S2 Ep6

Summary

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Not All Hood (NAH) with Malcolm-Jamal Warner & Candace Kelley

Season 2, Episode 6 – September 4, 2025

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode features an intimate, candid conversation between co-hosts Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Candace Kelley (Candy), exploring personal growth, the evolving nature of identity, and the subtleties of Black experience in America. Instead of a guest or panel, the episode showcases their dynamic as friends and colleagues—reflecting on lessons from podcasting, technology's impact (specifically AI), cross-promotion, and the joy and necessity of embracing whimsy and lightness in Black life.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reflections on Podcasting and Vulnerability

• Malcolm admits initial discomfort with podcasting and public feedback.
  • “I was having some, some. But I think, I think I even talked about it though...having a podcast and posting segments...will still invite comments that aren't necessarily...positive.” (02:42)
• Both hosts underline the personal growth they've experienced through open discussion and learning to let go of “the need to be right.”
• Candy emphasizes the value in new perspectives:
  • “Even just our most recent recording—just opening up my eyes at this age, just thinking about things in a new way. And that's hard to do. Change is hard. Cuz guess what? We do like to be right in our own right.” (03:49)

2. Male–Female Perspectives and Relationship Dynamics

• Candy describes how working with Malcolm and the mostly male production team exposed her to new ways of seeing gender and relationships.
  • “Men and women are different...It really made a difference...in how men and women get down in 2024, 2025. It really does.” (05:34)
• She notes the importance of learning “the language” of sports and other male-centric topics for more effective communication in mixed-gender contexts.

3. AI and Writing: The Classroom and Beyond

• As a professor, Candy discusses how she discerns student writing from AI—citing lack of “emotion” and authenticity in AI-generated essays.
  • “AI—it doesn’t have emotion...the comparisons and the extent to which it writes is very limited.” (08:16)
• Malcolm:
  • “AI is not going to take your jobs. The people who know how to use AI. Yeah, that’s our job.” (10:29)
• Both agree technology is a tool, not a substitute for critical thinking, and express concern over its misuse—citing stories about students and even lawyers whose overreliance on AI led to embarrassing mistakes.
• Candy shares a story of a student who used AI tools to graduate but remained functionally illiterate, highlighting both the power and peril of assistive technology (13:24).

4. Practicing Self-Promotion & Multifaceted Black Identities

• Malcolm realizes he rarely self-promotes his musician, poet, or transformational coaching work on the podcast.
  • “It’s almost like I have tunnel vision as a podcast host...I don’t often talk about the other things that I do.” (18:28)
  • Shoutout: Biological Misfits, monthly jam session at Buteco, Atlanta (17:33)

5. Mental Health Tool: Smiling and Gratitude

• Both hosts circle back to a powerful, simple tool for shifting out of a low mood—smiling.
  • Notable Quote:
    • Malcolm (repeated at both beginning and later):
      • “You can’t feel bad and smile at the same time.” (01:35, 21:52)
  • Malcolm describes a technique learned from mentor Joseph:
    • “The uber quick way of getting out of any of those lower vibrational feelings is a trick...just the smile.” (21:07)
  • Candy connects smiling to learned happiness and physiological response:
    • "We have trained ourselves that we are happy when we smile, so that maybe the smile often triggers something." (21:57)
  • Malcolm brings in acting: breaking from emotional scenes requires a physiological reset, likening it to the power of smiling (23:24).

6. Embracing Whimsy: Challenging "Seriousness" in Black Life

• Candy chooses the character Tracey from "Chewing Gum" (by Michaela Coel) as her ideal fictional life swap—not for power or drama, but for “whimsy.”
  • “There are so many Black women who...would like to be outside picking dandelions today...But that’s never the story or the narrative that anybody has...In Chewing Gum, she has it—just so light and airy.” (30:14)
• Discussion around lack of whimsical Black representations in American media and the consequences of always being depicted as burdened.
• Malcolm and Candy encourage listeners (especially Black men) to intentionally practice whimsy—eat a cupcake in the park, blow bubbles, etc.
  • "We’re going to invite men, men of all nationalities to [be] whimsical. Go get yourself a cupcake and allow yourself space to be whimsical.” (35:32)

7. Real-Life Commitment to Change

• Malcolm pledges to get a cupcake, sit in the park, and record himself being whimsical for social media cross-promotion.
  • “I will go somewhere, get a cupcake...and be whimsical. I’m going to take a video of it and send it to you.” (36:10–36:23)

