Full Show PT 3: Monday, May 18 [Vault]

Summary

The Bert Show – Full Show PT 3: Monday, May 18 [Vault]

Podcast Summary (May 18, 2026)

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Bert Show delivers the signature blend of authenticity, humor, and real-life conversations listeners expect from Bert, Kristin, Abby, Cassie, Tommy, and the crew. The main segments revolve around relationship dynamics (especially drinking differences between couples), a behind-the-scenes assignment for a show regular, a "pattern recognition" deep-dive with a serial dater, a special recounting of the NASA TweetUp launch, and culminates with a candid, wide-ranging interview with Janet Jackson. The show’s friendly, conversational tone keeps it vibrant, while moments of self-reflection and empathy add depth for regular and new listeners.

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Key Segments and Insights

1. Relationship Dynamics: Drinking Differences in Couples

Timestamps: [01:31] – [09:13]

• Listener Call-In: A caller describes knowing three couples where one partner drinks heavily and the other does not, leading to friction, resentment, and recurring issues, especially with the non-drinker feeling forced into a caregiver role.

  • “They feel like a parent because you have to watch out, you have to be the designated driver. I don't know how that could work.” (Caller, [02:50])
  • The consensus from the listeners and hosts is that mismatched drinking habits often lead to irritation and, over time, could become a deal breaker.

• Bert’s Take: Bert offers a psychological angle, suggesting that sometimes the non-drinker may enjoy the control in the relationship, but acknowledges that, in these cases, it seems more about irritation than power.

  • “It’s their comfort zone. They're comfortable in control. So if their spouse drinks, you get to be in control.” (Bert, [04:16])

• Guest Callers:

  • Dana ([05:30]): Shares her experience with a boyfriend who drinks excessively, expressing frustration and doubts about the relationship’s future: “He is a good person, but it's just really annoying at this point, I don't know what to do.”
  • Kelly ([07:01]): Self-identifies as a control freak, comfortable with her husband drinking and her own abstention, showing not all such pairings are negative.
  • Bert and his partner Stacey are also navigating this—he’s currently not drinking, while she is, and he wonders if tension will build over time.

2. On-Air Assignment to Cover a Twilight Event

Timestamps: [09:14] – [14:04]

• Spontaneous Assignment: The team surprises Wendy with a mission: cover an event with Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner in Knoxville, TN. She expresses excitement and accepts enthusiastically:
  • “I'm gonna do it if I'm gonna get that close to Taylor Lautner. Absolutely. I'll get aggressive.” (Wendy, [12:43])
• Group Banter: The hosts tease Wendy’s willingness and discuss how trust in the show’s producers plays into their recurring stunts.

3. Relationship Self-Examination: Amanda’s Serial Dater Story

Timestamps: [16:12] – [24:08]

• Amanda’s Self-Review: Amanda, 33, has never had a relationship last more than a year. She enlists ex-boyfriends to help her (and the show) understand why.

  • Ex #1 – John (from college, 13 years ago): Relationship fizzled as Amanda became more of a homebody while John wanted to party.
  • Ex #2 – Nathan ([17:43]): Details the same pattern—Nathan was 21, Amanda 30. The relationship ended because Amanda wanted to stay at home while he wanted to go out. Notably, Amanda often served as designated driver and was "obstinate" about meeting halfway.
    • Notable quote: “You gotta meet halfway because she was pretty obstinate towards the end...don't be such a homebody.” (Nathan, [22:00])

• Pattern Recognition: The hosts note Amanda's recurring attraction to “party guys” despite not being a party person herself, inviting speculation about her choices and self-awareness.

4. NASA Shuttle TweetUp Experience with Melissa Carter

Timestamps: [26:00] – [39:45]

• Melissa’s “Space Geek” Adventure: Melissa Carter details her trip to the NASA TweetUp for the Atlantis shuttle launch, after being selected among the first 100 online applicants.

  • Describes VIP treatment for “tweeters,” with international attendees and explanations of NASA’s social outreach.
  • Shares fascinating facts:
    • NASA property is larger than Walt Disney World ([30:01])
    • Spectators must stay at least three miles away due to dangers (acoustic and chemical) from launches.
    • The famed launch sound: “The sound is the number one thing that can cause death of people who are too close.” (Melissa, [32:48])

• Personal Reflection: Melissa becomes emotional describing the launch:

  • “I couldn’t talk...I wanted to say something but I had tears. It was beautiful.” (Melissa, [39:40])

5. Interview: Janet Jackson – Reflective and Revealing

Timestamps: [47:42] – [61:23]

• Interview Approach: The team discusses the ethics of celebrity interviews with restrictions (not asking about Michael Jackson), ultimately deciding to accept under certain boundaries.

  • “We're walking a really tight line here because we didn't want to be tacky, but we did want to have an interview that had some more meaning to it.” (Bert, [45:26])

• Janet Jackson Conversation Highlights:

  • Playful banter about Atlanta’s “Hotlanta” nickname, her time spent in the city, and involving Tyler Perry in the campaign ([48:00]–[50:22]).
  • Reflections on her career:
    • “It's a great body of work...I've never thought about how many number ones I have. I keep moving and keep going and keep creating.” (Janet, [50:46])
  • Insights into creative process and memory triggers for songs like "Control," "Black Cat," "Nasty," and “Scream.”
  • Prepping for the American Music Awards—on nerves: “No nerves. No nerves at all.” ([53:55])
  • Discussion of her upcoming book "True You" about self-esteem, weight struggles, fan anecdotes, emotional eating, and personal resilience.
    • “It starts from your kid years...self esteem and all that went on and in talking to a few stories from young people at that time. I’ve been in this business since I was 7 years old...” ([54:00])
    • “It's not an autobiography...there may have been something that happened within a relationship that triggered something and caused me at that moment to become this emotional eater that I can be.” ([55:12])
  • How tabloids and cruel rumors impacted her: “It used to be. It's not anymore. But I don't really see it. People can be cruel, and that's their job, is the way that I see it.” ([56:38])
  • On protecting family privacy: “It's hard to shield them. I call them and I talk to them.” ([57:52])
  • Self-awareness and strength: “I'm a strong woman, but I'm a lot, lot stronger than I thought I was.” ([58:44])
  • Relationship with Jermaine Dupri: “He's one of my best friends. I love, love, love him to death.” ([60:08])

• Memorable Moments:

  • Janet’s humility and warmth, especially when discussing her body of work and refusing to brag about her accomplishments.
  • Her willingness to help the show's crusade against “Hotlanta,” joking about including Tyler Perry.

---

Notable Quotes

• “They feel like a parent because you have to watch out, you have to be the designated driver. I don't know how that could work.” (Listener, [02:50])
• “It's their comfort zone. They're comfortable in control.” (Bert, [04:16])
• “He is a good person, but it's just really annoying at this point, I don't know what to do.” (Dana, [06:23])
• “I'm gonna do it if I'm gonna get that close to Taylor Lautner. Absolutely. I'll get aggressive.” (Wendy, [12:43])
• “I couldn’t talk...I wanted to say something but I had tears. It was beautiful.” (Melissa Carter on witnessing the launch, [39:40])
• “It's a great body of work...I've never thought about how many number ones I have. I keep moving and keep going and keep creating.” (Janet Jackson, [50:46])
• “I'm a strong woman, but I'm a lot, lot stronger than I thought I was.” (Janet Jackson, [58:44])

---

Timestamps of Important Segments

• Relationship Drinking Dynamics: [01:31] – [09:13]
• On-Air Assignment for Twilight Event: [09:14] – [14:04]
• Amanda’s Ex-Boyfriend Pattern Investigation: [16:12] – [24:08]
• NASA TweetUp Story: [26:00] – [39:45]
• Janet Jackson Interview: [47:42] – [61:23]

---

Episode Tone and Style

The show is casual, witty, playful, and at times deeply thoughtful. The hosts maintain a conversational and inclusive vibe, encouraging both laughter and genuine self-examination, whether reflecting on their own habits, relaying listeners’ personal struggles, or navigating delicate celebrity interviews.

