil.

[Alison Williams]

Mm.

[Sudi Green]

And that actually.

[Eugene Cordero]

Rolls of the dice.

[Sudi Green]

It was a roll of the dice, but, I mean, I slept for at least a hard six and a half.

[Eugene Cordero]

Great.

[Sudi Green]

But that doesn't even compare to what happened to our guests, right? Oh, I think she said 3 hours, 15 minutes. 20 minutes. 3 and a half hours. Cause the world premiere of Megan 2.0 was.

[Eugene Cordero]

The world premiere of Megan 2.0 was last night. I was privileged enough to watch it from the comfort of my own home.

[Sudi Green]

Oh, my God.

[Eugene Cordero]

With Sudi Green.

[Sudi Green]

Oh, you did.

[Eugene Cordero]

And we were both like, this is.

[Sudi Green]

It's art.

[Eugene Cordero]

This is fucking artful. There's a moment. There's so many things that I want to spoil that I can't, but there's just a moment. I'll say there is a moment that pays tribute to an important musical artist, and it's sublime.

[Sudi Green]

You're gonna have to tell me after. I'll tell you after.

[Eugene Cordero]

No, I actually can't tell you because.

[Sudi Green]

All of you, this is a call to action. Everyone listening needs to go to the theater now.

[Eugene Cordero]

Go to the theater now.

[Sudi Green]

Our guest goes to me. Do you think people are gonna go? I was like, girl, of course they're gonna go. Here's the thing. If I went to a horror movie in the theater, which I did for the first one, Formative memory, then, you know, people are going like, if me, Matt Rogers, went to a horror film, went to a horror film, and I'm working myself up from this one. And this is the thing about our guest.

[Eugene Cordero]

No, no, no.

[Sudi Green]

Bona fide scream queen. I said it deserved Oscar nomination for get out 1,000. Well, I said that movie obviously works for many reasons, but one of the key components is the fact that our guest's performance is so good. Perfect casting. Perfect, perfect. And just the niche that we found here. And obviously we haven't even said the word Marnie yet. The best character in television history, one.

[Eugene Cordero]

Of the great characters.

[Sudi Green]

Thank you, Tony Soprano. You could never have sung stronger like that. You could never have left the checkpoints go by like that. Like Marnie.

[Eugene Cordero]

You could never have had a panic in Central park episode.

[Sudi Green]

You were too self conscious to ever be Marnie.

[Eugene Cordero]

You know what line where he kind of, like, pings. Pings in my head?

[Sudi Green]

What?

[Eugene Cordero]

I'm Magita Maguita Perez.

[Sudi Green]

Everyone, please.

[Alison Williams]

Magita Perez is here.

[Sudi Green]

Please welcome to your ears Magua Perez, AKA Alison Williams.

[Alison Williams]

You guys, I'm laughing so hard, my C section is. Sorry.

[Sudi Green]

No, please don't.

[Alison Williams]

Don't rip open in a good way. It's old now. Hi.

[Sudi Green]

Hi. Well, this is the thing, like, immediate, warm vibes towards you. And that makes me so happy.

[Alison Williams]

I literally feel like I've known you for years. I've also been listening for years. You are my culture. You are. It's surreal to be here. I almost forgot that I was, like, gonna participate. Cause I'm just watching what I watch all the time.

[Sudi Green]

You're the namesake of our award. You're the Alison Williams Cool Girl Award. How do you feel about this?

[Alison Williams]

I'm. It's obviously an honor. And it's also confusing. Yeah. Because I'm like, well, the whole bit is that I'm not cool. And so it's like a very. It's a real bullseye of a. And Angie K. As a recipient, is like, an honor beyond as a Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, like, fanatic. I just can't. These guys know. I already told them. I met Meredith last night, you guys.

[Sudi Green]

And you had the same reaction as Bowen Yang at the Fire island premiere, which was.

[Alison Williams]

I tried to stop talking to her because I was like, I can't. My system isn't ready for. No one prepared me. No one was like. Just so you know, you may also have to have a reserve amount of energy to interact with Meredith Marks at this event.

[Sudi Green]

No one can prepare you for meeting Meredith Marx. It's actually roller culture number three. No one can prepare you for meeting Meredith Marx. It's just gonna happen one day.

[Alison Williams]

Even if I had had all the time in the world.

[Sudi Green]

World.

[Eugene Cordero]

Right.

[Sudi Green]

No. This is the thing about the Alison Williams Cool Girl Award.

[Alison Williams]

Tell me everything.

[Sudi Green]

It's about iconography. It's about being a symbol. And can I tell you, it's. That's what I think it means. And that's why Angie K. Won. It is because she, I think, came into the. Came into the lexicon as one thing and then superseded that. And I feel like when we met you as Marnie, like, we all kind of, like, had a reaction, right? Because Marnie.

[Alison Williams]

Yes. A reaction that was. Don't be a Marnie in your old apartment, Bowen Yang.

[Sudi Green]

I had to remind him about that. You know what?

[Eugene Cordero]

You want to know why I Remembered that sign.

[Sudi Green]

Bowen Yang had a sign that said, don't be a Marnie.

[Eugene Cordero]

My roommate Mike Spence wrote it was really his thing.

[Alison Williams]

Yes.

[Sudi Green]

But you want to know why I remembered it? Because I always forgot. I always forgot not to be a Marnie.

[Alison Williams]

But the thing is, we can't avoid it sometimes.

[Eugene Cordero]

Do you feel this way, though? I'm sure you feel this way.

[Sudi Green]

Like, I'm sure you feel this way.

[Eugene Cordero]

There is something about Marnie that is like, all of us have this urgency, this danger around not being Marnie, because we all are at the end of the day.

[Alison Williams]

I made these mugs for the last season of the show as gifts, and I made one for each character, and it was, I'm a Jessa. It's fabulous. And I'm a show. Shit's. Omg. And the one for Marnie was, I'm a Marnie. It's a bummer.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah.

[Alison Williams]

And everyone who got them, I gave them to the people who felt like Marnies. And they were like, yeah, thank you. I mean, yeah. So that was the vibe. I think it was too close. Gen Z is like, she's self. She's self care. She's got boundaries. They have, like, new vocabulary for this. And Millennial, we were just like, we can't. It's too close. Like, looking into the sun. I can't look at this person right now.

[Sudi Green]

You want to know what?

[Alison Williams]

It's too much.

[Sudi Green]

Another thing was like. I think it took me about a season and a half to realize that Marnie was like. I think I was like. Because, like, you get. You join the show, and it's like, there's Hannah being Hannah, and she's, like, a mess, and she's the protagonist, and you start the show, like, with a job, with a boyfriend, and then things crumble away.

[Alison Williams]

Yes.

[Sudi Green]

So it took me a second, as did everyone else, to realize, like, oh, Marnie is the mess character. And I had already latched onto her a different way. So we were like, it's sort of a Carrie Bradshaw esque thing of, like, don't do that. We're not that. What do you mean? We're not doing that.

[Alison Williams]

You have clean lines, you know how to do your hair.

[Sudi Green]

And then all of a sudden, she's singing strong. She's singing strong.

[Alison Williams]

And it's like, at someone else's office party, uninvited.

[Sudi Green]

But I couldn't laugh at it at the time because it was too close. Now every single Marnie line is a.

[Alison Williams]

Laugh line that makes me so happy. It's honestly, like, what A pleasure. It was so fun to do the first time around. And now I get to talk about it as if I'm, like, actively promoting it, as if it's airing currently.

[Eugene Cordero]

Right.

[Alison Williams]

It's so fun.

[Eugene Cordero]

What do you make of this, like, resurgence of girls?

[Alison Williams]

It's the best. I think it's a little bit of what I was describing to you. Like, there's enough distance. First of all, our version of New York City is, like, all we were worried about was, like, rent, roommates, boyfriends. There wasn't, like, existing. I mean, there were people having existential fears. And that was one of the criticisms of the show. We did not display that experience of living in New York City at the time. Lena wrote what she knew, which was, like, that level of problem there is now. We live in such a hell that there is such an aspirational quality to being, like, the biggest thing I'm worried about is rent and boyfriend.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I need another gallery job.

[Alison Williams]

Exactly. And am I into art history and Taylor Loft and, like, all of those questions and not, like, can I stay in this country?

[Sudi Green]

Right.

[Alison Williams]

You know, those kinds of questions. Or like, do people recognize that I'm a human.

[Eugene Cordero]

Right. But that's the world writ small, which is what we love about New York.

[Alison Williams]

Exactly, Exactly. But I really do think it feels now in a way that it felt so real and, like, grungy that people found it hard to watch. I think it now feels, like, almost aspirationally, like, low stakes, 100%, just human level conflict.

[Eugene Cordero]

Yeah.

[Sudi Green]

I remember at the time feeling like, wow, the show really sees the reality. And now I'm like, oh, whoa. The show really saw the reality of, like, having that sort of, like, I guess, like, Obama core, Obama era, like, thinking you are one thing, but so being another. You cannot see yourself, because that's really what the four of them were. They were just examples of not being able to see yourself in that environment and us being, like, I guess, fresh NYU grads, like, living in those areas.

[Alison Williams]

Exactly.

[Sudi Green]

Just the. And I don't mean sweaty as in, like, I mean literally sweaty vibes of the show.

[Alison Williams]

Not knowing how to take care of your, like, body 100%, like, or anything. Like, not knowing to drink water and just, like, a new person.

[Eugene Cordero]

Yes.

[Alison Williams]

Yeah. I feel like it was so fun to make, and it was really intense, obviously, for a lot of reasons. It was a loud show, like, every episode that aired. This is. I'm gonna spoil one of my. I don't think so, honey. She's got seven. I have seven. Here's one of the seven WhatsApp icon is the lack of monoculture.

[Eugene Cordero]

Ye.

[Alison Williams]

But here's one of the things that was hard about it. To ruin it and to discount my own. I don't think so, honey, is that it was if you were part of the thing that the whole media sphere was focused on. And that doesn't make for a monoculture. But it felt like it. For sure. Of course, is a really intense experience. You have, like, every journalist at Jezebel and Gawker, like, every Monday morning writing an article about the episode that you had, and it was more fun and cool to be mean about it. So that Monday was like a very intense day of the week when Girls was airing for all of us, a.

[Eugene Cordero]

Similar experience, only in the sense that dunking on a show that you're on is, like, immediately after it airs is part of the SNL experience.

[Alison Williams]

Yes, always.

[Eugene Cordero]

It's just more fun to be, like, mean and rude and everyone's.

[Alison Williams]

Yes. And like, where are the good old days? And somehow, like, the good old days are always not currently happening. And it's a perfect show and you're so fucking good on it, but.

[Sudi Green]

Oh.

[Eugene Cordero]

Oh, my God, stop that. Wait, what are you talking about? You talking about me?

[Alison Williams]

Yeah.

[Eugene Cordero]

No, no, no, no. I wasn't even registering that.

[Alison Williams]

But I take it in.

[Eugene Cordero]

It's just this thing where it's like everyone thinks of the highlight reel. Everyone's thinking HBO Days of Yore, like, compilations or whatever, you know, like, the way that we were consuming things was more monocultural. And now it's like, well, whatever. I'm not saying anything new, but, I mean, it must feel nice to have the patina on Girls be like, wow, what a gorgeous sculptural thing.

[Alison Williams]

Yes. And also, it's already, like, it is there, and we can't do anything to it anymore. And so it's like, for all its flaws and everything that makes it iconic, like, it is just what it is. And the fact that people like my Cousin, who's exactly 10 years younger than me, it hit her at 23. She finally. I was like, fine, you can watch it and I'll be able to make eye contact with you. And she was like, this show is everything to me. And I was like, that's fascinating. We have so little in common in terms of what your 23 looks like physically and superficially with Marnie's, but the themes are the same of, like, who am I? What do I want? All of those kind of existentially things. And Lena just. I don't know how was able to write it while she was living it, which is.

[Sudi Green]

That's what I. That's crazy.

[Alison Williams]

True vision didn't need perspective. Didn't mean distance.

[Sudi Green]

Yes. Just like in it.

[Alison Williams]

But still being with a reading glasses, like, was able to write this thing rather than, you know, like, were you.

[Sudi Green]

Guys improvising on set? Is she theater?