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Memorable Quotes

• Malcolm: “You can’t feel bad and smile at the same time.” (01:35, repeated at 21:52)
• Candy: “We have trained ourselves that we are happy when we smile, so that maybe the smile often triggers something.” (21:57)
• Malcolm: “AI is not going to take your jobs. The people who know how to use AI. Yeah, that’s our job.” (10:29)
• Candy: “There are so many Black women who...would like to be outside picking dandelions today...But that’s never the story or the narrative that anybody has.” (30:14)
• Malcolm: “We’re going to invite men, men of all nationalities to deep whimsical. Go get yourself a cupcake and allow yourself space to be whimsical.” (35:32)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:35] The power of smiling: Malcolm’s quick self-help approach
• [02:36–05:34] Honest reflections on starting the podcast and navigating vulnerability/public feedback
• [07:34–14:24] AI, student writing, and the challenges/future of technology in education
• [17:33–19:32] Malcolm’s artistic identities, jam sessions, and thoughts on self-promotion
• [21:07–24:27] Practical ways to break out of negative moods (smiling, gratitude, acting techniques)
• [27:02–33:03] The value of whimsy, TV characters, and media representation
• [33:46–36:09] Playful challenge to Black men (and all men) to practice lightness, with Malcolm accepting the cupcake-in-the-park ritual

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Overall Tone & Character

• Warm, honest, and filled with playful banter.
• Malcolm and Candy weave humor and depth—never shying away from vulnerability or cultural critique, but always pushing for growth, joy, and new narratives.
• The episode embodies the show's mission: reimagining Blackness with nuance, power, and exuberance.

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For Listeners

If you missed the episode, these themes and moments highlight why Not All Hood stands out: real talk on modern Black life, laughter in unexpected places, and reminders that no matter the struggle, moments of whimsy (and a simple smile) are both valid and revolutionary.

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Transcript

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[Malcolm]

Let me put on my serious voice. That's a great. What could you. What can I teach someone in five minutes?

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

Wow. What I can teach someone in less than five minutes is how to pull yourself out out of a low vibrational place. But the quickest tool to get yourself out of any kind of hump or dump is to smile.

[Candy]

Smile?

[Malcolm]

Yeah.

[Candy]

Okay.

[Malcolm]

Like you can't feel. You can't feel bad and smile at the same time.

[Candy]

Comrades, welcome to Not Not All Hood. This episode is just Malcolm and me. And I like it because when I listen to it, it feels like he's still here because we were always talking about social justice, about what we were binge watching. Did we wash dishes by hand or put them in the dishwasher? I mean, it wasn't always deep or profound. So this is just us talking. And in this episode you will hear a different side of Malcolm. Because here's the thing. I mean, we grew up with him on tv, but Malcolm spent most of his life as a grown ass man. So now a candid discussion with the man that we knew. Enjoy the conversation. So. So do you like this? Now remember, remember that third or fourth episode you were like, I got to be honest, I don't know if I like this podcast thing. I was like, well, is that something we want to be saying?

[Malcolm]

I mean, you did say that, but I was being honest. I was being honest.

[Candy]

No, that's true, that's true.

[Malcolm]

At the time it was. I was having some, some. But I think, I think I even talked about it though. I think that was me having to accept that having a podcast and posting segments of your podcast will still invite comments that aren't Necessarily not always positive comments. Cause that was after the video went viral. We're talking about the N word.

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

And somehow turned into me hating on J. Cole.

[Candy]

Right, Right. But that was more of a comment section thing. Right. Than the nature of a podcast thing. Yeah.

[Malcolm]

So I think at the time, I.

[Candy]

Was conflating the two.

[Malcolm]

Some of that experience. Some of that was filtered through the experience of dealing with the comment section crowd. And then also. But I talked about that. I also talked about, you know, the need to be right and doing the podcast. Having to let go of that need to be right. And remembering that our podcast is not to change minds, but to get conversations going.

[Candy]

Yeah. Yeah. And to present new ideas, open up some doors, which is what I can say I've found in doing this. Even just our most recent recording. Just opening up my eyes at this age, just thinking about things in a new way. And that's hard to do. Change is hard. Because guess what? We do like to be right in our own right. I know. I do. And if you're telling me something new, you have to question everything you've been doing. That's tough. But there've been some really great lessons. Great people, great interaction. So I understand.

[Malcolm]

Yeah. I definitely think in the year that we've been doing this, there's been a lot to learn just about the nature of producing a podcast.

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

But it's also been. It's also been fun.

