“Flopping” w/ Nori Reed (GaytioLab)

Summary

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StraightioLab – “Flopping” w/ Nori Reed

Release Date: June 16, 2026
Hosts: George Civeris & Sam Taggart
Guest: Nori Reed
Network: Big Money Players / iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

This Pride Month episode features comedians George Civeris and Sam Taggart joined by comedy writer and performer Nori Reed. The focus: unpacking the concept of “flop” as it relates to queer/gay/straight culture, individual failure, collective slay/flop energy, and the state of community critique. The trio also hilariously dissects housing sagas, the evolution of internet trends, drag queen economics, and more—with signature meta self-awareness and absurdist banter.

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Key Discussion Points

Opening Energy & Pride Jokes

[03:29–05:07]

• The hosts and Nori exchange over-the-top “Happy Pride!” greetings.
• Satirical banter about Nori’s property manager evicting her “for Pride,” teasing Nori’s (real and fabricated) career and housing “sagas.”
• George and Sam mock guests who try too hard (“We’re not gonna say our least favorite guest, but everyone in this room knows!”).

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Loving & Hating in Culture

[05:07–06:07]

• The group reflects on how society finds it easier to unite over hate than love:

  “What’s wrong with society is that it’s harder to agree on loving something than on hating something... When everyone agrees they love something—what is there? Say it with me: backlash.” – Sam Taggart (05:15)

• They joke about online villain/hero flip-flops, referencing Karamo Brown’s public persona.
• Nori tells a story about yelling at Karamo’s son (over salad dressing), leading to bits about power dynamics in writers’ rooms and PA treatment.

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Performative Queerness, “Queer Eye” Speculation & Karaoke

[07:39–10:28]

• The hosts discuss which “Queer Eye” Fab Five is most likely to be secretly straight, landing on JVN (“man bun, bike store owner, Oakland fuckboy” energy).
• Nori reveals anti-karaoke sentiment:

  “I actually don’t get karaoke... People who can’t sing are singing and then you have to celebrate it.” – Nori Reed (09:04)

• Stories about Covid super-spreader karaoke parties.

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The State of Pride & Drag Economics

[13:03–15:12]

• Discussion about the disappearance of corporate Pride partnerships.

  “I miss the check, honey. The check.” – Nori Reed (13:23)

• Drag queens’ ongoing hustle: huge expenses, little pay, and respect.
• Sam jokes, “Talk to me in February [not Pride month], they have to charge everything on their Bilt card to make rent. Bilt: the only company still doing Pride advertising.”

Racism and the “Middle East” Dogwhistle

[15:15–16:41]

• Amusing but pointed exchange about the way “Middle East” or “Saudi money” is thrown around:

  “It’s a dog whistle. I’m like, what are we saying here?” – George (15:34)

• The group lampoons how liberal commentary can veer seamlessly into racism.

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Housing & Life Sagas, Posting Culture

[18:18–22:13]

• Nori confesses being “saga prone” (frequent crisis cycles about housing, taxes, IDs).
• They joke about the inevitability of sharing personal sagas online.
• Nori laments unreliable queer accountants:

  “I paid them to do my taxes... I got an email: ‘I am moving. Give me grace.’” – Nori (21:35)

• Discussion of the post-2020 fatigue with “posting”/GoFundMe culture, and what does/doesn’t spark real support now.

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Group Identity: “At-risk youth” or “billionaire”?

[23:38–24:09]

• The hosts tease Nori for cycling between “at-risk youth” and “billionaire” online personas:

  “Every day you wake up and you’re like, am I at-risk youth or am I billionaire?” – Sam (23:53)

• Nori admits this contradiction and credits her therapist for not calling it out.

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GAYDIO LAB: The Rapid-Fire “Gay Gooners” Segment

[30:05–33:19]

• Nori plays a round of rapid silly binary choices (“Mary Queen of Scots or Harry go to Gringotts?”)
• Popper experience: Nori did poppers for the first time via “drive-by” from a “doll” (drag queen).

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The Decline of “Gay Humor” & Fragmented Queer Culture

[33:21–34:14]

• George: “Everyday I open Instagram and I’m fed the stupidest sketch from a gay guy... Who has a job?”
• Group agrees that gay/queer culture feels more “fractured” or even undefined now.

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Feature Topic: “Flop” As Ontology, Experience, and Anxiety

Nori’s “Flop” Thesis

[34:33–37:04]

• Nori launches into a philosophical take:

  “I feel like to be born is to flop... To be human is to be floppy. And in this specific time we are in, what is flop?” (34:40)

• Sam and George connect this to the Judith Halberstam book “The Queer Art of Failure” (35:05), and reflect on how “society itself has flopped.”
• Nori: “It’s harder to be critical because, like, we’re all, like—to be human is to be, like, flawed.”

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Critique Fatigue & Collective Ennui

[37:04–45:16]

• The group explores why it’s less fun or meaningful to call things “flop” when everything (politics, culture, society) feels like a systemic flop.

  “Things are so self-evidently bad that a thoughtful critique can’t help.” – Sam (45:09)

• Nori: “I just want to personally, like, make my own life not flop.”
• (Brief digression: “The word flop persists, but it sounds corny to say slay now. Negativity is more socially acceptable than positivity.”)

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What Is Gay Culture Now?

[51:06–55:31]

• Nori: “What is gay culture right now?... Is Iced coffee even still gay culture?” (51:21)
• Hosts agree most “gay culture” is internet-built, but they push for naming offline dimensions: “Laughing, touring, dancing, community.”

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Representation & Queer Culture’s (Re)Marginalization

[55:35–57:36]

• Nori observes her favorite new TV show, “Widow’s Bay,” has no queer characters, reflecting how “queer culture is being pushed to the fringe.”
• Sam: “We reached a peak of ‘representation’ during the woke era, and it’s being stripped away. We’re going back to like, 80s and 90s levels.”

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Ontological Flop/Slay & Offline Community

[64:16–69:17]

• The hosts riff on the “flop/slay” continuum as not nuanced enough:

  “Maybe the death of flopping has to do with embracing our contradictions, where we’re actually both flopping and slaying kind of at the same time.” – Sam Taggart (64:16)

• Nori: “Flop is a construct.”
• Offline queer community is thriving, even if online is atomized and flop-inducing:

  “We slay together, we flop individually.” – Sam Taggart/Nori (68:36–68:40)

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Housing Sagas, Oranges, and the “Saga-Prone”

[67:21–85:26]

• The running joke continues: Nori has bought a grocery store (for some reason), can’t sell her oranges, and is still “looking for housing.”
• Sagas = ongoing cycles of drama, especially in creative queer communities.
• Offhand banter about “peptides,” “Ozempic,” and body image trends.

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Brand Partnerships: Meta-Parody Segment

[86:47–91:14]

• They close with absurd “brand partnerships” for Pride (e.g., Cetaphil travel bottles, H&M, and a hotel with a fake pool).
• Meta-reflection: “Remember when this was a thing? Now it’s like a period piece.”

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On cultural love/hate cycles:

  “When everyone agrees they love something—what is there? Say it with me: backlash.” – Sam Taggart (05:15)

• On universal flop:

  “We exist in a moment where society is flop... So how can any of us be flop if the environment we exist in is flop?” – Nori Reed (35:34–36:09)

• On critique fatigue:

  “Things are so self-evidently bad in a straightforward way that a thoughtful critique can’t help.” – Sam Taggart (45:09)

• On sloganeering:

  “We slay together, we flop individually.” – Nori/Group (68:36–68:40)

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Timestamps for Core Segments

• Opening & Pride Banter: 03:29–05:07
• Love/Hate & Society: 05:07–06:07
• Karaoke, JVN, Queer Eye: 07:39–10:28
• Corporate Pride & Drag Economics: 13:03–15:12
• Racism/Middle East Satire: 15:15–16:41
• Housing & Posting Sagas: 18:18–22:13
• Identity Contradictions: 23:38–24:09
• Gay Gooners (Rapid-Fire): 30:05–33:19
• Decline of Gay Humor: 33:21–34:14
• Nori’s Flop Thesis: 34:33–37:04
• Critique Fatigue: 37:04–45:16
• What Is Gay Culture Now?: 51:06–55:31
• Representation Fatigue: 55:35–57:36
• Flop/Slay Contemplations: 64:16–69:17
• Saga-Prone/Offline Community: 67:21–85:26
• Brand Partnerships Parody: 86:47–91:14

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Tone & Style

• The conversation is deeply self-aware, sarcastic, at times philosophical, and always irreverent.
• Running bits about “sagas,” housing, and identity blend real-life vulnerability with camp and absurdist meta-comedy.
• Cultural critique is laced with inside jokes, internet culture references, and subtle jabs at the current state of queer media and mainstream politics.

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For New Listeners

This episode oscillates between high-concept theorizing (“what does it mean to flop?”) and playful shade about everyday queer life (housing hunts, TikTok trends, “saga-prone” existence). It’s worth a listen for anyone interested in how queer humor, self-deprecation, and the anxieties of belonging intertwine—especially in a time when everything feels “flop.”

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“We slay together, we flop individually.” (68:36)

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Transcript

[Jennie Garth]

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[Sam Taggart]

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[Sam Taggart]

You won't want to miss the Elton John Impact Awards podcast, available on June 1st on the iHeartRadio app. And everywhere podcasts are heard this July 4th.

[America 250 Announcer]

Come celebrate at America's Block Party. Hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music, performances from major artists, patriotic tributes and the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark [e-mail]

[Jennie Garth]

I

[Nori Reed]

turned off news altogether.

[Sam Taggart]

I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything. It's the rage bait. It feels like it's trying to divide people.

[America 250 Announcer]

We got clear facts.

[George Severis]

Maybe we could calm down a little.

[Nori Reed]

NBC News brings you clear reporting. Let's meet at the Facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News reporting for America.

[George Severis]

What's up, y'?

[Nori Reed]

All?

[George Severis]

Summer's got a different tempo. Everything's a little looser, brighter. One plan turns into another. You hear something, you stay a little longer. Next thing you know, you're somewhere you

[Nori Reed]

didn't plan to be.

[George Severis]

It's those in between moments. That's where the ideas hit. Conversations stretch out. Little memories sneak up on you. Sometimes it's just about what's in your hand. That color, that chill. The new Tropical Butterfly Refresher from Starbucks. Guava and passion fruit flavors with mango pineapple flavored pearls. Yeah, that feels like summer before you even taste it. Funny how one small stop becomes the best part of the day. Start your summer rhythm with Starbucks. Try the new Tropical Butterfly Refresher from Starbucks.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Foreign.

[George Severis]

Tour announcement starts now. Hello everyone. It is me, Sam, and I am going on tour this summer. I'm doing my hour of incredible standup comedy and I would love, love, love to see you there. So I will be in San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, D.C. boston, Philly, and maybe A couple more. But if you are in any of those places, please, please, please get tickets. I would love to see you all there. And I'm really, really excited because I love touring now. So see you there. Okay. Enjoy the app. Bye. Podcast starts now. We're here with Nori Reed, and this is Gadio Lab.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes. And Happy Pride.

[Nori Reed]

Happy Pride.

[Sam Taggart]

And, Nori, I just want to say to you specifically, happy Pride.

[George Severis]

Happy Pride. Nori.

[Nori Reed]

Well, that's so funny, because my property manager texted me yesterday and said, happy Pride.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yay.

[George Severis]

And that's why you're moving. Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

He said, happy Pride. And you are being evicted. This Pride. We're partnering with a debt collector to

[George Severis]

evict you to get her ass out.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Wow.

[Nori Reed]

She also said, I saw you on Hacks. Oh, yeah.

[George Severis]

Happy Pride. Saw you on Hacks.

[Nori Reed]

Yep.

[Sam Taggart]

Where's my.

[Nori Reed]

You're evicted.

[George Severis]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Happy Pride. I saw you on Hacks.

[George Severis]

Does that pay well? Why haven't you paid me?

[Nori Reed]

Why haven't you paid rent? You're on Hacks. Pay rent. Are we recording this?

[Sam Taggart]

We are recording.

[George Severis]

This has begun.

[Nori Reed]

My bad.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm so caffeinated. I'm feeling like I'm buzzing. I feel like I'm on crack cocaine.

[Nori Reed]

I think it's me. It's my energy that I bring.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

This is. I just want to say this is our seventh of seven episodes that we've recorded in four days.

[Nori Reed]

Oh, my God. Yeah.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Wow.

[Sam Taggart]

We have been to hell and back.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah. Yeah.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Who's been your least favorite person?

[George Severis]

That's easy.

[Sam Taggart]

But we're not gonna say it. But we were both thinking it.

[George Severis]

But it's very clear.

[Sam Taggart]

But it's very clear.

[George Severis]

Everyone in this room knows who, too.

[Sam Taggart]

We're not gonna say.

[George Severis]

We can't say.

[Nori Reed]

Okay.

[George Severis]

We will not say. But just know that there is a general consensus. It's 100% of people in this room

[Nori Reed]

agree,

[George Severis]

which is generally shocking because it's

[Sam Taggart]

so hard to find.

[Jennie Garth]

Rare.

[George Severis]

It's so hard in common ground, and

[Sam Taggart]

in this day and age, to find

[Nori Reed]

common ground that is so beautiful. Because culture is so fractured. It's so fractured. But, like, when you hate someone and everyone else hates that person, that's.

[America 250 Announcer]

This is.

