Claressa Shields is ready for a family + Taylor Rooks is married!!! - The Breakfast Club

Summary

The Breakfast Club Podcast - Episode Summary: "Claressa Shields is ready for a family + Taylor Rooks is married!!!"

Release Date: July 24, 2025
Host: Lauren LaRosa
Podcast Description: The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

Introduction

In this vibrant episode of The Breakfast Club, host Lauren LaRosa dives deep into the latest happenings surrounding prominent women in sports and media. The episode spotlights two major topics: the surprise marriage of sportscaster Taylor Rooks and the multifaceted life of boxer Claressa Shields as she prepares for an important fight while contemplating starting a family. Throughout the discussion, Lauren emphasizes the challenges and triumphs women face in balancing their personal lives with demanding careers.

Taylor Rooks' Surprise Marriage Announcement

[00:12]
Lauren opens the conversation by highlighting Taylor Rooks' recent life update that has taken the internet by storm.

"Taylor Rooks, broadcaster, media personality, sportscaster. The Taylor Rooks. I think all of us, you know, the black girls and media and, you know, and reporting, we root so much for Taylor Rooks..."

[03:45]
She recounts the surprising announcement on Taylor’s Instagram, where she shared intimate wedding photos without any prior public engagement hints.

"I didn't even know she was engaged. I assumed she was dating."

[04:38]
Lauren details the Instagram post, describing the romantic visuals and meaningful captions that conveyed the personal nature of the event.

"We were surprised. So many other people knew. She posted the photos and she captioned it. 'What a night. This is love ❤️.'"

[07:00]
Discussing the guest list, Lauren notes the high-profile attendees, emphasizing the significance of keeping the wedding private despite the star-studded presence.

"In attendance, there are photos of Mike Rubin, you know, music artist Jack Harlow, Coco Jones, and her newly engaged fiance, Donovan Mitchell, who's an NFL player..."

[07:30]
Reflecting on the importance of balancing personal milestones with a public career, Lauren shares her admiration for Taylor Rooks and other successful women who manage to "have it all" without their personal lives overshadowing their professional achievements.

"I am one of the girls that I love to see the career girls... be happy in the marriage and actually having it last, but also be able to also be able to like, you know, adamantly go after your career and your goals and establish a life for yourself..."

Women in Sports: Claressa Shields' Dual Aspirations

[08:38]
Transitioning to the sports arena, Lauren introduces the topic of Claressa Shields, an Olympic champion boxer preparing for her fight against Lonnie Daniels in Detroit.

"Clarissa Shields is. She's been... promoting her movie 'The Fire Inside.'"

[09:00]
Lauren shares an insightful excerpt from Shields’ interview, revealing her rigorous training regimen and the personal sacrifices she makes to stay at the top of her game.

"Women have something called orgasms. And when women have that, it take a lot out of you. I'm training two or three times a day... I would rather keep everything in."

[09:15]
She reflects on the unique challenges women like Shields face, balancing intense physical demands with personal life aspirations such as starting a family.

"How does that work when you're trying to have a kid midst of your career fights coming up? Like, it's just a lot to balance."

[10:00]
Lauren emphasizes the broader conversation about women in high-pressure careers managing personal milestones without their professional lives being overshadowed.

"The balance that you're going to need to learn both mentally and physically. That partner sitting next to you, baby, it ain't nothing but it ain't nothing but a thing."

Public Reactions and Societal Expectations

[10:52]
The discussion shifts to public and social media reactions to Taylor Rooks' marriage and the ongoing debate about women balancing career and family.

"People say I'm a killer... Ooh, her man want to take me to dinner."

[11:00]
Lauren shares snippets of social media commentary, highlighting both supportive and critical voices, and underscores the double standards women face compared to their male counterparts.

"Please respect my privacy at this time cause these be the baes. These be the baes of the sports industry."

[11:30]
Drawing parallels with other female athletes like Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, Lauren discusses how societal narratives often critique women for prioritizing personal life alongside their professional achievements.

"When they decide to have a baby at the height of their career... People give it to her really, really hard whenever she doesn't win or doesn't perform at 200%."

Empowerment and Moving Forward

[12:00]
Lauren concludes by celebrating the empowerment and resilience of women who manage to excel in both personal and professional spheres. She advocates for supportive partnerships that enable women to "have all things" without societal constraints.

"Shout out to all the ladies... Having all of the things."