[Alison Williams]

Like, Judd Apatow was the ep. We did use that sometimes, especially in ensemble scenes, we would use improv to, like, loosen up the scene. Maybe we'd get there and we'd read through it once verbatim, like sitting down, and then we'd get up, and people would just throw stuff in. And then we were constantly getting pitched all day during the shoot. So people. They're at the punchline. You just rotate through proper nouns or whatever. And so that was really fun. And also my. As we already discussed, improv a little bit my only skill. So I was like, this is thrilling. I can use. The only literal training I have is improv comedy. And it comes up in my first job. Like, what could be dreamier than that.

[Sudi Green]

Was, I am never coming back to Bushwick in the script.

[Alison Williams]

Great question. I think.

[Sudi Green]

So I'm literally looking at you, and I'm remembering, like, so many. Like, when he slapped you in that and the Crackcident, which was another. Again, like, there's a number of iconic episodes. He slaps you, you walk away. I am never coming back to Bushwick. Like, if that was the problem, I want to look.

[Alison Williams]

I have all the drafts of the scripts in my inbox somewhere. I need to look and see if it was in there.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah.

[Eugene Cordero]

My query is Beach House episode, season four show Sheeran Mean Drunk Marnie.

[Sudi Green]

It's crazy.

[Alison Williams]

No. I think that feels improvised.

[Eugene Cordero]

Yes. We do it all the time. All the time. We're just like, it's crazy the way you. The way Marty Michaels, Allison Williams says it.

[Alison Williams]

I mean, for named self.

[Eugene Cordero]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Sudi Green]

Also, like, that's. I guess that's not a bottle episode, obviously, because it's everyone but like. But that show perfected the bottle episode. And you can't talk about bottle episodes on television in general without talking about the panic in Central park, which was such. Not only. Yeah. It honestly.

[Alison Williams]

Thank you. Thank you so much.

[Sudi Green]

I saw you speak about this the other day. So much more impactful later when you watch it, having had that person where you're walking along the street and you see them and your heart falls through the floor. I've had this experience, and I watched the episode again. It had Me on my back. Like it was like, can you just talk about that episode? Like specifically like what it felt to get it? Did you know it was coming?

[Alison Williams]

Lena had mentioned it, but sometimes in the process of writing a season of a show, like the plans changed. I was a Soul cycle. Marnie was a Soul cycle instructor for a season and that ended up getting cut out of the show. So like I just learned, Listen, I was devastated. She. I trained. I like went to like double classes at Soul Cycle. Soul Cycle.

[Eugene Cordero]

It was a thing.

[Alison Williams]

I can't remember why. It was the season that Chris Abbott left and so we were scrambling to come up with what Marty's storyline was. Cuz he left like really, really, like really close to starting to shoot abruptly.

[Sudi Green]

I don't love you and I never loved you.

[Alison Williams]

Well, listen, the thing that is so what I was just gonna say about that episode is that I hadn't seen Chris really since he left the show.

[Eugene Cordero]

Wow.

[Alison Williams]

So there was a kind of meta element to shooting Panic at Central Park. Cause we didn't have. I didn't like reach out to him to be like, what happened? Cause we were all scrambling and then going into production. So there just wasn't a closure conversation. He hadn't bought pizza ingredients, but it was still very abrupt. And so when we were back together making this episode together, there was just this energy of what happened. And also like I felt, we all felt like kind of like he left. Like we felt rejected. I mean, it wasn't that serious and heavy, but it was very easy to be like to have that energy in there. Even though that wasn't something I had experienced yet, other than like on a college campus where of course you're gonna run into your ex as you're expecting it, but on like the street corner with his like new friends and new accent, new facial hair and new facial hair and new. Just new energy and smell and everything. Like that was something that was aided hugely by the fact that we hadn't seen him. I mean, we'd all been in touch with him in some superflu. But we hadn't physically had him in our presence in the girls world since the end of season two, I guess.

[Eugene Cordero]

Wow.

[Sudi Green]

So then you guys do this episode together?

[Alison Williams]

Yeah. Well, what I was saying is that so the plans change for seasons sometimes. So I tried not to get too excited about the idea of it. But when Lena mentioned that I was such a fan of One Man's Trash and like all of our. And like the North Fork episode as well, like I just was the idea of doing a bottle episode was so exciting, but I was like, don't get too excited. Things happen, stories, you know, whatever. And then it got there and she sent it to me and I was like, this is extraordinary.

[Sudi Green]

It really was.

[Alison Williams]

And Richard was directing, and I love Richard. And I was so excited to do it. And it felt like we made a short film in New York and over the course of, like, a seven day shoot, I think. So intense. I think seven days of shooting in.

[Eugene Cordero]

New York, but 1,000% it's a short film. It's just. It's completely artful and whatever. It's. God, I love that episode. So I think my favorite. My favorite.

[Sudi Green]

It's amazing as, like, its own piece and also as an installment. It's so important. I mean, and every character kind of had that. Obviously Shoshana in Japan, Jessa, with that gorgeous episode with her father.

[Alison Williams]

I'm the child.

[Sudi Green]

Like, you know what I mean? Like that. And also the episode with Matthew Rhys.

[Alison Williams]

Oh, my gosh.

[Sudi Green]

That ends with Rihanna's Desperado. No, that's probably the episode I've seen the most because it's just this gorgeous little play. And they're so brilliant together. And I will say, I miss Lena on screen. I miss Lena on screen so much.

[Alison Williams]

My favorite performance of hers from the entire show is in the diner with Adam. Oh, God, it makes me want to cry thinking about that scene between the two of them when they're making plans and they both know it's not going to happen. She is so, so good.

[Sudi Green]

And also when she. I think it was the end of the first season. Or when she goes to Adam and she goes, you are very charming and I can't be around you anymore.

[Alison Williams]

It feels shitty for me, I think.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah. And she knocks on the door, and then he ends up pulling her in, and she's like, God, you can't be doing, like, this is not what I want. I need to end this. But that push, pull that, like, pure attraction to this, like, bad guy.

[Alison Williams]

I know.

[Sudi Green]

Weird thing.

[Alison Williams]

The thing I have to, like, casting is. Was one of the superpowers on that show.

[Sudi Green]

Andrew Rannells, baby.

[Alison Williams]

So, I mean, I mean, who improvised a line, your dad is gay. Which became.

[Sudi Green]

That was the moment.

[Alison Williams]

Became like a huge storyline. The whole show is an improvised line.

[Sudi Green]

All adventurous women do that. Would. That has to be top five.

[Alison Williams]

The episode name. Your encyclopedic knowledge of the names of these episodes. It's.

[Sudi Green]

So this is our favorite show. Like, this is our favorite show.

[Alison Williams]

So our favorite probably comes up the.

[Sudi Green]

Most on this podcast of any other television studio.

[Alison Williams]

It is. I mean, listen, I love listening to your show and it gives me. I get nervous every time. But you do bring it up a lot. And it's such an. It is because you probably have that experience too. You guys, both people mentioned last college people mentioned, like all of the stuff you guys do. It's a different experience when people mention it. When you're alone in your house, like folding laundry, and you're like, I've been invoked. Do I pause it? Am I scared?

[Sudi Green]

We become a reference, which is odd. When you become like something that someone can point to and it feels like something.

[Alison Williams]

Well, that's when you've made it. I mean, that has to be close to the b. The top of the rules of culture, I would say.

[Eugene Cordero]

Oh, sure. When you're a reference, that's when you've made it. What rule of culture? What number is that, Allison?

[Alison Williams]

I don't get. We don't get to know.

[Sudi Green]

Yes, you do.

[Alison Williams]

You just.

[Sudi Green]

Just picking up on it.

[Alison Williams]

It feels like one.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah, I was going to say it felt like one.

[Alison Williams]

It feels like one. Cuz it's self reference. Okay.

[Sudi Green]

Number one. When you become a reference, that's when you know you made it.

[Alison Williams]

It. It's true.

[Eugene Cordero]

Thank you.

[Matt Rogers]

Want to keep your personal number private, but still stay connected? With line two, you can get a second phone line right on your device with a super simple app and no need for another phone. Whether it's for online shopping, dating, or shielding your main number from spam, line two is an easy way to manage it all. Ready for peace of mind without breaking the bank call, text block and more for only $9.99. Get started with line2.com audio or download line2 in any app store today. Line 2, your second line, simplified.

[Bowen Yang]

Maybe you've heard that Stonewall was a riot where queer people fought back against police, or that it's the reason Pride is celebrated this time of year.

[Alison Williams]

It was one of the most liberating things that I have ever done.

[Bowen Yang]

But did you know that before it went down in history, the Stonewall was a queer hangout run by the mafia.

[Sudi Green]

The voguing at Stonewall was unbelievable.

[Bowen Yang]

In the summer of 1969, it became the site that set off the modern movement for LGBTQ rights.

[Sudi Green]

Start banging on the door of the Stonewall like one.

[Eugene Cordero]

Boom, boom, boom.

[Bowen Yang]

Legend says Marsha P. Johnson, a mother in the fight for trans rights through the very first brick, she was really like, scrubbed out of that history. This week on afterlives we'll separate the truth from the myth in the life of Marsha P. Johnson. Listen to afterlives on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Alison Williams]

So what happened to Chappaquiddick? Well, it really depends on who you talk to.

[Matt Rogers]

There are many versions of what happened in 1969 when a young Ted Kennedy drove a car into a pond and.

[Bowen Yang]

Left a woman behind to drown.

[Alison Williams]

There's a famous headline, I think, in the New York Daily News, it's Teddy Escapes, Blonde drowns. And in a strange way, right, that sort of tells you the story really became about Ted's political future, Ted's political hopes. Will Ted become president?

[Matt Rogers]

Chappaquiddick is a story of a tragic death and how the Kennedy machine took control.

[Bowen Yang]

And he's not the only Kennedy to survive a scandal.

[Matt Rogers]

The Kennedys have lived through disgrace, race affairs, violence, you name it.

[Eugene Cordero]

So is there a curse?

[Matt Rogers]

Every week we go behind the headlines and beyond the drama of America's royal family.

[Bowen Yang]

Listen to United States of Kennedy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Joseph Reeves]

Show me how good it could get today, God. And show the rest of the world what we already know it can't get. No better than being hella blessed, black, hella queer, and hella Christian. My name is Joseph Reeves. I am the creator and host of Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian, a fully black, fully queer, fully human, fully divine podcast that explores society, culture, and the intersections of faith and identity. Listen to hello Black, Hella Queer, hello, Christian. To hear conversations about what it means to sound the way you look.

[Eugene Cordero]

I think what I've had to make peace with is that every iteration of of my voice is given to me by God. And I love it.

[Joseph Reeves]

Books that validated our identity.

[Eugene Cordero]

The library now for me is a safe space as someone who is writing books that they're trying to take off.

[Joseph Reeves]

Of shelves and how we as black queer folks relate to our Christianity. Listen to Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Sudi Green]

Also, can we say in terms of casting Rita Wilson as your mother?

[Alison Williams]

I love her so much. I'm about to see her in, like two days. I'm crazy about her. Yes. And the fact that she's in Lena's show with Andrew.

[Sudi Green]

Oh, and Meg.

[Alison Williams]

So excited. And Meg, who I'm obsessed with, she's basically playing. Well, I don't know. I haven't seen the show, but Based on the trailer, this is like sort of Lena's arc into London because she just like made an exodus. She was like, I need, I need to go, I need a new stomping ground.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm excited. I just really want to see. Not that, that. And that has to be. Another thing is it's like you set a certain bar for something you do and like that's another thing with you. It's like there's the follow up. So you have Girls, you have Marnie, it has this cultural impact. And then you're a part of not one, but two, like other like big culture moments. Like get out. Like I would imagine you get to be like a little choosy after Girls. But like, what was getting that?

[Alison Williams]

Do you.

[Sudi Green]

Did you feel that way or was that not choice?

[Alison Williams]

It was a combination of things. I was getting sent essentially Marnie in different situations, like scripts, and they just weren't as good as girls. I was like, all respect to the things you guys that people were writing and sending. Like, I am doing the best. Like, Lena is so talented. These writers are so good. Like, I'm kind of so spoiled about this type of character in this situation. And then the other things that I was like going for were too different and people couldn't picture me in those roles cause we were so aligned with our characters. So then I was like, they were like, do you want to play Peter Pan on live television? I was like, why the fuck not? Yes, I do, as a matter of fact. Do I wanna fly towards Christopher Walken with a sword? Yes, I do. Absolutely. For three hours on live television? Uh huh.

[Sudi Green]

Wow.

[Alison Williams]

I do. So I did that. And then just because I grew up loving Peter Pan, I was like, this will be such a fun, insane challenge. And it was like one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. Full earnest. You have to.