[Candy]

Yeah, it has. It has. That wasn't even one of my questions. I mean, it really. But just. Yeah, it's just like. Oh, yeah.

[Malcolm]

So, yes, I am. Despite some stressful moments here and there in the process or the sausage making of the podcast.

[Candy]

Right.

[Malcolm]

Despite those stressful moments, at times, I've definitely been having fun.

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

And not to blow smoke, but I've been having fun doing this with you.

[Candy]

Oh, why, thank you. No, it's been. It's been good. I was just. I was just telling you and the producers I did not grow up with brothers, but if I had, I would imagine that the talk and the banter that I hear y' all do would. Would kind of be like this. You know, sometimes I want to just take notes, like, is that what y' all be thinking? Okay. Like. But, you know, I take it in because it's new. Men and women are different.

[Malcolm]

Yeah.

[Candy]

And. And hearing perspective. You know, you mentioned how you might ask a friend who's a woman. Let me ask you your perspective on this, because you're a man. It has really made a difference about. Ah, okay. This is Kind of the nature of the relationships and how men and women get down and flow in. In 2024, in 2025, it. It makes a difference. It really does.

[Malcolm]

And if. And so you're saying, like, if. If you had grown up.

[Candy]

Oh, if I had grown up, I would have been much smarter in my relationships. And I just. I don't mean even just loving relationships in terms of boyfriend, girlfriend, just relationships with the opposite sex. You know, listen, even now, this is why I'm trying to delve in and learn about sports. This is the first year that I said sports. Let me watch this draft. And honestly, it took everything out of me because that is not my wheelhouse. But I know that that is the language of a lot of men. A lot of women, too, don't get me wrong. But a lot of men. And if you want to be a part of the conversation, whether people are talking in sports analogies, or whether you want to make a point and get something across, you need that language. You need that language. Yeah. Yeah.

[Malcolm]

I think what's funny is I think one of the things that I really do enjoy is even when the cameras are off.

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

Like, we still do this.

[Candy]

Yeah, we do.

[Malcolm]

It's like we do this, but we do it with Troy and Lane, our producers.

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

But this is the. Being on camera or even recording. Recording. The actual podcast between us or even us and guests is truly an extension of. Of how we all get down together anyway.

[Candy]

It is. It really is. I mean, maybe with a little more, you know, refinement on camera, but. Yes. We're always going in the same direction. Yes. Yes.

[Malcolm]

All right, so I've got a. I have a really interesting question.

[Candy]

Oh, gosh.

[Malcolm]

Because you're a professor.

[Candy]

Okay.

[Malcolm]

Right. And we've got all the, you know, the AI and the chat GPT.

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

And you, you know, oftentimes you talk. You know, being able to know when students are not writing their essays and they're using AI or ChatGPT. How do you know that.

[Candy]

That is? Well, there are two ways. One, I might have someone who might be in a different class who's writing in real time. And then online, they write totally different. That's one way to clearly write. So they're writing right there, and they're typing. I'm looking over their shoulder. I'm like, oh, that looks. And then I have them for that same person for an online class, and they all of a sudden might like the New York Times. So that's one. But the other way is that AI because it doesn't have emotion, though we might get there. But because it doesn't have emotion and because it doesn't have an emotional context and references that you might pull and it doesn't have a life. Right. The comparisons and the extent to which it writes is very limited. So that you might open up with a quote from Audre Lorde and then you might kind of begin an essay like that and weave your life through it. And why Audre Lorde and her poem was, you know, spoke to you in all these things. AI would never do that unless you prompted it to. And even then it sounds mechanical. It would say something as opposed to saying. As opposed to saying, you know, and this is. And this is how I really. This is how I believe it affected my life and how it changed the course of it to be, you know, the man that I am today. It would say something like. Words and poems often give us a way to reflect life in a. I mean, you know, it's just. It's just too constructed and it doesn't have any feeling behind it. I'm also there, and I just learned this the other day. It uses a lot of dashes and. And words. Oh, I used to know the words. But it uses words like. You will see that it sounds redundant. And it's often just kind of reshaped in a different way from maybe the first paragraph to the sixth paragraph. It might even have some of the same lines. Cause it's just pulling from the computer. It sounds like a robot, which it is because it doesn't have feelings. And since it doesn't emote. And a lot of good writing has to do with emotion. It lacks that.

[Malcolm]

Yeah, yeah, got it.

[Candy]

Yeah, yeah, definitely.