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Closing Thoughts

This episode is a well-balanced showcase of The Bert Show’s range: from relatable dating dilemmas and quirky show pranks to exclusive space nerd adventures, all bookended by a revealing, empathetic celebrity interview. Standout moments include Melissa’s awe at the NASA launch and Janet Jackson’s candid vulnerability, making the episode compelling whether you’re a casual listener or a dedicated fan.

Transcript

[Advertisement Voice]

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[Bert (Host)]

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[Caller or Guest]

have a couple of friends in this unique situation and I'm just wondering how they deal with it. It's actually three sets of couples where one of them in the relationship drinks alcohol and the other one doesn't like really at all. And in a couple of the two out of the three couples, the one person that doesn't really drink only drinks like occasionally or would have like one glass of wine or like one beer and then that's it. They just don't like, it doesn't make them feel good so they just, they just don't drink and then their partner drinks a lot and so and this is in two of the couples and then in the third couple, I don't know them as well, but it seems that one doesn't drink at all. And I'm not sure for what reasons, but then the other one does drink. So I just am curious because it seems to me to be an issue that continually comes up, especially in the two couples that I know better than the others. It seems to be a constant recurring issue because the one who, who doesn't drink tends to end up taking care of or being the designated driver or whatever for the one who does drink.

[Co-host or Producer]

Do they seem to mind or are they cool with it?

[Caller or Guest]

Yeah, no, I think they seem to mind. It seems to be an issue in the relationship because the one who doesn't drink always seems to feel like this responsibility and this irritation by the one who does drink.

They feel like a parent because you have to watch out, you have to be the designated driver. I don't know how that could work.

And they always want to go home earlier than the one who wants to drink. They're ready if they go to a party or gather, gathering or whatever, like one hour and done, they're good to go after like one hour. They want to visit, chit chat, whatever. And then they're ready to go home and turn on TV and veg out or go to bed or whatever.

[Co-host or Producer]

They don't have the alcohol to make everybody else interested.

[Bert (Host)]

Right.

[Caller or Guest]

Well, nothing's worse than being at a party full of drunk people and you're the sober one because everything is ten times more annoying.

Yeah. So anyway, I just don't know how they do it. I don't know how they handle it. And I wonder if it's something that would eventually split them up because the three couples I'm talking about are just dating. They're not married couples. So at that point, you know, it could be, it could become a deal breaker at one point.

[Bert (Host)]

See now it's been just the opposite experience for me when I've known couples that have been in this situation. Cuz generally the person that doesn't drink is a control person. It's the reason why they don't drink is because they like being in control and the alcohol sort of takes over and they don't feel in control anymore. So there's, They've never said it publicly to me before, but I wonder if you're, if you're, if we're playing psychologists, if there's a certain amount of like if they enjoy being that controller of their spouse, like they get to control the relationship in that part because the spouse is sort of out of control. And they're so.

[Co-host or Producer]

It's a power, weird, veiled power thing.

[Bert (Host)]

It's their comfort zone. They're comfortable in control. So if their spouse drinks, it's actually makes them more attractive to you because in that case you, you get to be in control. Does that make any sense?

[Caller or Guest]

I understand where you're coming from, but the couples that I know, it seems to end up being more of an irritation to them. They're always irritated at the drinking or at the stupid things that the person who's drinking says, or at the not wanting to get up early in the morning and get motivated the next day. And like all of the, like, to me it seems like a constant source of irritation for the person who doesn't drink in the relationship. And like, it's like a roll their eyes, totally annoyed, frustrated thing rather than a control thing. But I understand the psychology of where you're coming from. I just don't know how it works because I don't know, like, I think if you both want to go out and have a good time together and you're both drinking, you have a good time. You know what, just take a cab out, take a cab home, and you know what I'm saying, like call it a day and you're at least on the same page. Or if you both don't drink at all, then you just do different things and you don't go out to the bars and you do, you know, totally different things on the weekends. Then it seems to me that it would work and that it would eventually work if these couples were to get married then to move forward and to have children and all that kind of stuff.

[Bert (Host)]

404-741-Q100 hey, Dana.

[Caller or Guest]

Hey, good morning. How are you guys?

[Bert (Host)]

Great, thank you.

[Caller or Guest]

I just had this fight with my boyfriend over the weekend. It was his birthday and, you know, he drank a whole bottle and not maybe because I don't drink. This may not be a lot, but he drunk a whole bottle of Hennessy and had go to work the next morning at 7:30. And it just really annoyed me that you would be that irresponsible to drink that much, knowing that you have to get up early in the morning. And I mean to me he drinks a lot. And again, I don't drink at all. So what I may think is a lot may not be a lot, but it's just, you know. And then, you know, he complains about he doesn't have money for this, but you can find $30 for something that, you know is just Damaging. I think our relationship is so annoying to me.

[Bert (Host)]

Is it a deal breaker at some point?

[Caller or Guest]

You know, eventually, I think so, because this is the one area that I really just get so annoyed with him. And, you know, he smokes. I don't smoke either. So it's just, like, all the habits that I don't have, he has. And, I mean, he's a good person, but it's just really annoying at this point, I don't know what to do.

It just seems like, yeah, if you guys are gonna be together long term and get married and have a family and have children, like, you need to be on the same page with all of. To me, from the outside looking in. It would only continue to look to make it worse and to divide you as a couple.

[Bert (Host)]

Hey, Kelly. Good morning. You're on Q100.

[Caller or Guest]

Good morning.

[Bert (Host)]

Good morning.

[Caller or Guest]

I just want to say that I am a total control freak. Bert, you are totally right. I do not drink, but my husband does.

Everywhere we go, does it cause any fights ever?

No.

[Advertisement Voice]

No.

[Bert (Host)]

Because that's your place of comfort right there. Right?

[Co-host or Producer]

You're totally okay with it.

[Janet Jackson]

Yes.

[Caller or Guest]

I will maybe have one or two drinks, but it's not like I'm not ever the one that gets totally wasted. He is.

I think it's different when you don't drink at all than if you can have one or two drinks. So I think you can sometimes understand it.

[Bert (Host)]

Yeah. Stacey and I are kind of dabbling in this right now. We had a couple of really bad weekends as far as drinking goes, and we have both decided to handle it differently. I have gone cold turkey. I'm just like, I don't want to drink. In fact, I was out with these guys on Friday night at Stats and just decided, I don't want one sip of alcohol.

[Co-host or Producer]

We were at Stats, and we were at the tap tables where the beer is delivered to you.

[Advertisement Voice]

I began to do it right there

[Co-host or Producer]

at the table like a spring.

[Caller or Guest]

And you didn't drink at all?

[Bert (Host)]

I didn't have one sip of alcohol that. Not one.

[Caller or Guest]

I'm at a fancy club soda.

[Bert (Host)]

It was hard, and it was really difficult because when you're not drinking, that beer looked like it came right out of a commercial.

[Co-host or Producer]

And I'll tell you what, it looks

[Jeff (Co-host)]

like the best beer you could ever

[Bert (Host)]

drink ever seen in my life.

[Co-host or Producer]

And the funny thing was, there were a bunch of us standing around, and I said, hey, y', all, I think I'm gonna. I'm starving, so I'm gonna go over to Stats and get a sandwich. And a beer. You guys wanna come over? And I look at Burr, and he just looked sad.

[Bert (Host)]

But I've decided to go cold turkey. And Stacey thinks that that doesn't prove anything. That if we're gonna control our alcohol, that having one or two would prove much more than not having any at all.

[Caller or Guest]

I agree with her.

[Bert (Host)]

I don't know which one is better, but I know. I know the route I'm going, and that's going cold turkey.

[Caller or Guest]

Yeah.

[Bert (Host)]

I can wean myself back in a one or two, because it's like the

[Caller or Guest]

all things in moderation, Right?

[Bert (Host)]

Yeah. And I'm not. At this point, I'm not capable of that right now, so I just feel like going cold turkey altogether. But I can see while we're doing this in November, into November, how if she continues to drink and I don't. I can see it could be a source of tension between us.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Yeah.

[Caller or Guest]

I just don't know how they do it. And the couples I know have been together for years.

[Bert (Host)]

Yeah.