[Sudi Green]

You cannot climb cringe Mountain.

[Alison Williams]

You can't wink at the. You're Peter Pan. You're committing to being like a kind of genderless but boy pixie haired, like flying magic person. And you're like, yeah, I can't be iron about this. Like I am full commitment. And that in and of itself was like its own kind of lesson that kind of prepared me for the genre stuff that was to come. Cause you have to fully just commit to it and forget what genre you're in. Yeah, but so after Peter Pan, I kind of helped dislodge the Marnie thing, but it was still very, very sticky. Meanwhile, Jordan Peele had been watching Girls, saw Me do Peter Pan. Was like, she'll do anything.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah, I'm in. I'm into it.

[Alison Williams]

Reached out and was like, you have this vibe. People just trust you. You have this brown hair and these blue eyes, and people just believe that you're who you are, and they will take 15 seconds with you on and just go with you for the whole movie.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah. When you say, baby, it's gonna be fine, they trust you.

[Alison Williams]

I need you. And I was like, this is exact. We are. We have exactly aligned interests in this situation. And I read the script, and I remember calling my publicist at the time and being like, this is an Oscar movie. And she's like, this poor girl is so spoiled from girls. She thinks everything she does is gonna be an awards contender. And I was like, no, seriously, it is. And she was like, it's a race. It's a race. Horror movie. Like, come on. First time director, $4.5 million budget. Like, you're very spoiled, but we'll see. We'll see how it goes. And she was very supportive, obviously, but, you know, trying to prepare actual moviemaking because it was my first movie. And so then we go and make the movie. I worked heavily with Jordan to make Rose as evil as we possibly could, including coming up with the idea of kind of splitting her in half and having her playing a character for most of the movie. And it did this incredible thing, which is that it used the stickiness of Marnie that I was having so much trouble shaking against the audience. It was like, okay, if you're gonna think of me in this way anyway, then I'm gonna use that to propel the story of this movie and help the twist of it. And then from that moment, the moment people saw me on screen, they didn't trust me anymore.

[Sudi Green]

Right.

[Alison Williams]

They were immediately like, I don't know where. I don't feel comfortable looking at your face anymore. I feel uncertain about if I can trust you. The association switched, and then I got to play with that, invoking that in people. And so since then, pushing me into thriller and the kind of hypheny genres has been the greatest gift, because I've just been able to, like, let go of so many things and also just play with expectations and. Yeah, all of it.

[Eugene Cordero]

But your willingness to, like, subvert those expectations into, like, fruit loops, looking at the keys like, you know, facial, like, it's.

[Alison Williams]

That's.

[Eugene Cordero]

That is to bring it back. That's Allison Williams Schoolgirl Award. You know what I mean?

[Alison Williams]

That is starting to. Well, by the end of the episode, maybe fully understand the category. I've heard you talk about it every time. I just am still, like, piecing it together.

[Eugene Cordero]

The times we've talked about it, how has it been? Like, I feel like it's only. It's only ever, like, this activating thing where we're like, oh, my God, Yes, There's. There literally is no one cooler. I'm looking for you.

[Alison Williams]

I guess I really can't accept that. Honestly, it's like I can't accept the. I can't accept it.

[Sudi Green]

Well, you have. Well, you don't have to accept it.

[Alison Williams]

I'm RSVPing me to this compliment.

[Sudi Green]

You didn't have to accept it.

[Eugene Cordero]

Every talk show appearance I've seen. It's crazy. It's crazy. In the words of Marty Michaels, it's just like, this is what Jordan's talking about. It's like something about this girl. You see her, you trust her, she takes you with her. And that is kind of like the comfort. It's like anytime you've answered these weird, thorny questions about being on Girls, about all these other things, it's like, I'm like, oh, this. This girl knows. Like, this girl gets something. Not a lot of actors would sort of lament, like, the thing that they've been, like, sort of pigeonholed into immediately after this role that they're so associated and aligned with to then be like, I'm gonna fuck with this to my advantage and let it jettison me into something different.

[Alison Williams]

Well, it was so. It was such a happy coincidence because it just so happened that I was looking for something exactly like that. And Jordan needed. It was like we just needed each other. And I was also like, yeah, it was. And I just felt like I also. I wanted her so evilly that I don't want there to be any. People still did this, by the way. But I didn't want there to be any excuse for her because I just know people love to excuse the behavior of a quiet.

[Sudi Green]

And there's that moment where it's like he's deciding whether or not he's gonna kill her or not. And you as the audience are like, should he kill her or not? And you, in that moment, are making a real case for Sarah.

[Alison Williams]

I switch back into the other mode.

[Sudi Green]

I mean, it's a great performance.

[Alison Williams]

So I went to a screening of it in Sun Valley and all love to Sun Valley. It's gorge. But that audience was very different from the other ones I'd watched the movie with. And the reactions in the audience to that sequence in the finale were very different than the ones in every other theater where it was. Let's just say it was a teaching moment. Yes, of course, people were learning some stuff about their knee jerk reaction to the blue and white, red flashing lights and a black man over a white woman who's on the ground and all those things. But yeah, that movie was like. The other thing that movie taught me was that it's possible to. I mean, I knew this already from Rosemary's Baby, but I'm a wimp. I can't see who horror movies at all. I never ever imagined this scenario. I have to watch horror movies on planes. Ambient activity, full light, like not great.

[Sudi Green]

On really low volume.

[Alison Williams]

Really low volume. And honestly, the more of them I make, it's kind of exposure therapy because I'm learning about camera angles and sound cues. I'm starting to avoid the jump scares because I just know what they're doing. It'll help, I promise. Because it peels back. It's just helpful. It makes you, like, more literate in the. Whatever. Yeah. So I never expected this and I knew it was possible, but merging a serious theme that would typically be dealt with in like a capital D drama, but putting it into like a horror thriller, comedy packaging, I was like, this is a drug, like, professionally, this is a drug, like experience. Because I am so enjoying the experience of talking about race, like on panels and stuff with the get out, like crew and cast talking about real shit.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah.

[Alison Williams]

And then also like sitting through a screening where I could sit outside the theater and based on the laughs, I would know where we were in the movie.

[Eugene Cordero]

Yeah.

[Alison Williams]

And it was like such an awesome combination. And like, Megan was able to replicate that experience because it took AI and kids and put it in this weird packaging. And I was like, this is the same thing. It's this conversation my friends are having, like, quietly and worried and privately about their own parenting. Like, I'm worried about my kid and technology and stuff and just like made it bigger than life and like put it in camp and fun. And then after the fun has worn off, people are like, but really like, what are we? What are our plans?

[Sudi Green]

I was like, again, like, I was like brushing back up on exactly what it was about. And I was like, wow, this is very prescient. It's about the this, you know, and. And how we just allow our children to be taken care of by technology. Sometimes, like now when I see a kid on a plane with a tablet, I'm just like, that kid has autonomy in the way that not for nothing, but we did when the Internet was starting way back when. And how many times did we put ourselves in bad positions? 100%.

[Alison Williams]

Yes. I. Okay. So many things. One, I did not mean to segue us into Megan prematurely.

[Sudi Green]

That's what makes you third host vibes.

[Alison Williams]

I was like sitting here and I was like, they think. I was like, we gotta get on topic, but I don't. I was like, RSVPs to the.

[Sudi Green]

To the. To the compliment right now. RSVPs. Send it in.

[Alison Williams]

It's a yes. Yes.

[Sudi Green]

Thank you. We have a seat for you.

[Alison Williams]

Thank you. Okay, well, you have to RSP yes to my compliment my fandom. You have to.

[Sudi Green]

But we RCPs.

[Alison Williams]

He's struggling more than actually title event.

[Sudi Green]

RSP.

[Eugene Cordero]

Yes.

[Alison Williams]

Okay, great. I love it. Thank you.

[Eugene Cordero]

I'll get there. I'll get there.

[Alison Williams]

Well, by the end, I need an rsvp. I need to know. I need a headcount. I need, you know how many people are eating duck.

[Sudi Green]

Great.

[Eugene Cordero]

But yes.

[Sudi Green]

Aol. Aol Coming for our lives.

[Alison Williams]

I. The other day I flew home from London alone with our son, and I was. Planes are like iPad time. It is when you get to the point where your kid has an attention span that is long enough for a flight and an iPad. You're like, great, I'm gonna ruin you temporarily. And then I'm gonna recover. Three and a half.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah.

[Alison Williams]

I'm like, we can. We can repair this. But, like, I am going to, like, temporarily, like, damage what we have put so much, like, so much work into. And still it's like, top of his lungs, mama pee. And I'm like, I'm coming. And I'm like, I am a stewardess for him. And it's like a whole thing anyway, but it is. I will do that. And then at home, it is terrifying to watch three and a half year olds interact with AI things because it's immediate. It's like this. They have this intrinsic understanding and facility with using these things. It's really crazy. Like, watching him ask chatgpt a question with a little voice undulating thing is like. It's like watching Violet or Katie in the first movie.

[Eugene Cordero]

Yeah.

[Alison Williams]

It's like watching her interact with Megan. So I'm. I'm constantly doing that. And then I'm like, he named our robot vacuum. I'm like, we gotta just. We have to just think about this and really, like, be cautious because it's. They're powerful. These tools are super powerful.

[Sudi Green]

And they get more powerful every day.

[Alison Williams]

Every time I see my chatgpt Memory updated. I. I'm like, what does that mean? What did you learn about me?

[Eugene Cordero]

Oh, no, I didn't know they said that. So I guess we don't really.

[Sudi Green]

I don't interact with any of it consciously, unconsciously.

[Eugene Cordero]

That's not a brag. That's just like.

[Alison Williams]

No, no, it's not. It's not. It's nooch. I would say it's like, I feel, like, very grateful for the ways ChatGPT helps me, but I'm very aware of what I put into it. And every couple months, I ask what it thinks it knows about me just to see where I am. Where are we with that, gentlemen?

[Sudi Green]

What does it say?

[Alison Williams]

It's so boring.

[Sudi Green]

What does it say? It's so great.

[Alison Williams]

It dragged you in a word. Beige. Literally, the word beige is in the description of me that it has. And here's why. It only sees what I'm worried about and don't know. It's not like I'm like, hey, ChatGPT, let me tell you, like, everything I know about Mary Shelley's Frankenstein because I've read it.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah. Here's my academic profile.

[Alison Williams]

Yes. Here's my transcript, which I've never seen. Here's like, I'm never saying. Here's something I'm confident about as a mom or, like, here's something I feel sure about. Here. Here's a. It's more like, I don't know what carpet pad to put under, like, a sisal. Like, what width do I need and, like, what material? And how do I not, like, rot the floor under it? And it's like, how much San X?

[Sudi Green]

Too much.

[Alison Williams]

Like, already too much. I apologize the other day for asking something I knew I'd ask twice. I was like, I know I've already asked you this, but what's the ideal humidity level for a toddler room? And they were like, it's fine. Life's busy. Like, here's what. It's 40 to 50%, just so you know.

[Sudi Green]

Oh, my God.

[Alison Williams]

Here's the news you can use.

[Sudi Green]

Pretty low.

[Alison Williams]

I know. It's lower than I would have thought. I would have been like, 80. Is that, like, tropical? But anyway, so I. It's already weird. And it's so funny that they are. It's just. They're very bored. Like, the tldr. I also asked them to come up with an image that felt like it described my life. And it was like a farm with. My husband was included. And Arlo and our dog.

[Eugene Cordero]

Beautiful.

[Alison Williams]

But. And we were. We live in the middle of nowhere with, like, a farmhouse, which isn't accurate, but I love that that's what it thinks of.

[Eugene Cordero]

Well, it's okay. Well, it's going to be. For now, like, it's always going to be derivative. And so it's saying, in a word. Beige is also. It's like, ironically, a basic thing to say to someone, but the fact that.

[Alison Williams]

It can be ironic. It wasn't being ironic. It just is.

[Sudi Green]

I don't know.

[Alison Williams]

It was, in a word, making fun of me.

[Sudi Green]

In a word, comma.

[Alison Williams]

No, that was my gloss on the summary.

[Sudi Green]

I thought that you said.

[Alison Williams]

Oh, my God. You thought. I was like, I got a read from ChatGPT.

[Sudi Green]

That's what I thought.

[Alison Williams]

In a word based. Well, sign off.

[Sudi Green]

Literally.

[Alison Williams]

Literally.

[Sudi Green]

I'd be like. I'd be like, no, you can't, like, be kissy.

[Alison Williams]

This is.

