Yvette Nicole Brown

Summary

Pod Meets World – "Yvette Nicole Brown" (May 6, 2026)
Summary by Podcast Summarizer

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Episode Overview

This lively episode of Pod Meets World’s offshoot, "Teen Beat," is hosted by Danielle Fishel, featuring the ever-charismatic actress, comedian, and host Yvette Nicole Brown. The conversation explores Yvette’s storied entertainment career, behind-the-scenes insights on 1990s R&B, growing up awkward and the importance of kindness during adolescence, sustaining lifelong friendships, and navigating the pressures of Hollywood. The tone is playful, self-deprecating, honest, and bursting with nostalgia.

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Main Themes & Discussion Points

1. Yvette’s Musical Origin Story and Full-Circle Moments

• From New Edition Superfan to Biv 10 Signee
  • Yvette grew up idolizing New Edition and, at 19, hustled her way into Motown’s BIV 10 East Coast Family by boldly asking Michael Bivins to hear her sing after a Cleveland concert ([06:10]).
  • "I kind of stalked him after a concert...I was like, Mr. Bivens, may I sing for you?" – Yvette Nicole Brown ([06:35])
  • Reflects on how she later played Michael Bivins’ mother in the New Edition movie—a full-circle, surreal arc.
• Life on Motown’s Youthful R&B Roster
  • Shares memories of being surrounded by future superstars like Boyz II Men and Toni Braxton.
  • Highlights the unique energy: "We all thought this was our beginning...It was not true for most of us, but we were like, this is it." ([10:09])
• East Coast Family & The Infamous 'Fruit Punch' Cameo
  • Yvette reveals "Fruit Punch" (the Urkel-dressed kid in the “One for All” video) was Michael Bivins’ cousin, a cute cameo and an example of family ties on tour ([11:13]).

2. Style, Nostalgia, and Cultural Trends

• Fashion Flashbacks
  • Yvette loves shoulder pads and menswear ("I'm a fan of shoulder pads. A big fan. I'm in a tie in these videos—on a vest, yes.") ([12:19]).
  • Defends hair and pants trends: "Not an MC Hammer pant—too much for me. But a little drop crotch, wonderful garment." ([12:55])

3. Community, Donald Glover, and Creative Hustle

• Behind the Scenes on 'Community'
  • Onset, Donald Glover created his Childish Gambino persona using the Wu-Tang name generator during cast downtime ([13:17]).
  • "Donald was the most efficient user of time. He created Atlanta and Childish Gambino while on Community." – Yvette ([13:23])
  • Praises Donald’s multi-hyphenate genius: "He can bake, he can dance, he can draw, he can knit, he does comedy, he writes, he sings, he raps—anything creative he can put his hand to." ([14:25])
  • Danielle shares her experience appearing in Glover’s “Clapping for the Wrong Reasons" video ([14:58]).

4. Musical Idols & Janet Jackson Concert Fandom

• Both Danielle and Yvette recently attended a Janet Jackson concert and are in awe of Janet’s enduring talent.
• "She's coming up on 60 and—60 where? That woman’s got the knees of a 35-year-old!" – Yvette ([19:29])
• Yvette’s musical influences: Janet, Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, and a broad mix including ’70s R&B, Dolly Parton, country, and KISS ([21:00]).

5. Navigating Awkward Adolescence and Hard-Knock Lessons

• From Outcast to Connector
  • Yvette recalls moving from Cleveland’s inner city to wealthy suburbs and the deep culture shock (Wranglers vs. Jordache) ([24:06]).
  • Shares a formative, painful memory: a cruel junior high prank involving a crush and a fake love note, which deeply affected young Yvette’s trust in people ([25:43]–[29:15]).
  • "Everybody smiling in your face is not for you...Had I not had that lesson...I probably would have been hurt a lot more in life." ([27:26])
• Choosing Kindness and Defining Popularity
  • Yvette built her own acceptance by befriending misfits and underdogs—"Everybody could sit with me. By the time I graduated, I knew everybody." ([22:25])
  • "I never understood why someone else got to decide who was popular...I don't believe you. I think I'm great." ([23:08])
• Danielle shares her own painful middle school experience of a crush destroyed by witnessing his cruelty to a neurodivergent classmate ([30:18]).

6. Lifelong Friendships and Advice on Connection

• Yvette is still friends with her high school sweetheart and many childhood friends ([36:55]).
• "If I get a good one, I keep ’em. Good friends don't grow on trees" ([37:05])
• Danielle agrees, sharing she still hangs with friends from sixth grade ([38:07]).

7. Talk Shows, Oprah, and Being 'Of Service'

• Yvette, a "talk show connoisseur," absorbed lessons as a child watching Oprah, Donahue, Sally Jesse Raphael, etc.:
  • "You have to be interested in people. If you want your moment to shine, you won't be a good host. But if you want others to shine..." ([39:11])
• Danielle credits Oprah for inspiring her to study psychology:
  • "That's someone really of service. I want to do that." ([41:43])
• Yvette reframes Danielle’s career as already being ‘of service’:
  • "You might have did it, because the Lord knew where you were going to be. This is psychology." ([42:38])