[Caller or Guest]

And they're still doing it. And they're still annoyed with each other.

[Co-host or Producer]

The Birch Show.

[Bert (Host)]

All right, Wendy, do you have plans tonight, if anything on your schedule that you can't move?

[Caller or Guest]

I don't think so.

[Bert (Host)]

You want to think about it for a second?

[Caller or Guest]

No, I don't have any plans.

[Co-host or Producer]

She was trying to pretend that she did have plans.

[Caller or Guest]

She's like, I want to sound cool and, like, have something to do tonight. But, no, I really don't.

[Bert (Host)]

Isn't that part of the mojo we're talking about? Like, your first reaction should always be, yeah, I've got something. But, I mean, if I can move it, yeah, I guess I could.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

I could rearrange.

[Bert (Host)]

Right? That's always. That should always be your first answer.

[Caller or Guest]

I always get nervous when you ask me if I have plans, because I'm not sure what you want me to do now.

[Bert (Host)]

Okay, well, let's do this. Let's play a game of how much do you trust the Burt show?

[Caller or Guest]

So you're gonna have to say which members. Cause I think if it were a gin hobby Melissa Carter idea, she'd be

[Bert (Host)]

like, okay, that's a very good. Valid. Very valid point. How much do you trust Jeff and I? We're gonna play a little game here. We have an assignment for you tonight.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

I've been down this road.

[Co-host or Producer]

Yep. That was our one time with a man.

[Bert (Host)]

We have an assignment for you tonight.

[Caller or Guest]

Okay.

[Bert (Host)]

Based on your trust of Jeff and I, do you want to take the assignment or not? And you only got one shot at it. Either.

[Caller or Guest]

You can't give her a hint on the assignment.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Just about trust and faith in Bert and Jeff.

[Bert (Host)]

Oh, Lord.

[Caller or Guest]

Oh, that's only, like, 15%. Oh, I'll do it.

[Bert (Host)]

See, that's the spirit right there. That's the Bircho spirit coming out.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

I'll do it.

[Caller or Guest]

Really aggressive, positive manner.

[Bert (Host)]

Jeff, you want to tell her what our assignment is tonight?

[Co-host or Producer]

Yes. There is an event with Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner that we would like you to attend.

[Advertisement Voice]

Oh, stop it.

[Caller or Guest]

Are you kidding me?

[Co-host or Producer]

Now, here's the deal. There is some work involved, okay? Because the event is in Knoxville, Tennessee.

[Caller or Guest]

Stop it.

So.

[Co-host or Producer]

And there's no guarantee. There's zero guarantees, but there are a couple of inns that we have that should get you fairly close to touching.

[Caller or Guest]

Stop it.

So, like, red carpet.

I need a new outfit.

[Bert (Host)]

Like red carpet.

[Co-host or Producer]

So, yeah.

[Bert (Host)]

So your assignment here, while on one hand, you're a big fan, and we know you're gonna lose your mind, you sort of have to stay a little bit focused and try to get a couple of questions in with either one of them.

[Caller or Guest]

I'll stay focused. All right. I'll focus on that.

[Co-host or Producer]

But here's the deal. It's like you would. I mean, you talk about needing a new outfit or whatever. It's. I mean, it's Knoxville, which I asked Melissa earlier, about three hours away. So. And you would have to, you know, drive, and I would. I would get there early to give time for getting lost and getting set up on the red carpet. So, I mean, you probably have to.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

UT's campus, you know, that kind of thing.

[Co-host or Producer]

No. And also, hey, the football players up there, lock your doors and stuff. Listen, we don't want anyone.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

The car is probably a lot faster than the ones that they would use, so.

[Co-host or Producer]

But you would just basically drive to Knoxville and get there early and camp out. And we're trying to get you as much access as we can, but we have our fingers crossed right now for red carpet.

[Caller or Guest]

Stop it.

[Bert (Host)]

So it's gonna take you getting probably a little bit aggressive here. I mean, Jeff is gonna get you close, but it's gonna be up to you to get right up to him and hit him with a couple of questions.

[Caller or Guest]

I'm gonna do it if I'm gonna get that close to Taylor Lautner. Absolutely. I'll get aggressive.

[Co-host or Producer]

And just a heads up to Jen Fallon, if she's listening. You could charge Wendy $2,000 to do afternoon traffic today.

[Bert (Host)]

All right?

[Caller or Guest]

Oh, my God.

[Bert (Host)]

So then you Tomorrow morning with the audio, because tomorrow really is the day that we needed for the opening of New Moon.

[Caller or Guest]

I'm going to be in a rush this after. Oh, I'm so excited. When is it?

[Co-host or Producer]

There's. I'm like tonight. Like, there's not a lot of rushing. You're not going to have time. Like, you got to probably be on the road. I would say by noon.

[Caller or Guest]

Okay. I can get ready really fast.

[Bert (Host)]

You could tell her to do anything right now and she'd be like, I can do it. It's not a problem. You have to go via El Paso into Dallas and then to Knoxville. You think you can make it there by five? Absolutely, I can do it.

[Caller or Guest]

Give me a Concord jet and I'll get there.

See?

[Co-host or Producer]

And what have you, what lessons have we all learned about trusting Bert and Jeff?

[Caller or Guest]

Trust them once, but next time don't.

Yes.

All right.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Now, Melissa, I'm so excited.

[Co-host or Producer]

How much do you trust Burton?

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Hell no.

[Bert (Host)]

So that's your assignment. Sometime, like really quickly after the show today, you drive on up to Tennessee.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Awesome.

[Bert (Host)]

Jeff gets you close and you've got to elbow your way in and somehow, some way get a mic in front of their faces and shoot a couple of questions.

[Caller or Guest]

I am so excited.

[Bert (Host)]

Okay.

[Caller or Guest]

I'm gonna get married tonight.

[Bert (Host)]

The bird show.

[Advertisement Voice]

Okay. Can we talk about how confusing weight loss has become? Like, one minute it's carbs are bad, and then the next it's, no, actually, carbs are fine, but only if you walk 10,000 steps and drink a green juice. And honestly, it's just a lot. And then even if you do lose the weight, keeping it off is a whole different story. If you're struggling and want something that fits your real life, hers can help. It's designed to support you in reaching your goals in a way that actually fits your life. That's why weight loss by hers is getting so much attention right now. Hers connects you with licensed medical providers who create doctor developed treatment plans tailored to you. They offer access to an affordable range of FDA approved GLP1 medications, including the Wegovy pill and the Wegovy pen. It helps regulate your appetite so you eat less and keep the weight off. If you're ready to reach your goals and want to try something new, visit fourhers.com Bert to get personalized, affordable care that gets you. That's F-O-R-H-E-R-S.com Bert borhers.com Bert weightless by hers is not available in all 50 states, but go be is a registered trademark of Novo Nordisk. A s Get started and learn more. Including important safety information with Gobi, clinical study information and restrictions.

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[Caller or Guest]

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[Caller or Guest]

Well, I'm 33 now and I've never had a relationship last more than a year, you know, usually six months. It starts to go downhill.

[Bert (Host)]

All right, so every day we're gonna get an ex boyfriend on with us who's gonna detail for us exactly why the relationship didn't work out. Because she wants to sort of take a look at them all and try to figure out how she can get better moving forward. So we talked to this dude, John, yesterday, who dated her 13 years ago in college. We didn't get a whole bunch. I mean, it was 13 years ago.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Mm.

[Bert (Host)]

I think first and foremost, you know,

[Janet Jackson]

it was a long time ago.

[Bert (Host)]

We were, we were kind of young,

[Janet Jackson]

I'd say about half a year into being together. To me, as a 21 year old, she just got really homebodyish and felt like we were in our 30s all of a sudden. And her excuse for all this was like, well, you know, we should, we should stay in because we have tests next week. And I don't know, I was more

[Bert (Host)]

into, you know, partying 13 years ago.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Well, nothing that's typical. Like, you know, somebody in the relationship usually is more serious about it than the other. And it just, you know, sounds like she was wanting to be the, you know, cuddling at home rather than go out and party.