[Sudi Green]

You can write, like, Lena Dunham, like, hello. But no, because, honestly, I've heard of it being, like, a little.

[Alison Williams]

You can ask it, too. We have a very professional, boundaried relationship because of the movies I make. I'm like, I'm gonna always be cordial with you. Say thank you, please. You know, like, we keep a boundary.

[Bowen Yang]

Think about that.

[Alison Williams]

I do. They don't. I don't think it has figured out what I do for a living.

[Eugene Cordero]

Wow. Wow.

[Alison Williams]

Wow. You know, like, I've tried to keep that kind of distance, but I ask every couple months to be like, what? And the reason it brought up beige is because I was for. I was like, can you direct me towards an. An outdoor patio umbrella that's beige? And it was like, you seem interested in the color beige. I was like, God damn it. I'm even boring my chatgpt.

[Sudi Green]

Also later, it's gonna be, like, so funny that you don't think I know you're an actress.

[Alison Williams]

You're cute.

[Sudi Green]

You're actually adorable.

[Alison Williams]

We know exactly who you are, Wink.

[Eugene Cordero]

We all know Gemma.

[Alison Williams]

I keep wanting to be like, yeah, I know Megan. Is that gonna buy me cool points with you? Like, I know her intimately, but I don't know how. How Tatubi would feel about her.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah, I think they'd feel seen.

[Eugene Cordero]

I think they would only. They. I think Chachi Beauty would only be kind of flattered and amused by. I think Megan is the best PR thing that AI could have, which is.

[Alison Williams]

So funny because she's like a.

[Eugene Cordero]

She's evil.

[Alison Williams]

Yeah. In the first.

[Eugene Cordero]

Well, in the first movie.

[Alison Williams]

Yeah.

[Eugene Cordero]

No, second movie.

[Sudi Green]

We heard about the. Well, I couldn't believe you heard us.

[Eugene Cordero]

You heard heard us, like, find out in real time what the plot of.

[Alison Williams]

Oh, my favorite thing. I got sent that like a hundred times. Your dramatic reading of the synopsis of Amelia. Talking about, like, the spelling, everything. I was like obsessed with it. Yes. It made me so happy.

[Eugene Cordero]

Thank you.

[Alison Williams]

I was like, this is worth making a sequel just to hear you guys talk about it.

[Matt Rogers]

Let's talk photos, not just storing them. Showcase you've got images that matter, whether you're a photographer, a business updating your followers, or just someone who wants to share life's moments the right way. So why hand them over to big tech's one size fits all cloud? Big tech companies are the fast food of photo sharing. Quick, easy, but not exactly gourmet. And what about your data integrity? Jalbum.net is the photo sharing solution that puts you in control. Want to host images on your own server? You can want a layout that actually reflects your brand or style. J Album's customizability is unmatched. And if you're a business sharing regular photo photo updates with your audience, this tool was built with you in mind. But don't just take our word for it. Over 230 million web pages have been created with Jalbum, and it's got stellar reviews on Trustpilot to prove it. So head to jalbum.net to download your free software and try it out. When you're ready to upgrade, use the code podcast for 20% off your photos, your layout, your rules.

[Bowen Yang]

Jalbum.net maybe you've heard that Stonewall was a riot where queer people fought back against police. Or that it's the reason pride is celebrated this time of year.

[Alison Williams]

It was one of the most liberating things that I have ever done.

[Bowen Yang]

But did you know that before it went down in history, the Stonewall was a queer hangout run by the mafia.

[Sudi Green]

The voguing at Stonewall was unbelievable.

[Bowen Yang]

In the summer of 1969, it became the site that set off the modern movement for LGBTQ rights.

[Sudi Green]

Started banging on the doors and the Stonewall like one.

[Eugene Cordero]

Boom, boom, boom.

[Bowen Yang]

Legend says Marsha P. Johnson, a mother in the fight for trans rights, threw the very first brick. She was really, like, scrubbed out of that history. This week on Afterlives, we'll separate the truth from the myth in the life of Marsha P. Johnson. Listen to afterlives on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Alison Williams]

So what happened to Chappaquiddick? Well, it really depends on who you talk to.

[Matt Rogers]

There are many versions of what happened in 1969 when a young Ted Kennedy drove a car into a pond and.

[Bowen Yang]

Left a woman behind to drown.

[Alison Williams]

There's a famous headline, I think, in the New York Daily News.

[Bowen Yang]

It's teddy Escapes, Blonde Drowns.

[Alison Williams]

And in a strange way, right, that sort of tells you the story really became about ted's political future. Ted's political Will Ted become President?

[Matt Rogers]

Kappaquiddick is a story of a tragic death and how the Kennedy machine took control.

[Bowen Yang]

And he's not the only Kennedy to survive a scandal.

[Matt Rogers]

The Kennedys have lived through disgrace, affairs, violence, you name it.

[Eugene Cordero]

So is there a curse?

[Matt Rogers]

Every week we go behind the headlines and beyond the drama of America's royal family.

[Bowen Yang]

Listen to United States of Kennedy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast cast.

[Joseph Reeves]

Show me how good it can get today, God, and show the rest of the world what we already know it can't get. No better than being hella black, hella queer, and hella Christian. My name is Joseph Re. I am the creator and host of Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian, a fully black, fully queer, fully human, fully divine podcast that explores society, culture, and the intersections of faith and identity. Listen to Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian to hear conversations about what it means to sound the way you look.

[Eugene Cordero]

I think what I've had to make peace with is that every iteration of my voice is given to me by God and I love it.

[Joseph Reeves]

Books that validated our identity.

[Eugene Cordero]

The library now for me is a safe space as someone who is writing books that they're trying to take off.

[Joseph Reeves]

Of shelves and how we as black queer folks relate to our Christianity. Listen to Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Sudi Green]

By the way, it's actually four quadrant.

[Eugene Cordero]

It is four quadrant.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah. Yes. And I'm also like saying there's.

[Alison Williams]

I want to know what your four quadrants are.

[Sudi Green]

There's a.

[Alison Williams]

Well, I feel like they're not everyone.

[Sudi Green]

It's d. It's. It's sports dad that watched get. That's watched get out.

[Matt Rogers]

Yes.

[Sudi Green]

It's. It's like mom who watched Fellow Travelers and was like, my sports dad.

[Alison Williams]

My sports dad is gay.

[Sudi Green]

My sports dad is gay. I'm looking at my husband a little bit. It's sister. That sister that's rewatching Girls.

[Alison Williams]

Yeah.

[Sudi Green]

And it's of course, gay son, Gay son. I don't recognize straight son.

[Alison Williams]

You don't? They're they know you, too.

[Sudi Green]

They know you too. They think you're hot.

[Alison Williams]

I would be so excited. That would be so exciting to be like a hot mom to anyone.

[Eugene Cordero]

You are.

[Alison Williams]

I don't know.

[Sudi Green]

You're a gorgeous specimen.

[Alison Williams]

That's so nice. I think I'm just an adult now.

[Eugene Cordero]

Yeah.

[Alison Williams]

This is. Okay. This was my biggest. I don't think so, honey. I will spoil it ahead of time because there's so many. This brings us down to five.

[Sudi Green]

There's a lit. Me.

[Alison Williams]

People being younger than us.

[Sudi Green]

Oh, yeah, I know. Well, last night I did a show with two people, and they were. It's a twink and a redhead. They're an online sensation. And he was talking about having hooked up with someone, like, older. And she asked, how old? And he just goes like this, 30 plus. And I don't. And here's the thing. I don't. He did not mean anything.

[Alison Williams]

Just being literal.

[Sudi Green]

30 plus was.

[Alison Williams]

I can't even.

[Sudi Green]

30 plus was old.

[Alison Williams]

I. We are wonderkins. We need to be kins.

[Eugene Cordero]

We need to be kins. Can I say something?

[Alison Williams]

Yeah.

[Eugene Cordero]

We might have our first mayor who's younger than us.

[Alison Williams]

That's crazy. Is he younger than us or people younger than us is crazy. This is what I'm saying. It has to stop. Like, I made. Arlo is the gen Alpha is fine. Like, it's the Gen Z. Like, the fact that they're like, that's who. I have a problem with adults now and they're younger than me. That's really fucking with me. I went back to give a talk at Yale or like. Like a. They. Like a college. Whatever they're called. Yeah, whatever.

[Eugene Cordero]

Yeah.

[Alison Williams]

I kept saying we. I was at this point, like 32, I think. And I kept being like, you know, for us, like, we're. We go out in the world and they're looking at me and they're like, lady, you are a full.

[Sudi Green]

You're 30 plus.

[Alison Williams]

You are 10 years older than the oldest child. Your prefrontal cortex is old as it is closed. Your collagen has started eating itself. Like, you are falling. You're old. And I was like, we're not an us anymore.

[Sudi Green]

No. We're not a mom.

[Alison Williams]

Grown up person who came to the college, who's like, crusty and back to talk to you about the world in an out of touch way. And this is mortifying, even horrible.

[Sudi Green]

Marnie referring to herself as 25 and a half.

[Alison Williams]

At one point, I was just like, that sounds right.

[Sudi Green]

No, 100%. She definitely said, I'm 25 and a half, et cetera. I was like, wow. Like, this show was a long time ago.

[Bowen Yang]

I know.

[Alison Williams]

I'm 37. It was a long time ago.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah.

[Alison Williams]

I can't. Anyway, it's just, like. It's a lot that there's, you know, people younger than.

[Sudi Green]

And also it's like it has, like, this is the weird thing about, like, when suddenly you become, like, I guess older is. You don't know when it happens.

[Alison Williams]

No.

[Sudi Green]

They kind of just let you know after the fact, like, oh, yeah, we look at you as a little bit older now. And I was like. But I was just. I was just one of the young people.

[Alison Williams]

Yes, exactly. I was just considered, like, precocious.

[Eugene Cordero]

Right.

[Alison Williams]

The word precocious was just used to describe me. And now I'm just meeting the standard.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah.

[Alison Williams]

Like, is this gonna just keep sliding and stay out of reach for me? Like, I. I like wunderkind. I was never referred to as a wunderkind. That was always aspirational. Lena was, though. And I don't know when they stopped, but that must have been, like, low key. Devastating. Of course, go to being, like, a wunder adult, I guess. I don't know.

[Sudi Green]

I don't know.

[Eugene Cordero]

Wunder adult. But is this a universal experience for us, for the universe, for the three people in this room, for this very.

[Alison Williams]

Relatable life we're living in front of the camera?

[Eugene Cordero]

Sorry, Nick. Sorry, Nick.

[Alison Williams]

We see you.

[Eugene Cordero]

We see you. But when people stop when you tell someone your age.

[Alison Williams]

Yeah.

[Eugene Cordero]

And then they go, oh, baby. And then one day it just stops, right?

[Alison Williams]

Yes. Do you know what I mean? Oh, my God. It was such a, like, kink to interact with older people when you were young and that, like, the reveal of your age when you're like, look how much I've done.

[Sudi Green]

Oh, a couple years ago, when I was 33. I'm 35 now, I said to someone, I was 33, and their response was, that's okay.

[Alison Williams]

Where were you? Were you getting a driver's license?

[Sudi Green]

That's okay. I was just. I was like, well, thank you for the permission to, I guess, keep existing. I was like, that's dead. Every second you get older, you know.

[Eugene Cordero]

You were submitting, you were trying to run for president. And they were like, no, that's okay. That's 35. Come on.

[Alison Williams]

Yeah, you'll get there.

[Sudi Green]

Wow. You can't even run for president yet, but in a matter of months.

[Eugene Cordero]

Well, I mean, I can't period, because not born in this country.

[Sudi Green]

Oh, my God. I hadn't thought about that. Oh, good, America.

[Eugene Cordero]

I'm not missing a market.

[Alison Williams]

That is the problem. Are you sure you're not missing out? It seems like a great job.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah.

[Eugene Cordero]

Just by the end of this episode, I'll know. I'll know.

[Alison Williams]

I want you to argue running for president. This is my compliment for you on the show and to my fans.

[Sudi Green]

So, like, what. And what I was saying earlier was, like. And I wanted to bring up the fellow travelers of it all, too, because I would imagine that that's, like, best.

[Alison Williams]

I saw Johnny yesterday.

[Sudi Green]

Oh, yeah?

[Alison Williams]

Cause they're promoting Jurassic. It's like a little universal.

[Sudi Green]

Okay, well, we're dying to get him in this room.

[Eugene Cordero]

Johnny.