[Sam Taggart]

What's wrong with society is that it's harder to. To agree on loving something than on hating something. Because when you. When everyone agrees they love something, by definition, what is there? Say it with me. Backlash.

[Nori Reed]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

When everyone decides to hate something, it's

[George Severis]

like, okay, we as a society are addicted to narratives, and so we have to have the villain becoming the good guy and the good guy becoming the villain. We just need it constantly.

[Sam Taggart]

This is how I feel about Cromo Brown, where I'm like, everyone, weapons down. Okay, so he lied about having face work. Who cares if you go online right now?

[George Severis]

I'm on his side.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm on his side. Why not?

[George Severis]

Okay.

[Sam Taggart]

Why not? What has he ever done to me that's bad?

[Nori Reed]

His son was a PA once, and I yelled at him.

[George Severis]

Really?

[Sam Taggart]

He has a son?

[George Severis]

You would yell at a PA to

[Nori Reed]

be a h. He forgot my salad dressing for two weeks.

[Sam Taggart]

Wow.

[Nori Reed]

And I was so mad. And I. I apologized. I apologize.

[Sam Taggart]

Was this on the set of Hacks?

[Nori Reed]

No.

[Sam Taggart]

Would you say it was a toxic workplace?

[George Severis]

Because.

[Sam Taggart]

Would you say Paul and Lucia fostered a toxic workplace that then kind of encouraged the type of behavior that you exhibited vis a vis? Yelling, physically hitting, punching, slapping, various PA, various LGBTQ plus probably PAs.

[Nori Reed]

This was my first writing job.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh.

[Nori Reed]

So I didn't even. I had no power at all.

[Sam Taggart]

It was on Yellowstone.

[George Severis]

Sorry, I know your career.

[Nori Reed]

I didn't yell at him. I'm exaggerating.

[George Severis]

Was you.

[Sam Taggart]

Taylor Sheridan, a joy to work with. Would you say who exactly?

[George Severis]

What did you do to Karamo's son?

[Nori Reed]

Well, it was like two weeks of him forgetting my salad dress. He just didn't care.

[Sam Taggart]

Two weeks of forgetting the salad dressing, he didn't care.

[Nori Reed]

He, like. He just did not care.

[Sam Taggart]

So are you getting the wrong salad dress or no salad dress?

[Nori Reed]

None.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, well, that's pretty upsetting. That's a tough. Literally tough pill to swallow. If you catch my drips. No lubrication. You're saying I'm doing dry lettuce. Put it in there.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah. I'm trans, and I can be crazy about it.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, you being trans has nothing to do with having issues with your salad dressing. And on Pride of All Months, I am sick and tired of you playing this card.

[Nori Reed]

I think Promo had a kid with a woman, by the way.

[George Severis]

Oh. None of them are gay.

[Sam Taggart]

Let's start there.

[George Severis]

Actually,

[Sam Taggart]

what do you think is the most likely to be lying about being gay of the Fab Five? Let me think, Let me think.

[George Severis]

Jvn. How iconic would that be?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, to be honest, I would say it's jvn.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

He is the most, quote, unquote, I hate this word. Like, he's the most performative. So it's like. Okay, we'll take it a step further. Maybe they are fully straight if you drop that voice.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah, that's a straight man.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Like the man bun the like. Like, I've. I lived in San Francisco. I've seen that man everywhere.

[Sam Taggart]

It's like, fuck boy. It's literally like Oakland fuck boy.

[George Severis]

With a bike store.

[Sam Taggart]

With a bike store.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah. Like, hey, honey. You know, sort of like. Like, hey, you know.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. Randomly dating a really hot blonde woman who does crystals. And she's like, why is he gonna propose?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Wait.

[George Severis]

It's actually so hard to do JVN voice drop down.

[Nori Reed]

I did it. Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

It seems like it's not that hard.

[George Severis]

I can't do it. I keep trying. It's like trying to sing a song I can't sing, which is most right.

[Sam Taggart]

Do you do karaoke?

[Nori Reed]

I hate. Do not like karaoke.

[Sam Taggart]

Me neither. I think we're in this really impactful minority. It's one of those things that even people that I think of as, oh, this person's such a bitch, cynical about everything. But then you bring up karaoke and they're like, I love doing karaoke. And my go to song is, you know, Sheryl Crow, if it makes you happy. I'm like, what?

[Nori Reed]

I actually don't get karaoke. I don't get it. Because it's like, so people who can't sing are singing, and then you have to celebrate it, and then we have to be excited.

[Sam Taggart]

My ears are bleeding.

[George Severis]

It's worse when people who are good at singing do it.

[Nori Reed]

It's worse.

[George Severis]

That makes me sick.

[Nori Reed]

Yes. Yes.

[George Severis]

There's a delicate balance where you have to be bad enough and good enough.

[Sam Taggart]

I think the only way I'm comfortable with it is if it is a group doing it. Because it's like, okay, everyone's having fun or no, together. Like two people singing together and they're doing the boy's mind, for example.

[Nori Reed]

I do like private room. I think it's called Nori Bong. It's like, Korean. I'm Korean.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, we get it. Nori. You're trans and you're Korean.

[Nori Reed]

So yeah, when I yell at PA, it's a little different. Okay. I just wanna.

[Sam Taggart]

Can I get dressing on the side? I'm trans and Korean.

[Nori Reed]

I say that every day. Every day. But I like the room.

[George Severis]

I like the room as well.

[Nori Reed]

Remember we had what?

[George Severis]

There was a super spreader event. The after midnight wrap party was private room Karaoke where 100% of the people got Covid.

[Nori Reed]

We all got Covid.

[George Severis]

I don't know who started it. Everyone but 100% of the people in attendance that day left with COVID And

[Nori Reed]

we all had important stuff right after.

[Sam Taggart]

Totally.

[George Severis]

So that Was pretty much a nightmare. But it was fun. It was fun, I must say.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

And turns out you can still get Covid.

[Nori Reed]

It's crazy.

[Sam Taggart]

How recently was this.

[George Severis]

Let's not talk about it.

[Sam Taggart]

What variant are we on? Oh, because what did you see me like right after.

[George Severis]

Let's not talk about it.

[Nori Reed]

Let's not put it in the time context.

[George Severis]

Let's not put this in time.

[Sam Taggart]

Let's just say it happened because literally, if you look it up, both of you, both of you made public appearances the day after and your day was a positive test.

[George Severis]

You were holding to the camera. Please not bring up when it happened.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah, I did a photo shoot at a nursing home the next day.

[Sam Taggart]

It was so bad, it wasn't even to promote anything.

[George Severis]

You just like wanted to do a photo shoot of Arp Mac.

[Sam Taggart]

You are a coat of Arp Mac.

[Nori Reed]

Thank you for. Thank you for bringing that up.

[Sam Taggart]

It was you and Ian McKellen and it was like an unlikely friendship.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah, I gave him Covid.

[Sam Taggart]

You were gonna say I gave him coke.

[Nori Reed]

Oh, well, both.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, that's the basis of the friendship is you're sort of like drug friends. You only hang out, you know, during nightlife hours.

[Nori Reed]

I could see that.

[Sam Taggart]

I could too. Honestly, I bet you he still goes out and gets some strange, as we used to say back in the day.

[George Severis]

Bring back strange.

[Sam Taggart]

Let's bring that back strange. Getting some strange.

[George Severis]

He is someone that I would not want to see who he's hooking up with because I know it's weird because

[Sam Taggart]

you know they're going to be exactly 20, 19 years old.

[George Severis]

Like I have never heard anything about it, but you just know, like, you aren't that type of gay guy. And not hooking up with 20 year old.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And guess what? More power to him.

[George Severis]

Of course.

[Nori Reed]

And what are they even doing, the 21 year old? When you're that old, like, what do you do in there?

[George Severis]

You know?

[Nori Reed]

Well, I don't. Cuz if.

[Sam Taggart]

Nori, come on, you know, let's use our.

[Nori Reed]

When you're that old, even with coke, you're. Well, especially with coke, actually.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, you know, there's other things. There's other things you can do. Oh, no, you know, Nori, come on.

[George Severis]

Nori.

[Nori Reed]

Nori, come on. I don't know.

[George Severis]

Let's put that head to use, Nori.

[Nori Reed]

Oh, put that head to use.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, let's put that head to use. Do you think he is a top or a bottom?

[Nori Reed]

Well, based on what I'm thinking, I'm gonna say bottom.

[George Severis]

I'm gonna go ahead and guess that.

[Sam Taggart]

So he's being fucked by a 19 year old.

[Nori Reed]

I think so.

[Sam Taggart]

And you know what? That's what pride is all about.

[George Severis]

How are you celebrating pride this year, Nori,

[Nori Reed]

At this point? I don't know. At this point in time is there.

[George Severis]

Right, Right.

[Nori Reed]

I'm like, what, I don't understand pride now these days.

[Sam Taggart]

No, I think you're completely right. Because obviously there is the. There's a whole, like. No, corporations don't do brand partnerships anymore.

[Nori Reed]

Which I miss, by the way.

[George Severis]

Which by the way, I'll miss. Egg on our face. Everyone complaining about that now it's gone.

[Nori Reed]

I missed the performance.

[George Severis]

Come on.

[Nori Reed]

I missed the check, honey. The check.

[George Severis]

Oh, I was never getting those checks.

[Sam Taggart]

People posting, like, keep me in mind for your Pride show. It's like classic. What are you talking about?

[George Severis]

Wake up.

[Sam Taggart]

Pride is not happening.

[George Severis]

Doesn't happen anymore.

[Sam Taggart]

That doesn't exist.

[George Severis]

Unless maybe you're like a drag queen.

[Sam Taggart]

No. If you're a drag queen, it's happening.

[Nori Reed]

It's always. But it's always happening.

[George Severis]

Yeah, it's always happening for them. They get everything. We get nothing.

[Nori Reed]

No.

[George Severis]

Fuck yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Drag queens are so lucky in that they're so respected as artists and constantly making money. You're right, Sam.

[George Severis]

They get everything. We get enough.

[Sam Taggart]

Drag queens who are constantly, conversationally, constantly being forced to do their own hair, makeup and wardrobe and then are paid $20.

[George Severis]

No. They're some of the most disrespectful people.

[Sam Taggart]

It's crazy. And talk about doing it for the love of the game. They do it for the love of the game.

[Nori Reed]

It's like with Stand up, it's like you get up there, you have a mic. Like, you're not prepared.

[Sam Taggart]

You're not preparing at all.

[Nori Reed]

And to be honest, making the cost.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes. It's crazy sometimes with stand up, even still to this day, I'm like a drink ticket.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Like, that's worth it. Like, I'm ultimately coming out on top.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah. But they, like, they make everything. They, like, cinch and no, they arrive and they're like.

[Sam Taggart]

So I spent literal thousands of dollars to arrive here just to be disrespected.

[Nori Reed]

Are like. I feel like RuPaul Drag Race queens are coming at like, net zero completely.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, I think on a good day, on a good month, on Pride month, they're coming net zero.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Talk.

[Sam Taggart]

Talk to me in February, we're talking. They have to charge everything on their Bilt card to make rent. Bilt, the only company still doing Pride advertising Which, by the way, where did

[George Severis]

they come from and what's going on there?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, no, it's obviously not real.

[George Severis]

Something's up.

[Nori Reed]

I'm gonna say Middle East.

[George Severis]

Okay.

[Nori Reed]

It's getting like.

[Sam Taggart]

No, it's giving United Arab Emirates.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah. Are we allowed to say Middle East?

[George Severis]

No. This is actually an amazing question because

[Sam Taggart]

are we allowed to say Middle East?

[Nori Reed]

Well, Sam gave me the most, like, I said Middle east and same went. And I was like, well, there's this

[George Severis]

thing I feel like where you're like, people get to just be like, oh, Saudi money. And I'm sort of like, what, what does that mean?

[Nori Reed]

Like, it's a dog whistle.

[America 250 Announcer]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

I'm like, what are we saying here?

[Nori Reed]

Damn.

[Sam Taggart]

It's amazing when not am bad.

[George Severis]

Amazing can be bad when like, when

[Sam Taggart]

like legitimate political, progressive political commentary effortlessly veers into full on racism.

[Nori Reed]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

When someone's like, that person was born in Israel. It's like they didn't choose that. What are you saying?

[Nori Reed]

No, I, I, it's funny how that happened. I feel like with like white men, like older white men. The liberalism just kind of like, it just, it just like goes into racism so fast.

[Sam Taggart]

Totally. And you know what? Sometimes it happens with white women as well. No, no, no, I'm sorry, I made a mistake.

[George Severis]

Don't say stuff like that.

[Nori Reed]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Sam Taggart]

Have you ever seen a white woman be racist?

[George Severis]

That doesn't ring a bell to me.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah, I've heard about it.

[Sam Taggart]

It's something people talk about.

[George Severis]

Maybe in.

[Sam Taggart]

It's one of those, it's one of. In Game of Thrones. Yeah, but that's a fictional world. Of course. I think it's one of those really harmful stereotypes. You know, you hear, you hear white women are racist. Oh, the Karens. But it's actually not borne out in reality. I've never seen it.

[George Severis]

I've never seen it.

[Nori Reed]

I only watch Chelsea Handler and she's

[Sam Taggart]

never said anything, so I don't really know. Problematic at all. No, she's one of the top political leaders in this country.

[George Severis]

Hold on. Sorry. I thought of a way to get rich.

[Sam Taggart]

What is it?