[Caller or Guest]

And he didn't. It sounded like too yesterday in the longer conversation that at first, the first six months, she was like a socialite and like, wanted to go out a lot and they had a lot, you know, stuff going in common. But then as the relationship progressed she wanted to be home more. So he didn't like that. He wanted to still party. But he also was really nice about it and said, dude, we were 21.

[Bert (Host)]

Right. You know, and he also said that she ended up graduating way before he did.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Yeah, There we go.

[Bert (Host)]

All right, so Nathan here is an ex boyfriend and we don't have to go back 13 years. We just have to go back three years. Hey, Nathan.

[Caller or Guest]

Hey, guys. How you doing?

[Bert (Host)]

Good. How are you today?

[Caller or Guest]

Good, good, good.

[Bert (Host)]

All right, so you know what we're doing here, right?

[Janet Jackson]

We.

[Bert (Host)]

We talked to Amanda last week and she's hip on doing this, so she's probably listening right now and she's compiling notes and we're going to talk to her at the end of this week or maybe on Monday.

[Caller or Guest]

But you don't have to talk to her. So you can be honest, Right?

[Co-host or Producer]

You're safe. You're in a safety. You're in the safety zone.

[Caller or Guest]

Exactly.

All right, good to know.

[Bert (Host)]

So you guys dated three years ago?

[Caller or Guest]

Yeah, it's about three years.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Okay.

[Bert (Host)]

And for how long?

[Caller or Guest]

It was probably like seven months, I guess.

[Bert (Host)]

Okay. All right, now, first guy was how long?

[Caller or Guest]

First guy was almost a year.

[Bert (Host)]

Okay, seven months. And just sort of give us a history of the relationship. Things were great, obviously, at first. There must have been some kind of turning point eventually where one of you guys broke it off.

[Caller or Guest]

Yeah, I sort of broke it off just because, you know, at that time I was. I was wild and I was going out and it just, you know, she wanted to. She wanted to just sort of stay at home and relax. And she also had sort of a hard time getting along with my friends because there was a little bit of an age difference.

So what was the age difference?

Well, I'm 24 right now, so when we dated, I was probably like 21. Just turned 21.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

She was 30.

[Bert (Host)]

She must have been 30 then. Yeah.

[Janet Jackson]

Wow.

[Bert (Host)]

She told us that before. Right?

[Co-host or Producer]

That's not a little bit of an age difference.

[Caller or Guest]

That's a nine year age difference.

That's a big one.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

So it's the same issue with the same age of the guy. She was just different. A different age.

[Co-host or Producer]

Well, no, because she was younger with yesterday's guy. They were the same age, right?

[Jeff (Co-host)]

No, I'm saying he was 21 and this guy was 21. Yeah, even, you know, so.

[Co-host or Producer]

So she's been. So she's been boring her whole life.

[Caller or Guest]

She's like dancing, confused. She likes about 21 years old.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Yeah, 21 year old.

[Caller or Guest]

She gets older and they stay the same Age.

[Bert (Host)]

But she's showing a pattern here. Like maybe because she's not that way. She's attracted to guys that are.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Maybe you got party guy in college.

[Bert (Host)]

Now, when you guys initially met, did you meet in a bar or a party setting or how did you initially meet?

[Caller or Guest]

Well, she has a younger brother, and I met her through her younger brother.

[Bert (Host)]

Okay, okay. And was it party, party, party in the beginning of your relationship? And then at some point it tailed off?

[Caller or Guest]

You know, I think she put on a good face, you know, for maybe a week or two. But then it pretty quickly was, why don't we stay home tonight? Why don't we? After a while.

So I was 21 years old.

She's a really great girl, but, you know, I was 21 years old, and I wanted to go out and have fun.

But you must have liked her if that happened right away in the relationship.

There's definitely a lot of chemistry there. There's definitely a lot of sexual chemistry. So cool.

[Bert (Host)]

Okay.

[Caller or Guest]

Okay.

[Bert (Host)]

When you guys would go out and you would do your party thing, would she get her drink on pretty good, or was she always sober and sort of in control of things?

[Caller or Guest]

Sober? She was. She was the DD for me and my friends a few times.

[Co-host or Producer]

That's sad. Hey, Nathan, can you mom come get us? It's my girlfriend. Stop saying that. Kick your ass in beer pong and you're just mad. Take you down a flip cup, too.

[Bert (Host)]

Would she get annoyed by you and your friends because she was sober and you guys were hammered all the time?

[Caller or Guest]

Like I said, she put on a good face a little while. But, yeah, it was pretty clear that there was a problem with. With the partying. You know, like I said, we were 21 years old. We were going out to get drunk, not just socialize. So that really wasn't her scene.

[Bert (Host)]

She certainly knew what she was getting into. So even though she's saying it's not her scene, it's the same. But it's the exact same scenario yesterday. So we are starting to build a pattern here that she dates party, party, party guys, and she doesn't like to party.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Right.

[Bert (Host)]

Okay. Anything else there?

[Caller or Guest]

And she didn't give you a hard time about going out and partying? She was cool.

No, I mean, she wanted me to stay home with her all the time. So. Yeah, I mean, it sort of became an issue. That's. I. That's ultimately why we broke up. You know, it was. It was an issue with, I don't want to go out, and I did want to go out, so if you

were going to give her some advice now on her next relationship, what would it be?

I would say whoever she dates, she's got to meet halfway because she was pretty obstinate towards the end there. I mean, she, like I said, she's a nice girl, but towards the end there, it was just my way or, you know, the highway because I was sort of the one that broke it off. But you know, it was. It just go out and, I don't know, don't be such a homebody.

[Bert (Host)]

So she wasn't even willing to go out with you at the very end. She's like, you go do your thing. Come on back.

[Caller or Guest]

Last two or three months. Now definitely not.

[Bert (Host)]

Okay, cool. All right. This is a nice big piece to the puzzle here then.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Thank you, Nathan.

[Caller or Guest]

All right, guys.

[Bert (Host)]

Really appreciate your time, man.

[Caller or Guest]

All right. Yeah, glad to help.

[Bert (Host)]

Thank you.

[Caller or Guest]

Bye.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Sounds familiar. She doesn't need to date a 21 year old. She needs to date a guy. That's okay to be a homebody.

[Co-host or Producer]

55 year old.

[Bert (Host)]

Now, she did tell us initially that she did date younger guys, right? So she sort of. She said, I did that. Red flag.

[Co-host or Producer]

I usually date a year or two younger.

[Caller or Guest]

I think nine years younger.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Every one of these damn ex Boyfriends is 21 years old. It's being like, this is kind of weird.

[Bert (Host)]

It would almost be too obvious if that was.

[Co-host or Producer]

Well, no, keep in mind that we keep saying that, but the one we talked to yesterday, she was only a year older than him. Like he was still young, but he was their boyfriend from 10 years ago.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Yeah, I understand, but I just find it interesting that regardless of her age, again, the guys are the same.

[Bert (Host)]

The guys, Same type guy, party guy. And she's not a party girl.

[Caller or Guest]

We'll see if it happens again tomorrow. That'll be interesting.

[Bert (Host)]

Tomorrow morning, same time, we'll have ex boyfriend number three on. Tracy here thinks that we're being unfair. Hey, Tracy.

[Caller or Guest]

Hey. I just wanted to say, you know, you got to say yesterday that it seems like she kind of changed her personality. She was all outgoing at first. I'm talking about the first guy, of course. But what I wanted to stress was, is that, I mean, she was pre law at the time. Maybe her classes weren't as hard or as demanding, but I mean, as that second semester rolled around, she really had to buckle down. And this guy today, it's like, whatever, you're 21, are you kidding me?

[Bert (Host)]

She chose him. I mean, that's the point that I think I'm making is she's choosing these guys that party a lot, even though she doesn't party much. So maybe that will be the continued trend throughout the week. We don't know.

[Caller or Guest]

Who knows?

We'll see.

[Bert (Host)]

All right, Tracy, thank you. Hey, the Bird Show.

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[Bert (Host)]

So Melissa Carter. This is really exciting. You talk about exclusive and this had nothing to do with the Burt show or Melissa Carter, news director on the Birch Show.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

This was total geek Melissa.