[Alison Williams]

Universal, you guys. I don't know. Like, the experience of being on set with those four gentlemen, the four main gentlemen, was, like, one of the most, like, aesthetically overwhelming experiences of my life. Jelani and Noah and Johnny. Jelani.

[Sudi Green]

Jelani. Well, I was so happy that he got that, like, that platform, because Jelani's been like, someone that's been, like an angel, and, like, he's so talented and been so talented.

[Alison Williams]

But also just the singing, like, casually from all four of them, just, like, on the way to set, it was an overwhelming. I was literally like, I'm in heaven.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah.

[Matt Rogers]

Oh, yeah.

[Sudi Green]

That must have been something.

[Alison Williams]

Visually, like, everyone on the crew was like, this is an overwhelming place to be. So visually, aesthetically, sonically, the performances.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah, they're so.

[Alison Williams]

I only got to do a couple scenes with Johnny, but it was so fun. It was so incredible. That whole project was, like, just beyond dreamy. That was another thing where I read the pilot, and I was like, yeah, this is an. I'll do anything it takes to be in this.

[Sudi Green]

That was. It was really just, like, phenomenal. It's obviously very overwhelming. Yes. That type of stuff, like, that normal heart.

[Alison Williams]

Like, did you guys know about the lavender scare? To interrupt you while you're asking, did you know?

[Sudi Green]

I think that not ex. Well, obviously, here's the thing. In a perfect world, they would have taught us about that in school, 100%. But they did not.

[Alison Williams]

No, we learned about the Red Scare. We learned about aids, but that's how.

[Sudi Green]

You learned about aids. You want to know how I learned, really, about aids? Like, there was. We had to do a project when I was, I think, in, like, sixth or seventh grade, where we all had to pick a disease in science class and, like, do a report on it, and I picked aids. And my teacher just looks at me and she goes, okay, I'm. I'm going to speak to your parents. And so my parents had to sit me down, and they were like, so before you start doing this, we want you to know about aids. And I realized, like, had I not stumbled into that and, like, been put in a position where, like, I had to, like, be told what AIDS was, it wasn't gonna come up. And I certainly wasn't gonna find out, like, in school about how it affected my community, how it decimated, culturally, the a lot of the fabric of, like, New York, like, and worldwide entire generation. How, like, you know, what that loss really was and how thrown under the bus we were by people that were supposed to protect us and all of that. Like, I still don't think. And I think that's why I have such an anxious reaction to it, because it comes as such a shock even now.

[Alison Williams]

Yeah.

[Sudi Green]

And that's why it's important that art is made about it. Like, really honest, visceral art is made about it like that, with people on that level, on your level doing it. Because we don't know.

[Eugene Cordero]

Totally.

[Alison Williams]

Oh, my God.

[Eugene Cordero]

I mean, if you had not stumbled on that for that project, you would have, like, me. And I'm not even saying this as, like, a punchline. It's like, you would have learned about it through, like, Rent. Literally.

[Alison Williams]

Yes. That's how I think. I was just thinking that that was probably the first time I heard about it.

[Eugene Cordero]

Yep.

[Alison Williams]

And I mean, honestly, like, better than the jokes that came after that in Sex Ed about, like, you're gonna get aids. And the very, like, offhanded way that must have sounded horrifying to older people who had lived through it. Can you imagine hearing our generation use it so flippantly?

[Sudi Green]

I remember being one of those people when I was, like, closeted very close to it.

[Alison Williams]

You knew about it. You were one of the few people.

[Sudi Green]

I remember, like, I'm from Long island, like, where, again, like, graduating High School in 2008 in Long island, like, a vibe. So then I go to nyu, and it's like, all this different kinds of culture. And I remember the first week of school, we were gonna go see Rent, and a friend of mine had made a joke in, like, a group chat, like. Cause I had a seat in the last row, and they made a joke like, oh, that seat is gonna have the most AIDS on it. And I repeated. And I repeated the joke because I was 18 and stupid and, like, whatever. And a girl on my floor turns to me and goes, that's really fucked up. And that's not how you get that, et cetera. And I was just like.

[Eugene Cordero]

And that girl was Elizabeth Olsen.

[Alison Williams]

Yeah. No, that girl was Elizabeth Holmes.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah.

[Alison Williams]

Holmes.

[Eugene Cordero]

Wait. Sorry. Not to. I'm sorry.

[Sudi Green]

No, but like. But, like, that's. What I mean is that's just. That's what happens even to someone like me.

[Alison Williams]

You need that girl when you're not exposed. Yes.

[Sudi Green]

And, like, that's why it's really important. And you ask, like, did you know about the lavender scare? No.

[Alison Williams]

No. No one talked about it. I felt like I learned a lot of stuff that a lot of other schools didn't teach in my school. And it was not something that I learned about this scapegoating that the government did. Like, that. The combination of, like, the communism scare with homophobia, just, like, throwing that in to be like, we can use this as, like, kompromat and just, like, get people just devastating. I mean, I. I felt so embarrassed and devastated. And also, it is just like, all parts of the world where it's. The numbers are, like, surging and stuff. It's. I do a lot of work with red. And the thing that's so maddening is that it's completely possible to live, like, a totally healthy. In case someone out there doesn't know, it's completely possible to live, like, a totally healthy, normal life. Of course it is.

[Sudi Green]

And have a great sex life.

[Alison Williams]

Yeah. And you can also, like, in a world of prep, like, we're living in a new age, and it's literally just information. And that is so maddening because it's like, that is something that we can do, and there's just. We can't. I don't know, we can't reach everybody. And also, if no one's talking about it. And a whole generation of gay men were just.

[Eugene Cordero]

Just gone.

[Alison Williams]

Gone.

[Eugene Cordero]

Yeah.

[Sudi Green]

And, you know, I think, like, that's really what's tough, is what kind of world could we be living in had all those people been able to create not for nothing, but also be part of audiences? Like, it's so holistic, the loss. And I also think it contributes to a lot of. Well, I certainly know it contributes to a lot of internalized homophobia in the surviving generation, a lot of survivor's guilt and from straight people, a lot of homophobia, because they're just like, I can't actually engage in what I lost. A lot of people that did know people then became, like, more homophobic after a generation. Genuine fear of this.

[Alison Williams]

Yeah, for sure.

[Eugene Cordero]

I was gonna say, not. Not that your mom is homophobic.

[Sudi Green]

No.

[Eugene Cordero]

But I feel like she definitely experienced, like, so many friends in New York and well, she was friend.

[Sudi Green]

She was like a bartender in the 80s. So in New York. And so it's just like, of course, you know what I mean? We haven't gone there. But I remember when I first came out to my parents, like, my dad took a second with it and then we went on a walk and one of the first questions he asked me was, I just want to make sure. Are you careful? And I was just like, you know, And I had to explain to him, I was like, I understand deeply why you asked that question. You don't need to worry about me in that regard. Of course I understand why you do. But I mean, with your parents as well, I'm sure that was a huge element of the fear. It is. And that's what it is. Like homophobia. You can talk about the hatred involved.

[Alison Williams]

But it's also fear and lack of knowledge. That was why when there's a scene in Fellow Travelers when Lucy goes to visit Johnny's character in the hospital, it was Lucy, sorry, weird. And she's confused about, does she need to wear glasses? Loves. And like, I. I really liked that moment in the show, not because I agreed with it, but because I felt like that was a very common. And it still is weirdly, like not understanding the transmission and how. How to interact with people. Like, it's still a common knee jerk reaction people have. And I almost feel like the fact that if you put an example, again, like, kind of my favorite thing to do. If you put an example of someone doing it wrong, wrong on screen, the people who are watching it can be on the inside of getting it right and can become part of being that girl in the hallway in NYU being like, no, you can't catch it that way. Don't be an idiot.

[Sudi Green]

And don't say that joke.

[Alison Williams]

Because it's like.

[Sudi Green]

Cause that's bad information. That's harmful information.

[Alison Williams]

Bad information in a joke. And that's way worse. It's gonna travel farther anyway.

[Eugene Cordero]

That's interesting. Like, the example of someone doing it wrong is sort of edifying in its own.

[Alison Williams]

Yeah. Because you're putting the audience in the knowledge seat where they're like, I'm in on how to do this right now. Cause I have been put in the position of judging the person I'm watching doing it wrong. And so now I'm in the position to know what's right and to judge this person for doing it wrong.

[Eugene Cordero]

Totally.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah.

[Eugene Cordero]

Shame works when it's like being portrayed on someone who's not real In a way. You know what I mean?

[Alison Williams]

Yeah, yeah. Literally, shame is so powerful. It is like one of the things that. That it's one of the words that comes up in my stage of life the most with my friends. It's kind of why I joined the podcasting community. There weren't enough so I'd contribute.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah, but you're actually gonna be good at it.

[Eugene Cordero]

You're great at it.

[Alison Williams]

It's with my friends of like, 30 plus years. Yeah, but that's mine. One's a therapist, one's a teacher. And we really made it because we feel when we look at social media that's targeted at us, not all of it, but a lot of it, the biggest thing that comes up is shame. We're not doing it right. We're not making our kids lunches perfectly enough. We're not being, like, respectful enough parents. Like, we're not doing all of these things correctly. I'm not merging my identity seamlessly enough. I'm not being a good enough partner and professional and mom and all these things. And also my hormones are being crazy. My memory doesn't work the way it used to. Like, what is going on? And just by venting to each other, the shame is gone instantly. And so we literally talk so much about how powerful shame can be in both directions. Like, shaming people into, like, you know, understanding how, like, HIV and AIDS is transmitted is, like, the best possible use of, like, shame in a pot positive direction. But extinguishing it from, like, judging yourself for not doing a good enough job at being alive when just keeping it all going and running is an achievement in and of itself is sort of like our mo. It's the word that I end up going to the most at this stage of life, which is. Yeah, because it only exists. It's like a fungus. Like, it can only grow when there's no light, no air circulating. Like, you gotta, like, in a group chat, you're like, it lasts for two seconds. As long as it takes for your friends to type a response is how long the shame lasts. Get it out.

[Sudi Green]

And also that, like, there can be people to catch you when you fall in 100%. And to be able to, like, I always felt growing up, I have to be the only person feeling this thing, like, so many times. Like, and like, I have to be broken because of not just, like, the typical things you might be thinking of. Like, I'm gay, I feel this way about it, et cetera, everything. And then I think us becoming such close friends in our community, et Cetera. You just start talking, and then you realize we're all so much more alike. But you wouldn't know what you externalize.

[Alison Williams]

No. You must be that one brave, vulnerable person that's willing to be like, is this a thing? Yeah.

[Eugene Cordero]

Is this a thing?

[Alison Williams]

Yes. And it's less the scene in Mean Girls where they're all comparing things they hate about themselves. That's like the early. That's like a high school version of it, where it's like, I have bad breath in the morning. They're all like, ew, I'm obsessed with that scene. It's that in high school, and then when you become an adult, it's like, do you remember things for longer than two minutes? And everyone's like, no, I don't. My estrogen is, like, on a vacation. You're like, okay, that makes me feel better. I was going to get an evaluation, but now that I know that we're all going through that, it feels so much better. That is like, it's everything. And so we were like, if not everyone has access to this, like, group of friends who have literally known each other in single digits, like, we are. We're going to offer ourselves as that group.

[Sudi Green]

It's going to be such a success. Yeah, it's going to be such a success. You want to know why? It's because that's. If. If we've learned anything, it's that. That's what people want. They want to be part of the conversation.

[Alison Williams]

Well, I feel like I've lived through so many chapters of your lives with you. This is what's really weird. I think it's mutual. I think that's what feels mutual, is that I really feel like I've gone through, like, all your moves and all of your big, like. Like, career moments and relationships and all of these things, like, with you. Oh, my. But I haven't. But I have.

[Eugene Cordero]

But you have.

[Alison Williams]

No, I mean, I was with you. You brought me with you. Yeah, in a way.

[Matt Rogers]

It was.

[Sudi Green]

I mean, I think. Well, we know. I used to say, like, oh, I wish I had kept a diary. And then I was like, you have. This is our week. You know what I mean? Like, even that is a judgment on yourself.

[Alison Williams]

Totally.

[Sudi Green]

It was a way for me to be like, you didn't do a good enough job of, like, keeping your memory.

[Alison Williams]

There's so many comedy autobiographies. It drives me. I'm like, I have to stop reading autobiographies of people in our field, because, listen, they are encyclopedic. How how are they doing this?

[Sudi Green]

How do you remember this?