[George Severis]

Get this. If we wanted to make $1 million today, get this. Here's what we do. We started a TikTok account.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay.

[George Severis]

We do AI videos.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh my God.

[George Severis]

Full.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, I'll stop you right there.

[George Severis]

I'm in a videos of Karen yelling at phone. Like being like, Karen yells at man playing basketball.

[Nori Reed]

Yes.

[George Severis]

One billion views. Every single day, new Karen video comes out. People, people can tell it's AI and Yet they are sucked in anyway. Yeah, we are rich.

[Sam Taggart]

Through ads, the views. Like, what's the business model here?

[George Severis]

What?

[Nori Reed]

We sell a movie based on the.

[George Severis]

You don't even get paid for tiktoks. You guys know this, right? You can get paid. We're getting millions of dollars right now. You guys make me sick. Sam.

[Sam Taggart]

So you're saying you're going to make AI videos of AI Karen Videos?

[George Severis]

Yes.

[Jennie Garth]

And.

[Sam Taggart]

And then. And then literally, like, what's the Reddit thing? Profit.

[George Severis]

Profit, Profit.

[Sam Taggart]

That.

[George Severis]

The Reddit thing of profit.

[Nori Reed]

And then are we doing Kalshee? Like, yeah, like, how are we.

[George Severis]

What's the next step?

[Sam Taggart]

Like, what's between videos and profit? I need to get you in touch with my business manager. She's a white woman who's not racist.

[George Severis]

Well.

[Sam Taggart]

And she's based in Saudi Arabia.

[Jennie Garth]

Yay.

[Nori Reed]

We can say something.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay.

[Nori Reed]

I did my business taxes this year.

[Sam Taggart]

Yay. Congrats.

[Nori Reed]

And I worked with a she. They person.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, well, that's not going to work.

[Nori Reed]

And she just didn't do my taxes.

[Sam Taggart]

First of all, they didn't do your taxes.

[Nori Reed]

I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

[George Severis]

How did I remember this saga happening?

[Nori Reed]

Every. Everything I go through, Sam calls it a saga. And it's.

[Sam Taggart]

You do that.

[Nori Reed]

It's one of the most hurtful things in the world. I'll be. I'll be like, so my grandma did pass. And the grandma saga, to be fair,

[George Severis]

you are saga prone.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Okay?

[Sam Taggart]

This is a real thing. Various people we know are saga prone. You are saga prone, and you are one of them.

[Nori Reed]

This is a false narrative that has been being perpetuated against me that I'm always looking for housing. I'm all. I'm always going through a tax thing to be very.

[George Severis]

It becomes a saga when it's posted about too much.

[Nori Reed]

Last year. This is true. Last year, the government took my passport. Sam called it a saga.

[George Severis]

That is not true.

[Nori Reed]

No.

[Sam Taggart]

So this is fully. You're calling a saga. The fact that, like, because of oppressive regulation, Nori is dealing with kind of like a transphobic id the she they.

[Nori Reed]

The tax person is the transgenocide is a saga. Crazy, Sam. Crazy.

[George Severis]

Oh, my God.

[Sam Taggart]

Tell us about your incompetent she they t accountant account. Extant.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah, I, like, paid them.

[Sam Taggart]

That's hilarious.

[Nori Reed]

I paid them to do my taxes. And then the, like, the week of the deadline, they just, like, had not done it and I sent them an email. Don't sigh. No, no, I'm.

[Sam Taggart]

Excuse me. I'm sighing in solidarity with You. I'm like, oh, God, I'm stressed hearing this story. I'm not mad at you. I mean, you did choose this person, but go on.

[George Severis]

Yeah, there is agency here.

[Nori Reed]

They were referred to me by an LA clown.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, Nori, it's like, this is your.

[George Severis]

I don't want to victim blame.

[Sam Taggart]

I mean, that said, my previous accountant was recommended to me by Max Wittard. And I said, you know how you know her? And he goes, oh, some. Get this, some pottery friends recommended her. And then I said, okay, work with her for four years.

[George Severis]

To be fair, I was fully scammed by my accountant and worked with him for four to five years.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, it's hard to know what the right level of scamming is for an accountant because obviously their job is to break the law. Yeah. Their job is to literally be like Tony Soprano. I assume murder has been committed, and then, you know, you sort of just hope you don't get caught.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Like, if you met with an accountant and then she showed up and she was like, my whole thing is just being honest. I'd be like, I'm not hiring you.

[George Severis]

Yeah, okay, so go ahead.

[Nori Reed]

So, by the way, that is her. Like, this is the. Like, she was very moralistic and very.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, she was like, cards on the table. I didn't file your taxes.

[Nori Reed]

She. So it was the week of. I literally email. I. I'm like, kind of. And like, I was like, hey, diva. Like, she. At the end of the day, is she. They.

[George Severis]

Yeah, respect that.

[Nori Reed]

I was like, hey, diva. And I got an automated email back, and it said, I am moving. Give me grace.

[George Severis]

No.

[Nori Reed]

And I got penalties, and I've had to pay thousands of dollars because she just didn't file my taxes.

[George Severis]

So did she end up filing them, or did you have to do it yourself?

[Nori Reed]

She. She did.

[George Severis]

Okay.

[Nori Reed]

And then I. I just got my penalty letter from the irs.

[Sam Taggart]

Can you respond? Give me Grace.

[Nori Reed]

And I want to respond. Give me Grace. Give me the irs. Can we back up for a second, please? There is a. There is a culture of. Of. Of. You're not allowed to post about stuff anymore.

[Sam Taggart]

That's true.

[Nori Reed]

And it's crazy because it's like Instagram is one of the biggest resource things of, like, a network. And I think it's not. I'm just thinking it's not against Sam. This is.

[Sam Taggart]

I know. I agree with what you're saying.

[Nori Reed]

There's a.

[Sam Taggart]

There's a culture. And you know what it is? It's that. Not to make everything about 2020, but there was A glut of posting during the time period, starting from, like, lockdown through, let's say, 2022. And then it cheapened the power of posting.

[Nori Reed]

Interesting.

[Sam Taggart]

And so now when you.

[George Severis]

Society boy who cried wolf.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm literally like, I remember feeling this way. I support Zoran. I voted for him. I remember when everyone was posting, I was like, okay, so is this guy some kind of scammer? Why is everyone posting so much? I'm, like, distrustful of the concept of posting, even if it's something I agree with. Interesting track for you.

[Nori Reed]

Well, I think it kind of will be like, where does, like, GoFundMes lie in this?

[Sam Taggart]

You're setting us up.

[Nori Reed]

Culture war. Yeah.

[George Severis]

This is a trap.

[Sam Taggart]

This is a trap, and we're not falling for it.

[Nori Reed]

I'm looking for housing.

[Sam Taggart]

Come on.

[Nori Reed]

The east side. One bedroom or roommates.

[Sam Taggart]

You're not looking for roommates. Be real.

[George Severis]

Be real.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Be real.

[George Severis]

When I saw that post, I said, she's lying again.

[Sam Taggart]

Be real. Oh, starring in hacks and looking for roommates.

[Nori Reed]

There's a false narrative.

[George Severis]

The woman that screamed at Karamo's son about selling a roommate.

[Sam Taggart]

Here's something about you. You can't decide. You can't decide if you want to present as, like, a billionaire or an at risk youth.

[George Severis]

This is given time, genius.

[Sam Taggart]

You're literally every day, you wake up and you're like, am I at risk youth or am I billionaire?

[Nori Reed]

The way I'm being so open to this right now, and you're. It's. You're right. It's crazy. I'm feeling very open.

[George Severis]

Wow.

[Nori Reed]

I'm feeling very open to this.

[George Severis]

This is huge.

[Nori Reed]

And I actually think my therapist would never tell me this, by the way. Like, he's like, a very validating trans man.

[Sam Taggart]

That's where you.

[Nori Reed]

Trans man.

[George Severis]

All right, okay.

[Nori Reed]

Very validating trans man. He's kind of on a loop. It's just all positives.

[Sam Taggart]

Totally.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Chat lgbt.

[Sam Taggart]

Sorry. Chat lgbt.

[Nori Reed]

So is that a platform? Validating?

[George Severis]

So it's like, AI.

[Nori Reed]

That's what the joke was.

[George Severis]

Got it.

[Nori Reed]

Didn't really land.

[George Severis]

I wasn't sure it landed with them.

[Nori Reed]

Thank you.

[Sam Taggart]

Chat lgbt.

[Nori Reed]

I care about.

[Sam Taggart]

Wow. I'm a complete chat gbt. No, I get it. At this point.

[George Severis]

They're trying to help at this point.

[Sam Taggart]

I get it.

[Nori Reed]

But, yeah, like, he would never. He doesn't tell me the truth about anything.

[George Severis]

That's good.

[Nori Reed]

He's like, post more.

[George Severis]

How long have you had him?

[Nori Reed]

Ye. Long time. Yeah, that's very long time. But you guys are giving me the truth here, so I'm. I'm appreciating it.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

That's what you get from CIS gays, right?

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

They're gonna go ahead and just say what's on their mind.

[Nori Reed]

Is it my turn to say something about us?

[Sam Taggart]

Say something about us.

[Nori Reed]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, you can go the reading. The library is open.

[Nori Reed]

I have nothing. I don't know. I'm. I. I truly have nothing. Oh, I have nothing.

[Sam Taggart]

Yay. So we're like, perfect.

[George Severis]

No notes. You're like my therapist.

[Nori Reed]

I guess if there's only. If I. Just one thing here she goes.

[George Severis]

Oh, God.

[Nori Reed]

I just think you could be a little more supportive of trans people.

[Sam Taggart]

People keep saying that to us.

[Nori Reed]

I'm really enjoying looking at.

[Sam Taggart]

And we keep being really defensive.

[Nori Reed]

I'm noticing it.

[George Severis]

You're.

[Sam Taggart]

You think that those are your allies.

[George Severis]

They're on our side, by the way. The cameras.

[Nori Reed]

Okay. Chat. Chat. What do we think?

[Sam Taggart]

I can't believe this.

[Nori Reed]

Chat. What do we think?

[Sam Taggart]

How do you think. You know? Because you're here for our Pride episode and because you brought up our alleged lack of support for the trans community. What do you think we can do to better support the trans community?

[Nori Reed]

Oh, my God. And CIS people are always doing this.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, so you're gonna go? You're gonna go. It's not my job to educate you

[Nori Reed]

Mode suddenly my job to tell you.

[Sam Taggart]

So you're not giving us. So you're refusing to point us in the right direction.

[Nori Reed]

I just think that you guys could have more housing.

[Sam Taggart]

More housing.

[Nori Reed]

Knowledge of. Of, like, what's the.

[Sam Taggart]

You think we should specifically support trans people by providing them housing? I think we can barely house ourselves.

[Nori Reed]

Have you heard of Zillow?

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah, actually, I think, like, if you guys could make an app that's, like, rooms and, like, Zillow for transform. Okay, okay.

[Sam Taggart]

You think we can support trans people by building an app that is Zillow for trans people?

[George Severis]

Guess how we're gonna fund it?

[Sam Taggart]

How? Oh, through the videos. Oh, my God.

[Nori Reed]

I think it's all kind of coming together.

[Sam Taggart]

All right, so this is interesting, what you're saying. It's a Robin Hood model. We're using the evil of evil of AI and of Karen videos, which I think are inherently evil. Of course, on all sides, we're using that evil to fund sort of inclusive housing. Okay, good.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Should we do our first segment?

[Jennie Garth]

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[America 250 Announcer]

podcasts are heard this July 4th. Come celebrate at America's Block Party. Hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music, performances from major artists, patriotic tributes and the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark [e-mail]

[Jennie Garth]

I

[Nori Reed]

turned off news altogether.

[Sam Taggart]

I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything. It's the rage bait. It feels like it's trying to divide people.

[Nori Reed]

We got clear facts.

[George Severis]

Maybe we could calm down a little.

[Nori Reed]

NBC News brings you clear reporting. Let's meet at the Facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News reporting for America.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[George Severis]

So our first segment normally is called Straight Shooters. I don't Remember what we call it for Gaydio Lab.

[Sam Taggart]

But what about Gay Shooters?

[George Severis]

What about Gay Gooners?

[Sam Taggart]

Ooh. Okay, Nori, our first segment is called Gay Gooners.

[George Severis]

And in this segment we're going to ask you a series of rapid fire questions. Basically, this thing or this other thing

[Sam Taggart]

to gauge your familiarity with and complicity in gay culture.

[Nori Reed]

Okay?

[George Severis]

And the only rule is you can't ask any follow up questions or we

[Sam Taggart]

will scream even more than we already have been.

[George Severis]

Okay, Nori, clean up on aisle five. Or giddy up, let's go for a ride.

[Nori Reed]

Giddy up, let's go for a ride.

[Sam Taggart]

Mary Queen of Scots or Harry go to Gringotts.

[Nori Reed]

Mary Queen of Scots.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Crude oil or Susan Boyle.

[Nori Reed]

Susan Boyle, period. Have you been watching?

[George Severis]

I've been seeing the clips.

[Nori Reed]

Okay.

[Sam Taggart]

Flora and Fauna or Tegan and Sarah?

[Nori Reed]

Oh, Flora and Fauna.

[George Severis]

Hearing that engine purr or hearing the women of Smurrers.

[Sam Taggart]

That was good.

[Nori Reed]

Will you say that one more time?

[George Severis]

Smurs is a band.