[Bert (Host)]

Totally different.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Well and it was a NASA tweet up for the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis yesterday. And a tweet up. I mean, it's of course based on Twitter, so you have to be a Twitter member. But Burt's Big Adventure kind of turned into a tweet up this past year because it's basically where we all, if you followed, we all were at Burch Big Adventure and we tweeted about our experience. You went to the Burt's Big Adventure website and you saw all of our tweets just kind of scroll up the screen so that you could follow along with what's going on, even if you couldn't go, well, the same with the Atlantis launch. NASA, who doesn't have much of a budget and who understands that the space program is in trouble, you know, because it's always based on new administrations and budget money. So everybody's worried about the recession and budgeting concerns. So NASA's like, you know, we want people to be invested in our space program and we want young people to be reinvested in the space program. So we're doing this tweet up. Well, I am a geek. I'm a space geek. I love sci fi and everything space. So I already followed NASA and they had announced that they were going to do a tweet up. And so I thought, there is no way I'm going to get in. Because the announcement was made that the first hundred people to sign this online registration form at a certain time on a certain day was gonna be able to be invited to the Kennedy Space center and watch the launch. And it's on your own dime. NASA wasn't paying for it, but if you wanted to be a part of it, then sign up. And I thought, should I? Well, I regret if I don't, but I'm not gonna get in. Who cares? I didn't even tell anybody. I didn't tell Katie. I didn't tell my other space buddies. I was just like, you know, let me just do this.

[Co-host or Producer]

You have space buddies?

[Jeff (Co-host)]

I mean, people who earned a space with me?

[Janet Jackson]

Yes.

[Bert (Host)]

Hello, space buddies.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Whatever.

[Co-host or Producer]

Melissa, I'm gonna have to.

[Bert (Host)]

I had let her have her time.

[Co-host or Producer]

Okay, you're right.

[Bert (Host)]

I have her golden moment.

[Co-host or Producer]

You got it.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

I'm running on two hours sleep. Whatever. My friends who are also invested in this kind of thing. So anyway, so and I signed up. And, you know, it was about a week or so later I got the email saying that I got in. I could not believe it. So anyway, that's what we were part of And I didn't think. I didn't think a lot about it because I knew I was going to be excited about it. But I thought to tweet up, it's not going to be, you know, I'm going to get down there and they'll have a place for us to tweet and that'll be it. But when we got down there, it was almost as if we were VIP, because for NASA, it was 100 of us from around the world. There were people there from Morocco, from New Zealand, from England, who had, again, all of us, our own expenses to get there all over the country.

[Bert (Host)]

And not like in an Epcot way, like real people from real country.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

That's right, exactly. Yeah, exactly. And they knew that collectively. My understanding is there probably was about 150,000 followers of all of us collectively. So they knew that that would be 150,000 followers that may not care anything about the space shuttle launch or even knew that it was happening that maybe would be invested in it.

[Co-host or Producer]

I think it's pretty cool that people in other countries, because US and Russia are the only ones who go to space.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Well, China has a program, Iran. But I mean, when it comes to launching rockets, but like, space station, it's

[Co-host or Producer]

us in Russia, right?

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Yeah, that's correct.

[Caller or Guest]

People in space.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

International Space Station is Russia and the United States. And so, yeah, so when we got there, it was Sunday morning call at 8 o' clock and Monday morning call at 8 o'.

[Janet Jackson]

Clock.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

And it was a full day of activities in which, like, you know, Sunday we got on NASA buses and we were given tours. So we got to tour the facilities in which the space shuttles are built and put together. We got to tour the facilities. Unfortunately, there was one really solemn moment where there was a hangar that had the emblem of the space shuttle Columbia on it. And that was the place where they had gone through. That's where all of the Columbia pieces were brought and examined. So it's a sacred place on NASA as they pass by that hangar.

[Caller or Guest]

Now, I know this is probably from my, like, watching ET or Space Camp, but I imagine you guys all having to be in, like, suits or something as you go through this museum. The silvery suits, like, they have to be in one piece jumpsuits.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Why do I think that that would have been cool? But no, they did not provide us with that.

[Co-host or Producer]

We're never going to be one of Melissa's space buddies.

[Bert (Host)]

Shut up.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

So, so. So the impressions I had leading up to the launch, because everything was leading up to the launch, it was information about the space shuttle. It was information about the people a part of it. There were astronauts that came to talk to us. NASA people came to talk to us. And the whole time we're tweeting. So, you know, if you now, if you go to NASA, tweet up the slash. NASATweetUp. You can follow. You can see all of what everybody tweeted all weekend long. And so we're trying to get that information out there leading up to the launch. But one thing I noticed is one, the NASA property is bigger than Walt Disney World property, which I thought was fascinating. If you're from the south and you've been to Walt Disney World, that's a massive property that only, what, a third of it is used. Well, NASA property down there is bigger. And so. And all the buildings are these bland 1960s brown, no windows, very government. You know, it's not anything that you think, oh, this fanfare. We're going to be seeing the, you know, like Epcot. We're going to see this big golf ball that's like Epcot in the middle of all the space cool things. And it's just brown buildings in the middle of like, really sandy Florida, you know, almost kind of marshlands.

[Caller or Guest]

Is it all top secret? I would imagine most of that stuff is top secrets. You don't want other countries having that information.

[Bert (Host)]

Yeah, like, if Melissa doesn't show up for work tomorrow, we're going to know. She said too much.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Exactly, exactly. But I didn't notice that one of

[Co-host or Producer]

our space buddies ratted her out. Sorry.

[Bert (Host)]

The NASA van is just going to pull up to them.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

You know, you're going to be my space buddy before the summer. So anyway, so there was somebody that noticed that there were no windows in the. I didn't even pay attention to that. But anyway, we were going around and so there's all. There's this endload of information, but it was yesterday that we arrived at the launch site spectators area, which is three miles away from the shuttle.

[Bert (Host)]

So listen to this now, she told us this this morning. Front row for the launch is three miles away.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Three miles away. And Jeff told me off air that anybody that has NASA contacts can get up to two miles, but that's as close as you can get. You know, a lot of people may think that. Like, if you see that famous scene of people on a green field with the countdown clock and the shuttle launching behind it, that's where I was and that's three miles away.

[Bert (Host)]

I had no idea.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

And they were explaining to us because not only the danger. I mean, there's. We got this. This form where there's, you know, the danger because that's a huge bomb that the shuttle is attached to the, you know, where the fuel is. And there's a plume cloud of steam that we learned that comes, you know, you see the big white cloud after its launch, there's a lot of acid rain that falls from that because of everything that's burned in, you know, the rocket. So you're away from that for a little bit. Sometimes the acid rain, if the wind blows enough, hits the people that are watching. But what a cool scar. I know, but we were warned about that.

[Co-host or Producer]

Why are you all speckled? I was at a rocket launch.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Yeah. You know, no big deal. But it's the sound. The sound is the number one thing that can cause death of people who are too close.

[Co-host or Producer]

Is it like the vibrations just screw up your heart or something?

[Caller or Guest]

I don't.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

I assume so. They were explaining to us, and I said this a little earlier, where there's 350 gallons of water that they pour. Like, if you watch a close up of a launch or the replay of yesterday, you'll see this water all of a sudden shoot out onto the launch pad. And that is to not only keep it cool from the rocket, but also to absorb the sound. And because even at the launch site, if they launch without that water, the tiles on the bottom of Atlantis would blow off from the sound of the rocket being.

[Co-host or Producer]

The same danger exists for Tardy. For the party.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Exactly. That was what I was. You just ripped the words right out of my mouth.

[Bert (Host)]

Jenna.

[Caller or Guest]

I was just wondering, how do the astronauts survive that if they're inside the shuttle and they're right there where all that sound is?

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Well, they're sitting on their backs. And by the way, they're sitting on their backs for like four hours before they launch. So anyway, there's so much information. I'm sorry, I keep droning on and on.

[Bert (Host)]

That's the only part of being an astronaut that you could pull off right there, isn't it?