[Malcolm]

There's a shout out to my homegirl, Alquincia, on. On ig. She's a conundrum.

[Candy]

Oh, okay.

[Malcolm]

And she always talks about how people get concerned about A.I. you know, A.I. is going to take our jobs. And she's like, no, AI is not going to take your jobs. The people who know how to use AI. Yeah, that's our job.

[Candy]

That's right.

[Malcolm]

Because a lot of times people use AI or CHAT GPT, like, as the answer as opposed to the tool.

[Candy]

Exactly. It replaces critical thinking. That's ultimately what it does. You can have a really great prompt in ChatGPT, but since you don't have to think about anything else and it spits it out, you can start reordering words. And they have services now that make your chatgpt paper undetectable. So then there are all these lists. If there's something out there that technologically is happening. Someone is always working immediately on the other side to dismantle or disrupt it. That's just the way business is. That's how businesses are born. So that, you know, if you have, if you get a stuff, if you get a new credit card and the banks upgrade their system, there's going to be someone who's going to try to crack the code and they're still going to get to that credit card. That's just the way that people function. Same same with, you know, same with AI or anything having to do with technology. So. But it's also one of those things where even if you're not in school, there have been plenty of attorneys, for example, who've been caught using AI and AI will cite cases that don't even exist and the judge calls them out on it. If you're looking right now, go Google lawyers or attorneys being caught using with AI with made up precedent cases. Because AI is often wrong too. You have to check AI. Yeah. Or sometimes it doesn't understand things and assembles things in a way that you're like, that doesn't make no sense. So you have to go back and check your AI. But as you said, people will get better at that and then the better they are, they're the ones who will.

[Malcolm]

Be doing the replacing and the AI will get better at that.

[Candy]

Yes.

[Malcolm]

It's like whatever those nuances that say ChatGPT doesn't have when it spits something out and even, you know, even if you are a great prompter.

[Candy]

Yep.

[Malcolm]

And you prompt those nuances, then it's going to remember those nuances. So like you said, at some point it's going to have that, that feeling, those nuances because we're giving it.

[Candy]

And that's. And if, and if anybody uses ChatGPT or anything, that's AI because there are a lot of really amazing tools. I mean, go to Quillbot, you know, there's so many things. But it does learn you as a human being and does start to spit out things that sound more like you based upon, as you said, your refined searches. Yeah, it's good and bad.

[Malcolm]

Yeah. Was in per se.

[Candy]

Yeah, it's good and bad. It's good and bad. Did you read about the one young woman who she's. She sued her school because she graduated with honors, even got a full or partial scholarship. Didn't know how to read, didn't know how to write. She was illiterate, but she was using all the AI tools to read. So she would take a book and she would, you know, put it over in this program. It would read to her. She would write a paper because she was able to use all the tools here in order to complete all of the assignments, graduate with honors, go to college. And she's suing the school because she said, I tried to have the conversation with you that I'm not learning. I don't understand. And she says that they put her through. I don't know how that turned out, but you can get through a lot. Four years even, because of the tools that we have. Hmm. I know. A little silence, right?

[Malcolm]

I guess you have to have that discerning eye that you clearly have as a professor.

[Candy]

Listen, once you see it, and if you read two paragraphs of it, if you compare two paragraphs of AI and non. AI. Yeah, you can. You can. I'm gonna give you. I have a book here. I'm gonna give you a little lesson after. I'm gonna show you. I'm gonna show you. I will say no more.

[Malcolm]

All right.

[Candy]

Oh, my. I'm supposed to ask you. Yeah, okay, so I kind of asked you one. I'm gonna count that.

[Malcolm]

All right, but does that count, though? Because my answer was kind of the same answer I gave when you made reference to that episode.

[Candy]

Yeah, it counts. So this other. The other question is. Here we go. What are you able to teach someone in five minutes? What skill do you. You know what? Where. I see where you're looking over here. He ain't right. Where's the producer? We got edit. What skill do you have that you could teach someone? Oh, well, this goes back. This goes back to the brother conversation. Oh, my God.

[Malcolm]

Old me would have a really.

[Candy]

Oh, my gosh. Are you at your house welding? I mean, you know, what's. You know, what you got? What you got?

[Malcolm]

Call it that.

[Candy]

Oh, my God. Oh, my gosh. Killing me. All right, all right. Let me get my love together. Listen to this one. Listen to this one.

[Malcolm]

Let me put on my serious voice. That's a great. What could you. What can I teach someone in five minutes?

