Let's Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa

Episode: Rachel Fleit: Going Greek with BAMA RUSH
Release Date: November 19, 2025
Guest: Rachel Fleit (Documentary Filmmaker)
Main Topic: Sorority culture, the making of Bama Rush, and the nuanced experiences of young women navigating community, belonging, and economic challenges in America

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Kelly Ripa welcomes documentary filmmaker Rachel Fleit to explore the phenomenon of Bama Rush, the viral sensation around University of Alabama sorority recruitment, and Fleit’s process and perspective as a storyteller. The conversation delves into Fleit's experiences with resistance from the Greek system, the pressures and rewards of telling diverse women’s stories, and her latest documentary, Sugar Babies, which investigates the world of young women supporting themselves through online “sugar baby” work in small-town Louisiana.

The episode is punctuated with candid humor, personal reflections, and a raw look at what it means to seek connection, purpose, and power—especially for young women in today’s America.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Naming Their Recording Space—Podcast Banter (02:14–03:40)

• Kelly, Jan, and Albert riff about naming their podcast studio, considering names like "Club Fiona," "The Crib," and "Antique Shit Show".
• Kelly jokes about every possible podcast name already being taken, poking fun at the podcasting boom.

Memorable Moment

"Every podcast name is taken because everybody has a podcast."
— Kelly Ripa (03:32)

2. Introducing Rachel Fleit: Filmmaker and Storyteller (04:01–07:56)

• Kelly gives a loving introduction, praising Rachel’s authenticity as an artist.
• The group discusses the idea of a podcast segment focused on “what did you eat for dinner?” exploring how food talk connects people and communities (ties into Rachel’s upbringing).

Notable Quote

“I love hearing what people had for dinner. I want to know in detail.”
— Rachel Fleit (05:00)

• A humorous aside about making food-themed programming more entertaining: “There needs to be more meat” (06:05).

3. Telling Women’s Stories: Identity, Difference, and Documentary Approach (07:57–13:25)

• Rachel discusses how her lifelong experience with alopecia—and thus being visibly different—shaped her curiosity and approach to storytelling. This “outsider” perspective made her an observer, fascinated by what it means to belong to womanhood and girlhood in America.
• Her fascination with “blending in” and the deeper truths behind social media personas is a throughline in her work, particularly in Bama Rush.

Key Reflection

“I was just fascinated by women. I didn’t feel like I belonged...my biggest shock, I think, once I started to feel like I was part of the club...was that we all contain multitudes.”
— Rachel Fleit (10:28)

• Kelly connects, sharing how her daughter got hooked on “Bama Rush TikTok” and how the film became must-watch viewing for her family.

4. The Rise of Bama Rush & Its Viral Impact (13:25–21:17)

• Rachel describes originally conceiving the sorority documentary idea in 2018 (inspired by Me Too) and then revisiting it after Bama Rush exploded on TikTok in 2021.
• The viral nature of the Alabama recruitment process made the story far more avant-garde and compelling than she anticipated.
• The panel discusses the cultural obsession with Greek life, with Jan sharing her own sorority experience and the rise of parents hiring "rush coaches" and even therapists for the process.

Memorable Discussion

"I think there is a loneliness epidemic, 100%...everything is digital, we’re talking to the robots at all times...”
— Rachel Fleit (23:10)

• Rachel frames sororities as fundamentally about the search for friendship and belonging.

Notable Quote

“At its core, it is a way for these young women to find friends…a place where you can go and you can feel like you belong—which I do believe is at the core of every human.”
— Rachel Fleit (23:28)

5. The Cost of Community & The Sorority System’s Exclusion (24:04–26:31)

• Kelly and Jan examine issues of class and exclusion, debating whether looks or money matter more in rush outcomes.
• Jan argues that at certain schools, Greek life is essential for social existence; at others, alternatives abound.

6. Making Bama Rush: System Pushback, Conspiracies, and Healing Through Criticism (28:29–36:36)

• Rachel recounts the severe pushback from the Greek system, including rumors and defensive tactics from sorority leadership, making access for filming very challenging.
• She suspects a coordinated campaign to shut down the documentary via rumors and internet hate, particularly after the film’s release.