8. Humor & Memorable Moments

• Teen 'Steel Cage Match': The View vs. The Talk vs. The Real
  • Yvette jokes about which talk show hosts would win in a “steel cage match”: “Whoopi, Joy, Sunny, and Ana—from The View—have that age behind them, so they know how to sweep the leg.” ([44:22])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Best Intro Ever:
  • "Wow. That might be the best intro I have ever received in my entire life."
    — Yvette Nicole Brown, [05:09]
• On Perseverance in Hollywood:
  • Danielle: "Rare to have a long career in the entertainment industry. So the fact that you can count on multiple hands, the people and going, look at you...we're still doing it." ([09:33])
• On Childhood Cruelty:
  • "I couldn't process that level of cruelty. I did not understand because, again, I'm the one that's like, everybody can sit with me."
    — Yvette Nicole Brown, [27:05]
• On Outgrowing Those Who Hurt You:
  • "Everything in life she wanted, I got...it's like God was like, ‘You gonna do something this nasty...you need to experience loss through someone you tried to take down.’" ([28:06])
• The Value of Good Friends:
  • "Good friends don’t grow on trees. If you get a good one, you hold on tight."
    — Yvette Nicole Brown, [37:05]
• On Hosting:
  • "If someone wants to provide a space and a spotlight for other people to shine, that's gonna be a show you want to watch every single day." ([40:12])

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Key Timestamps

• 05:09 – Yvette reacts to the best intro she’s ever received
• 06:10–07:55 – The story of meeting Michael Bivins and joining BIV 10
• 10:09 – Reflections on the “One for All” music video
• 12:19 – Teenage fashion favorites and 90s nostalgia
• 13:17–14:25 – Donald Glover on the Community set; Wu Tang name generator
• 19:15–20:50 – Janet Jackson concert raves and musical idols
• 24:06–29:15 – Harsh junior high story and lessons about trust and forgiveness
• 36:55–38:29 – High school and lifelong friends
• 39:11–40:49 – Lessons from watching talk shows and the secret to being a great host
• 41:43–43:27 – Oprah’s influence and reframing what it means to “be of service”
• 44:11–44:57 – Imagining a talk show host "steel cage match"

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Episode Tone & Takeaways

The episode is heartfelt, humorous, and candid. Yvette’s blend of humility and gumption is inspiring; her insistence on kindness, inclusion, and forging her own sense of value is a through-line. Both she and Danielle model vulnerability around adolescent pain and joy, their career paths, and celebrate the healing power of supportive friends, music, and laughter. For fans and newcomers alike, this episode is packed with entertainment industry insights, wisdom on self-worth, and the enduring spirit of the 90s.

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Transcript

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Yvette Nicole Brown]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Yvette Nicole Brown]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Yvette Nicole Brown]

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[Danielle Fishel]

Give me money for cigarette Leave your

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

bed I stay the night and one night be two or three. The kids are not all right but

[Danielle Fishel]

that's okay Cuz no one here is Te Beat. Hello listeners of Teen Beat or teats. No, that doesn't sound like I hoped it would. So let me know in the comments what your thoughts are on that one. I am Danielle Fishel, the host of Teen Beat, a podcast where I sit down with interesting people with just one goal. To make them admit they were awkward teenagers. We all were. But some of us had to live those years out on television, experiencing puberty and childhood confusion in front of millions. So now is my chance to settle the score and force other celebrities to spill their guts and expose their upbringings. Funniest memories. The concept is simple. I gave you my childhood. It's time we hear yours. And this week I'm chatting with one of the funniest people in anything that involves a camera. Television, movies, cartoons, game shows, talk shows, award shows, after shows, probably dog shows. Anything she appears in or on is made infinitely better because of her involvement. You probably know her best as Shirley Bennett from the cult classic TV show Community, stealing scenes like some sort of charming pickpocket and leaving behind a path of memes like my favorite, donning her passive aggressive SM smile with the catchphrase that's nice. Or you know her as Helen from Drake and Josh. Or her Emmy nominated appearance on the Black lady sketch show. How about for movies like Zootopia 2 and somehow Avengers Endgame. And here's some range. She's hosted the View and the Talking Dead, which probably have more in common than we'd like to think. She won Celebrity Family Feud, but lost Celebrity Jeopardy, was signed to Michael Bivens and saying let's hear it for the boy while dressed as a bird. Plus, she is also the only person in history to have appeared on both Real Housewives of Atlanta and Critical Role Guys. She has done it all. Except appear on the Teen Beat podcast with Danielle Fishel. And we are taking care of that today because underneath all that talent and before the incredible achievements, she might be hiding an awkward teenager ready to share embarrassment with the world. So please welcome to the podcast this week's guest, Yvette Nicole Brown.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Wow. That might be the best intro I have ever received in my entire life.

[Danielle Fishel]

Wow.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I was like, did I do that? I did that. That was. That was awesome.

[Danielle Fishel]

Isn't it so great to hear your accomplishments read back to you in someone else's voice when you're just like not really fully prepared for it? It's like, wow, look, did all that.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Especially when it's someone like you who's climbed the mountain. So it's really nice that you took the time to do that and to do the research, and that was really lovely. Thank you very much.

[Danielle Fishel]

I am so happy that you're here, so honored that you're joining me today. You have truly done just too much in your career in the best way possible. It's really impressive. I want to start with the east coast family. Yes, you're Cleveland born and bred and yet somehow entered the Philly centric universe of Michael Bivens Motown Record Label, BIV 10. How old were you when you were signed to him? And how did you get connected to a member of Belle Biv DeVoe?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I was 19 when I met him. I'd been a fan of New Edition since I was 12. When they first came out in 83, I was like, that's it. That's my group. And they're up for the Rock hall of Fame right now. So please vote. Everybody get out and vote for New Edition. So I've been an innie for lifer is what they call us, since I was 12. But when I was 19, I was a sophomore in college and Michael was. Was, you know, talking about Boys to men and another bad creation. And he was managing. And I'm like, I'm a singer.