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

Wow. I think you may. You may have me stomp there. I know there's something.

[Candy]

Ah, okay.

[Malcolm]

Ah, ah, ah, ah.

[Candy]

All right. The heavens have opened up.

[Malcolm]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Candy]

Come on.

[Malcolm]

And. And it's something that I've learned from my mentor.

[Candy]

Okay. And actually, is this something I'm about to learn right now?

[Malcolm]

It's.

[Candy]

Should I get excited, Lane? Are we about to learn something? It was kind of rhetorical, but now.

[Malcolm]

Yeah.

[Candy]

Okay.

[Malcolm]

Yeah, but. But. And. And it's. And, you know, again, I don't know the. The order in which we're gonna run these.

[Candy]

Okay.

[Malcolm]

But I think he gives a really great. And I mean, he does it in, like, 30 seconds. And I don't know why it took me so long to think about this. One of my issues with this podcast is I do a really shitty job in cross promoting.

[Candy]

Huh. Okay.

[Malcolm]

Like, I. You know, you listen to these podcasts, you would not necessarily know that I am a poet.

[Candy]

Mm.

[Malcolm]

You would not necessarily know that I am a gigging bass player who I saw perform last.

[Candy]

Oh, yeah. Thank you.

[Malcolm]

That was dope.

[Candy]

Yeah, that was.

[Malcolm]

Shout out to the Biological Misfits.

[Candy]

Wow.

[Malcolm]

Buteco, Grand Park a good time. Yeah. So anybody in Atlanta. In the Atlanta area, at Buteco, 1039 Grand Street, Southeast, we do a jam session. Our band, Biological Misfits, we do this jam session. It's us and the dj, and we literally, when we step on stage, we have no idea what we're going to.

[Candy]

Play or who will show up. Though you might have known T.K. carter was going to be there last night.

[Malcolm]

T.C. carson.

[Candy]

T.C. carson.

[Malcolm]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Candy]

Let me get it right. I love you. I know you're from Living Single. I know the whole thing. Yes. T.C. carson. D.C. carson.

[Malcolm]

Yeah. He killed, right? He's a beast.

[Candy]

Yeah, he did. He did.

[Malcolm]

So the first Thursday of every month, we do the. The Jam sessions. It's called. We call it the Jam. It's the Biological Misfits.

[Candy]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Malcolm]

But I've been doing this podcast for a year, and I have never talked about that. I've never promoted that.

[Candy]

Wow.

[Malcolm]

So that's what I say. So this podcast is a really. It's a great platform, and as we have our conversations with guests and what have you, I get so locked in. It's almost like I have tunnel vision as a podcast host that I don't often talk about. The other things that I do that are viable. Side. I don't say side jobs.

[Candy]

Right. Passions.

[Malcolm]

Passions. But a little bit more than the passion, because they're, you know, like a passion is almost kind of like a hobby.

[Candy]

Yeah, yeah.

[Malcolm]

But other things that I do outside of what I'm known for.

[Candy]

Okay.

[Malcolm]

Right. So of course we can take it for granted. We know that I'm an actor.

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

And a podcast host because we have these podcasts. But the other, you know, the poetry, the musician I touch upon here and there, the transformational coaching, you know, I've only talked about once.

[Candy]

Yeah. New to me.

[Malcolm]

Yeah. And that's been like a part of not just my development, but being able to help other people make their own transformations. So it took me a long time, duh. To think about what I can teach someone in less than five minutes is how to pull yourself out of a low vibrational place.

[Candy]

Okay.

[Malcolm]

You know when we had Joseph on the episode, we talked about the toxic 10.

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

Right. Procrastination, hesitation, fear of success, fear of failure, guilt, blame, Imposter syndrome.

[Candy]

Right, right.

[Malcolm]

Or depression. Like any of these things that can sabotage our forward movement. Sabotage. Getting in the way of goals, if you will. But oftentimes being in a. Just a dark place, being sad, being depressed. And though there are times where we of course need to allow space to feel those things, but the. The uber quick way of getting out of those. Any of those lower vibrational feelings is a trick that I've watched Joseph do so many times. And I could do it for you again, because Joseph did it with you.

[Candy]

Oh. Oh. Was that the whole going through the steps and raising the hand?

[Malcolm]

No, not even that.

[Candy]

The smile.

[Malcolm]

Just the smile.

[Candy]

The smile.

[Malcolm]

Just the smile. The. The fastest way. So for me, there are two things. If I'm feeling depressed or just. Just. Just low. I often go to gratitude. I think we talked about that when we had Karma Hill.