[12:30]
Emphasizing solidarity, Lauren encourages listeners to continue supporting and respecting women’s choices in balancing their lives, highlighting the progress made and the work still to be done.

"This is an era of the women being able to stand next to a partner who understands our power... So shout out to all the ladies."

Conclusion

In this episode, Lauren LaRosa masterfully intertwines discussions about Taylor Rooks' unexpected marriage and Claressa Shields' ongoing journey in sports and personal life. By incorporating direct quotes and timestamps, she provides listeners with an engaging and comprehensive overview of the challenges and successes women face in high-profile careers. The episode serves as both a celebration of these women's achievements and a call to action for greater respect and support for women balancing multifaceted lives.

Notable Quotes:

Lauren LaRosa [04:38]: "I didn't even know she was engaged. I assumed she was dating."
Taylor Rooks [08:38]: "Women have something called orgasms... I would rather keep everything in."
Lauren LaRosa [09:15]: "How does that work when you're trying to have a kid midst of your career fights coming up?"
Lauren LaRosa [12:30]: "This is an era of the women being able to stand next to a partner who understands our power."

This detailed summary captures the essence of the episode, highlighting key discussions, insights, and the overarching theme of women striving to balance personal happiness with professional excellence. Whether you're a long-time listener or new to The Breakfast Club, this episode offers a profound look into the lives of two remarkable women navigating the complexities of success and personal fulfillment.

Transcript

A (0:00)

This is an I heart podcast.

B (0:04)

Let's get to it.

A (0:06)

Time to do it. I'm the homegirl that knows a little bit about everything.

B (0:09)

And everybody, you know, she don't lie about that, right?

A (0:12)