[Danielle Fishel]

He's.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

He's gotta manage me. He's gotta manage me. So I kind of stalked him after a concert in Cleveland. Jeff Dyson, his. His bodyguard helped me find where they were staying and I. I stalked him. I was like, Mr. Bivins, may I sing for you? Mr. Bivens, may I sing for you? Mind you, Michael was maybe three or four years older than me. Mr. Bivens, what am I doing? I'm like 19, 22. So he finally let me sing for him and the next day he called me and said, I wanna manage you. And then I was in the east coast family. It was the most miraculous thing, but the craziest thing about my story with Michael. So we go from fan of New Edition to signed by Michael and on Bibton Records, to working as Michael's assistant when I first moved to la, to then playing his mother in the New Edition movie. So I literally. It's a full circle.

[Danielle Fishel]

I have that in here that I was gonna ask you, did you. Playing his mother in the movie, was that something like you guys had stayed in touch and you were like, hey, let's work together. Or did that just.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I mean, we stayed in touch. Like me and Michael have been in touch since I met first met him, but we weren't like it's not like we're doing a movie of our. Our life. Do you want to play my mom? No. I auditioned at least twice with every other black woman of a certain age in Hollywood, and just so happened that that's the mom I got. We all auditioned for random mom, right? Then they. Once they picked the mothers or the actresses they wanted, they then put us with the different New Edition member. And I got Michael from Mr. Bivins

[Danielle Fishel]

at 19 to playing his mom.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Playing his mom. And I'm still friends with his mom. I owe her a call. His mom is a Vibe. Shirley Bivens is a Vibe. He's a Vibe.

[Danielle Fishel]

What a trajectory of friendship. I love that you were one of maybe 250 young adults he signed at the time, including, like we mentioned, another bad creation. Boyz II Men and MC Brains was. Was it as fun as it sounds?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

It was the most fun because, you know, one. You know, you grow up and you're dreaming. Like, I always wanted to be a singer. Even more than being an actress, I wanted to be a singer. So I'm already living, like, that dream, just being around them. But it was also at the beginning of Boyz II Men, and Boyz II Men became a supernova. This is before end of the road, you know, So I got to watch them grow, and I just went to the amazing concert, New Edition, Boyz II Men, Toni Braxton. Go see it if you haven't seen it. To be at that concert and know that everyone on that stage was my friend. Everyone on that stage, I have their phone number or have a memory with them, and to be able to celebrate all of them as they celebrated each other. You know, I just did a film, a lifetime film with Toni Braxton. She's like my sister. So it was like. It's just amazing, the full circle moments I've had. I know you've had a few. Probably at your age. I'm a little older, but even when you get. When you. How old are you? Have you crossed 40 yet?

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, yeah, 40. I'm gonna be 45.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Oh, my God. You're still a baby. But, like, once you cross over 40, it's like your life. Life plays in front of you a thousand different ways, either through the children you're raising or the people you worked with or, you know, 30 years of a show. Like, all of that stuff, it just comes back in waves. And it's nice to still be alive to witness those wins and to correct

[Danielle Fishel]

and, like you said, to celebrate those accomplishments of your friends who it is Rare to have a long career in the entertainment industry. So the fact that you can count on multiple hands, the people and going, look at you and look at you, and we're still doing it. It's such a great feeling. Yeah. My husband is a massive fan of the one for all music video you appear in. Oh, yes.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

That is the most random thing I've ever heard.

[Danielle Fishel]

Really? Oh, yeah. Big, big fan. What do you remember from filming that day?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I remember that we shot it in Houston. It is my first time going to Texas, and it was so hot. I remember that. I remember just thinking that it was gonna be a moment. And I think we all thought that this was our beginning, you know, it was not true for most of us, but we were like, this is it. We about to be shot out like a cannon. And one of my sharpest memories is I remember Mary J. Blige's first album, what's the 411? Had just come out. So we were on set listening to Mary J. Blige, and she. And I think she's maybe one year older than me, but I remember going, gosh, she's amazing. Yeah. I was 20, she was 21. And I was like, oh, this is so great. She's gonna be a big star. Like, I just have snapshots of moments like that. And then just getting to spend the whole day with everybody in the east coast family was really wonderful. We did that day, and then the day we were recording and we traveled a bit and toured a bit with each other. So I have a lot of memories from being a teenager just chasing that dream.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, one of the very specific questions he wanted me to ask you is about fruit punch. The kid at the beginning of the song, he was dressed like Urkel. And then we never heard from him again.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

That was Ryan. That is Michael's cousin.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

His mom, Diane Bivens, was our road manager of the east coast family, and she actually is the first person outside of a high school teacher that told me I should pursue acting because I auditioned and stuff while I started auditioning during the east coast family, but I was still in Cleveland, so it didn't stick. But she's the one that put that in me. Besides my acting teacher in high school, Ms. Curry, she's the one that told me you could do this. So anyway, Ryan Fruit Punch was her son, and so I don't know that he ever had dreams of being a performer. I just think he was a cute kid. And Mike was like, come up out this. This. This manhole. And, you know, Start the song.

[Danielle Fishel]

He's like, all right, done, done. Are there any fashion trends from this day or from this specific time in hip hop and R and B that you would like to see? Come back. I can give you some examples. Like airbrushed overalls with one strap off. Starter jackets. Biker shorts are kind of back. Like, we already have that baggy designer leather jack. Maybe even shoulder pads. Anything you're fond of.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I'm a fan of shoulder pads. A big fan. I'm a big fan of menswear. I'm in a tie. I'm in a tie in these video. On a vest. Yes. I like a few French rolls and a little tendrils. It's a lot of some hair things that we might or may not want to bring back. And then also, I. This wasn't in the video, but I always fly a flag for hair and pants. Oh, I love it. I love it. Not. Not an MC Hammer Hammer pants too much for me. But a little drop crotch. You know, it's a. It's wonderful garment.