[Candy]

We did. Yes.

[Malcolm]

Where it's hard to feel down and feel gratitude at the same time.

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

So there's that. I love. I love the tools to get to the state of gratitude, whether it's writing down things you're grateful for or just speaking out loud of things that you're grateful for. But the quickest tool to get yourself out of any kind of hump or dump is to smile.

[Candy]

Smile.

[Malcolm]

Yeah.

[Candy]

Okay.

[Malcolm]

Like you can't feel. You can't feel bad and smile at the same time.

[Candy]

I can see that. And plus, you're. You can explain this better. But we have trained ourselves that we are happy when we smile so that maybe the smile often triggers something. Is that wrong or right?

[Malcolm]

Does you. So you're. There's a physiological thing that happens. That happens.

[Candy]

Okay. Yeah. Yeah.

[Malcolm]

Just the whole energy of it happens to my daughter all the time. She's crying and then I say something and then she starts laughing.

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

Because it. There's like an immediate switch. Um, and often it's an immediate switch. Sometimes it may take a couple of seconds for the body to catch up.

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

You know, but you can be feeling down and the moment you just.

[Candy]

I'm sorry.

[Malcolm]

I know, I know.

[Candy]

Is that the smile. You're right. You're right.

[Malcolm]

Because I was imitating Joseph, whereas he is. He had.

[Candy]

He put his whole body in it. You're right. You're right.

[Malcolm]

It's that process.

[Candy]

Yeah, yeah.

[Malcolm]

And it's one of the things that we do, like, even, even in acting, like when you are pulling yourself out of an emotional scene. Because like when you're, when you're, when you're in it, your body doesn't know the difference between this thing that's happening for real or this, this situation that you have created, this emotional realm that you've created. So oftentimes in doing a scene where you are really emotional and the scene's over, you're cut. There is a. One of the things that one of my early acting teachers, Stephen Book, would have us do is you've got this emotional scene, whether it's anger, grief, depression, and when you come out of it, there's this kind of like, you know, you. You check in with your body, you touch your body and you go, hello, hello, hello. Oh, I love you. Oh, I love you. I love you. Hello, hello, hello. And that, like that does a physiological thing that pulls you out of that emotional state.

[Candy]

I see.

[Malcolm]

And especially if you're, if you work, if you're shooting something on camera, you gotta do that joint 17 times.

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

From every angle.

[Candy]

So your body is way deep in it. Yeah, yeah.

[Malcolm]

And you wanna. And so you don't. You don' necessarily want to stay there. You want to be able to pull yourself out of it so you can get back into it. But the pulling yourself out of it is an important part of the process.

[Candy]

Wow.

[Malcolm]

Yeah.

[Candy]

Okay.

[Malcolm]

Yeah. So when I learned that from Joseph, just about the smile and putting your whole body into the smile, it's like, yeah, of course.

[Candy]

That makes sense.

[Malcolm]

Yeah.

[Candy]

Yeah. Okay. You got one for me?

[Malcolm]

I've got. Oh, I got one for you.

[Candy]

You know when you say it like that.

[Malcolm]

Cause I think these are good questions.

[Candy]

Okay. And that's your last one, by the way.

[Malcolm]

Is it that? Dude, Did I do three?

[Candy]

You're about to. You're about to.

[Malcolm]

Lane, did I do three questions?

[Candy]

Yeah, I did.

[Malcolm]

Oh, I did two. I did 2.5. Okay. Oh, man. Okay.

[Candy]

Oh boy. Uh huh. Neither one of us. Well, I'm not used to this. That's why I'm like, oh, God, is this what.

[Malcolm]

I love this? We need to do more of these.

[Candy]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Malcolm]

Okay. B or C?

[Candy]

Okay, I'll let you put it. Oh, I see. Oh, I was like, what? Oh, C. For Candy.

[Malcolm]

Oh, C for Candy.

[Candy]

I don't even know this C for Candice.

[Malcolm]

Candy.

[Candy]

Okay. Candy. I grew up Candy.

[Malcolm]

Yeah.

[Candy]

And I remember the time when I became Candace. I was working at Court tv, and I was like, on my machine. I'm gonna put Candace on my machine.

[Malcolm]

Oh, you made a decision.

[Candy]

Yeah, I'm grown now. Like, Candy just felt like it would get that reaction in the real world, like, not to be taken too seriously unless you're like, what do y' all have that club down here?

[Malcolm]

Magic City.