[Sam Taggart]

They're like, I know, vaguely Scandinavian.

[Nori Reed]

I know that.

[Sam Taggart]

By which I do mean literally Swedish.

[Nori Reed]

Would you say one more time though?

[George Severis]

Hearing that engine purr or hearing the women of Smurrers.

[Nori Reed]

Hearing that engine purr.

[Sam Taggart]

The divine feminine or the bovine specimen?

[Nori Reed]

The divine feminine.

[George Severis]

Okay. Being tax exempt or needing a wax. You're unkempt.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, that felt so aggressive.

[George Severis]

Sorry. It was a character piece.

[Nori Reed]

The. The wax one.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay. And finally. That's a chop. That's a bop. Or that's AI slop.

[Nori Reed]

That's a bop.

[Sam Taggart]

Wow.

[Jennie Garth]

Wow.

[Sam Taggart]

Good job.

[Nori Reed]

Really good work. Did I do it right?

[George Severis]

I think you nailed it. You know, we rate our guests on a scale of 0 to 1000 doves.

[Sam Taggart]

What do we do for Gadiolab? 0 to 1000 things of poppers.

[George Severis]

That's so classic gay humor.

[Nori Reed]

I did a pupper for the first time. What'd you think it was like a drive by?

[Sam Taggart]

What, you were driving?

[Nori Reed]

No, like a doll. Like, was walking by and she put it under my nose.

[George Severis]

Oh.

[Nori Reed]

And I was scared.

[Sam Taggart]

I went, yeah.

[Nori Reed]

And then she kept walking.

[George Severis]

Where were you?

[Nori Reed]

I can't say that.

[Sam Taggart]

Is it a famous doll? Was it Caitlyn Jenner?

[George Severis]

Was it the Republican National Convention?

[Nori Reed]

It was in the Airstream with Caitlyn. We're kind of both subletting off and

[George Severis]

on in the Airstream with Caitlyn is such a Lana Del Rey lyric, Huh? Well, I think you did amazing.

[Sam Taggart]

And you got. I think you got a thousand.

[George Severis]

A thousand things.

[Sam Taggart]

A thousand things of poppers.

[Nori Reed]

Thank you. Thank you.

[George Severis]

Where are we at with gay humor?

[Sam Taggart]

How much time do we have?

[George Severis]

Every day I open Instagram and I'm fed the most stupid sketch from a gay guy. Or. And I'm sort of like, why did you take the time to do this? Don't you have to have a job?

[Nori Reed]

No one. No one has a job.

[George Severis]

No one has a job. They all have a phone.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, no one has a job. They all have a phone. Truer words have never been spoken, but

[Nori Reed]

I feel like we're on the same page when it comes to, like. I just. Gay culture. I don't even think fractured is the right word anymore. I think it's just so, like, I don't even know what it. Like, what is it? Yeah, I don't even know what it is now.

[Sam Taggart]

That's a really good point.

[Nori Reed]

That's an amazing point. I. I was driving here and I was. I was like, what is gay culture?

[George Severis]

Well, I think this might be leading into your topic that you have not told us yet that we are a little afraid of.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

What is your gay topic?

[George Severis]

Normally, we don't get gotcha on our own show.

[Sam Taggart]

I know we asked before. Usually we check in with guests before the recording just to check if we've done it before, if we have any moral or political objections to it. But you didn't want to share.

[Nori Reed]

No.

[George Severis]

So we can't retaliate in any way.

[Sam Taggart]

So the floor is yours.

[Nori Reed]

I think I want to explore flop.

[Sam Taggart]

The concept of flop.

[George Severis]

The concept of flop.

[Nori Reed]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

Ooh, that's good.

[George Severis]

Interesting. Tell us more.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah, Well, I feel like to be born is to flop.

[Jennie Garth]

Yes.

[Nori Reed]

I think to be human is to be floppy. And in this specific time that we are in, what is flop?

[George Severis]

Interesting.

[Sam Taggart]

Are you aware of the book? Keep in mind, I've never opened it in my life, but I do know the title. The Queer Art of Failure.

[Nori Reed]

No.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, it's a book and that title seems relevant.

[George Severis]

So you are saying that

[Jennie Garth]

a flop.

[George Severis]

Our addiction to flops and our negativity around flops is bad.

[Nori Reed]

I'm saying that we exist in a moment where. We exist in a moment where.

[Sam Taggart]

Let me be clear.

[Nori Reed]

We exist in a moment where society is flopped.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes.

[Nori Reed]

The structures we exist in are flop.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

So I think.

[George Severis]

Bless you.

[Nori Reed]

I think, like, before it was. It was interesting or fun to be like, ariana is flop.

[Sam Taggart]

I see what you're saying, but I don't think now the default is flop.

[Nori Reed]

We live in flop.

[Jennie Garth]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

So there's no such thing as floppy.

[Nori Reed]

How can any of us be flop?

[George Severis]

Everything is flop.

[Nori Reed]

If the environment we exist in.

[Sam Taggart]

How can anyone be flop if everything is flop? Yeah, this is sort of how, like, if all art is political, no art can be political. Or, like, these are sort of like logical paradox.

[George Severis]

So you're saying that since everything is flop, we need to be celebrating when something is not flop. That's like. That's what's rare.

[Nori Reed]

I'm very confused by it because I think I still want to be very critical. I like being critical, of course, but I think, like, it. I don't know if you relate to this, but I just feel like that's part of why gay culture feels so confusing right now, is because it's like, the, like. Like, the harder life gets and the more, like, you know, the country gets, like, cuckoo bananas.

[Sam Taggart]

Thank you for putting a name to it.

[Nori Reed]

It's just kind of like, it. That does have an effect on, like, how I relate to, like, gay culture, I think. I don't know. I don't know.

[Sam Taggart]

Here I'm throwing something out there. Do you think that, like, it feels less impactful to be critical of something when everything is bad? It's like, if I'm, like, so excited, I'm writing a new essay, okay. And the essay is about how actually Love island is a bad show. It's like, who cares? Everything is bad. It's not impactful to make a critique when everything is just sort of like, slop, slop, slop, slop, slop.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Is that related to what you're saying?

[Nori Reed]

Kind of. I don't even. I don't know what I'm saying is. And that's why I didn't want to tell you guys, because I don't understand, but I just feel like as, like, it's harder to be critical of, like, because, like, we're all, like. To be human is to be, like, flawed.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, of course.

[Nori Reed]

That's, like, a big part of human condition.

[George Severis]

Me. Oh, yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Sorry.

[George Severis]

No, it's okay.

[Nori Reed]

But, like, I don't know. I just feel like that's feeling less fun to be, like, this is flop. Like, this is flop. It's not as fun anymore. But maybe that could just be me.

[Sam Taggart]

No, no, no.

[Nori Reed]

I may not be having a singular experience.

[Sam Taggart]

I know what you mean.

[George Severis]

So you're saying negativity is over, Kind of.

[Sam Taggart]

Can we talk a little bit about. I want to talk a little bit about the concept of flopping within gay culture in general. It's like the prospect of flopping is always looming, and that adds kind of, like, almost an excitement to Things. It's like the proverbial. When you drop your proverbial single, which could mean anything from having a new opinion to starting a new job to looking for housing, getting a haircut, whatever. It's like, what if I flop? And then, of course, honey, what if you slay?

[George Severis]

Slay.

[Nori Reed]

Or like, okay, The Lost Culture Awards.

[George Severis]

Okay.

[Nori Reed]

It was just, like, really good. I, like, just really enjoyed it. And it actually felt so nice for it to just be like, this is really good. And, like, I was. I didn't feel critical about. And it. I just. I've, like, was talking to a friend after and we both were just like. It felt nice for. Just to be, like, positive. Things don't have to be, like. Things don't have to be, like, bad anymore.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, I see what you're saying.

[Nori Reed]

I don't know what I'm saying.

[Sam Taggart]

No, I know what you're saying. Do you want me to explain it to you?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Sam Taggart]

What you're saying is the following queer Joy used to come out of, like, being a little bitch and critical being. Critical being a little bitch being. Biting a word that is often used to describe gay people being, like, having a little quip at the ready, a little sass. Yes. And you're saying that all of that seems less enjoyable now.

[Nori Reed]

Or interesting.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes. Or interesting. And so

[Nori Reed]

it's.

[Sam Taggart]

And so. And we maybe haven't figured out what is replacing that yet.

[George Severis]

I have a theory as well.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay.

[George Severis]

Okay. I think part of the issue is that gay people are flop. They can't be.

[Sam Taggart]

Gay flopped.

[George Severis]

Gay flopped. So they can't be the ones being critical because it's like, on what grounds? How are you on a higher ground? Because, like, you can't say she's bad or good because you're. Look at you.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. Literally look at you. Disgusting ass slut.

[Nori Reed]

Who are you talking about?

[Sam Taggart]

This one guy we know. This one guy we know.

[George Severis]

We're painting him in our mind.

[Sam Taggart]

Sucks.

[George Severis]

Yeah, he sucks. He's dating Ian McKellen.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Do you think. Are there, like, gay people who are still very much in the culture of, like, five years ago and still just existing in the same war?

[George Severis]

Five years ago is an interesting time.

[Nori Reed]

That would be 2021. Okay.

[Sam Taggart]

They're still, like, getting tested for Covid every day.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah. Are there gay guys that are still getting tested every day, is what I'm

[George Severis]

wondering, specifically for Covid.

[Sam Taggart]

Increasingly, I'm not seeing gay guys getting tested enough, I gotta tell you that.

[Nori Reed]

Gilead.

[Sam Taggart]

Thank you.

[Nori Reed]

Sorry.

[George Severis]

Callen Lord, the woman I go to who is not a doctor, but she does prescribe me things.

[Sam Taggart]

There was some roundup of, like, celebrities. Celebrities say their favorite queer hotspots in New York, and someone's answer was Callen Lorde. And I was like, okay, well, that's pretty literal.

[America 250 Announcer]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

What about, like, a bar? I used to work there at Callen Lorde? I knew that about you.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah. I was the one who told people they have hiv.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. You had a sort of, like, mutual aid era before you sold out and started writing for Disney.

[Nori Reed]

That was my favorite job.

[Sam Taggart]

Was it?

[Nori Reed]

It was.

[Sam Taggart]

They got your dressing right every time.

[Nori Reed]

They did. I also was just really good at it.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, I'm sure.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah. I was, like, really good. I was, like, very. It was like, mama bear vibes. Yeah, I was really good at it.

[Sam Taggart]

Is there an experience you have had of flopping that has activated this contemplative ethos that you're bringing today? Of what is flopping? Do we need it? Are we post floppy? Was there something that, like, made you want to interrogate the concept of floppy?

[Nori Reed]

I think. I mean, last year, it. It was a hard year, I think for me, just, like, it was difficult. And for me, like, I think I got more spiritual, not. Not Christian.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, of course. It would be crazy if you did.

[Nori Reed]

Well, some people.

[George Severis]

Some people.

[Nori Reed]

For me, it was a Buddhist, and I've definitely gotten a little bit more into that, and I think that has kind of changed a little bit of how I view.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, so interesting. So the solution. The reaction to flopping isn't necessarily, like, Pazi vibes, only earnestness. It's more of, like, a heightened spirituality and Zen, like, practice.

[Nori Reed]

I think it just, like, it's less fun for me personally to like, to be critical, I guess.

[Jennie Garth]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

I don't know. But it literally just might be my own experience. I'm not sure if that's a shared queer experience right now.

[Sam Taggart]

I think it is.

[Nori Reed]

I'm not sure. Like I said, I think everything's so fractured. It's really hard to know. To find a common kind of streamlined experience, at least, like, online. I don't know if maybe offline, but everything feels very, like, you know, I feel like I'm flopping right now. I'm sorry. I feel like I'm so, like. Like I could. I'm sorry. Should we just change the topic? I feel like this is so boring or something.

[George Severis]

We're finding it. We're finding it.

[Sam Taggart]

We're finding it.

[George Severis]

Well, what is our. What's the state of critique? I think is sort of where you're going.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah. In a time like this, like in this specific moment we're in, it's just

[Sam Taggart]

like, wait, here's a question. Maybe this has to do with your disillusionment with critique and both. And this is a question for both of you. When was the last time a critique hit for you? You know what I mean? It used to be that you could, let's say there was a political issue or even a work of art or something. You could find some sort of essay or book or dare I say post and be like, I agree with that. That is a biting critique. And more and more everything is sort of confused and convoluted and kind of reheating.

[Nori Reed]

Nachos. I think nachos are being so constantly reheated.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

No, they're back to being tortillas.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah. I don't know. I feel like, I feel like, like the bad things that are happening like in our country or whatever, like they're so bad and they're so like unchecked that it's almost like, like if you think of like infographics and stuff like that used to have a point.

[Sam Taggart]

Totally.

[Nori Reed]

Like, there used to be a point of like sharing information and now we're so deep in the like, bad that it's like, what's, like, why even sharing and like, like, we know it's, we know it's bad and it's happening. So it's just kind of like, I

[Sam Taggart]

see what you're saying.

[Nori Reed]

Why even critique it? Because it's like, we know what's happening.

[Sam Taggart]

Things are so self evidently bad in a straightforward way that a thoughtful critique can't help.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Because everyone already agrees.

[George Severis]

Well, it's like saying like, Trump is bad.

[Sam Taggart]

Exactly.

[George Severis]

Yeah. Like, now what?