[Danielle Fishel]

Absolutely. Especially in, like a nice thin fabric. Breathable. Oh, yeah. Linen, silk.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Come on, come on. There it is. There it is.

[Danielle Fishel]

So, on Community, did you talk music with Donald Glover? I feel like he was heavily inspired by the era. You grew up making music, and I was in a Donald Glover music video.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I feel like I know this.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, I was. I feel like I play. I'm in, like a dream sequence in one of his. In one of his videos.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I feel like I know this.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Did you talk music with him?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I feel like he would have had a crush on you as a kid, too. So I think that's why. Did he tell you?

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, I think maybe we. I ended up in the video because he had a crush on me.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I think you did. I think that's how it worked out. We did. We. You know, a lot of us on the show are musical. Ken Jeong actually has a beautiful voice. I don't know if people know this about Ken Jeong. He's an amazing singer and I think. And he plays piano, too. So we all had a lot of conversations. Donald was the most efficient user of time on the Community set. He created Atlanta. On off time on Community, he created. He became Childish Gambino. At our Community table, we had the Wu Tang. I don't know what it's called, the Wu Tang aggregator or Wu Tang. It was this thing, this Wu Tang Clan thing, where you could find your Wu Tang name by using this little. Whatever this thing was. So we all got our names And Donald's was Childish Gambino. That's how he became Childish Gambino. Happened at the table. We'd have a break and he'd be with his computer doing beats. Like he's always been just an efficient user of time. Yeah. You know how they say in Hamilton, you know, why do you write like you're running out of time? Donald does everything like he's running out of time. So we did talk about it, but it was like something he was just doing, you know what I mean?

[Danielle Fishel]

He's just constantly creating.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

He's always creating. He's one of, I've said this in other interviews, but he's one of the most creative people I've ever met. Never met Michael Jackson, never met Prince, So I can't speak on their level of creativity, but Donald can do everything creatively. He can bake, he can dance, he can draw, he can knit, he can knit, he can dance, he does comedy, he writes, he sings, he, he raps. Like he literally anything creative he can put his hand to and make it magic. So we saw that he would come in and go, I wrote this song and it'd be a song that ended up on his album Camp. Like, he's just, he's a beast, right? Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

I had a wonderful time with him. It was Clapping for the Wrong Reasons is the name of the video that I was in. And yeah, I, I remember also thinking that day, wow, he never really sits. He doesn't relax ever. Because, you know, when I was needed, I was there. And then when I wasn't needed, I was just like relaxing. And he, when he was not needed in front, he was on something, he was working on something, he was writing something, he was just, he was go, go, go. But boy, it was a really cool experience for me to see him in action.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I love that he's sweetheart.

[Public Ad/Sean Duffy/Mint Mobile Ad Speaker]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI, it all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.com disclosure disclosures

[Cal Penn]

hey everyone, it's Cal Penn. I'm the host of Irsay the Audible and I Heart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast I am sitting down with Ray Porter, the narrator of Andy Weir's audiobook project, Hail Mary Massive sci fi adventure about survival and science and what happens when you wake up alone, very far from Earth.

[Ray Porter]

I really had to make a decision because I caught myself getting that frog in my throat and starting to get teary as I'm narrating some of these sections and it's like, okay, yo yo yo, is this indulgent? And I really thought about it. I was like no. At this point it would kind of be betraying the trust the author and the listener have in telling this story if I don't go through it. But there's places in this book that deeply, emotionally affected me and I left it on the mic. That's great because it served the story. People will say like oh my God, I cried at the end. It's like yeah dude, me too.

[Cal Penn]

Listen to Irsay the Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

a message for everyone Paying Big Wireless Way too much.

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[Yvette Nicole Brown]

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[Cal Penn]

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[Yvette Nicole Brown]

But that's weird.

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Okay, one judgment.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Yvette Nicole Brown]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Danielle Fishel]

We saw each other recently, you and I, both freaking out at a Janet Jackson concert. And I. I don't know about you, but I was absolutely blown away by how great she still is.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Listen, I love her so much and this is not news to anyone that's ever heard me talk about Janet. She's my number one. I think she's just. First of all, she's very kind. I'm blessed to say that we're friends now. She's very kind, very loving, very supportive, very accessible. And then that's just her as a human being. But then you move to her as an artist and the fact that she has perfect pitch, the fact that she can stack vocals like her brother, Stacked vocals. She's a beast in the studio. Jimmy Jam has told me stories of working with her and how amazing it is. And she's humble and just regular. You know, she's just, she's just the best. And she's, you know, coming up on 60 and you would, you would 60. Where that woman got the knees, where she got the knees of a 35 year old, she be the way she dances. My Lord.

[Danielle Fishel]

It was, it was really incredible. I mean, I, I went in having really no expectations because I didn't know like when was the last time I had seen her perform and literally just kept looking around like, is this really. And she sang the entire time.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

The entire time.

[Danielle Fishel]

I kept thinking, when are they gonna put. When is she gonna sit down to take a break? Nope.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Sing the entire time. Mike was on.

[Danielle Fishel]

Mike was on the entire time. Danced the entire time. Up and down the stage the entire time. Not even super long wardrobe changes.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Just, just.

[Danielle Fishel]

She was just moving.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

No, she gave us a show.