[Candy]

That was so quick. Number one. Yeah. So quick. I mean, I couldn't even get it out. I mean, wow. And that is. Yes. And that's the club. So unless it was there, I'd be. You know, that'd be fine. But, yeah, I made a decision. All right, so your question, C. Yeah.

[Malcolm]

Magic City. Shout out to Kandi Waltz.

[Candy]

You don't. Oh, my gosh. That's the laughter. I am glad I had sisters. Oh, my God.

[Malcolm]

Right? Because you're often the only woman in.

[Candy]

Our only female most of the time. Is that just striking you?

[Malcolm]

I think so.

[Candy]

Oh, my gosh. I mentioned that last week to someone.

[Malcolm]

Yeah.

[Candy]

Okay. Go ahead. Go ahead. See?

[Malcolm]

Okay. All right. So this will be a fun one.

[Candy]

Okay.

[Malcolm]

Because I know you. You watch a lot of tv.

[Candy]

Yes, I do.

[Malcolm]

Oh, a lot of good tv.

[Candy]

I do.

[Malcolm]

You watch a lot of TV that I don't necessarily agree with doing. That's theater. Here.

[Candy]

You got to leave my Christmas stories alone. Okay.

[Malcolm]

But if you could. If, for one day, you could swap lives with any fictional character.

[Candy]

Wow.

[Malcolm]

Who would it be?

[Candy]

Okay. Swap lives with any. You know what. Oh, gosh. So I would. I would have to look up these characters. Maybe I can ask you some questions while I'm doing this. Okay. Swap lives for a day. Just swap lives for a day. Because what? Because I envy them or I just think it would be fun for whatever reason.

[Malcolm]

Whatever reason. Yeah.

[Candy]

So there two people.

[Malcolm]

Okay.

[Candy]

And I didn't watch this series all the way from beginning to the end, not for the other only reason. Then, you know, you watch a series and you're like, oh, yeah, I was watching that. I need. You got five series going, and one's on a big hiatus. Then you gotta rewatch the last three. Three episodes of a story when you come back. Because it's been such a big hiatus. I can't remember. So when Scandal. That's how I was. And I still actually need to finish it. But Olivia Pope is quite an interesting life. A woman of power, solving problems. Discreetly, you know, making her way. And you know, that's very interesting. That is very, very interesting. And then this one is probably off the beaten path. And I'm saying this probably just to make it very interesting. And that is there is this show called chewing gum. Somebody help me out. Can your fingers be. And I remember I was sick when it first came out years ago, and it just came out and I was like, well, I'm sick. I'm here. Mikayla Cole.

[Malcolm]

Oh, yes, yes, yes.

[Candy]

And she is just this real kind of quirky British girl making her way through life with her religious thinking sister, if my memory correct is right, or her mother and working out relationships. And she's just this really different, quirky girl that I thought was just so fun and so different.

[Malcolm]

This is before I made Australia.

[Candy]

What's that?

[Malcolm]

This is before.

[Candy]

This is before, yeah. In fact, let me see. I've got it up now. This is 2015.

[Malcolm]

Okay.

[Candy]

Yeah. So it had two seasons and it's just so different. You're like, okay, now the British always do something different anyway with their tv, especially with their black characters. But hers was real, off the beaten path and refreshing. I'm like, yeah, there are black girls like that. It was so lovely to see something that was not typical, fun, light. Nobody died. Just day to day living and just very different.

[Malcolm]

So what about Michaela's character you would do. Would choose lives.

[Candy]

I think that her life does not seem burdened. Like it wasn't. It's not a heavy two seasons of anything. She's not burdened by anything that's heavy or death or controversy or racism or. Or anything that if you're in America living today that you're thinking about, she's just going along her whimsical way. And that's what I love. It's just a whimsical black woman. Great writing, funny, quirky writing that you just, you just look at her character like, wow, I haven't seen that before in American tv. Because I haven't seen that before in American tv. Yeah, I think it's the whimsicalness of it. Because normally when we talk about black women, we're talking about them in a sense of, oh, heart attacks or they died during, you know, birth at unbelievable raids or racism or they're single mothers or we make less money or this. I'm whimsical. There are so many black women who I know who are just whimsical who would like to be outside picking dandelions today. And like, that would fulfill Me. And then I go home and I get in my robe and I drink something lovely and sit and sit back and watch tv. But that's never the story or the narrative that anybody has. And chewing gum. She has it just so light and airy. Just so light and airy.