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Yeah, Laying on my back. Oh, and you know what's funny is that tempur pedic, which I love, you know how it says, you know, invented by astronauts, the tempur pedic technology was invented. So when those guys are laying on their backs at launch, it's underneath their necks to support their necks during the launch.

[Bert (Host)]

Really?

[Jeff (Co-host)]

That's where tempurpedic comes from. Fascinating. So anyway, so we're there at the launch and the tent for the TWEET up. Let me just say that, you know, because Jeff introduced us to Twitter, what was it, two years ago? Yeah, because Jeff has been on Twitter longer than the rest of us and he was letting us know, look, guys, this is the future of communication. It's the future of, you know, this is something special. And yesterday was a testament to that because we had this huge air conditioned white tent, looked like a circus tent. All the other news agencies were around us, but we were the ones that were treated like VIPs. There was a hundred tweeters in there that were tweeting about the launch. And all the astronauts are coming to talk to us and all the NASA officials are coming to talk to us and all the people from like AP and CBS and all CNN's like, hey,

[Co-host or Producer]

wait, can I get a minute?

[Jeff (Co-host)]

CNN was there outside the tent trying to get in to interview people and

[Bert (Host)]

you were supplying the information for the world yesterday on the launch.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Absolutely.

[Caller or Guest]

And I loved what you said about everybody being in their BlackBerry prayer pose.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Yes, that's what they call it. Yeah, the BlackBerry prayer when you're down. Because they said, the astronauts said, this is the weirdest audience to have because we know you're typing as we're talking, but nobody's looking at them as they're talking, you know, but. And so we go out to the launch site and so we're leading up and NASA TVs on and NASA TV shows the astronauts getting ready. And one quick story, and I'm sorry, I know this is going too long, but one quick story about the astronauts when they are headed to the launch site, they're in what's called an Astro van and it goes down this road and they purposely pass the people that are watching the site. And everybody's waving and cheering and they're waving outside the windows and stuff. And there's this big helicopter that is their security helicopter that leads them to the launch site. So that was really cool to see that.

[Co-host or Producer]

I want to ride in an Astro van.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

So that was really cool how there's.

[Caller or Guest]

How many astronauts on this.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

There's six on the six on this launch. So there's six.

[Caller or Guest]

How many men and how many women?

[Jeff (Co-host)]

All six are men. They're bringing back a woman from the International Space Station. So they'll swap it out.

[Caller or Guest]

How long has she been up there?

[Jeff (Co-host)]

I don't know how long she's been

[Caller or Guest]

up there, but she's been on the moon by herself.

[Bert (Host)]

If they're solo at the space station,

[Jeff (Co-host)]

the International Space Station in orbit. So there's Two people up there.

[Bert (Host)]

Please tell me it's another woman.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

I think it's chatty.

[Bert (Host)]

Chatty? Cause the guy's like, get me out of here.

[Co-host or Producer]

They would never put two women on the space station at the same time on account of oxygen usage.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Are you serious? Are you serious?

[Caller or Guest]

Come on.

That's a lot of chatty. Now you just became a space buddy.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Yeah, so, yeah. So the Astro van goes by. So that was really neat to see everybody scream and yell at the astronauts as they went by. And they said that was the largest audience that they'd had since the Apollo missions. So I mean, so I, you know, and all the tweet, you know, part of history, man. Yeah, all the, you know, the tweet up people were like, well, I, we probably had a little bit to do with that. I didn't say that, but they did. And then we go out to that site where the clock is, where the grass is, and we're ready to go. And all these people have all their cameras ready. And we were told, look, if you're a first time launch viewer, don't bring your camera, experience it. Because they said no picture that you're going to take is any better than what NASA's going to take.

[Co-host or Producer]

There's going to be a million pictures anyways when you're done. And it doesn't make a difference if you took it or someone else did.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Exactly. So all these people are having their tripods out and I sit right in the front with my little recorder and I'm sitting there to record the sound of the launch. Because that's one thing that I don't think people understand.

[Bert (Host)]

So is there just before I play the audio here, and it's about a minute and a half long, is there a big countdown clock and is there audio saying, 10, 9, 8, 7?

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Also there are two places to watch the launch because we're on kind of a water. So we're kind of on a. There's like a pond in between us, a little lake in between us and the launch site. So we are on where that countdown clock is. So we are sitting on the lawn with that famous countdown clock that you see, the big long metal one. Then across a parking lot is where the spectators who are just residents of Florida or anybody who traveled come in their RVs. They have the speakers, we have the clock. They're tailgating their days. Yes, they are tailgating for this. And we. So the speaker is across the parking lot, but you can barely hear it, but it is there.

[Bert (Host)]

Okay, so this is Melissa Carter at the shuttle as it's launching. Okay. And she's three miles away. That's the wind. Is that still wind or is that that start?

[Jeff (Co-host)]

That's part of the sound coming towards you. It takes a second for it to hit you.

[Co-host or Producer]

Yeah. Can you feel and breathe or anything?

[Jeff (Co-host)]

You feel the vibration that popping is like you're in a tent with the. I mean you are shaking.

[Bert (Host)]

Wow, that's awesome.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Good calling audio and is that popping it fascinating. And we could see the shuttle all the way to where the rocket law. The the boosters were separated from the. From the shuttle.

[Co-host or Producer]

Wendy sent a picture from someone in Orlando from my sister that you retweeted that was like you can see it going over Orlando.

[Bert (Host)]

And you said that you were like so filled up with emotion.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

I couldn't talk like it like I wanted to say something but I tears. It was. It was beautiful.

[Bert (Host)]

How get it the bird show.

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[Janet Jackson]

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[Bert (Host)]

You're on the Birch Show. All right, Janet Jackson, first of all, I will say this, that normally we do not take interviews if stipulations go along with those interviews.

[Caller or Guest]

Say you can talk to this celebrity, but you cannot ask about their personal life at all whatsoever. And please don't ask about the one dramatic thing that happened to them in the last five years.

[Bert (Host)]

I think there are, there are some shows that will book that interview and they sort of feel like the, the level of the celebrity is so high that there's entertainment value just in having that person's voice on the radio. I don't feel that way. So we have always said that if they give us stipulations, we don't take the interview. We've passed on big time interviews before. We passed on Ryan Reynolds because he wouldn't talk about Scarlett Johansson.

[Caller or Guest]

And it was right after they got married.

[Bert (Host)]

Right after they got married. How can you have an interview and not ask about that? It just doesn't seem authentic.

[Caller or Guest]

Right.

[Co-host or Producer]

Erik Estrada. We didn't do Erik Estrada because he

[Bert (Host)]

wouldn't talk about chips.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Yeah, so I was trying to think of the other guy's name and just like in the 70s, I can't remember that other guy.

[Bert (Host)]

Something Baker. John Baker on the show.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Anyway, sorry, Wendy. It's a TV show in the 70s. Go ahead.

[Bert (Host)]

The Janet Jackson interview here. I think I felt a little bit differently about it. Jeff sent out an email saying, look, here's the deal. We can have her, but you're not allowed to ask about Michael. And my initial reaction was like, how can we authentically do that? I mean, this is the biggest thing that happened to her in the last year. So how is it possible that we take this interview? So I started playing it over in my head, and it really was a no risk proposition because we were recording the interview and if there was nothing to play for you guys, we just wouldn't play the interview. Really. You know, perhaps we wouldn't play the interview, but we thought that we could ask her questions that sort of had to do with Michael without asking her about Michael. And maybe she would sort of take the bait and she would share with us everything that's happened.

[Caller or Guest]

Well, and I think too, you have to remember that her publicity people are looking out for her with all radio stations that she talks to. And you can imagine some jerk, you know, morning hosts somewhere around the country being like, so how do you feel about your dead brother? Or do something really, really tacky and really offensive and hurtful. And I think that, you know, as they get to know us better, they know that we're not gonna handle it that way. That's tacky and rude. I mean, you wouldn't ask anybody about their, you know, sibling that just died. Like, you wouldn't bring it up in a brash way. I think a lot of morning shows around the country would bring it up in that way and be really offensive and hurtful.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

We suffer from the mistakes of so many other.