Lauren came in hot. Hey, y'. All, what's up? It's Lauren LaRosa. And this is the latest with Lauren LaRosa. This is your daily dig on all things pop culture, entertainment news, and the conversations that shake the room, baby. Now, every now and then, I give y' all a little sprinkle of an exclusive, but today, the exclusive, not even the exclusive, because it's all over the World Wide Web. It's all over Beyonce's Internet. At this point, we ain't even checking in behind the scenes of the grind, because I am flabbergasted, y'. All. Taylor Rooks, broadcaster, media personality, sportscaster. The Taylor Rooks. I think all of us, you know, the black girls and media and, you know, and reporting, we root so much for Taylor Rooks, as we do a lot of the other girls. The Joy Taylors, the Kerri Champions, the Jamel Hills. All of the girls, especially you know me, because I am not a sports. I am not a sports reporter. I can get a concept of a story in sports as it relates to culture and entertainment. But y' all be hearing me when I get through. You know, I mean, I do my sports stories on the Breakfast Club or here on the podcast. I try and stick to what I'm good at, but sometimes the world's intertwined. So I dibble and I dabble. But those girls are so good. They know the facts, the numbers. They're hard at work. They're at the games, they're traveling, they're doing all the things. But what I love so much about what just happened with Taylor Rooks and the fact that she is married. She announced yesterday via her Instagram that she is married. I didn't even know she was engaged. I assumed she was dating. She's gorgeous, she's successful, she's young. You know what I mean? So, of course I assumed she was dating, but because we had never seen anything or heard anything about who she was dating. I did not know she was dating. Serious enough to be engaged and now married. So yesterday, date, Taylor Wils took to her Instagram to post photos from her wedding. I would say it was a surprise wedding, but, baby, it's given only we were surprised. So many other people knew. So she posted the photos and she captained, captioned it. What a night. This is love with the wedding ring Emoji. Now, in these photos, you see her and her new hubby under her veil. Then there's photos of her by herself walking down the aisle. There's photos of Taylor Rooks and new hubby. She's holding up her wedding ring. Diamond. Okay, it's. It's a diamond. Okay. The girl, the rock is sitting nice, but she has her hand on her hubby's face. Looks like it's like a photo booth picture from after the wedding, from the reception. And then there's photos of her and just like the people who attended. And I think that's what's most impressive is the fact that not only was it private and very intimate and you know, when you're in the public eye, you don't get to not share moments like these much because sometimes even if you trying to keep it private, the people around you are so excited for you that they want to tell the world. And then boom, here you go. Everybody knows you engaged, you married, you got a man, you got a dish, you got a that right. The guest list was five star, and she still managed to be able to keep this wedding private. In attendance, there are photos of Mike Rubin, you know, music artist Jack Harlow, Coco Jones, and her newly engaged fiance, Donovan Mitchell, who's a NFL player. Saquon Barkley, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, the people were in the building. Reports say that Taylor Wils was married in New York. But I mean, I don't even know how we were confirming these reports because she didn't mention where she was married. So it's like, how do we even know that? We don't know anything. And it is so fire. Oh, my God. Congratulations to Taylor Rooks and her husband. There are little to no details known about her husband besides the photos that she posted, which I, I think are also dope. But yeah, it was just so fly. I'm one of the girls that I love to see the career girls, especially at a young age, have all of the things, do the family thing, have kids, have a husband, be happy in the marriage and actually having it last, but also be able to also be able to like, you know, adamantly go after your career and your goals and establish a life for yourself and, you know, and there's nothing wrong with this, right? Like, there are women who, you know, their lives and their careers and their names revolve around the men in their lives, their husbands, their kids, fathers. I'm not knocking nobody, but what I'm saying is, is that my personal preference has always been for myself. To be like, look, I'm gonna be in love. I'm gonna be married, I'm gonna have children. I'm gonna have the big wedding, the fairytale wedding. You know, I want that for myself. And, you know, I want my mother and my grandmother and my niece and, you know, the people I love to be able to see me be love. But I've always been worried, like, okay, at some point in my career, there's going to be a conversation about, you're a woman. So what about family? What about marriage? What about this? What about that? And I don't want my career and the work that I've worked for to be tied to my relationship or my husband. Not even not tied to. I don't mind that, because me and my man so equally yoked. That's what it's always going to be given, right? But more so, I don't want that to overshadow my work. Every single day, I'm working, like, harder to get better at what I do and what I do and even what Taylor Rooks does or, you know, Jamel Hill and, you know, all of the women shoot shout out to stat baby on Kim and Macy's. It is what it is. Me and her, we've never met in person. We've tried to link up, but me and her have, you know, become social media friends and watching her navigate her journey over, you know, on It Is what It is. While I'm here on Breakfast Club and, you know, with you guys on the Latest with Lauren LaRose of the podcast has been. And we both always, you know, say to each other that everything's just moving so crazy. So to see the girls have it all and be able to establish it all, but not have everything centered around or the conversation centered around your relationship status or what's happening in your womb. But more about the hard work that you're putting in, the points you putting on the board, the great interviews you're doing, the great content you're putting out, the efficiency of all those things that matters to me. I can't speak for any of the other women that I just mentioned, but that matters a lot to me. A whole lot. So I thought the way that Taylor Rooks went about this was super fly, number one, super fly. And I just thought it was dope. I thought it was fire to see her, you know, walk down the aisle and celebrate and do all these things. And we had no idea it was happening. And it wasn't nothing little about this wedding, baby. This was big. Taylor Rook's Big wedding. Okay, guest list. Crazy setup of the wedding looked amazing. It looked literally like a fairy tale wedding. She looked beautiful as well. So congratulations, sis. We see you, girl. You did that. You ate that. Yes. Okay, putting it on the Pinterest board now. In other news, today, we're having a conversation about women in sports. Look at me trying to be, you know, all in the women in sports conversation. Uh, Clarissa Shields will be fighting this weekend in Detroit. She's fighting Lonnie Daniels. Um, and Clarissa Shields is. She's been. I met her at the Breakfast Club when she came and we interviewed her the fir. The. My first time. I've only interviewed her once. My first time interviewing her was not her first time here. But then she also came back to the Breakfast Club again, which I wasn't in the interview for. But she talked about wanting to be a mom in both of those interviews and what that looked like. You know, we're having a conversation about women with very demanding and big careers being able to go on and do all of the things right. I definitely think of Clarissa because I've been watching her journey since meeting her here on the Breakfast Club when she was promoting her movie the Fire Inside. That came out on Christmas of 2024, which stars Ryan Destiny. And it's the story of Clarissa Shields life. One of the things I was thinking about when I was talking to her was just her sport is so physical and being able to have a kid and establish a family and all those things also requires a lot of your physical as well. So I've always wondered what that experience was gonna be like for her. Like, for. For instance, Clarissa Shields was on the Pivot, which is, you know, the show with Ryan Clark and all the guys. And she talked about not even being able to have sex before the fight because of the way that an orgasm affects a woman versus a man. Let's take a listen.