[Malcolm]

I love it. Shout out to the whimsical black women.

[Candy]

Yes, whimsical black women. Please put your comments. What do you do when you're whimsical? Really? Because there are certain things that will weigh us down before we get up out of bed. Like the day to day of life. But whimsical is not a word that you hear. That's why you smile like, oh, a whimsical black woman. That's strange. But not in my life and not in a lot of people's lives. But it's not the narrative that's out about us. Yeah.

[Malcolm]

Can black men be whimsical?

[Candy]

If you would like to, sure. But, you know, the seriousness and the weight of the world and the headlines that are in and around you and everything that's put upon you, people try to make it seem like you're not allowed, but you can. Why? You know why. But, yeah, I'm sure you're whimsical with your daughter.

[Malcolm]

Sure.

[Candy]

Yeah. You know what I mean? And that is probably something that may not have started until you engage in her in that. You know what I mean? So kind of like the whimsical. Yeah, let's sit outside and we're going to build a tent out in the. In the backyard and watch the stars. You weren't doing that. Were you doing that before? You were not doing that. That is whimsical. That is light. That is. Hey, you know what? This is something that's different than I'm putting on something and I'm showing something to the world that's different than what the world sees me as when I walk outside. And that is a wonderful freedom. Be whimsical today. Be whimsical playing Be whimsical.

[Malcolm]

What I want to know in the comments.

[Candy]

Go buy some cupcakes. Go. You know what I mean?

[Malcolm]

I want to know if. If outside of fatherhood.

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

If women would find a whimsical man sexy.

[Candy]

You know what?

[Malcolm]

That's what I want to know.

[Candy]

Okay, so let's go with the cupcakes thing.

[Malcolm]

Okay.

[Candy]

You buy some cupcakes. What's your favorite kind of cupcake?

[Malcolm]

I don't really eat cupcakes.

[Candy]

See, right there. You need to get yourself a cupcake. You need to get yourself, you know, a lime velvet cup, whatever. Buy three and go sit on a bunch and sit on the bench and enjoy the sun.

[Malcolm]

I have had, like, a carrot cake cupcake.

[Candy]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Okay. Right. Okay. So you take that. You know, would you buy one and say, you know what? Kind of sit here on this park, beach and eat, take in the scenery? Like, to me, that's kind of like an unplanned whimsical that's got no weight and he's just enjoying. Nobody would have expected Malcolm to do that. You know what I mean? But why not? We're just not trained to do that, and it releases stress, and we have that option to be whimsical. And, you know, I don't want people to get confused whimsical with, you know, kind of being, you know, light in a way where people might perceive your sexuality in a certain way. We often will do that, too. It's just. Can we be lighter on our feet because we have the right to, or do we always have to walk around this earth with the weight on our shoulders? Often we do it because that's the world that we live in, and we have a lot of responsibilities. And if you think that you're gonna move the needle in this earth socially, like, socially speaking in terms of social activism, well, then, yes, it is incumbent upon us to do that. But it is great some days just to do nothing. And that is okay. It is great some days just to sit and, you know, be this chewing gum girl, be the person who. Who. Who gets bubbles at the dollar store and just bowls them in the backyard. Have you ever done that without your daughter? I. I mean, I know you haven't. I know you haven't.

[Malcolm]

Right, right.

[Candy]

But. Oh, I have those bubbles. I'd like to blow bubbles today. And I'm gonna get the one that makes the two bubbles, and I'm going to blow. I've done that. I know plenty of women have done that. That's just a lovely place to be.

[Malcolm]

How about that?

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

Okay, so we're going to invite men, men of all nationalities to deep whimsical. Go get yourself a cupcake and allow yourself space to be whimsical. I'm telling you, I'm trying. Like, I. I'm legit going to have a moment where I do that.

[Candy]

Okay.

[Malcolm]

Yeah.

[Candy]

All right, good.

[Malcolm]

Even if it might be a protein drink, but I will go somewhere in.

[Candy]

In the park now he's changed the whole thing. No, he had to make it a protein drink.

[Malcolm]

A carrot cake flavored protein. No, no, no. You know what I will do? I will actually, I will make it a point. I will go somewhere. I will get a cupcake.

[Candy]

Yeah.

[Malcolm]

And I will go to a park somewhere, sit on the grass, have a cupcake and be whimsical. I'm going to take a video of it and send it to you.

[Candy]

Better than that. Post it. Damn. Mr. Cross Promotion, lack thereof.

[Malcolm]

Deal.

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[Candy]

At.

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