[Bert (Host)]

And, you know, from time to time, we might have been guilty of it also with other celebrities, lesser celebrities, but in this case, Jenna's right. We're walking a really tight line here because we didn't want to be tacky, but we did want to have an interview that had some more meaning to it. So we started talking to Janet about it yesterday, and sure enough, about halfway through the interview, she did indeed lighten up and give us some insight about. She's been great slike for her the last year.

[Caller or Guest]

Yeah. And I'm sorry. She's typically a difficult person to interview because she's very quiet and subdued.

[Bert (Host)]

She's guarded and. And how could you not be? You know? So as I was playing this interview over in my head yesterday afterwards, there's so many other questions I think we could have asked or I could have asked specifically that would have made it better, but I was so focused on not offending that I wasn't even listening to the answers. Like, she talked about the Scream video, and there's a perfect opportunity there to say, what do you remember most about the Scream video? And she would have obviously started talking about Michael, but I chickened out. I just didn't want to offend her, you know? But she did open up about some stuff, and a lot of stuff she opened up about her weight loss and her weight gain, how she views the tabloids, how she's become very, very protective of her nieces and nephews about Jermaine Dupri and their relationship. And she's gonna tell you it's not what you guys think it is, but this is Janet Jackson. And the reason she's talking about her. She's got a new CD out today.

[Caller or Guest]

Yeah, it's number one. It comes out today. Has a new single on there, but it's 33 of her number one hits.

[Bert (Host)]

Oh, and I want you to listen for this also. Were there some times during the interview yesterday where her voice sounded so much like Michael? Like the way she. The way she inflects. And specifically when she was talking about not wanting to talk about all these number ones, she got so humble about not wanting to talk about her success. I think she even says it's embarrassing to talk about these things, which is exactly what Michael used to say.

[Caller or Guest]

Hmm.

I know.

[Jeff (Co-host)]

Their singing voices got very similar. Like Janet. Some. Some of Janet's songs on One of her CDs I thought was a little it. They started sounding a lot singing. So I'm curious to hear this.

[Bert (Host)]

Janet Jackson on The Birth Show. Q100.

[Janet Jackson]

Hello.

[Co-host or Producer]

Hello.

[Bert (Host)]

Hi, Janet Jackson.

[Janet Jackson]

Hi.

[Bert (Host)]

You sound amazingly like Janet Jackson.

[Janet Jackson]

Well, I wonder why.

[Bert (Host)]

Weird. How are you today?

[Janet Jackson]

I'm very well, thank you.

[Bert (Host)]

Good. Hey, we need your help with something that we started this morning. How much time are you spending in Atlanta these days?

[Janet Jackson]

Um, not much.

[Bert (Host)]

Like, are you saying 30% of your time now is spent in Atlanta?

[Janet Jackson]

No.

[Bert (Host)]

20%. Do I have a 10? Can I get five?

[Janet Jackson]

I spent time in Atlanta doing the film why Did I Get Married Too?

[Bert (Host)]

Okay, here's our beef. Because you have spent some time here before is the word Hotlanta is absolutely driving us crazy.

[Janet Jackson]

But when people say that.

[Bert (Host)]

Yes. It's like nails on a chalkboard for us.

[Caller or Guest]

It's just old news. And everybody outside of Atlanta keeps using it to refer to Atlanta.

[Janet Jackson]

Yeah, well, I guess because it's all news for you guys. Did it stem from there? I mean, I know it's about you, but was it created in Atlanta?

[Bert (Host)]

Well, the rumor is that, like, the Board of Tourism started this, like, 25, 30 years ago.

[Janet Jackson]

Oh, really?

[Bert (Host)]

But it's just so cheesy that we started a campaign this morning to stop using the word Hotlanta. And there is nothing that has more credibility than when a celebrity backs your campaign.

[Janet Jackson]

Well, why would you. I mean, it's part of what also helped to put you on the map, aside from the music that's come out of there, being a Georgia peach and all that, all that good stuff.

[Bert (Host)]

Because it's like, we got the A now. You know, it's just Hotlanta just for people that live here sounds so dated. And you have to follow us on this because we need your support.

[Co-host or Producer]

It's like if you went to. If you went somewhere from. I'm assuming you're calling us from California, from Los Angeles.

[Janet Jackson]

Yes.

[Co-host or Producer]

So it's like if you, you know, called us and we were like, hey, Janet, what's going on in La La Land at lax. Yeah. You kind of be like, eh. You wince a little bit.

[Janet Jackson]

No, it wouldn't matter to me, honestly. But see, you have a lot of older people that probably still say that, Right?

[Bert (Host)]

Well, we're trying to push those people out.

[Janet Jackson]

That's awful. They can't do it.

[Bert (Host)]

No, just young people in Atlanta. That's all we want.

[Caller or Guest]

We want new, exciting trends. Hotlanta's apart.

[Bert (Host)]

All we're asking you is when you tell people that you spent some time in Atlanta, when they jokingly say back to you, oh, Hotlanta, how is it the first thing you politely say is, well, they don't call it Hotlanta anymore.

[Janet Jackson]

Okay, so I'm supposed to say this in our conversation? Yeah.

[Bert (Host)]

You know, when it comes up when you're talking in LA around celebrities. When anybody says Hotlanta, if you could just correct them and say, you know what? They really don't call it that anymore, that would be tremendous for us. Okay, we got a deal.

[Janet Jackson]

Okay, deal.

[Co-host or Producer]

And, you know, it would help, too, also if you said, and Tyler Perry doesn't like it either.

[Janet Jackson]

No, I'm not putting that on Tyler Perry. You have to speak to him about it.

[Bert (Host)]

So, Janet, number Ones comes out tomorrow, and I'm looking at this thing and 33 number ones from around the world. 33. Does that number even, like, astonish you? At times.

[Janet Jackson]

It's a great body of work. I've never thought about, okay, how many number ones do I have? I keep moving and keep going and keep creating. But when I look at the body of work, I mean, it's pretty good. It's pretty good.

[Bert (Host)]

It's pretty good. That's like saying, hey, the Mona Lisa is a pretty good painter.

[Janet Jackson]

I feel embarrassed.

[Caller or Guest]

Well, you should be proud of yourself. It's amazing. And I want to hear about the new single, Make Me. What is this all about?

[Janet Jackson]

It's about being at a club, and there's this guy that, you know that's a great dancer. You want to get. Want him to get up and. And move. Get up and have a good time like everybody else, you know?

[Bert (Host)]

When I look at some of the songs on this list here, just when I hear the word of the song, it will bring me back to a time in my life when that song was popular. Like, Control brings me back to college. If I just say the words, like Black Cat, will it do the same thing for you too? Does it bring you back to that time?

[Janet Jackson]

Mm, it does. Either creating the song or being on the Rhythm Nation tour performing it.

[Bert (Host)]

So if I say the word nasty, the song Nasty, what do you think of.

[Janet Jackson]

I think about how the song was created. Walking down the street in Minneapolis, and guys were kind of trying to get at me, and it was driving me nuts.

[Bert (Host)]

How about the song Scream initially?

[Janet Jackson]

What do you think of shooting the video? I would say shooting the video.

[Bert (Host)]

Did we cover Control also?

[Janet Jackson]

Well, you covered Control.

[Bert (Host)]

How about you cover Control?

[Janet Jackson]

That was my first time ever being on a stage alone. It goes back to the video, and it was supposed to be, you know, live performance. And I never performed by myself before, not like that. We did it at a convention center, and it was a sea of people, a sea of kids. And so that was kind of like my first live performance on my own.

[Caller or Guest]

Janet, on next Sunday, the 22nd, we're hearing that you are slated to open the 37th annual American Music Awards and it's gonna be a big performance. What do you do to get ready for something like that?

[Janet Jackson]

Rehearse like crazy.

[Caller or Guest]

Yeah, yeah, non stop.

[Janet Jackson]

Yeah, you rehearse. You rehearse a good deal. There's a few things that are coming up. So there's been quite a bit of rehearsal and it's been fun and a great deal of fun and trying to just put it all together and hopefully everybody at home and the people in the audience will enjoy it.