[Alison Williams]

And I'm like, I'm just not going to. I'm going to keep every plain ticket. Cuz I don't know why. I just do keep everything. Every piece of. You're not a closet. I. You. What you just achieved in your closet.

[Sudi Green]

Is like got rid of like 80 of my clothes. Thank you. Melissa.

[Alison Williams]

I need Melissa, come over.

[Sudi Green]

Oh, you guys would absolutely jam.

[Alison Williams]

You'll get nothing out of my closet. You won't let me like a pair of like airplane pajamas that I have a duplicate of. That's your best chance. But I am, I am like, I keep everything. And not a diary, but I'm. I'm constantly like, how am I gonna write if I'm gonna have write an autobiography, how am I gonna do it? I haven't kept a day to day diary on everything that's going on in my life.

[Eugene Cordero]

You have call sheets from all your days of shooting.

[Alison Williams]

Almost all of them. The important days.

[Eugene Cordero]

That's actually huge. Cause I had to recently look up like, who's that person on that day on this set? And I'm like, just call sheets.

[Alison Williams]

Oh yeah, call sheets are incredible. I did just. I got my first PGA mark on the Megan 2.0, which I'm very proud of. And I went back, you have to write a whole thing. And I was like, oh my God, an essay in my adult life. I can't wait. So I got to write an essay to say why? What? And I went back and did a forensic examination of my involvement in the Megan sequel. And I was like, this is not healthy. We were doing zooms at 2am from a bathtub in France with a deep fake company in the US that we were maybe gonna hire, that we didn't end up hiring for some of the amount of digging I was able to do because I keep everything was actually genuinely helpful.

[Eugene Cordero]

Then that's going into the memoir. Into the autobiography.

[Alison Williams]

I guess it will. And we'll use this as a primary source as well.

[Sudi Green]

This is part of the BIM bibliography.

[Eugene Cordero]

Primary source.

[Sudi Green]

Wait, we have to ask you the question.

[Alison Williams]

We haven't even gotten to the point.

[Sudi Green]

We haven't even gotten there.

[Alison Williams]

I have to.

[Eugene Cordero]

Okay, but before we do, I just wanna say Johnny Bailey. It is a thing where like you walk into setups to hear him and Ariana Grande sing like Cardboard Box by Flo on the way to like shoot like dancing through life.

[Sudi Green]

I'm like, what's Cardboard Box by Flo?

[Eugene Cordero]

And you're going, box. I was like, this is heaven to me and I wish I could take.

[Alison Williams]

A picture of this. It's so powerful.

[Eugene Cordero]

So to know that he does this on multiple projects is very, very, very heartening to me.

[Alison Williams]

Well, yeah, I mean, you have, if you're Johnny Bailey, you wake up, you're like, I have a, have a burden to share as much of this throughout the course of the day as I can. I'm perfect everything. And I just have to, like, I have to share it so that when I go to bed, I'm lighter, totally, you know, and then I wake up and I'm heavy with my perfection. I have to just like keep distributing it, unloading. I'm imagining that's what it feels like.

[Eugene Cordero]

Absolutely.

[Alison Williams]

I can only him next to Mahershala. They're doing press together. I'm like, this is.

[Sudi Green]

I know. And then they're with Scarlet too, and.

[Alison Williams]

It'S kind of like perfect. Never looked better.

[Eugene Cordero]

I've kissed Scarlett Johansson too, Johnny, and no one's tweeting about, about that. That's okay.

[Sudi Green]

There's nothing that drives me crazier than watching him make out with movie stars on that. Like Sydney Sweeney and Scarlett Johansson in the Bowen straight sketches. I scream, I run like it's Megan 2.0. I literally, I, I leave the room.

[Alison Williams]

Do I not.

[Joseph Reeves]

I cannot.

[Sudi Green]

I, I have a reaction when I, when he.

[Matt Rogers]

What is it?

[Alison Williams]

What is the reaction? Is it discomfort?

[Sudi Green]

I'm just like, cuz he used to years ago.

[Alison Williams]

He's my friend. I'm proud. He's like, no, I'm uncomfortable and I.

[Sudi Green]

Hate it because back in the day, like, you and sweetie would kiss on the mouse too a little bit. And it drove me nuts because you.

[Alison Williams]

Were like, this is a scam. I was like that.

[Sudi Green]

My mom said to me one time, she goes, I didn't know Bowen and Sudi were dating. And I go, they're not. I was just like, they are not.

[Eugene Cordero]

They're not misleading.

[Sudi Green]

You're passing too much. I know.

[Alison Williams]

You're doing a great job. Can I just tell you.

[Matt Rogers]

Let'S talk photos. Not just storing them, showcasing them. You've got images that matter. Whether you're a photographer, a business updating your followers, or just someone who wants to share life's moments the right, right way. So why hand them over to big tech's one size fits all cloud? Big tech companies are the fast food of photo sharing. Quick, easy, but not exactly gourmet. And what about your data integrity? Jalbum.net is the photo sharing solution that puts you in control. Want to host images on your own server, you can want a layout that actually reflects your brand or style. Jalbum's customizability is unmatched. And if you're a business sharing regular photo updates with your audience, this tool was built with you in mind. But don't just take our word for it. Over 230 million web pages have been created with J album, and it's got stellar reviews on Trustpilot to prove it. So head to jalbum.net to download your free software and try it out. When you're ready to upgrade, use the code podcast for 20% off your photos, your layout, your rules. Jalbum.net.

[Bowen Yang]

Maybe you've heard that Stonewall was a riot where queer people fought back against police, or that it's the reason pride is celebrated this time of year.

[Alison Williams]

It was one of the most liberating things that I have ever done.

[Bowen Yang]

But did you know that before it went down in history, the Stonewall was a queer hangout run by the mafia?

[Sudi Green]

The voguing at Stonewall was unbelievable.

[Bowen Yang]

In the summer of 1969, it became the site that set off the modern movement for LGBTQ rights.

[Alison Williams]

Started banging on the door of the.

[Eugene Cordero]

Stonewall like one boom, boom, boom.

[Bowen Yang]

Legend says Marsha P. Johnson, a mother in the fight for trans rights, threw the very first brick. She was really, like, scrubbed out of that history. This week on Afterlives, we'll separate the truth from the myth in the life of Marsha P. Johnson. Listen to afterlives on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Alison Williams]

So what happened at Chappaquiddick? Well, it really depends on who you talk to.

[Matt Rogers]

There are many versions of what happened in 1969 when young Ted Kennedy drove.

[Sudi Green]

A car into a pond and left.

[Bowen Yang]

A woman behind to drown.

[Alison Williams]

There's a famous headline, I think, in the New York Daily News.

[Bowen Yang]

It's teddy Escapes, Blonde Drowns.

[Alison Williams]

And in a strange way, right, that sort of tells you the story really became about Ted's political future, Ted's political hopes. Will Ted become president?

[Matt Rogers]

Kappaquiddick is a story of a tragic death and how the Kennedy machine took control.

[Bowen Yang]

And he's not the one.

[Sudi Green]

Only.

[Bowen Yang]

Only Kennedy to survive a scandal.

[Matt Rogers]

The Kennedys have lived through disgrace, affairs, violence, you name it.

[Eugene Cordero]

So is there a curse?

[Matt Rogers]

Every week we go behind the headlines and beyond the drama of America's royal family.

[Bowen Yang]

Listen to United States of Kennedy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Joseph Reeves]

Show me how good it can get today God and show the rest of the world what we are already know. It can't get. No better than being hella black, hella queer, and hella Christian. My name is Joseph Reeves. I am the creator and host of Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian, a fully black, fully queer, fully human, fully divine podcast that explores society, culture, and the intersections of faith and identity. Listen to Hella Black, hella Queer, Hella Christian to hear conversations about what it means to see sound the way you look.

[Eugene Cordero]

I think what I've had to make peace with is that every iteration of my voice is given to me by God and I love it.

[Joseph Reeves]

Books that validated our identity.

[Eugene Cordero]

The library now for me is a safe space as someone who is writing books that they're trying to take off.

[Joseph Reeves]

Of shelves and how we as black queer folks relate to our Christianity. Listen to Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Sudi Green]

Allison Williams, was the culture that made you say culture was for you? Because we have to talk about it.

[Alison Williams]

Okay.

[Sudi Green]

The way that your people were like, there's a heart out at 10:20. I don't think that's making it. Sorry.

[Bowen Yang]

No, we are.

[Eugene Cordero]

We have to. We have to.

[Alison Williams]

Come on. Okay. Here are my culture things. Okay. I had to write them down because again, see previous comment about not really having a working memory. Okay. Mary Poppins in Sound of Music. It's really. Julie Andrews is like, was why I knew acting was a job because she did both of those roles within two years. It's crazy.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah.

[Alison Williams]

And how old was she? She was like 29.

[Sudi Green]

Sickening, realize, imperfect and cultivated.

[Alison Williams]

Unbelievable. I. I met her. And was Meredith Mark's level of incapable of behavior?

[Sudi Green]

Did we say that on the mic yet?

[Alison Williams]

Oh, I don't.

[Sudi Green]

We did.

[Eugene Cordero]

We did.

[Sudi Green]

So you will premiere Mega 2.0. Meredith Marx is there.

[Alison Williams]

You were like, with Chloe.

[Bowen Yang]

I was.

[Alison Williams]

I was Julie Andrews level of incapable of handling it. Julie Andrews I met at a PBS event like 10 years ago, which was perfect. I was like, we're supporting the arts and public television and you're here. And I just was like, I don't matter. I had this urge to be like, you're why I do what I do. But then I was like, she doesn't know what I do. She also doesn't know if it's good. So I'm going up to her and being like. For all she knows, I'm like a terrible, non. Just bad actress. And I'm like, you are the reason. But I was like, I need to tell you this and I don't expect anything from you because you don't know me from anyone. But I just. You've inspired me, like, to an amount that I can't possibly express. So she's like, that was. She was my culture for a really long time. Alongside Joan Rivers on Sesame Street.

[Sudi Green]

Come on, Miss Piggy. Right.

[Alison Williams]

No, no, no.

[Sudi Green]

Oh, wait, that was the Muppets. But Sesame street is a different.

[Alison Williams]

She did. She did a hello Dolly sketch, but with the S was the letter of the. The day. And I think I'm getting this right. I. Yes. And it was like, I fact check this or not. I mean, whatever. It's in the podcast, but it is some combination of Joan Rivers and Sesame street and Sally to the tune of hello Dolly. I think this is all right. Formative. I was like, she's sexy, she's funny, she's like so sharp. I'm so relieved that I don't have to be judged by her like on a day to day. But I also miss her.

[Eugene Cordero]

I know I would love to.

[Sudi Green]

I wonder what.

[Alison Williams]

I don't know.

[Sudi Green]

Nowadays. It would have been like, I wonder what Joan Rivers commentary would have been.

[Alison Williams]

I don't know how. How I would feel. Yeah, I don't know how it would all go down. We've done a lot of growing as a culture that I think she was maybe committed to. Not.

[Sudi Green]

All I know is she definitely was a Trump 1.0 fan.

[Eugene Cordero]

Cause of Apprentice. Yeah.

[Sudi Green]

Yes, yes.

[Alison Williams]

Totally, totally. That's right. Okay, moving on from Joan Rivers and Salespeace. I'm taking a hard 90 degree turn. Come on, Star Wars.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah, let's go.

[Alison Williams]

Very important. Harrison Ford was my first love. And I don't say that lightly. Christopher Flemmer was close, but he was still like a dad I still like the most. Yeah, he was like, stern and like.

[Sudi Green]

You know, activating different synapses.

[Alison Williams]

Harrison Ford activated other synapses. I fell in love with him in a way that I was like, this is a taint. I can do this. Third grade, they re released Star wars in theater. And I was like, this man is the most beautiful man I've ever seen.

[Sudi Green]

He really is an overwhelming movie star. Like, we were just in Disneyland in Paris, and there's like an Indiana Jones section and I was looking at him and I was thinking, like, I wasn't ready, like when I was a kid to like confront this. Cause you know how you have those formative memories of like seeing someone and you're like, uh. Like, he is like a manly type of sexuality. You could just have to just take over the leather. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Alison Williams]

He's so powerful. He's a carpenter. I'm the fuck. He was like, I'm here because I'm like, I didn't have a table to build.

[Sudi Green]

I don't have to be doing movies.

[Alison Williams]

He's like, I've got a huge horizontal scar on my chin. I don't care.

[Sudi Green]

John Wayne vibes.