[Nori Reed]

Like everything around us is so flop that it's kind of just like, okay, like, I guess I just want to personally like, do whatever I can as a like, individual to like make my own life. Like not flop.

[Sam Taggart]

Flop better or not. Never mind.

[George Severis]

No.

[Nori Reed]

What are like the other things your other guests have brought? That's not this.

[George Severis]

For gating.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah. For like, for their, like, gay topic.

[George Severis]

Topic was umbrellas and Macy Rodman's gay topic was women.

[Sam Taggart]

Women.

[George Severis]

Oh, yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Those are better.

[Sam Taggart]

That's not true.

[George Severis]

No.

[Nori Reed]

Sorry.

[Sam Taggart]

You know what's happening with you? You. Because the idea of flopping is so in your head. You are, you are so nervous that you yourself are flopping. Because the things in your head, it's like the word flop over and over and over again. And so you're like paranoid that you're flopping.

[George Severis]

It's like you're like doing transcendental meditation

[Sam Taggart]

but for, but for flopping, try to do it the opposite way.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Slay, slay, slay, slay, slay, slay.

[George Severis]

You know something? This is the stupid get ready stupidest point ever. The fact, the fact that the word flop persists where it sounds corny to say slay. Now, hello.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, yes, literally negativity is more socially acceptable than positivity.

[George Severis]

Yes, anyone should say slay. Slay is a bad word. Now, when you say slay, you're Sir Ian McKellen, the oldest gay guy on earth.

[Sam Taggart]

You're not allowed to. In this day and age, you're not allowed to say slay, but you are

[George Severis]

allowed to say flop no matter what age you are. You can say flop, but you can't say slay or else you're mocked and maligned. Yeah, just goes to show.

[Jennie Garth]

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[America 250 Announcer]

4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music, performances from major artists, patriotic tributes and the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than Just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark [e-mail]

[Jennie Garth]

I

[Nori Reed]

turned off news altogether.

[Sam Taggart]

I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything. It's the rage bait. It feels like it's trying to divide people.

[Nori Reed]

We got clear facts.

[George Severis]

Maybe we could calm down a little.

[Nori Reed]

NBC News brings you clear reporting. Let's meet at the Facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News reporting for America.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and safeway. Now through June 23rd. Shop for you, Save days and get great savings on all your favorite personal care Essentials and earn 4 times points. Shop in store or online and save on items like head and shoulder shampoo, Pantene shampoo, Tresemme conditioner, l' Oreal hair dye, Tresemme Hairspray, and Aussie Miracle Curls and earn four times points to use for future savings on groceries or gas. Offer ends June 23rd. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[George Severis]

So who is your favorite LGBTQ American?

[Nori Reed]

Ooh, thank you. I'm gonna go with.

[George Severis]

And you can't say. Caitlyn Jenner.

[Nori Reed]

Why? Why can I not? Sam has a rule.

[Sam Taggart]

She's a friend of mine, and sometimes I'll hang out with her instead of Sam. And Sam gets jealous.

[George Severis]

I get really jealous.

[Nori Reed]

Have you been to the Airstream?

[Sam Taggart]

Have I been to the Airstream? Yes. That is where Caitlyn and I met.

[Nori Reed]

It's pretty nice, right?

[Sam Taggart]

It's nice. I mean, her little corner of it is a little weird. It's very kind of like West Elm. You would think she has so much money. Maybe she could go a little, even just like Jonathan Adler. But she is very committed to being frugal.

[Nori Reed]

She's in a lot of shop there.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. Jonathan Adler. Yeah. It's the one place she's fully banned.

[Nori Reed]

She's banned.

[Sam Taggart]

They. They chase her out with those pill throw pillows. They're just throwing them at her. And then she gets in her car, kills another person.

[Nori Reed]

Question for you guys. Like, what. What is gay culture right now?

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, this is. I'm. I'm glad this is an important conversation.

[George Severis]

It's dancing.

[Sam Taggart]

No, touring.

[George Severis]

Touring.

[Sam Taggart]

I don't know, because we were talking about Chapel Roan.

[George Severis]

Chapel Roan, for example.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, next singer.

[Nori Reed]

Like, is Iced Coffee even still gay culture?

[Sam Taggart]

No, no. Iced coffee is. That whole thing was always a psyop.

[George Severis]

The iced coffee just ate everything else. It all got eaten up in a bad way. It got into the wrong hands fast.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

I really want to challenge us. I'm guilty of this, too. I want to challenge us to, like, think of. Not be Internet centric. Like, I'm like, how I'm like, in real life, what is gay culture right now?

[Nori Reed]

Laughing, laughing.

[Sam Taggart]

JVN style on tour.

[George Severis]

I mean, this is. I'm starting to. You know, we were talking about West Hollywood and how, like, it feels like a literal foreign country.

[Sam Taggart]

And I'm sort of feels like Saudi Arabia.

[George Severis]

It's like, it's Saudi money over there.

[Nori Reed]

You can't say that. That's really messed up.

[George Severis]

Somebody's keeping hamburger Marys afloat. And it ain't our money.

[Nori Reed]

It's Saudi money.

[George Severis]

It's Saudi money, honey. But I. We are in a bubble that is getting smaller and smaller and smaller. And the way that I'm like, no, every gay guy is, like, cool in this way. They like this music and they, like, have these political opinions. And then you go on the Internet and you're like, oh, this is completely not true. There's. It's the 30 that I know. And so I don't. I'm like, pretty confused on what gay culture is.

[Nori Reed]

It's very confusing. I feel very confused by it. But I do know that Jordan first been just sold a film for $17 million, day 24. So maybe we should ask him.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, let's bring him on.

[Nori Reed]

I think he might know.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

So I guess is gay culture, Jordan Firstman?

[Nori Reed]

I think now it is. Yeah.

[George Severis]

But is it?

[Nori Reed]

No.

[Sam Taggart]

Right?

[George Severis]

There's.

[Nori Reed]

Here's the.

[George Severis]

Do gay guys know who Jordan Verseman is? I think, okay. Like, if we were to go to West Hollywood with a microphone.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

For our TikTok account. And we were to say like, top or bottom? And then we would go, do you know who Jordan Firstman is?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Would they be like, totally.

[Sam Taggart]

I wonder.

[George Severis]

I really do wonder. Because we know photos, but we're in a bubble.

[Nori Reed]

No photo, just.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, this is the other thing. Okay. This is actually something that is a larger problem that you're pointing to, which is that people know faces but not names now because of how TikTok works and stuff. Or people like, for example, Kareem, who does Subway takes. I bet you if you went around New York and you were like, do you know Kareem Rama? They would not recognize the name. But then you'd be like, do you know Subway Takes guy? They'd be like, oh, fuck, yeah. I loved when JLO was on it.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah, that's so true.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

If there's one thing that is flop right now, it is?

[George Severis]

Well, yes.

[Sam Taggart]

I will not be commenting on that.

[George Severis]

Oh, sorry. I mean, no, but we have to cut that.

[Nori Reed]

I just realized. I just realized that one of my closest friends works there.

[Sam Taggart]

I forgot Emma Stone.

[Nori Reed]

And she's not one of my closest friends.

[Sam Taggart]

Emma Stone.

[Nori Reed]

She's like, friend. It's Emma Stone. You have to cut that.

[Sam Taggart]

Have you seen Backrooms?

[Nori Reed]

I hated it.

[Sam Taggart]

Haven't seen it. Haven't seen it.

[Nori Reed]

I hated it. You hated it more than I've ever. It's like it was one of the things I've hated the most in the past, like, year.

[George Severis]

I'm ready for a new batch of movies. Yeah, these ones. I'm saying enough. I don't want these ones. Yeah, give me the next batch.

[Nori Reed]

What is. What is in the next batch? I don't even know.

[George Severis]

I don't know, but it's gotta.

[Sam Taggart]

When is the horror bubble gonna burst? I'm actually not mad at it. I've been enjoying all the various. Sort of like Widow's Bay. I am enjoying Widow's Bay. I enjoyed Obsession, you know, a normal amount. I really am excited to see is God is like, I'm down for this renaissance of. Of mid to low budget horror. But what's gonna happen inevitably is one of them going back to flopping. At one point, one of them is gonna flop and it's gonna be like the bubble has burst, but we need this. And you know what else? I bet you the one that flops is gonna be the gay one. There's gonna. People are.

[George Severis]

That we're doing an ad read for afterwards.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, we're gonna do an ad read for. No, we're cutting that.

[Ryan Seacrest]

We're cutting that.

[Sam Taggart]

We're cutting that. We're cutting that.

[Nori Reed]

I'm realizing something while you're talking, George, I'm sorry, you should finish and then.

[Sam Taggart]

No, no, no. I'm grateful for the interruption.

[Nori Reed]

Well, I'm realizing as you're speaking that, like, queer culture is being pushed to the fringe, literally, main culture. And that's the one thing we're not naming is I feel like when I think about my favorite show right now, it's Widow's Bay. And it's like for some reason, it just made me think how, like, I'm having such a fun time.

[Sam Taggart]

There are no gay characters.

[Nori Reed]

There's no gay characters. Well, maybe, but they're. You know, it's not.

[Sam Taggart]

No, no.

[America 250 Announcer]

This is.

[Nori Reed]

Have gay stories. You don't have queer stories completely. You might have gay character, like a side character or something. But I'm realizing Right now that queer culture is just being pushed out. And I think we're feeling it.

[Sam Taggart]

I think that it's something. It's sort of when you reassemble whatever that thing is where you, like, reassemble a boat part by part, and then at the end, is it the same or whatever. That is sort of happening with pop culture, where we reached a peak of quote unquote representation during the woke era. And then it's being very, very slowly slash quickly, to be honest, stripped away. Or suddenly we're gonna look at the TV landscape and the film landscape and it's gonna be like 80s and 90s level.

[George Severis]

Oh, totally.

[Sam Taggart]

You know what I mean?

[George Severis]

For sure. I think to your point, though, about horror movies needing them to flop, it kind of reminds me of, like, prestige tv, where we've found out the language of how to make something look prestige and look like an art horror movie. But then in actuality, it is already a basic horror movie. I think we just know how to make things look like they're smarter than they are.

[Nori Reed]

That was my whole issue with back rooms, is that visually and aesthetically, it's very cool and whatever. And, like, to the credit, I mean, the guy who made it, he, like, directed it. He didn't write it. And I feel like in terms of story and plot, it's like there was nothing there. Like, nothing.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

And I feel like that that's kind of what you just said. I mean, it's very visually very. Like it has all the right. And I think that's kind of what doing is. They kind of found. Oh, I forgot. Can you just.

[Sam Taggart]

And we're back.

[Nori Reed]

Everybody's like, just bleep it. And they just won't know what we're

[Sam Taggart]

gonna dub it with. Neon.

[George Severis]

No, but we love neon. We're standing neon.

[Nori Reed]

Never mind.

[George Severis]

Nori, who is straight? Who you think should be gay?

[Nori Reed]

Ooh, thank you.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

I would first of all, and say thank you. Oh, that's great. I mean, I feel like everyone.

[George Severis]

Oh, okay. Who. What straight person would you make gay? And what gay person would you make straight?

[Sam Taggart]

Ooh. And then. Yeah, go ahead. And then we're all gonna say ours too.

[Nori Reed]

Ooh. Who? I think a few years ago I would have said Billie Eilish, but then she, like, came out.

[George Severis]

Right? But then now she's bi.

[Sam Taggart]

Leave her alone.

[George Severis]

Okay. Bi is not a slur anymore, George.

[Nori Reed]

Um, I think I would make Kelly Clarkson gay.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes.

[George Severis]

Oh, I love that.

[Nori Reed]

That's for sure. Like, that is a. Like, she is gay. She hated her ex Husband. That doesn't make someone gay. I'm sorry, but how am I.

[Sam Taggart]

That makes someone straight?

[Nori Reed]

Thank you. But I just could see it.

[George Severis]

Imagine if she hated her ex wife.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah, I love that.

[George Severis]

That would be cool.

[Nori Reed]

I could see her kind of. And she's such an ally, too. She, like, always like, platforms, queer people on her show.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, no, she's addicted to platforming, so. I love the idea of Kelly Clarkson being gay.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Some Doc Martens.

[Nori Reed]

I could see it.

[Sam Taggart]

Tank army pants.

[Nori Reed]

But then the other way around.

[Sam Taggart]

Which gay person would you make straight?

[George Severis]

Probably the hilarious Ross Matthews.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, that would be really fun.

[Nori Reed]

If he was straight, what kind of man would he be?

[George Severis]

He would, like, imagine if the hilarious Ross Matthews worked. Was straight and worked at Lowe's, and he, like, would he be helpful? He would be really helpful and, like, earnest.

[Sam Taggart]

He would be pronouncing it Loewes.

[Nori Reed]

I love that.

[Sam Taggart]

That's why he's the hilarious Ross Matthews.

[George Severis]

They would all call him that. When he was straight, would he have this?

[Sam Taggart]

He'd be really straight, but he'd be like, hey, I'm the hilarious Ross Matthews. Can I help you?

[Nori Reed]

I guess the question I'm having is how much of Ross Matthews essence is voice.

[Sam Taggart]

I see what you're saying.

[Nori Reed]

That's my question.

[Sam Taggart]

I would want him to have the same voice, but just be, like, crushing puss, literally.

[George Severis]

Yeah, that would be awesome.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. Okay, so that's gay, and we want to be straight.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Great.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, so Kelly Clarkson, we want to be gay. Hilarious Ross Matthews, we want to be straight.