[Danielle Fishel]

She really did. She really did. Who were your favorite singers and rappers growing up? I know you mentioned Janet's your number one. So who else? Okay.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston. I can't believe Prince, Michael Jackson and Whitney being gone. I just don't even Know where to file that.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

And then I'm, you know, I grew up in the 70 and the 80s, so I'm A. You know, I like some 70s R&B. I like some Shalimar, some DeBarge Switch, you know, I like when people were really playing instruments and really singing. Heat Wave, Earth, Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross Baker. I mean, I could. My R and B list is long. And then I also love, like, Dolly Parton. She's one of my favorites. Ronnie Millsap. I used to love country back when I was a kid, too, so it's everywhere. And then my brother loved Kiss, so I grew up listening to Kiss and loving Kiss. So I'm across. I'm all across the board.

[Danielle Fishel]

You're all across the genres. Yeah. You love it. What was high school like for you? Were you, were you an entertainer at your school?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

You know, I think I was. Junior high was rough, and I. When I talk about my embarrassment, it's gonna be a doozy from seventh grade. But by the time I got to 10th grade and I had my braces and figured out my acne cream, I think I found a sweet spot where I was not the most popular, but also was no longer the outcast.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right? You were right where everyone wants to be.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Right in that sweet spot.

[Danielle Fishel]

Coasting. Coasting. Where nobody's paying any attention.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Danielle. I'm just. Listen, I'm the same way on red carpets now. When I get drunk for a red carpet, I'm not trying to be best dressed. Don't wanna be worst dressed. I wanna be right in the middle. Just ignore. Just ignore.

[Danielle Fishel]

Wanna give you a good interview, but nothing too clickbaitable.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Give me nothing. Right in the middle.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right in the middle.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Right in the middle. So I got to that sweet spot. And I think the reason I bodied that lane so well is that I have such a love for other people. So throughout school, I collected all the other misfits and the underdogs. Everybody could sit with me, everybody could hang with me. So by the time I graduated, I knew everybody, you know, and that, that's, that's the best way, I think, to go through life. I, I, as a kid, after what I tell the story of when I was in junior high, I never understood who got to decide who was popular. Right? Like, why do you get to say that you matter and I don't matter? Why do you get to say that they don't matter? What? What? You know, I'm not saying that you're not a great person, but why do you have to be greater than me? Why do you have to make me feel bad? So I decided I'm not. I don't believe you.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, I love that.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

You can say I'm not cool or I'm not, whatever. I don't believe you. I think I'm great and I think with me are great and we're going to go be great. And if you want to come be great with this, you can. But you're not going to make us feel bad about who we are because you've decided that we're not cute enough, tall enough, clear skinned enough, straight teeth enough, whatever. The thing is, I've never understood that. I've never liked it, never understood it.

[Danielle Fishel]

I feel very much the same way. But it is, it really, I think just comes from such a scarcity mindset. It's when people feel as though there's only one spot and if someone's gonna claim it, it's gonna be me and I'm gonna fight everyone else away from the one spot. And I, I thankfully don't. I just don't think in that way. And obviously neither do you. So tell me about junior high. Junior high I think is rough across the board. Cause I also did not have lovely junior high experiences. So what was junior high like for you?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Okay, well, let me say this. First I grew up in East Cleveland, which is the hood. And I'm proudly from the hood. And then I moved. My mom wanted a better life for us, so we moved to the suburbs. So it was like going from, you know, the inner city to like Beverly Hills. Right? We didn't have the Beverly Hills money, so we were still in like Wrangler jeans and hand me downs. But we were in a better school system. So it was culture shock for me getting there and seeing these girls with their hair freshly pressed and they're in Jordash Ashe and Gloria Vanderbilt jeans. And you know, I'm in my brother's hand me down wrangler, you know, or my cousin's hand me downs. So automatically walking in, I was targeted. Like one of these things is not like the other, right? And so when I was, when I was in seventh grade, it was this guy I really liked. I thought he was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. Now I will not say his name because I do still know him. Okay, I don't say his name, but I thought he was great. And there was a girl friend of mine, she's now a friend, but she was really mean to me on this particular day. Okay. She used to date this guy. Date Exactly.

[Danielle Fishel]

When you're 12. Yeah. They once looked at each other across the plot.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

They once held hands at recess. But she used to date him, and they had broken up, and she knew that I thought he was super duper cute. So one day she came up to me and she said, so and so likes you. And I said, no. She said, yeah, he likes you, and I think you should write him a note and ask him if he likes you too and you should give it to him tomorrow. And I was like, my God, he likes me. Like, I never thought he would like me. So I'm talking to my friends and they're like, okay, well, you should wear this shirt. And one of my friend let me borrow her. One of my friends let me borrow her little earrings. I remember I had this black and white. I'll never forget the outfit. Black and white striped shirt with these poof. It was 80s with these poof shows.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Right. And she gave me these spy. These plastic spiral earrings that were also black and white. So I'm ready. I got the outfit. Penmanship is on point. I'm writing the note. Dear so and so. I really like you too, you know. Would you like my number? I don't even know what I put the note. It's a blur because it was so traumatic. So I get to school and I have lunch. I either had lunch first or study hall first. I had lunch first, then study hall. So I go to lunch, and he also has lunch first. And then study hall. He's there. He is gorgeous across the room. It's my moment. So I walk up, he's talking to his friends. I walk up, I give him the note, Danielle. I give him the note, listeners. And he said, what's this? And I said. And he didn't say, like, what's this? He said, what's this? This? And I said, you know, oh, look so confident.