Notable Exchange

“I do believe the Greek System did a bit of defense and, like, created a campaign of hate for the film because there was so much praise. And then there were some, like, mixed comments, DMs. They were so afraid, I think, so afraid. They didn’t want their thing to be taken. They didn’t want it to be the end of Greek life as we know it.”
— Rachel Fleit (32:28)

“But my spiritual experience…is, the haters said all the things I was afraid of hearing my whole life…But what happened was…I received these hate DMs alongside, like, thousands of love DMs and I survived those mean, nasty comments. And it was like, ‘Oh, they can’t hurt me.’”
— Rachel Fleit (33:14, 34:29)

• Rachel frames internet trolling as ultimately healing: "It fueled me…made me a more fearless filmmaker and artist because they already came for me so hard. I’m fine.” (34:32–34:49)

7. The Parallel Project: Sugar Babies—Economic Realities and Connection (36:36–51:13)

• Rachel shares how she found the subject of her new documentary* Sugar Babies* through TikTok—Autumn Johnson, who lost her scholarship and started making money online as a sugar baby to pay for college.
• The film contrasts with Bama Rush: it’s about poverty, community, and how young women in Louisiana use sugar babying (mostly texting, little or no in-person interaction) out of necessity, not luxury.
• Autumn taught dozens of other women to do the same, creating a support network.

Notable Quotes & Insights

“They had created an online sugar baby operation...They were, like, talking to men online...to buy lunch. Sometimes she was making like a thousand dollars a day.”
— Rachel Fleit (44:03–45:18)

“She’s like a bit of a Robin Hood. She would teach girls all over the world...how to make money online from talking and texting with men.”
— Rachel Fleit (45:23–46:25)

“They were striving for purpose. They were trying to make money and get power. But what they had in spades was connection and community.”
— Rachel Fleit (46:59)

• The system they exist in was described as not being “for them” (low minimum wage, poverty cycles, broader American neglect of working class/poor communities).

Socio-Economic Commentary

“It’s really at the end of the day about being seen, feeling like you matter, feeling like you’re worth something...what does it mean to be a young person in America...but you’re really poor.”
— Rachel Fleit (48:30–49:10)

Noteworthy Timestamps

• Rachel’s “What Did You Eat” Pitch: (05:00–06:48)
• Rachel on Growing Up Different & Blending in: (08:16–10:41)
• Documentary Inspiration from TikTok: (11:28–12:25)
• Sorority System Pushback & Rumors: (16:05–19:23)
• The Human Need for Community: (23:28–24:06)
• Rachel's Experience with Hate and Healing: (32:28–34:49)
• Introduction to Sugar Babies and Autumn Johnson: (38:14–44:03)
• Juxtaposing Bama Rush and Sugar Babies—Privilege vs. Poverty: (50:59–51:13)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

"My biggest shock, I think, once I started to feel like I was part of the club...was that, like, we all contain multitudes."
— Rachel Fleit (10:28)

“At its core, it is a way for these young women to find friends…a place where you can go and you can feel like you belong…”
— Rachel Fleit (23:28)

"You can just say whatever you want now. And it actually, I think, made me a more fearless filmmaker and artist because I was like, oh, they already came for me so hard. Yeah, I’m fine."
— Rachel Fleit (34:32–34:49)

"She’s like a bit of a Robin Hood. She would teach girls all over the world...how to make money online from talking and texting with men…”
— Rachel Fleit (45:23–46:25)

Episode Tone & Takeaways

Kelly Ripa’s conversational warmth shines alongside Rachel Fleit’s thoughtful candor. The discussion balances humor, empathy, and a sharp analysis of female identity, social class, and community in America. Fleit’s honesty about facing online backlash and her refusal to sensationalize—or drag—the women she documents stand out. Both Bama Rush and Sugar Babies ultimately are framed as stories of striving for belonging and dignity, against the complex backdrops of Southern Greek life and economic precarity.

Listeners are left with an appreciation for the hidden depths behind social media “characters,” a nuanced understanding of Greek life’s functions and flaws, and a reminder of the universal quest for visibility, community, and self-worth.