[Nori Reed]

Yes.

[George Severis]

Do you think there's bottom phobia?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. Speak on it.

[Nori Reed]

Ooh, These are great questions, by the way. Thank you so much. Thank you for giving these questions.

[George Severis]

Can I tell you how I got there?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

So I feel like there's this thing that happens. I was thinking about the hilarious Ross Matthews.

[Sam Taggart]

One of your catchphrases is, I think there's this thing that happens.

[George Severis]

I do think there's this thing that happens where the hilarious Ross Matthews did some interview where he was like, and people don't know I'm actually a top. And everyone shares it and goes, oh, my God. Did not see that. Did not see that coming. Wow, he's a top.

[Nori Reed]

Why did that come up on the Internet?

[Sam Taggart]

You know who else did that? Troye Stefan. Exactly. He was like, I know I have a song where the lyrics are, I bloom just for you, but that's a bottom. That doesn't mean I'm a bottom.

[George Severis]

And I think there's this thing with famous Gay guys where they're like, actually, I'm a. Even though you want to me, I'm a top. And it's like. And I'm sort of like, why'd you have to say that? Like, it feels like, bro, I'm not like, pause. Like, I'm not gay.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

And I'm like, stop that. You're the hilarious Ross Matthews. You're a bottom.

[Sam Taggart]

Her producer Becca's walking out. She's disgusted by this conversation.

[Nori Reed]

That makes me sad because I feel like I wish that we've gotten further in our society where bottoms could be proud.

[Sam Taggart]

I want to say something I really respect about Jordan Firstman genuinely is. He's like, I'm a gay guy with all that that entails.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

He is the most empowered and self actualized gay guy globally.

[Nori Reed]

And that's why he has $17 million

[George Severis]

and a freaking film.

[Nori Reed]

Bottom that, bottom that, bottom that.

[George Severis]

From the bottom to the top, bottom that. The other thing is I went to Hot Dog.

[Sam Taggart]

What's that?

[George Severis]

It's the weekly party every Sunday here in Los Angeles, California. Bit on the nose and they do that thing that's so vintage that I actually really love where you like walk in and there's a drag queen screaming at you and being like. Like, pick the color cup you are. So it's like bottom verse or top or side? Yes, they're side.

[Sam Taggart]

Why do you have to pick that cup? Is there a sex element?

[George Severis]

They just. It's like to be like sex is in the air. You're saying what you like.

[Sam Taggart]

It's amazing because it's taking pronoun culture, which is positive. Like, this is how I want to be identified and just making it sexual for no reason.

[George Severis]

Yes. But the issue is no one. I feel like so many people actually pick verse when they mean bottom. But there's internal shame.

[Nori Reed]

I remember I'm having a distinct memory of when we first. When I first started at After Midnight. Sam had already been working there for a while, but I started not that long. For like a long time. Like Ian McKellen.

[Sam Taggart]

It was Ian McKellenning like,

[Nori Reed]

but like it was like one of the first days and I was like, Sam, I was like, are you a top or a bottom?

[Sam Taggart]

This is a workplace, mind you.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And you had just got.

[Nori Reed]

I remember.

[America 250 Announcer]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

It was like the first day and Stan was just like. And it was public. Like it was in front of like

[George Severis]

it was in the room with everyone.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And why did you ask that?

[Nori Reed]

I don't know. Sometimes I do stuff and I'm Like, I don't even know why I did that.

[George Severis]

Nori goes to edgelord mode pretty easily.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, you do go to edgelord mode, and people let you, is the thing.

[Nori Reed]

I think that's another contra. That's another Nori contradiction. Yeah. Is like Earnest edgelord.

[Sam Taggart]

Totally.

[Nori Reed]

Kind of like, what's.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, it's like Billionaire at Risk youth, Earnest edgelord.

[Nori Reed]

I'm full of complexity. Actually.

[Sam Taggart]

This should be a. You know how they do the approval matrix. That's like highbrow, lowbrow, whatever. It should be Billionaire at Risk youth edgelord Ernest.

[Nori Reed]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

And we should be able to, like, rate all our friends and all comedians.

[Nori Reed]

I'm right in the middle.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, I do.

[Nori Reed]

Thank you. But you answered.

[George Severis]

You're a billionaire.

[Sam Taggart]

Billionaire Ernest or billionaire edgelord?

[Nori Reed]

Billionaire Billionaire edgelord.

[Sam Taggart]

I think I'm billionaire edgelord. And you're spiritually, by the way. My bank account is not. It's not born out there. I. I think you're at risk you.

[George Severis]

I'm at risk you.

[Sam Taggart]

And I think you're in the middle.

[George Severis]

I'm in the middle of edgelord because I like to be stinker, but I get afraid of true edgelordism.

[Nori Reed]

But you're a little bit of a sweetheart, too. You're contradicting. That's another contradiction.

[George Severis]

That's true.

[Nori Reed]

But you never answered my question.

[Sam Taggart]

Do you think that the death of flopping has to do with embracing our contradictions, where it's like we're actually both flopping and slaying kind of at the same time?

[George Severis]

Mm, that's very Buddhist.

[Sam Taggart]

The. What's the word? The philosophical epistemology. The, like, idea of flopping is not nuanced enough to contain what is happening around us.

[Nori Reed]

I think flop is a construct.

[Sam Taggart]

I'll give you an example. Is Donald Trump flopping or slaying? That's an impossible question to answer. He's doing both.

[Nori Reed]

And it's based on your. On where you're looking.

[George Severis]

Yes, but I think in his mind, he's slaying and that. So that's what matters.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, we'll see how we'll let the voters decide.

[George Severis]

They. Honey, they did.

[Nori Reed]

Let's do another one. So top, bottom.

[George Severis]

Yeah. Okay.

[Sam Taggart]

Flop slay. Okay. All right. I would say. I would say that. What are you in that. In that approval matrix?

[Nori Reed]

I'm like. Like, verse. And then I think I'm getting more to flop, like, edging to flop a little bit.

[George Severis]

I don't know where I stand on flop slay for myself.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm currently in a flop place. But I'm okay with it. And my heart is open to slaying in the future. Like, I've slayed in the past and I will say in the future, but I'm currently in a flop place.

[George Severis]

It literally just depends on what I see on Instagram that day.

[Sam Taggart]

Whether you're flopping or slaying.

[George Severis]

Yeah. Like, because I'm like, where do I stand? Where do I stand?

[Sam Taggart]

I'm so passive.

[George Severis]

I know.

[Nori Reed]

I get it.

[Sam Taggart]

You're more emotionally impacted by things you're consuming than what you are doing yourself.

[George Severis]

Correct.

[Sam Taggart]

Like, you can be in a really good place. You're like, in a happy marriage.

[George Severis]

I'm slow and steady.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

And I. But it's just like. But when I see a hare fly

[Sam Taggart]

by me, you're like, wait a minute. That should be me.

[George Severis]

I suck.

[Sam Taggart]

Even though I've made the decision to be a tortoise, you have said what works for me is being a tortoise. And yet you see a hare and you're like, what?

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm like, why not me?

[George Severis]

But sometimes when I'm walking slow and I'm by myself, I'm like, okay, I'm fine. I'm a tourist.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. You're enjoying the views.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

It's kind of like the Internet that's the problem.

[Sam Taggart]

That's what we keep coming back to.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah. Yeah, The Internet. That's really it.

[George Severis]

All up. But this is why we need to lean in and make the Karen account.

[Sam Taggart]

So you're going for, like, an accelerationist approach. You're like, if we, like, do the worst possible thing with the tools being given.

[George Severis]

Exactly.

[Sam Taggart]

It'll blow it up.

[George Severis]

We need to, like, show how evil and wrong it is by becoming rich off of it. Oh, with the TikTok account.

[Nori Reed]

I don't know. I just don't know. But I really. I think what you said earlier is really resonating with me about, like, geek culture offline.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

And I think a culture offline is thriving.

[Sam Taggart]

I agree.

[Nori Reed]

I really think so. And not to be like, you know, not to get out of edge, Lord, and into earnest. But, like, it is community. I think at the end of the day, queer people are. We do support each other. We do look out for each other. We do ask each other how we're doing. Maybe you could do more.

[George Severis]

Of course.

[Sam Taggart]

How's your saga going?

[Nori Reed]

Yeah. Practice.

[George Severis]

What saga are you in right now?

[Sam Taggart]

What saga are you in right now?

[Nori Reed]

And thank you for asking, I'm in right now. A saga. Grocery store saga. I bought a grocery store. Thank you see, that's easy. Easy.

[Sam Taggart]

You bought a grocery store. That is, I'm sorry, something you would do. And then you're literally, like, you're posting. You're like, oh, like, I bought a grocery store, you guys.

[George Severis]

No one's buying the oranges. No one's buying my oranges.

[Nori Reed]

And guess what? That's a real problem. That's a real problem that I want to post about and get support on.

[Sam Taggart]

Bought a grocery store. Like, it's been really complicated. Like, I don't understand how any of this works. Like, it seemed the natural next step.

[Nori Reed]

I'm also looking for housing.

[Sam Taggart]

I bought a grocery store to live in, but now people are keep coming and shopping.

[George Severis]

Katelyn's kicking me out of the Airstream.

[Nori Reed]

The oranges are back. Yes. These are real issues that community can get in there.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, I think I understand. It's like, in real life, community is easier. So there's power in numbers, whereas when you're atomized in an online environment, there's more potential for flopping because everyone is constantly being rated and, like, compared to the other atomized people.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah. The algorithms, I think, are built on flop.

[Sam Taggart]

We slay together. We flop individually.

[Nori Reed]

Yes.

[George Severis]

Oh, interesting.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And actually, maybe the issue is that people get ready.

[George Severis]

Thank God.

[Sam Taggart]

The issue is that people think that they can slay individually, online, and they don't understand the only way to slay is to find community offline.

[Nori Reed]

Improv Each improv.

[Sam Taggart]

Each day you're logging in. Each day you are logging in and you're saying, today's the day I slay. Today's the day I slay. But you keep flopping. You keep flopping. And you're like, what is the way out of this? The way out of it? Finding community. Slaying together. Rising ship rising. You know, whatever.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Tides. Tide lift all ships.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm so caffeinated. It's crazy.

[George Severis]

It's weird. It's having sort of an opposite effect.

[Sam Taggart]

Rising tide lifts on boats.

[George Severis]

I. You know, Nori, I'm really realizing in this episode, you're very good at picking up what I'm thinking in a way that I'm like, a little bit.

[Sam Taggart]

You guys have a real connection.

[George Severis]

I'm feeling exposed.

[Nori Reed]

Really?

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

You're one of my favorite people in the world.

[George Severis]

Well, I'm obsessed with you, and you are as well.

[Nori Reed]

I love you guys.

[George Severis]

Well, you just don't live here, so you don't see nobody.

[Sam Taggart]

All right? Don't make me.

[Nori Reed]

We work together.

[George Severis]

We've worked together.

[Nori Reed]

And, like, I've Been to his house

[Sam Taggart]

and I've been to his house.

[Nori Reed]

Well, no, but I haven't been to your house.

[George Severis]

Yeah. So she can't know you.

[Nori Reed]

I'm not comparing me and you. I'm just saying I'm.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, you're comparing me and Sam, and you're saying Sam wins. Yeah, totally.

[George Severis]

This pride. Sam wins.

[Sam Taggart]

No, I get it. I get it.

[Nori Reed]

I. I do. I'm a. My grandmother was true psychic. Like, for real. Like, she was a psych psychic. Fortune dollar. And I think professionally, literally. I know.

[Sam Taggart]

That's amazing.

[Nori Reed]

So it's kind of. That's why I'm.

[Sam Taggart]

Is it genetic? That's why you're trans?

[Nori Reed]

Yep, that's what I think. I have a whole theory. It's not really no one else. It's not based on. It's kind of what I think.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, it's like, sort of irrelevant to the grandmother story. Yeah, you just, like, separately have a theory about why you're trans.

[Nori Reed]

Well, I think she's psychic.

[George Severis]

She was in Kentucky being a psychic.

[Nori Reed]

Korea. I'm Korean, by the way.

[Sam Taggart]

Kentucky and Korea.

[Nori Reed]

Have you heard what. No. What? I. I don't. What?

[Sam Taggart]

I know they're both K words, but. Yeah, it's not adding up.

[Nori Reed]

We.

[Sam Taggart]

Your grandmother was in Korea.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Okay.

[Nori Reed]

She was psychic.

[Sam Taggart]

Saudi money.

[Jennie Garth]

Got it.

[Nori Reed]

She did not have Saudi money.

[Sam Taggart]

She was in Korea, but she was funded by Saudi money.

[Nori Reed]

No Saudi money. There was no Saudi money. Money. She tried. There was. She couldn't get it.

[Sam Taggart]

She tried to get that Saudi money. We're all trying. I'm open to it.

[Nori Reed]

We're all trying.

[Sam Taggart]

Please.

[George Severis]

Saudi money. Come in.

[Nori Reed]

And she was psychic.

[Sam Taggart]

Did she do the Riyadh Psychic Festival?

[Nori Reed]

She tried.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

She always trying.

[Sam Taggart]

She was always trying.

[Nori Reed]

She was always submitting.

[Sam Taggart]

She was always submitting.

[Nori Reed]

Always trying.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, so she wasn't a very good psychic is what I'm understanding.