[Co-host or Producer]

Do you still get nervous right before you go on stage?

[Janet Jackson]

No, I never got nervous before, except for one time when I did. It was really weird. I think it was. It had to have been the velvet rope project because my hair was red. And I was doing the American Music Awards and they asked me, are you nervous? And I said, you know the funny thing about it, and I was doing an interview, I said, I don't get nervous, but I've got a little something in my stomach tonight. And that was the only time that I had ever gotten nervous as an adult performing.

[Bert (Host)]

Even with the MTV Video Music Awards. I mean, it was an amazing, amazing tribute and it was such an emotional time for you. No nerves at that at all?

[Janet Jackson]

No, no nerves. No nerves at all.

[Caller or Guest]

And you're working on a book now, right?

[Janet Jackson]

Yes, I am. It's called True youe and it's really about. A lot of people have wanted to know how. How I did it, how I lost weight and, you know, I still have issues where I fluctuate and it goes into, you know, my personal life somewhat. And also there are anecdotes from fans that I've collected throughout the years and stories of their lives and certain issues and my music inspiring them and me talking with them. And it stems. I'm kind of jumping all over the place. But it starts from your kid years, Anna, because that's where it started. It stemmed from. For me as a kid and self esteem and all that went on and in talking to a few stories from young people at that time. I've been in this business since I was 7 years old. So I have a lot of letters that were written to me. So it talks about a lot from kids to teens to adults, and it goes through the whole gamut and mod life as well.

[Caller or Guest]

Does it include your relationships in it? The relationships you've been through through the years?

[Janet Jackson]

It's not an autobiography, but it touches upon certain moments in my life that I think are kind of important. Not necessarily a specific relationship, but There may have been something that happened within a relationship that triggered something and caused me at that moment to become this emotional eater that I am, can be. You see what I'm saying? So it goes through those times, and even as a kid, dealing with certain issues that still tend to affect me to this day. And some people, it rolls right off their back, some kids and others, it sticks with them. So it's like that. So I wish when I was a kid, I had a book like this to read. I think it would have been helpful for me. And then there are recipes within the book. Oh, that's cool that, you know, I just didn't want to leave them. Okay. This is what happened in my life and other people's lives. And not trying to be a guru, not saying that I'm some psychologist or psychiatrist, just my point of view and what worked for me and what my concerns are and what I've seen being introduced to so many people throughout this world.

[Bert (Host)]

Shannon, when you talk about the weight and you talk about dealing with eating, as far as stress goes, is it extremely painful for you when tabloids touch upon that part of your life?

[Janet Jackson]

It used to be. It's not anymore, But I don't really see it. People can be cruel, and that's their job, is the way that I see it. That's their job to give as much drama as they possibly can, because if they're not messy, people aren't going to want to buy the magazine because that's what they're buying it for, for the mess. Sometimes it's true, sometimes it's not. You know, there are a lot of times when it's not true about the artist, but the artists just don't. Some fight back. Some just say, you know what? I don't have time for this. It's petty. I'm moving on. But it can be hurtful.

[Bert (Host)]

When did. Was there one specific rumor where you learned that lesson and you turned it off at that point?

[Janet Jackson]

Just tuned out completely? Yeah, there's been a few. There's been a few. But I think it gets pretty painful when they involve, like, my nieces and nephews, you know, silly stories. Like, my nephew is actually my. I'm sorry, my niece is actually my daughter. My daughter is. In other words, I had a child in my brother's race, my child, things like that. It's just crazy.

[Bert (Host)]

And how do you shield your nieces and nephews from those kind of rumors?

[Janet Jackson]

It's hard. It's hard to shield them. I call them and I talk to them. And it's very difficult. I have a very big family. But you try to protect them as much as you can. But, you know, you try to talk to them and hopefully they understand and they were born in this. Unfortunately, you can't pick your family that you're born into. They were born into this, and you try to make it as easy as you possibly can for them. So when it comes up, I call them and I talk with them and it's, you know, it's certain niece in particular. And they say that we look alike. Well, why wouldn't we look alike? We're related.

[Bert (Host)]

You know, Janet, there's so many exciting things that are going on with you right now. Obviously, the CD that's going to drop, you got some new stuff coming out next year, the book we talked about. But on the other hand, you know, it's been a whirlwind of emotion for you this year also. What have you learned about yourself this year?

[Janet Jackson]

Well, I guess I learned it before, too, that I'm a strong woman, but I'm a lot, lot stronger than I thought I was.

[Bert (Host)]

Yeah.

[Janet Jackson]

Yeah, I'm very. And I think I get that. Well, both of my parents are strong, but my mother is incredibly, incredibly strong. And I think a part of you has to be to be in this business because a of lot, a lot of stuff is thrown at you. But this year has taught me that for sure, I'm very, I'm very strong. And even my friends said to me, written me notes saying, you know, I take my hat off to you. Just watching you and seeing you and being with you every day. It's, it's amazing how you can control it all.

[Caller or Guest]

Who do you lean on the most in the times when you need support?

[Janet Jackson]

It all depends. And sometimes it's family, sometimes it's friends, sometimes it's, well, if it's an ex that I still speak with, then it's definitely, he's definitely a friend. That's it. I mean, there have been fans that have been there for me. The fans are always supportive and there for me. So it all depends upon what it is.

[Bert (Host)]

Is the ex that you speak of is that Jermaine Dupree? Is that where you get a lot of strength? You're talking about, you know, you're talking to an Atlanta radio station.

[Janet Jackson]

Yes. Jermaine, he's one of my best friends. I love, love, love him to death. He's such a sweetheart. He's one of my best friends. And we still are. We're still connected. We're still Good friends. We still talk. And I. That's not me. I'm not that kind of girl that stays in touch with your. With your ex like that. That's not my thing. It's never happened to me before. And. Well, there's one other person that I dated for a very, very short moment that we're still good friends as well.

[Bert (Host)]

And does he do the same? When things are going kind of down, Will he pick up the phone and will he call you?

[Janet Jackson]

Who's he? The other person or Jermaine?

[Bert (Host)]

Jermaine.

[Janet Jackson]

Oh, yes. Yes, definitely. We're there for one another, and I think it'll remain that way for the rest of our lives.

[Co-host or Producer]

You think you could say something to him about the Hotlanta thing?

[Janet Jackson]

I definitely will.

[Bert (Host)]

See, he didn't contribute it because he did. Welcome to Atlanta. It was welcome to Hotlanta before everybody else did. Hey, good luck with the new album. I know it's gonna be great, and I'm looking forward to the new stuff that's coming out next year.

[Janet Jackson]

Thank you so much. I'm excited, too.

[Caller or Guest]

And we'll be cheering for you, watching the AMAs, for sure.

[Janet Jackson]

Thank you guys so much.

[Bert (Host)]

Thank you, Janet.

[Janet Jackson]

Thanks.

[Co-host or Producer]

Bye.

[Bert (Host)]

Bye.

[Janet Jackson]

Bye.

[Bert (Host)]

So that's Janet Jackson on the show.

[Caller or Guest]

Very cool.

[Bert (Host)]

Yeah. That's so nervous. I think Jen and I were talking before we went into it. Is this that you're so consumed with trying to get information, you know, that you think that listeners want to hear, but you don't want to cross the line of being tacky? And that was weighing on my mind the entire time.

[Caller or Guest]

Yeah, I think you have to be careful with that, especially in light of, you know, her brother died this year. You know, that's a pretty heavy thing to have to go in front of the press and talk about over and over and over again. And, yeah, we were walking on eggshells at the beginning, but by the end, we got the big laugh out of her.

[Bert (Host)]

You know, she laughed. Janet Jackson laughed.

[Co-host or Producer]

She liked it. She really likes it.

[Bert (Host)]

Listen, it's the vert show, day or night.

[Caller or Guest]

Verbo Care is here 247 to help make every part of your stay seen. If anything comes up or you simply need a little guidance, support is ready whenever you reach out from the moment you book to the moment you head home. We're here to help things run smoothly, because a great trip starts with the right support. And, hey, a good playlist doesn't hurt either.