[Danielle Fishel]

She really. You never for a second did you think. Did you think maybe she's doing something to screw me over.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Oh, no. I thought, this is. This is a lovely thing she's doing. She sees the love is supposed to happen, and she is about to happen. So he opened the note in front of me, read the note. He laughed at the note. He showed the note to the friends with him, and then he passed the note around the lunchroom. And the bottom line was, how dare she think that I would ever. So I, of course, am face on the ground. I scurry out of there. I've never scurried in My life.

[Danielle Fishel]

But I scurried, scurried that day.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I scurried out of there. And I got to the bathroom. Cause I didn't want to go to Study Hall 2. I went to the bathroom, pulled my feet up on these things, locked the door, in the stall, just like, okay, what just happened? Like, I couldn't process. I was 12. I couldn't process that level of cruelty. I did not understand because, again, I'm the one that's like, everybody can sit with me. So I don't understand going out of your way to harm.

[Danielle Fishel]

Correct.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I've never understood. So I'm in there, and then people are coming in, Girls are coming in, and. And the only topic is me. Everyone's laughing.

[Danielle Fishel]

And because your feet are up, they don't even know you're there. So they care. They're just still talking about you. You're hearing all of it, and you

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

believe Yvette was dumb enough to think, blah, blah, blah. Oh, my God, he would never like her. I can't believe I'd be. I'd die. I'm so embarrassed for her. So I then have to go to study hall, because lunch is over. I have to go to study hall, check in. I get in study hall, and I just put my head down on my desk, and I'm just like. I'm crying. It's bad. The girl that did this to me comes and sits in front of me, and she leans down and she goes, I can't believe you thought he would ever like you. How dumb are you? When I tell you, I was like, I do know that evil exists. It's like. And really, to this day, I'm grateful because I think now, had I not had that lesson of how dark and mean people could be, I probably would have been hurt a lot more in life. But learning that at 12 taught me that everybody smiling in your face is not for you. Now, she and I, life went on. And this is one thing I know about karma and how fair God is. As life went on, everything in life, she wanted, I got everything. I mean, when we got to high school, a guy she liked, liked me. The sorority I joined, she wanted to join. She didn't get into that sorority. She loves. A lot of the artists that I love that I'm now friends with were her favorite artist. She's never met them. Like, it's almost like God was like, you gonna do something this nasty to somebody, don't bother nobody. You need to know loss through her. You now need to experience loss through someone. You tried to take down. And she and I are friends now. Like, she's lovely. I think it was just the.

[Danielle Fishel]

The.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

A child doing something that was unkind, and maybe she had been treated unkind. Maybe. So I don't know the reason. But we're friends now. I consider her a friend, and I've forgiven her 30 years ago, but that moment will stay with me the rest of my life. And thankfully. Thankfully.

[Danielle Fishel]

Ooh. Yes.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

It was a rough. That.

[Danielle Fishel]

That is rough. Yeah. And to. And you're friends with the guy still, too?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

The guy? I wouldn't say friends, but I know him. He now has reached out a few times because he has a magazine, and he's reached out.

[Danielle Fishel]

So now he wants something from you

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

to do his magazine. So, you know, and I'm thinking, not me. What. Why would you want other things?

[Danielle Fishel]

You made it very clear I should never think that you would want. Want something for me. Right.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

So, you know, and I'm still kind to people. Like, I'm still. You know, I. If he hears this story anyway, you know, he may not even remember because it was so. It was nothing to them. It was everything to me. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

So I have a memory of the guy that I liked in junior high who was. I was in sixth grade. He was in eighth grade, and he was so cute. And I truly just thought, oh, my gosh. And he was cool, and I wasn't exactly cool. And I thought, oh, my gosh.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

This.

[Danielle Fishel]

I just kept. Every day was me daydreaming about how it was gonna turn out, that we were gonna end up being together.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Absolutely.

[Danielle Fishel]

And then in my theater class, there was a kid who had. I think the best way of describing it is probably. I don't know what he would be diagnosed with today or whether or not he had been diagnosed with anything at the time, but he was definitely neurodegener Divergent and had some learning disabilities. And I saw the guy I have a crush on. It was another class. He had done, like, a big science project, like something with cardboard, you know, that opened up, and he brought it into the theater, and the guy I had a crush on asked to see it, and the friend opened it up and was kind of showing it off and was very proud of it. And the guy I had a crush on just started laughing at him and pointing at it and talking about how stupid he was. And my friend closed it and was then embarrassed that he had been so proud to share it and put it down on the floor. And then he went up on stage to do what he needed to do with theater. And the kid I had a crush on stomped his project. And from that moment on, I was never able to see that guy as cute ever. He was, he was now hideous.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

And I, I, I think I was on stage at the time with the. And he saw it happening and he was like, ugh. And I lost it. I became like a bear. Oh, yeah. I was like, how dare you?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

That's not yours.

[Danielle Fishel]

Like, just, just fully freaked out.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Good for you.

[Danielle Fishel]

And, and yeah, so I, the thing that reminded me of that story was when you said, you know, this person, this woman, this girl who you had thought was your friend, so much so it never even occurred to you that she could have been doing some. Like, even when he was like, what's this? You were like, of course. You know, you know. Yeah, you know what this is, right? And then when she came in and just showed you that evil, that's it was like one. Take the mask off and guess what? I am, I'm so grateful. Thank you. Please, everyone wearing that kind of mask, please reveal it. Take it off, please. And no matter what the outcome is, we are gonna be better off for

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

seeing you or what? You know, just hearing your story. Where does that come from in a child?

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't know.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

How does a child know to destroy a spirit like that? To clip wings like that? Like, I, I, I am so grateful. Like when I tell people, when someone does something atrocious and I don't understand, I go, I'm so grateful. I don't understand. I'm so grateful that what is within me does not vibrate at the same level of that level of cruelty. That's horrible.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Couldn't agree with you more. Couldn't agree with you more.