[George Severis]

No, she was good, just not successful.

[Nori Reed]

But it's why I'm trans.

[Sam Taggart]

Again, not getting the connection.

[George Severis]

Please do a little.

[Sam Taggart]

Say more.

[Nori Reed]

I don't have to.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, this is like your other thing of, like, what was it that. Oh, this is like your thing of, like, we make the videos, then we profit. Like, everyone needs to be making more connections from A to B.

[George Severis]

No, that makes sense. You guys just don't know how our Internet works.

[Nori Reed]

I'm scared to tell you this, but on TikTok, they've. They've made a decision that AI videos cannot be monetized.

[George Severis]

My account.

[Nori Reed]

I know, I know.

[Sam Taggart]

Wait, they have?

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

That's gonna change though, right?

[George Severis]

Yeah, because we're gonna.

[Sam Taggart]

What if you make them with a third party platform and then just upload them? How are they gonna know their AI?

[Nori Reed]

Well, I think Community can say if something's.

[Sam Taggart]

There's power in numbers. Community is slaying.

[Nori Reed]

Community. Yeah.

[George Severis]

Okay, then I'll do it on.

[Sam Taggart]

How do they know? I think Community can say.

[Nori Reed]

I think Community can say that.

[George Severis]

Okay. Community can say it.

[Sam Taggart]

Community can say it.

[Nori Reed]

Say that.

[George Severis]

Say that.

[Nori Reed]

Say that. But I can't read your mind. I don't know.

[George Severis]

No, not actually, of course, but.

[Nori Reed]

Well, think of a color.

[George Severis]

Got it.

[Nori Reed]

Blue.

[Sam Taggart]

Wait, can I guess?

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Brown.

[George Severis]

Both wrong.

[Sam Taggart]

Fuck.

[George Severis]

It was orange.

[Sam Taggart]

Orange.

[Nori Reed]

What the fuck?

[George Severis]

I was thinking of it really hard. Okay. I'm thinking of an animal.

[Sam Taggart]

I was thinking of it really hard, as though that's like, we should have gotten it because you were thinking of it.

[George Severis]

I'm thinking of an animal.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay.

[Nori Reed]

Snake.

[George Severis]

Yes.

[Nori Reed]

Okay. I'm gonna try with George. I'm gonna start with George.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay. Okay. All right. I am thinking of.

[George Severis]

This is amazing.

[Nori Reed]

And we're recording, right? We're recording.

[George Severis]

Everyone saw that.

[Nori Reed]

Oh, you got it.

[George Severis]

That was crazy.

[Nori Reed]

That's crazy.

[George Severis]

I was thinking of it hard.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay. I'm thinking of a fruit.

[George Severis]

You have to look it in his eyes. I'll go after you.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm thinking of it really hard.

[Nori Reed]

You're blocking me a little bit.

[George Severis]

Yeah, let her.

[Nori Reed]

You're blocking me a little bit. Okay. Raspberry.

[Sam Taggart]

No, look at me. Pear. No, I was thinking of banana.

[Nori Reed]

Oh, the gayest one.

[Sam Taggart]

I was going really obvious with it.

[George Severis]

Not that obvious. You weren't even thinking it that hard.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, I'm thinking of a vegetable. Okay, hold on. I'm not thinking of it yet. Okay, I'm thinking of it. Focus.

[Nori Reed]

Corn.

[Sam Taggart]

No.

[George Severis]

Oh, this is hard. Broccoli.

[Sam Taggart]

So close. I was thinking of Brussels sprout.

[George Severis]

Okay, I got the green.

[Nori Reed]

My turn.

[Sam Taggart]

And the. When you said burr, I was like, almost.

[George Severis]

Oh, damn.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay.

[Nori Reed]

I'm thinking. Okay. Of a place of business.

[George Severis]

Your grocery store?

[Nori Reed]

Yes, it was my grocery store. It was my grocery store. We just opened on Fairfax.

[George Severis]

And they've got a lot of oranges over there.

[Nori Reed]

We're selling them.

[George Severis]

Wow.

[Nori Reed]

If I opened one, would you come?

[George Severis]

Yes, actually, I really want to visit.

[Nori Reed]

It's on Fairfax.

[Sam Taggart]

Will you.

[Nori Reed]

I said that.

[Sam Taggart]

Will you have prepared foods or just like.

[George Severis]

Is Fairfax in Silver Lake or Echo Park?

[Nori Reed]

It's in Fairfax. Fairfax.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

It's a neighborhood.

[George Severis]

Oh, my God. They're always inventing new neighborhoods.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Wow.

[Sam Taggart]

Even I knew that one.

[George Severis]

Where the hell is Studio City? People love to say that.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, I was in Studio City last night. I went to Teru Sushi. Have you been? No, it was okay.

[Nori Reed]

I just love sushi.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, it's delicious. It's one of my favorite foods.

[Nori Reed]

Have you gone to Sogo?

[Sam Taggart]

Yes, I went there with Courtney and Dash.

[Nori Reed]

Oh, I love. I love Courtney and Dash.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, you should have come, bitch.

[Nori Reed]

Invite me next time.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, I guess we didn't invite you.

[George Severis]

I also wasn't invited.

[Sam Taggart]

Sorry. I mean, this was. Was in January, to be clear.

[George Severis]

Yeah, I was around.

[Nori Reed]

I was here. I'm working a lot at my grocery store, but I still have time off.

[George Severis]

You were stocking the shelves at that point.

[Sam Taggart]

I've told you this before, but this friend of mine from high school was marrying someone and my dad was like, what does he do? My mom was like, he works at a grocery store. And then my dad goes, what does he do at the grocery store? My mom goes, I don't know. He stocks shelves. And then my dad goes. So would you say he's shelf employed?

[George Severis]

Your dad did that?

[Sam Taggart]

Yes.

[George Severis]

I don't like that.

[Nori Reed]

That feels violent.

[George Severis]

That doesn't. Your dad's the type to do that? Yeah. Does he do that often?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. This is a strange reaction. This is like just like a simple dad joke. You guys are like, I didn't know your dad was problematic.

[George Severis]

In my mind, your dad is serious.

[Sam Taggart]

No, no. My family is very, like, jokey joke. He is. You are right that he's serious when he, like, introduces himself, but like, like, yeah, you know, get a couple margaritas in him. He's starting the conga line.

[Nori Reed]

That's like. That's. That's a dad joke.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, it's. It's a classic dad joke. Classic, yeah.

[Nori Reed]

I love that. Is your dad funny? I met him once.

[Sam Taggart]

That's a really.

[George Severis]

He makes jokes.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, he makes jokes.

[Jennie Garth]

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[America 250 Announcer]

Come celebrate at America's Block Party. Hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music, performances from major artists, patriotic tributes, and the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark [e-mail]

[Jennie Garth]

I

[Nori Reed]

turned off news altogether.

[Sam Taggart]

I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything. It's the rage bait. It feels like it's trying to divide people.

[America 250 Announcer]

We got clear facts.

[George Severis]

Maybe we could calm down a little.

[Nori Reed]

NBC News brings you clear reporting. Let's meet at the Facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News reporting for America.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons n Safeway. This summer, stock up on your favorite brands for both you and your home. Now through June 23rd, get big deals on everyday essentials from Proctor and Gamble. Shop in store or online for savings on items like Swiffer Power Mop, Febreze Plug Warmer, Herbal Essence shampoo, Old Spice 2 in one, Crest Scope toothpaste, Secret Deodorant spray, and Head and Shoulder shampoo. Get these deals before they're gone. Offer ends June 23rd. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[George Severis]

Should we do our final segment?

[Sam Taggart]

I mean, I guess I'm having so much fun.

[George Severis]

This is very deconstructed.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

In a way that I like.

[Nori Reed]

I'm glad I like. I was. I feel like I made it weird for a second.

[Sam Taggart]

No, you didn't.

[George Severis]

No.

[Sam Taggart]

You keep wanting to go Pete Holmes mode and made it make it weird. We actually made it normal.

[George Severis]

This podcast is Pete Holmes mode these days. Big time. Where did he keep bringing his ass?

[Sam Taggart]

Where is he? I think he lives there in Ohio. Who the hell does he think he is?

[George Severis]

I know, I know.

[Sam Taggart]

I know you think you're, like, cool enough to live in Ojai where Arthur Artists live. I know you made crashing Christian. I don't. By the way, I have nothing against Christian people. I was raised Christian. I still go to church on Easter, so if anyone's coming for me, don't.

[George Severis]

I thought he was Buddhist now.

[Nori Reed]

Really?

[George Severis]

Isn't he? Like, he's always going through something.

[Nori Reed]

I didn't know that he's talking about sagas.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, my God. His life is one long saga.

[Nori Reed]

Who do you know? Who's the least saga side?

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, great question. This is a really good question. Okay, Least sagas.

[George Severis]

You know, you never have sagas.

[Sam Taggart]

That is so not true. Think about when I was on Accutane.

[George Severis]

That's true. I have sagas all the time. The Accutane one. But you don't pod my Kennedy podcast. You have life. Stuff happens.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, you mean I don't post about the sagas. Okay, Patty. No, Patty has sagas.

[George Severis]

She has sagas.

[Sam Taggart]

Patty's staying in my apartment next week. Oh, let's hope she's a good house guest. Who doesn't have sagas.

[George Severis]

I feel like Julio doesn't have sagas.

[Sam Taggart]

Does Amy have sagas?

[George Severis]

Amy has secret sagas.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, she has secret sagas. Amy will suddenly not respond to texts for, like, two weeks.

[George Severis]

Yeah. And she'll be like, this crazy thing was happening.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

This is like. I'm sort of realizing how insane all our friends are, because I'm like, none of them don't have sagas.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah, we're artists. I guess. You don't really have sagas.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, here's someone who doesn't have sagas. Sudi.

[George Severis]

Oh.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, I think Sudi doesn't have sagas.

[Nori Reed]

She seems very.

[George Severis]

Yeah, it's like, slow and steady.

[Sam Taggart]

Slow and steady. But also hitting all the marks.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah, I. I'm. She even. I mean, she's. She's a new mom.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

And.

[Sam Taggart]

And it's not even being. It's not even a saga.

[Nori Reed]

Chill.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. It's just being incorporated. Everything new that happens with Sudi is seamlessly incorporated into her life.

[George Severis]

No, I had sagas. Now I'm in, like, a saga less era. Thank God I was like, your health issue. Health issue saga. The moving saga. The back. Oh, my God, the back. What a saga. But I dream of a saga less life.

[Nori Reed]

That'd be nice.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

I would say my skincare saga was one. Being accused of having a hair transplant constantly is a saga.

[George Severis]

You're currently in that saga.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm currently in that saga certainly, I think, knock on wood. I've been in an okay situation employment wise for a while. But like post Gawker there was definitely sort of like, oh my God, what am I gonna do? Like employment saga. I mean, remember when I randomly worked at Apple?

[George Severis]

That was weird.

[Sam Taggart]

Crazy.

[George Severis]

I had a hard time accepting that as reality.

[Sam Taggart]

So. Yeah, but I agree that I don't post about the sagas.

[Nori Reed]

I think I've gotten better. I mean I was intentional. I was very intentional about not crashing out on the Internet anymore and had that. Yeah, okay.

[Sam Taggart]

No, I don't think you're. I don't think you're crashing out.

[Nori Reed]

It was like a conscious. It was an intentional thing I did last year.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Like I'm gonna stop.

[Sam Taggart]

Once you. It's like when you see the matrix, you can't unsee it. Once you realize that nothing good comes out of posting, it's difficult to go back.

[Nori Reed]

True. I do. I mean close. I enjoy close friends that way. Of course on close friends you're like,

[Sam Taggart]

you know who's a bitch?

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Like my restore did well this week. That's on my close friends.

[George Severis]

Oranges are flying off the shelves.

[Nori Reed]

Oranges are finally going. I love post than on close friends.

[Sam Taggart]

It's all about the oranges. It's like the only thing.

[George Severis]

Grocery store.

[Sam Taggart]

All about the oranges.

[Nori Reed]

All about the oranges.

[George Severis]

Yeah. Beautiful facts.

[Sam Taggart]

Can I ask you something about your grocery store? Like, are you thinking of it as kind of like a queer? No, it's like for the masses. It's for the masses.

[Nori Reed]

No, no, no, no.

[Sam Taggart]

It's not like all about dietary restrictions and things.

[Nori Reed]

And I'm not vegan. I'm not vegan. People usually think I am. I'm not vegan.

[Sam Taggart]

And it's not like La Hel Health.

[Nori Reed]

It's all meat based everything.

[Sam Taggart]

It's orange. The only non meat thing is oranges, which is

[Nori Reed]

I. I'm doing an orange kind of meat. Kind of where meat meets oranges. Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

That's kind of like what if Meat.

[Nori Reed]

Meat you still.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Have you heard of scurvy?

[Sam Taggart]

I certainly have.

[Nori Reed]

So you still. I eat all. I'm a carnivore. But you still need a little bit of citrus.

[Sam Taggart]

I didn't know if you just do the nori diets. Yeah. Raw meat and then just like a little slice of orange.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah. I mean I lost £400.

[Sam Taggart]

Yay.

[Nori Reed]

And you guys didn't really.

[George Severis]

No, we didn't comment.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, it's tough with weight these days. Like do you comment? People Gain weight, People lose weight. Like, what are you supposed to say?

[George Severis]

I will be using that.

[Sam Taggart]

Are you on peptides?