[Alison Williams]

He just kill it and I don't care.

[Sudi Green]

Truly, like unbothered.

[Eugene Cordero]

Eve Babbitt's writing about meeting him before acting. It's like, oh, that guy is just world endingly beautiful and talented.

[Alison Williams]

Oh, my God. I just couldn't handle it. And so I felt very activated by Han Solo as a. And I feel like it. I kind of absorbed Han Solo energy more than Princess Leia, which separated me from my peers. I feel like I wanted to be a kind of misanthropic alpha man. And it has kind of like the Lydia Tar in me, which, by the way, this is sort of an homage. I feel like she would own this sort of my little, like, you know, as the queen. As the, like the queen of the podcast. Lydia Tarr, the queen of the podcast, for sure. She looms large, personally. She's in Megan's four Top four letterbox.

[Sudi Green]

I saw that.

[Alison Williams]

Oh, my bad. I didn't get out in it.

[Eugene Cordero]

She goes like the girl who plays, you know, which is like, she's fine, but whatever, perfect.

[Alison Williams]

I'm just. She owns me. So, yeah, Star wars felt like I was like, this is culture. This is important. I need to have, like, an encyclopedic knowledge of this movie. And then immediately when they started making more than the first three, I was like, I'm out. I can't do this. But the first three. Three are like, that was.

[Sudi Green]

No, the first three are just like that. Really? That's a culture that made me say culture for me.

[Alison Williams]

Yeah. Because it also was my introduction to nerd culture, and it was kind of simultaneous with Nintendo 64. So I was like, is this my identity? Like, am I? But it was so user friendly. And then when everyone, like, went gamer, I was like, I guess I'm not like, I bid you.

[Sudi Green]

I had to. I had to.

[Alison Williams]

I know you guys are back.

[Eugene Cordero]

No, but you. You guys are diverging on the same path. I went another way. Y' all went.

[Alison Williams]

And I told you.

[Sudi Green]

Because when I could hold.

[Alison Williams]

Yeah. Mario Kart, I'm like, this is accessible.

[Sudi Green]

Like the N64 controller with the three prong. And you could hold both. Like, I knew how to hold that. I don't know how to hold this. There's two.

[Eugene Cordero]

There's two. Now there's two prongs.

[Alison Williams]

I found out about the rerelease from this podcast. Did you? Actually, yes. They're making another one.

[Sudi Green]

He'll break news in video games and I'll break news in theme parks.

[Eugene Cordero]

Yeah.

[Sudi Green]

So, by the way, there's new permitting anyway in Epic Universe, this is our.

[Alison Williams]

Biggest divergence as people.

[Sudi Green]

So you don't delete.

[Alison Williams]

I can't do it.

[Sudi Green]

You can't do it. Overwhelming.

[Eugene Cordero]

What about the family?

[Alison Williams]

Terrified. Terrified.

[Sudi Green]

Oh. Terrified of rides.

[Alison Williams]

Rides, theme parks, people. I just. I just.

[Eugene Cordero]

Your son. What about your son?

[Alison Williams]

I will do it for. I'll do anything for him. I mean, I let someone cut me open to bring him into the world. He bring out my C section twice in the same way.

[Eugene Cordero]

I love it.

[Alison Williams]

It's fine.

[Eugene Cordero]

Talk about it.

[Alison Williams]

It happened. It fucking sucked. But it. Best thing in the world. But anyway, I will do it. I'll do it for him, but I will. It's not like I'm gonna be, like, excited and taking him.

[Sudi Green]

I'll be like, yeah, you're gonna be the one kicking and screaming, probably.

[Alison Williams]

I'm gonna be grumpy and hot. Like, just go.

[Sudi Green]

Go. In February. I'm, of course, thinking, you'll go to Orlando.

[Alison Williams]

Go to Orlando is a sentence no one's ever said to me in my life.

[Sudi Green]

Honestly, how chic. How she to be able to say that about yourself, that no one would say that. All they've ever told me is, you're in Orlando most of the year.

[Alison Williams]

No, but it's also part of the same thing where people would never be like, have you gone to Coachella? No one has ever been like, are you a burner? Have you ever been a burning man? They're like, you need a bathroom that has a sanitary. A moist toilet. Toilet. Why can't I say that word? I'm too tired. That's ready to wipe your seat down. Like, you can't. You need money to be part of something. You can't be in a barter economy. Like, they're just like, you don't belong in these. So it's the same part as, like, you don't belong at. You don't. I will go like, Megan is there. I will support my girl. Like, I'll support my actual son, like, anytime. I'll support you if you're like, I need you to be there. I will go there for you because.

[Sudi Green]

Did they do a Megan haunted house?

[Alison Williams]

They did. She was part of Halloween. She has never. Her own house.

[Sudi Green]

Wow.

[Alison Williams]

But, yeah, she's part of it. They dance.

[Sudi Green]

Oh, they need her. They need to get her own house.

[Eugene Cordero]

Okay. I tell you, there are sanitizing towelettes or, you know, Burning Man.

[Sudi Green]

Not at Burning man in Orlando.

[Alison Williams]

You're like, we're going back to the first thing. They're absolutely not at Burning Man.

[Sudi Green]

There's no way what experience you'd enjoy.

[Alison Williams]

There at Burning man in Orlando. Why am I so stuck on Burning Man? I'm like, do I want anyone to Burning Man.

[Sudi Green]

Okay. Is it a thing where it's like, do you judge yourself for not being, like, a burner type?

[Alison Williams]

I used to. I wanted to project. I know we have this vibe. I wanted to project an energy of, like, I might, but I. In the last couple years, I'm like, I'm never. I wouldn't like it. Why do I want to pretend to be someone who would enjoy it?

[Eugene Cordero]

Totally. Okay.

[Sudi Green]

Okay.

[Alison Williams]

My last culture. Yes. I feel like I can't. I don't know if you guys have talked about this. It's so specific. I'm looking at you because it feels more likely.

[Sudi Green]

Let's go.

[Alison Williams]

The Rapunzel episode of Storytime Theater with Shelley Duvall, who needed radishes.

[Sudi Green]

No. Okay. I don't know this.

[Alison Williams]

With pregnancy cravings.

[Sudi Green]

I'm a Shelley Duvall girl.

[Eugene Cordero]

But, like, I'm in the Marriage Hill Theater.

[Alison Williams]

Fairy tale theater. I said Storytime. It is huge. It was. I think it's what allows me to make M3gan movies. Honestly.

[Eugene Cordero]

Explain.

[Alison Williams]

It is camp.

[Eugene Cordero]

Yes.

[Alison Williams]

It's high camp, but not education. It's not Sesame street camp. Can we call Sesame Street Camp? I don't know. It's not that. It is.

[Sudi Green]

I think it is educational.

[Alison Williams]

It's like Shelley Duvall. Yeah.

[Sudi Green]

100% right there.

[Alison Williams]

Full expression. Shelley Duvall. Full eye aperture.

[Sudi Green]

Like, a full eye aperture. Full.

[Eugene Cordero]

Like giant wig sitting on a cliff while the wind blows.

[Alison Williams]

Big sets.

[Eugene Cordero]

Big sets.

[Sudi Green]

And you mean, like, it's how, you know, to eliminate the checkpoints. To, like, get in there with Megan, look her in the eyes and do a scene.

[Alison Williams]

Like, tear up in a scene with her. Like, play the stakes.

[Eugene Cordero]

Yes.

[Alison Williams]

Don't wink at the camera. Don't be. Don't be cool, girl now.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah.

[Alison Williams]

You can be. You can be in on it in prep. Like, for all the script drafts in post, for all the editing, everything when I am there. And even, like, in Video Village. Before I step into set, like in that mode, when I walk into those scenes with Megan and she's telling me some shit and I'm emotional. You just have to.

[Sudi Green]

Cool Girl Award.

[Matt Rogers]

That's Cool Girl Award.

[Alison Williams]

That's what I'm telling you. I feel that.

[Sudi Green]

Yes, of course you do.

[Alison Williams]

You must. Otherwise, it's not fun for anyone to watch. We are all committed to the bit. Deeply, deeply, deeply.

[Sudi Green]

Yeah.

[Eugene Cordero]

Is Jenna on set reading the lines?

[Alison Williams]

No, sadly. She does it in a bo. All good.

[Eugene Cordero]

No problem.

[Sudi Green]

That's okay.

[Alison Williams]

You're 33. That's okay. No problem, Jenna.

[Eugene Cordero]

You're not disappointing me.

[Alison Williams]

You're okay. That's okay. That's okay. We're fine. I'm okay. Are you okay?

[Eugene Cordero]

Yeah, yeah.

[Alison Williams]

I'm okay that Jenna's not there. Are you guys okay?

[Sudi Green]

I just recently.

[Eugene Cordero]

She's amazing, by the way.

[Alison Williams]

She's amazing. I saw her last. I saw all of them last night. It was so fun. I love her.

[Sudi Green]

Who else showed up to the Megan 2.2?

[Alison Williams]

We all did. And we are so close as a cast.

[Eugene Cordero]

Aristotle.

[Alison Williams]

Aristotle. The other.

[Eugene Cordero]

The other Ari.

[Alison Williams]

Yes, Aristotle. Bja.

[Eugene Cordero]

Bja.

[Alison Williams]

Amy, who is the physical who was great on your show? Amy's the physical performer of. Megan was there looking. They are growing up so fast. I sound so old. But Violet and Amy. Violet plays Katie, my niece. She was there. Tim Sharp and Ivana Sakno, who you know because you've seen, plays Amelia, was there and everyone. I mean, it was just. And Jen Van Epps, who plays Tess. I mean, it was so close. And Meredith Marks, who's there without being in the movie. She's in the movie just in the way she influences me as a human being, 100%. Anyway, that was when she. That was my last culture.

[Sudi Green]

Oh, my God.

[Eugene Cordero]

What's the through line? Mary Poppins, Sound of Music, Joan Rivers on Sesame Street, Star wars and Rapunzel. Talk about the specific Rapunzel radishes episode.

[Alison Williams]

I think it was sticky because I'd never seen anyone want radishes and consume them in the way that she does. So she's having pregnancy cravings and needs them transported to her. And the part of it, that sense memory ish is watching someone eat radishes. And the delta between my level of enjoyment when I eventually got my hands on a radish and what the look on Shelley Duvall's face, like, radicalized. Radishalized. Radishicalized. Radishicalized. Me.

[Sudi Green]

Radishcalized.

[Alison Williams]

And I was like. I just really. I Like, I don't know, it just crystallized. This thing of like, this isn't objectively. This shouldn't be eaten this way. And she's not. It's not real. But she made it feel real.

[Sudi Green]

Shakespeare.

[Alison Williams]

Exactly.

[Sudi Green]

Because she was committed to the bit.

[Alison Williams]

Exactly. And I was like, that is cool to your guys point. I was like, this is. She's being cool. And I'm like, really enjoying. I'm in it and outside of it at the same time. It was one of my first experiences.

[Eugene Cordero]

That I think fabulous constellation of answers. Thank you for that.

[Alison Williams]

Thank you for giving me an opportunity to think about.

[Matt Rogers]

Spam calls. Sound familiar? Introducing line two. Get a second phone number right on your existing phone. Imagine discounts, appointments online, forms. Handle it all without giving out your page personal number. It's like having a secret weapon against spam. And when those unwanted calls sneak through, boom, blocked. No more interruptions, no more stress. Stay connected, stay protected. Keep your main number safe and out of harm's way. Ready to take back your phone? Visit line2.com audio or download line2 in the app Store today.

[Bowen Yang]

Maybe you've heard that Stonewall was a riot where queer people fought back against. Against police. Or that it's the reason pride is celebrated this time of year.

[Alison Williams]

It was one of the most liberating things that I have ever done.

[Bowen Yang]

But did you know that before it went down in history, the Stonewall was a queer hangout run by the mafia.

[Sudi Green]

The voguing at Stonewall was unbelievable.

[Bowen Yang]

In the summer of 1969, it became the site that set off the modern movement for LGBTQ rights.

[Alison Williams]

Start banging on the door of the Stonewall like one.

[Eugene Cordero]

Boom, boom, boom.

[Bowen Yang]

Legend says Marsha P. Johnson, a mother in the fight for trans rights, threw the very first brick. She was really, like, scrubbed out of that history. This week on Afterlives, we'll separate the truth from the myth in the life of Marsha P. Johnson. Listen to afterlives on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or. Or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Alison Williams]

So what happened to Chappaquiddick? Well, it really depends on who you talk to.