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[Cal Penn]

I'm the host of Earsay, the Audible and iHeartrading Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Ray Porter, the narrator of Andy Weir's audiobook project, Hail Mary Massive Sci fi adventure about survival and science and what happens when you wake up alone, very far from Earth.

[Ray Porter]

I really had to make a decision because I caught myself getting that frog in my throat and starting to get teary as I'm narrating some of these sections and it's like, okay, yo yo yo, is this indulgent? And I really thought about it. I was like, no. At this point it would kind of be betraying the trust the author and the listener have in telling this story if I don't go through it. But there's places in this book that deeply, emotionally affected me and I left it on the mic. That's great because it served the story. People will say like, oh my God, I cried at the end. It's like, yeah dude, me too.

[Cal Penn]

Listen to Irsay the Audible and I Heart Audio Book Club on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Diff Eyewear Ad Speaker]

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[Cal Penn]

This is Bowen Yang from Lost Culture Resource with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Taking care of yourself can feel impossible.

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[Yvette Nicole Brown]

They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar, and they taste amazing.

[Cal Penn]

So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness, it's for getting afterlife.

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[Cal Penn]

to More Find your favorite [e-mail] that's P R E M I E R Protein dot com.

[Danielle Fishel]

Did you have a high school sweetheart?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I did. Did, Yeah, I did. Alan White. We're still friends. Oh, we're still friends all these years.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love how many friends you have still from this time of your life.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I keep them, baby. If I get a good one, I keep them, you know? And I feel. I feel like first love you got, if you can. They haven't done something completely destructive. Yeah, you should hold on, because that's. They have a cheat code for you that no one else does. Yes. And I remember, even for years, because Alan got married really young. I got married. Married a year ago, so I got married very late.

[Danielle Fishel]

Congratulations.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Thank you. And he got married really young. So through the years, we would talk every year on our birthdays. Through the years, I was just like, why is there nobody for me? And he used to always say, cityvette, you're not a regular chick, so you're gonna require a guy that's not a regular dude. So you're gonna meet 20 guys in a year. Maybe one would be the right fit for you. And I suggest you wait for who that guy is. Only someone that knew me from the time I was 16 could say that to me at 25 or at 35 and have it resonate. You know what I mean? So, yeah, if I. I've got. I've got a set of girlfriends from high school and middle school that I'm still cool with. I mean, it's just good friends are not. They don't grow on trees. So if you get a good one, you hold on. You hold on tight.

[Danielle Fishel]

All of my best friends are still from sixth grade. Yeah, we were. We went from junior high straight through high school. There's about 12 of us. We're all still in touch. Of course, some of us are closer to others. Like, right, we. Everybody's got their best friend, but we are still in touch as a group. Get together for all of our weddings and birth of children and, you know, random girls nights.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Absolutely.

[Danielle Fishel]

So couldn't agree with you more about needing to hold on to good ones because they're few and far between, aren't they?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Aren't they?

[Danielle Fishel]

You went to high school with Arsenio

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

hall, which I feel like a few years apart.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay. The same high school as Arsenio Hall.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Yeah, he's got me by a few years, but yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay. Well, because I went to the same high school as the Menendez brothers, so it doesn't feel as inspirational, you know, I don't know if you want to

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

follow in there in Those footsteps?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. No, no. Definitely not. Did you love talk shows growing up because you're so good at them? I feel like you only get that skill when you have been paying attention since you were a kid.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Absolutely. And I want to take time to give you your flowers. You are really good at this, kiddo. You're very. This is a delightful conversation. And when you're having a conversation and it feels like when you're on a podcast or interview and it feels like a conversation. Yeah. Not an interview. That's a good interviewer. You're doing a great job, so I want to make sure I say that.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

That's so sweet.

[Danielle Fishel]

You're gonna make me cry.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

No, baby, it's so good. So good. I'm glad you're in this space. But, yeah, I. I grew up watching Oprah, Phil Donahue, Sally Jesse Raphael. I loved Jenny Jones, Ricky Lake. I could name all of them because I like people. And a talk show is a place where you get to find out about people. So I was watching more to see what's going on in people's lives and, you know, see how. How life unfolds as a young person. And I think during that, I like wax on, wax off, paint the fence, and Karate Kid. I was learning how to do it and the way you do it well. And this is why you do it well. You have to be interested in people. You have to want to know the ones that excel at talk show hosting. Cause I feel like I'm a kind of sore talk show host at this point.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

If they care more about themselves, and this is my moment to shine, it's not gonna be a good show. If someone wants to provide a space and a spotlight for other people to shine, that's gonna be a show you want to watch every single day. Yep, every single day. So, yeah. So that's. I think that's the secret sauce, and it's not. I think sometimes they feel like you have to be a famous person to do it. Forgetting that Oprah wasn't famous when she got her Sally Jesse Raphael wasn't famous when she got her show. Doing the show well is what made them famous. So find people that like people that are honest about their own lives, and then you create a show around that person, and you're going to have a hit.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. I was the biggest Oprah fan. I watched every single episode. I loved it. And Oprah ended up being one of the reasons her show ended up being one of the reasons I went to college late in life for psychology I, you know, Boy Meets world ended in 2000 and I was 19 and decided not to go to school at that time. And then the way the industry works, I had a lot of years of struggling and not sure what I was gonna do and didn't work for a long time and eventually got to be about 26 years old and realized I've been living off of savings that I made as a teenager and I have to work, but I may not ever get hired again. And so what else do I know how to do? What do I wanna do? And I was watching an episode of Oprah where she interviewed a marriage and family therapist who specialized in children of divorce.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Wow.