[George Severis]

Oh, that's the theme of this week.

[Nori Reed]

I can't talk about that. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Many people have on that very chair where you're sitting.

[Nori Reed]

Is everyone on peptides?

[George Severis]

This is about people being on peptides.

[Nori Reed]

What's the difference between peptides and ozempic?

[George Severis]

Don't.

[Nori Reed]

I'm very confused.

[Sam Taggart]

Are peptides.

[Nori Reed]

That's what.

[George Severis]

But, but, but there's more to that.

[Sam Taggart]

There's more. There's many different kinds of peptides. It's like a femur is a bone, but it's not the only bone.

[George Severis]

A square is a rectangle, but not rectangles are squares.

[Nori Reed]

Exactly. Is it injectable?

[Sam Taggart]

Yes, yes.

[Nori Reed]

Should I take beyond.

[George Severis]

Basically, we all need to be.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah, I would love to.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, one of our guests. I don't. Whatever at this point is a future guest because this episode is gonna come out first. But she was like, she was like, wait, you guys are not on peptides? And we were like, no. And then she goes, oh, you're on your. You're in your 30s. Meaning, like, to her, there was this obvious thing where like when you hit 40, you go on peptides.

[Nori Reed]

I would love to.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Apparently you can get them at an apartment in West Hollywood and it only cost $3,000.

[Nori Reed]

What? Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

So in that sense, they're kind of like ketamine.

[George Severis]

No, it was for a six month supply, apparently.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, I think it was a failure. No, six months. I think you're right. Anyway, it doesn't matter.

[George Severis]

Let's do a final segment.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

This was an amazing episode for Gadiolab, of course. Our final segment is called Brand Partnerships.

[Nori Reed]

Yes.

[George Severis]

And we do a brand partnership with anything that we are enjoying. People, places, things, ideas. And we will make them up on the spot and we will go first.

[Sam Taggart]

What's amazing about this segment is that when we first conceived of it, it was making fun of something that existed in the world, which was pride. Partnerships, now they don't exist. And it's kind of like a period piece of like.

[George Severis]

It's a period piece.

[Nori Reed]

It's okay.

[Sam Taggart]

It's like. It's like wearing flared pants.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Like, oh, remember when, you know, companies would do pride advertising? Okay, I can go.

[George Severis]

And I have one after you.

[Sam Taggart]

Hi, everyone. This pride. I am, first of all, Happy Harvey Milk day. This pride, I am partnering with the Cara Hotel where I'm currently staying in Los Angeles. The Cara Hotel has innovated on the concept of Spaces that are outdoors via creating a fake pool that is one foot deep and then photographing it for their website so that you think there is a real pool in the hotel. You pack two bathing suits, one kind of more conservative, one a little more slutty, because you don't know what kind of clientele the hotel is going to have. You get there, you get to the breakfast, and you do order a $17 yogurt. You look at the pool and you realize it is 11 foot deep. Now, one could say that is false advertising, but I would say that is genius branding. You know, you are actually taking something that is essentially sort of a puddle and elevating it to pool. And if that is not what pride is all about, I don't know what is. You know, all of us are kind of like sort of mediocrities, but every day we get to wake up and say, I'm gonna slay today. I'm gonna be the new girl that everyone is talking about. And that is what the Cara Hotel did. That's why its name is Cara. Cause it's a girl. So I want to give a huge shout out to the Caro Hotel. I know that this. Wait, we're not doing shoutouts. I'm partnering with the Caro Hotel. As I was saying, and thank you for giving me $1 billion to make the pool deeper as part of Spencer Pratt's plan to revitalize Thai town.

[America 250 Announcer]

Woo.

[George Severis]

Hey, everyone. This Pride I am so excited to be partnering with. With little travel bottles of Cetaphil. Cetaphil. How do you say that? Lotion.

[Sam Taggart]

Cetaphil.

[George Severis]

Cetaphil. I have over 100 little travel bottles of Cetaphil that I put in every single bag. I put them in the car, I put them in my backpack, I put them in my pockets. I do not leave home without a little travel thing of Cetaphil because, let's face it, my hands get dry as hell the moment I wash them. And I don't know why no one else has this issue. And maybe they do and they just suffer in silence, but I can't suffer any longer. I need to be putting lotion on constantly. And the travel Cetaphil has saved my life many, many times. And it's created a sense of joy and wonder in my life as it's sort of like an Easter egg hunt all the time. No Christian, but. And I do think you should buy a lot of things, period, this prize. And I think having multiples of things is actually the biggest Life hack on Earth. I have three deodorants. That's right. I wear deodorant now. I have a couple toothbrushes. I just hide them wherever. And I think if you can have multiples of things, you should, because it makes life easier. When you're a creator on the go, use Code Sam at checkout for 30% off your travel set of fills.

[Sam Taggart]

Wow.

[Nori Reed]

This pride. I'm happy to be the art me. This pride. I'm so happy to be partnering with H and M. Do you like clothes but you want them to break? Two washes. H and M, you can try on different people. You can be different things, and then it just goes away. And you can be other people because you buy more things, and then you can be them. Also, if you use my Code Nori, you can get 40% off.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, my God.

[George Severis]

That's a huge discount.

[Nori Reed]

All bell bottom jeans only.

[Sam Taggart]

Wow.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

That's amazing, Nori.

[George Severis]

Incredible.

[Sam Taggart]

You know, you're describing 8, 5 point in H and M. It's almost like a Cinderella ethos where it's like, because things disintegrate as you're wearing them, you're like, I have until midnight at the end of the ball to be 60s girl.

[George Severis]

Well, it's also very pride. You know, we're all born naked and the rest is H and M, period.

[Nori Reed]

Really deep. Who's the first person to do this? Who did this?

[Sam Taggart]

I have a question. I keep doing this, and I'm not on TikTok, and I actually deactivated my Twitter, believe it or not, so I'm not online. And I don't know, like, is it lame for me to be doing this? Is this something that a lot of young people are doing and I seem like I'm trying? Your answer seems to be yes. Yes, a little. Okay.

[Nori Reed]

I think it depends on gender.

[Sam Taggart]

It's stupid that I'm doing this.

[Nori Reed]

I think boys can't do this anymore, but girls can.

[Sam Taggart]

I just feel like we're, like, past it. Yeah, okay, fine.

[George Severis]

It's like saying, slay fuck. People are gonna think you're Sir Ian McKellen.

[Nori Reed]

Which finger are you doing? This one or this?

[Sam Taggart]

I'm doing this one, which is fun. I also. Can I do this now?

[George Severis]

That you can do.

[Sam Taggart]

Really?

[George Severis]

Yeah. That never goes out of style.

[Sam Taggart]

No, no, no, no. You know in 30 Rock, where Liz Lemon gets her own.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm starting a new story.

[George Severis]

Amazing.

[Sam Taggart]

Sit your ass down and listen.

[Nori Reed]

I'm ready.

[George Severis]

And here we go.

[Sam Taggart]

Jack goes. When Liz Lemon's going to have her Own talk show. He says he talks to the guy that came up with Arsenio hall signature hand gesture. To come up with a signature hand gesture for her. And I actually want to hire a consultant to come up with a signature hand gesture for me because I think it would be so, so huge. I mean, I'm trying to think now, like. Like, maybe it's like, oh, that's not bad.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

I have a recent one.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, what is it?

[Nori Reed]

Mine's. It's less of a motion, but I've been going. I've been going boom. Really?

[George Severis]

You've been doing boom?

[Nori Reed]

But not. But I'm not like boom. You know that.

[Sam Taggart]

Like a more feminine.

[Nori Reed]

And then I kind of go boom. Like, it's like in the back.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, that's good.

[Nori Reed]

Boom.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay.

[George Severis]

That's so interesting.

[Nori Reed]

And people been loving.

[George Severis]

That's good.

[Nori Reed]

I've been getting a lot of feedback about that.

[George Severis]

Everyone knows I do this, which I didn't invent, but I have popularized.

[Sam Taggart]

You also do something which I don't have. We talked about how when you do air quotes, you do them weird.

[George Severis]

What?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. This is Sam doing. This is Sam doing air quotes. I was, like, going with, oh, that's

[George Severis]

because I'm doing it self aware. Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And I'm not saying you're, like. I'm not saying you're, like, stupid.

[George Severis]

You're scaring me.

[Sam Taggart]

No, no. But, like, you always go like that.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Nori Reed]

Did you ever figure out who started whatever? I can't.

[George Severis]

Oh, my God. Thank you for bringing this up.

[Nori Reed]

I can't figure it out.

[Sam Taggart]

So. So go ahead.

[George Severis]

Okay, first of all, people, this is. I'm getting angry because people keep commenting. Actually, Blank invented this. So many, many people said Natalie Waterman invented it. And then people were saying, Rachel Callie texted me that people think she invented it. And maybe that means she thinks she invented it as well. Then people were telling me that Eric Rahil invented it. Then people were telling me that Kat Cohen invented.

[Sam Taggart]

I invented it.

[George Severis]

And so I'm saying, you know what, you guys, this is what I mean by trending.

[Sam Taggart]

We were saying it's trending. We weren't saying we invented it.

[George Severis]

We were not saying we invented it.

[Sam Taggart]

We were saying people are saying it. Rachel Collie also invented. And I'm not kidding, saying, no problem.

[George Severis]

No, no problem.

[Nori Reed]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[George Severis]

Basically, the word is trending and the delivery is trending.

[Sam Taggart]

Whatever.

[George Severis]

And to try to. To say who started it, I think is missing the point.

[Sam Taggart]

To be clear, we stand on the shoulders of giants.

[Nori Reed]

Also, I associate it in my brain with Spice Girls, whatever. Yeah, sure. Like, mind feels to me like whatever.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, okay. So you're just saying whatever because it's a British accent. I think if you were to ask the Spice Girls to spell what you're saying, they would spell it normal with the hard R. I think they used

[George Severis]

to say that trying to say who started a phrase is literally childish. It reminds me of middle school and people being like, no, I invented booyah. I remember people arguing about who invented booyah. And I was like, some things are just trending.

[Sam Taggart]

I agree with you. But at the same time, I'm always like, like, when people don't know that

[George Severis]

he's gonna tell me he invented booyah.

[Sam Taggart]

No, no. When people don't know that Jabouki invented.

[George Severis]

Well, that's true.

[Sam Taggart]

Jabouki invented raw dogging and short king. And that's a fact.

[George Severis]

That's a fact.

[Sam Taggart]

That is a fact. And no one cares.

[Nori Reed]

I had no idea.

[George Severis]

Yeah, that is true.

[Sam Taggart]

Like the fact that you had no idea. You're in community with him.

[Nori Reed]

I just saw him.

[George Severis]

Well, keep it up in the comments, y'.

[Nori Reed]

All.

[George Severis]

You're pissing me off. Let's end there.

[Sam Taggart]

Goodbye, happy part. Podcast ends now.

[George Severis]

Stratio Lab is a production by Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and iHeartRadio podcasts

[Sam Taggart]

created and hosted by Sam Taggart and

[George Severis]

George Severis, executive produce by Becca Ramos,

[Sam Taggart]

produced by Casey Donahue, edited and mixed by Lawrence Stumpf Social video done by Hot Dog Sandwich.

[America 250 Announcer]

This July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Park. Hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music, performances from major artists, patriotic tributes and the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark [e-mail]

[Jennie Garth]

this is Jenny Garth from I Choose Me with Jenny Garth. History is full of mysteries, like how people ever survive before modern laundry detergent. Luckily, Tide's here with boosted stain, fighting for cleaner, whiter, brighter and fresher laundry versus Tide. Simply no wonder it was America's number one detergent in sales last year. If it's gotta be clean, it's got to be Tide. Tide is a proud sponsor of the Elton John Impact Awards, honoring those who have helped shape a more inclusive and compassionate world with their artistry, advocacy and unwavering commitment to equality. You won't want to miss the Elton John Impact Awards podcast available on June 1st on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Summer is here and the sun is out. Make sure you take care of your skin this summer now through June 23rd. Shop for you, Save days and get great savings on all your favorite skincare essentials and earn four times plus points. Shop in store or online and save on sunblock from Neutrogena, Sun Bum, Hawaiian Tropic, Banana Boat and coppertone and earn 4 times points to use for future savings on groceries or gas. Offer ends June 23rd. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Jennie Garth]

With my mom and dad living in Orange county, when we bring my five and seven year old to visit, we are sometimes in for a two hour drive that could feel like ten.

[Nori Reed]

Oh, as an avid camper, I know all about this.

[America 250 Announcer]

We'll pack up the RV and know

[Nori Reed]

this is either going to be the trip of a lifetime or a complete disaster.

[Jennie Garth]

Which is why we load up the iPads with Lingokids before we even pull out of the driveway.

[America 250 Announcer]

It's what dreams are made of. Lingokids keeps kids engaged and quiet with over 4000 interactive games, songs and shows that kids simply cannot get enough of.

[Jennie Garth]

You can pack whatever you think you'll need, but Lingokids is the only entertainment you'll need for a stress free car ride.

[America 250 Announcer]

Or really any ride, plane, train, hovercraft, whatever.

[Jennie Garth]

Download Lingokids for free today or unlock

[Sam Taggart]

even more amazing content with LingoKids.

[Jennie Garth]

Plus choose the yearly plan and save up to 60%. Search LingoKids in the App Store or Google Play.

[Nori Reed]

Lingokids Everything kids love.

[Sam Taggart]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.