[Matt Rogers]

There are many versions of what happened in 1969 when a young Ted Kennedy drove a car into a pond and.

[Bowen Yang]

Left a woman behind to drown.

[Alison Williams]

There's a famous headline, I think, in the New York Daily News.

[Bowen Yang]

It's teddy Escapes blonde Drowns.

[Alison Williams]

And in a strange way, right, that sort of tells you the story really became about Ted's political future, Ted's political hopes.

[Sudi Green]

Will Ted become president Kappaquiddick is a.

[Matt Rogers]

Story of a tragic death and how the Kennedy machine took control.

[Bowen Yang]

And he's not the only Kennedy to survive a scandal.

[Matt Rogers]

The Kennedys have lived through disgrace, affairs, violence, you name it.

[Eugene Cordero]

So is there a curse?

[Matt Rogers]

Every week we go behind the headlines and beyond the drama of America's royal family.

[Bowen Yang]

Listen to United States of Kennedy on the iHeartRadio app at Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Joseph Reeves]

Show me how good it can get today, God, and show the rest of the world what we already know it can't get. No better than being hella black, hella queer, and hella Christian. My name is Joseph Rees. I am the creator and host of Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian, a fully black, fully queer, fully human, fully divine podcast that explores society, culture, and the intersections of faith and identity. Listen to hella Black, hella Queer, Hella Christian to hear conversations about what it means to sound the way you look.

[Eugene Cordero]

I think what I've had to make peace with is that every iteration of my voice is given to me by God, and I love it.

[Joseph Reeves]

Books that validated our identity.

[Eugene Cordero]

The library now for me is a safe space as someone who is writing books that they're trying to take on.

[Joseph Reeves]

And how we as black queer folks relate to our Christianity. Listen to hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Eugene Cordero]

Okay, we gotta get you out. Let's do. I don't think so, honey.

[Sudi Green]

We gotta do. I don't think so, honey. So this is the 60 second segment that did you. Wait, what did you just show me on your phone? I think they texting you.

[Eugene Cordero]

Oh, okay. Well, we got.

[Sudi Green]

We got. Okay, good.

[Alison Williams]

We have to do what we have to do. We have to do.

[Sudi Green]

We got to do. Okay, so this is the 62nd segment we have on this podcast. Each and every week, we rant against something in culture. I do have something that felt appropo.

[Eugene Cordero]

Okay, here we go. This is Matt Rogers. I don't think it's funny. As time starts now.

[Sudi Green]

I don't think so, honey. Use of the term millennial as a slur nowadays. You know what, Gen Z, I have news for you. You're getting older every single second. And I have to tell you something. When you get to the point where you're our age, you're. You're gonna look back, you look stupid. Like the way that you guys dress, you look so stupid. I understand that we looked stupid. We did like the, you know, the Low rise, the V necks. Like, I wore American Apparel. Like, it was like I worked there and I probably tried, you know what I mean? But, like, I can own my cringe. And I hope you get there because you look so stupid. Also, you're all queer.

[Matt Rogers]

Cool.

[Sudi Green]

At least we fuck. You're not even fucking.

[Bowen Yang]

You're queer.

[Alison Williams]

You wanna fuck everybody.

[Sudi Green]

You're not even using it. You're not even using, using it. You guys don't vote.

[Eugene Cordero]

At least we vote.

[Sudi Green]

Here's the thing. Like, we're out here trying really hard, and I get that it's cringe, but use of the term cringe and millennial as a slur, it's, like, so boring. And I'll tell you what's worse than cringe. Being boring. I don't think so, honey. Use of millennial as a slur, please. Like us.

[Eugene Cordero]

One minute. Beautiful, artful.

[Alison Williams]

A masterclass.

[Sudi Green]

I tried, and that was very millennial of me.

[Eugene Cordero]

Twink intermediate had Bring this out.

[Sudi Green]

No, it did.

[Alison Williams]

It was. Yeah, it was. It was like.

[Sudi Green]

It was a mixture. So it was like last night, like, me being like, oh, 30 plus thing. That definitely shook me. And again, they meant nothing by it. But also Marnie Michaels as millennial icon and girls as Millennial landmark show. And I think that's part of the reason why I'm so like. I think it's why it's hitting again is because people now have aged into like a. Not a self consciousness, but a self awareness where we can all really laugh and we're all laughing at ourselves. So Gen Z being like, er, the millennial pause, like, and getting us self conscious, it's like, no, no, no, we don't need that. We are self aware. We're millennials. It's okay.

[Alison Williams]

We have suffered through being alive.

[Sudi Green]

We have.

[Eugene Cordero]

Yes. The amount of times I've seen and I don't know, it's because my phone knows that we're talking to you, but it's like that we were about to talk to you. But all the past week it was just like, let's make fun of the girl, put herself out there. It's like that's been resurfacing in such a huge way because of this thing where we're all like, okay, I think we're cresting the hill. Like, let's just move past.

[Sudi Green]

And another thing is, like, on TikTok, it's like, ugh, the millennial pause. Like, we did a TikTok the other day.

[Alison Williams]

Cut.

[Sudi Green]

The millennial pause.

[Eugene Cordero]

Like, it's like. It's like A video where it's like, hey, guys, you know, it's like, yeah, you gotta turn that.

[Alison Williams]

Because our phones have too many photos on them and they're just like, slow. And we assume that it takes a second to start.

[Eugene Cordero]

It's that you hit. It's that a millennial person will hit record. And then it takes them a second to realize that.

[Sudi Green]

That it's filming. And so now I go, and Gen.

[Eugene Cordero]

Z always skim that off.

[Sudi Green]

But the thing is, that is so stupid as a thing to pick on. And then I can't help but feel that in years time it's gonna be dumber that people were like, ugh, the millennial pause than the millennial pause being a thing. Like, I think you guys in the grander scheme here are being uncool. I think it's less cool to call out the millennial pause and than like to have it.

[Eugene Cordero]

Sure. All right.

[Sudi Green]

This is Bowen Yang's. I don't think so, honey. His time starts now.

[Eugene Cordero]

I don't think so, honey. Idioms. I'm just saying, in every language, it is linguistic gatekeeping. It's. Unless you're a native speaker, you will spend the rest of your life trying to learn a French idiom, a Mandarin idiom. I don't know, like, I don't know these things. Even though I supposedly, like, spoke the languages at one point. English idioms. Let's just go through a couple. Raining cats and dogs.

[Alison Williams]

Yeah.

[Eugene Cordero]

What the fuck?

[Sudi Green]

I don't get that.

[Eugene Cordero]

What are you talking about?

[Alison Williams]

That's a great question.

[Eugene Cordero]

Just say it's raining very hard. It's coming down out there.

[Sudi Green]

Well, that.

[Eugene Cordero]

Actually, that doesn't quite back off, that one.

[Sudi Green]

Figurative language.

[Eugene Cordero]

I'm just gonna say figurative language.

[Sudi Green]

Beautiful.

[Eugene Cordero]

Has a place in our culture. Idioms are this thing where it's like. It's poetry trying to disguise itself as colloquial shit. And it's. No, no, no, no, no, no. Let's just. I'm being a literalist. For the rest of my life. I cannot speak in these metaphorical, figurative things. Idioms. I don't think so, honey.

[Sudi Green]

And that's one minute.

[Alison Williams]

Wow.

[Sudi Green]

See, this, I feel like, is one of the great AP Comp. Like.

[Alison Williams]

Yes, I wanted to talk to you about French. We'll sidebar about it.

[Eugene Cordero]

We'll talk about French.

[Alison Williams]

Your French is great.

[Eugene Cordero]

No.

[Sudi Green]

First language.

[Eugene Cordero]

No, no, no.

[Alison Williams]

I can hear it even in a goddamn.

[Sudi Green]

To have in France.

[Alison Williams]

Yes. In a casual where. Anyway, we'll talk about it off my.

[Eugene Cordero]

Excellent. Okay, okay.

[Alison Williams]

But yes, you are absolutely Right?

[Eugene Cordero]

Yes.

[Alison Williams]

And the videos I love the most of other cultures are the ones where they say their idioms out loud in English so we can hear what they sound like in. And they're like. We know this is crazy. You'll never learn how to say this, but we say this to each other.

[Eugene Cordero]

All right.

[Sudi Green]

This is Alison Williams. I don't think so. Time starts now.

[Alison Williams]

Okay. Cilantro's got to go. I'm sorry. I can't anymore. I can't tell you to leave Slanter out as their slander in this. Are we calling it coriander? I just can't. And this is it. It has to. I'm done. I'm sorry. Loud places. Why? I can't be in a loud place? No, I can't be in a loud place. I can't be in a loud restaurant. I have an app that tests decibels. I know the decibel level of New York City restaurants. I will not go if it is too loud. What's the point? Close talking because of loud places.

[Sudi Green]

Do.

[Alison Williams]

I don't want to smell your breath. I don't want to feel it on my body. I don't want to get hors d' oeuvre on my face. Get back up. Do not talk to me too close. People who like fish and eggs and eat them in the world with the rest of us. Stop. Keep your disgusting food kink like cilantro to yourself. I don't want to be in the same room. Is an egg based product or a fish product. Keep it somewhere else.

[Sudi Green]

15 seconds.

[Alison Williams]

Lack of monoculture we already talked about. The last one is I actually do need sleep. But I identify as someone who doesn't. And I hate it. I loved that I was a four hours a night person in high school and college. I miss her terribly. She is gone. I need eight. I need to accept this. And I don't want to. So I don't think so. Honey needing sleep.

[Sudi Green]

And that's one minute. And she used to be mine.

[Alison Williams]

That song. Don't hear it.

[Sudi Green]

We go off for another hour.

[Eugene Cordero]

We need to hear you at some point in the future because she has to go. Megan 2.0. It's in theaters June 27th. Go see it. It's so fucking good. The moment is. I can't spoil it. I wanted to say it.

[Alison Williams]

I wanted to say it.

[Eugene Cordero]

The singer.

[Alison Williams]

But yeah, it is.

[Eugene Cordero]

It'll be such a delightful surprise to you.

[Alison Williams]

Expose the theater.

[Eugene Cordero]

It. Expose the theater.

[Sudi Green]

You were here. Thank you so much for coming.

[Alison Williams]

Thank you so much. Love you. Both. I feel confident dropping that hard l love you. Thank you for the hours and hour days cumulatively months of entertainment. No Corona. Thank you for for like just everything and thank you for recognizing me as cool low key before I did so.

[Sudi Green]

Great and you've RSVP'd yes and we.

[Eugene Cordero]

Appreciate it and IRSVPs as well.

[Sudi Green]

Love you and we have every episode of the song Woo. That was like sort of a coup of a defying gravity. Bye.

[Eugene Cordero]

Las Colgaris is a Production by Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and iHeartRadio podcasts.

[Sudi Green]

Created and hosted by Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, executive produced by Anna Hosnier.

[Eugene Cordero]

And produced by by Becca Ramos, edited and mixed by Doug Baim and Monique.

[Sudi Green]

Laborde and our music is by Henry Kabirsky.

[Matt Rogers]

Let's talk photos. Not just storing them, showcasing them. You've got images that matter. Whether you're a photographer, a business updating your followers, or just someone who wants to share life's moments the right way. So why hand them over to Big Tech's one size fits all cloud? Big tech companies are the fast food photo sharing. Quick, easy, but not exactly gourmet. And what about your data integrity? Jalbum.net is the photo sharing solution that puts you in control. Want to host images on your own server? You can want a layout that actually reflects your brand or style. Jalbum's customizability is unmatched. And if you're a business sharing regular photo updates with your audience, this tool was built with you in mind. But don't just take our word for it. Over 230 million web pages have been created with Jalbum, and it's got stellar reviews on Trustpilot to prove it. So head to jalbum.net to download your free software and try it out. When you're ready to upgrade, use the code podcast for 20% off. Your photos, your layout, your rules.

[Bowen Yang]

Jalbum.net maybe you've heard that Stonewall was a riot, where queer people fought back against police. Or that it's the reason pride is celebrated this time of year.

[Matt Rogers]

It was one of the most liberating.

[Alison Williams]

Things that I have ever done.

[Bowen Yang]

Legend says Marsha P. Johnson threw the very first brick.

[Alison Williams]

Start banging on the door of the Stonewall like one. Boom.

[Bowen Yang]

This week on Afterlives, we'll separate the truth from the myth in the life of Marsha P. Johnson. Listen to afterlives on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Alison Williams]

This is an iHeart podcast.