[Danielle Fishel]

And it was the most interesting, fascinating, heart wrenching, and also this feeling of, that's someone who's really of service. Wow. And I was like, I want to do that.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I want to be of service. I want.

[Danielle Fishel]

And I went to school for psychology and then got accepted for my master's degree in. At Chapman University University. And my, I was just, that's it, that's it. That's what I'm gonna do. And then the opportunity to do Girl Meets World came about in 2014, and I was like, masters, Girl Meets World. Once in a lifetime opportunity. I can get my master's later. And I still, I, I still maintain I will eventually have my masters and will use it in some way of being of service. But I, I still, every time I think about how I ended up going to school for psychology, which was such an amazing experience, I think that's only because of Oprah.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

But also this is of service, Danielle. So you need to realize that every time you're speaking and using what you learned, you don't have to. Your psychiatry skill is not just used in a room with a, with a couch and someone talking to you. Yeah, you're using it now. You're using it when you talk to people. You're using it when you support people and encourage people or you're there for someone when they're down, you're using it. So. So yes, get your masters if that's what you want to do, but do not think that you didn't complete the mission because you did. And you might have did it. So, so the, because the Lord knew where you were going to be ultimately. Yeah. So he needed you to get that, that undergrad degree so that you're ready to do this, because this is psychology. Every time you talk to somebody.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, thank you. I appreciate it. I did not mean to turn this into a therapy session about me. I'm so sorry.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

No, I think it's great, but I think sometimes we have these things on the list and we don't even realize. Again, going to wax on, wax off.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

You have the skill, you're doing the job, you're in the space you're supposed to be in. Even if it looks a little different. Like, I always thought that I'd be a teacher. I thought I was going to be an elementary school teacher. I love five and six year olds, first grade, and I'm a teacher. You know what I mean? Everything I do is trying to lead people to something that can make them better and encouraging people to be better. So I'm using, I'm doing it in a different space. It's not in a classroom, but it is what I do.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes, yes. And you're leading by example every single time you open your mouth.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Try my best.

[Danielle Fishel]

You have guest hosted what I'm calling the Triple Crown, the View, the Talk, and the Real Life. Let's say there was going to be a steel cage match between the hosts. Which show would win?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Ooh, that's a good question. It also depends on which set of view.

[Danielle Fishel]

Let's go with Whoopi, Joy, Sunny, and Anna Navarro.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Oh, well, I gotta go with those four women over now. I was gonna say over anyone. I was gonna say the real because Loni Love could go, Jeannie Mai could go and Adrienne could go. I think Tamera's too much of a lady. She would not involve herself in the cage match. The other three would tie their hair up and put some Vaseline on and get it done. But I think that Anna, Whoopi, Sonny and Joy, they have that age behind them where they know how to sweep that leg. So I feel like I gotta go with the view legs. I think that they would literally wipe the floor.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, listen, I, I, I am not going to argue with you for sure. Listen, if I can sneak any more Bell Biv Devo Talk onto my podcast, I am going to do it. So Eyvette will be back with me on Friday for a bonus episode of Teen Beat where we will chat some more and hear a listener's embarrassing childhood story in the form of a voice memo. So subscribe to the dedicated Teen Beat feed and that way you will never miss miss another episode. Plus, we're looking for more tales of teenage terror from you. So email a voice memo somewhere in the 1 to 2 minute range to teenbeatpod gmail.com and you might hear yourself on an upcoming show, Teen Beat. Is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel, executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor Tara Sudan. The theme song is by Mark Hoppus. Yes, that Mark Hoppus. Follow us on Instagram @teenbeatpod.

[Cal Penn]

Hey everyone, it's Kel Penn. I'm inviting you to join the best sounding book club you've ever heard with my podcast, Hearsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. Every episode I nerd out with amazing guests and dive into the best new audiobooks available. Available on Audible. It's the book club for your ears. Listen to Earsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Public Ad/Sean Duffy/Mint Mobile Ad Speaker]

I'm U.S. transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

The sound of a seatbelt.

[Public Ad/Sean Duffy/Mint Mobile Ad Speaker]

It's one of the most important sounds in our car.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

It means everyone is ready and every everyone is safe.

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The more our kids see us put on our seatbelts, the more natural it is for them to put theirs on too.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Make it a priority.

[Public Ad/Sean Duffy/Mint Mobile Ad Speaker]

Buckle up every time. Hear the sound.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Make it a habit. Paid for by nhtsa. This is Sophia Donner from OK Storytime this summer. Find your next obsession on Prime Video and listen. We're not saying you need another obsession, but there could be a lot worse one. Steamy romance, addictive love stories, and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice. So why not watch them a third time off campus? Elle, the Love Hypothesis and more Slow Burns. Second Chances chemistry you can feel through the screen and it makes you wish you were actually in that movie. We've got binge worthy series. Can't miss movies. Perfect for when you're ignoring your own problems or procrastinating as one does. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on prime.

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M&M's popped caramel do sound different.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh no.

[Public Ad/Sean Duffy/Mint Mobile Ad Speaker]

People are gonna be obsessed.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

What do you mean? People hate the sound of chewing.

[Public Ad/Sean Duffy/Mint Mobile Ad Speaker]

Maybe they won't like the crunch. Maybe we're saved. Wait a minute. Yellow.

[Danielle Fishel]

Have you been eating them this whole time?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Mmm. So tasty.

[Public Ad/Sean Duffy/Mint Mobile Ad Speaker]

Hands off us. M&M's popped caramel. It's more fun together.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.