INTERVIEW: Ellen Sellers, Ione Jamison & Melissa Butler Talk Target Boycott; DEI Rollback, 'Buycott' + More

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Breakfast Club – "INTERVIEW: Ellen Sellers, Ione Jamison & Melissa Butler Talk Target Boycott; DEI Rollback, 'Buycott' + More"

Release Date: February 14, 2025
Host: Charlamagne Tha God and DJ Envy
Guests:

• Melissa Butler – Founder and CEO of The Lip Bar
• Dr. Ellen Sellers & Ione Rucka Jamison – Co-founders of Rucker Roots

---

Introduction

The episode centers around the recent controversy involving major retailers like Target and Walmart rolling back their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies. Charlamagne Tha God and DJ Envy engage in an in-depth discussion with Melissa Butler, Ellen Sellers, and Ione Jamison to explore the implications of these rollbacks on Black-owned businesses and the broader community.

Target Boycott and DEI Rollback

Charlamagne Tha God initiates the conversation by addressing the calls for a boycott of Target due to its rollback of DEI initiatives. He juxtaposes this with the concept of a "buycott," encouraging support for Black-owned brands within Target to sustain their presence despite the policy changes.

Melissa Butler emphasizes the hard-earned placement of Black-owned products on retail shelves, stating:

“We have worked so hard to get on the shelf... It takes years... And to stay there, it's so hard too.”
(03:25)

She expresses disappointment with the DEI rollback, highlighting the extensive efforts Black brands invest to secure and maintain shelf space.

Impact on Black-Owned Businesses

The guests delve into the financial and operational challenges posed by the DEI rollback. Melissa Butler explains the arduous process of entering and sustaining a presence in major retail stores:

“You buy inventory up front months in advance... You have to outlay capital at the forefront...”
(08:21)

Ione Rucka Jamison adds context about the community's dependence on physical retail spaces, especially in areas with limited online shopping capabilities:

“40% of our clientele can't shop online...”
(06:00)

The conversation underscores the vulnerability of Black-owned businesses reliant on large retailers for visibility and sales.

Strategies for Supporting Black Brands

Melissa Butler advocates for intentional consumption within the community, urging consumers to prioritize Black-owned brands to ensure their economic sustainability:

“What if all that $9.4 billion went to these black brands.”
(10:59)

She urges the community to flood Black-owned brands with purchases to maintain their retail presence:

“Stop buying any other brand and just buy black. The power in that.”
(11:26)

DJ Envy reinforces this by highlighting the misconceptions surrounding Black brands' success and the importance of direct support:

“Most time, people... automatically think it's successful... you guys are billionaires.”
(35:27)

Responses and Reactions from Retailers

The discussion reveals mixed responses from retailers like Target and Walmart. While some have continued to place larger purchase orders, the lack of clear communication regarding DEI policy changes has left brands navigating uncertainty:

Melissa Butler states:

“We have conversations with them... they say we're a strong brand... but we're frustrated they didn’t inform us.”
(17:37)

Ellen Rucka Sellers points out the superficial nature of some corporate responses, questioning their authenticity and commitment:

“They did both... they've rolled back diversity, equity, inclusion.”
(22:04)

Community Support and Messaging

The guests emphasize the critical role of community support in sustaining Black-owned businesses amidst policy changes. Melissa Butler shares her commitment to community investment through grants and scholarships:

“I gave $35,000 in grants to black women last year.”
(09:02)

Ione Rucka Jamison highlights the importance of generational wealth and continued support:

“We're on our 12th year of the Rucker education scholarship fund... we need to sell inventory to sustain.”
(20:48)

Navigating the Boycott Movement

The conversation addresses the complexity of boycotting major retailers without jeopardizing the livelihoods of Black-owned businesses. Melissa Butler articulates the delicate balance between activism and economic survival:

“We're not telling you where to shop... but don't forget about us.”
(19:56)

Charlamagne Tha God probes the fairness of holding Black-owned brands accountable for their association with retailers that rollback DEI:

“Is it fair for Black owned products to receive backlash for still having their products in Target?”
(28:39)

Future Outlook and Call to Action

The guests collectively call for sustained community support and strategic advocacy to ensure the longevity of Black-owned brands in major retail spaces. Melissa Butler urges consumers to support brands through multiple channels and remain vigilant in their purchasing decisions:

“Support our brand... shop wherever you feel comfortable buying them.”
(26:10)

Éllen and Ione emphasize the necessity of community unity and intentional purchasing to navigate the ongoing challenges:

“We need to continue to support our brands... because our sales are our livelihood.”
(30:02)

Conclusion

The episode concludes with a reaffirmation of commitment to the community and a collective plea for sustained support of Black-owned businesses. The guests encourage listeners to actively participate in economic empowerment through informed and intentional shopping practices.

Melissa Butler encapsulates the mission:

“We are here for the fight. We're in it for us.”
(47:23)

Bowen Yang adds a personal touch, reinforcing the foundational role of the community in their business success:

“The community has got us this far. We will continue to invest in the community like we will never turn our back.”
(48:04)

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Melissa Butler on shelf placement challenges:
  “We have worked so hard to get on the shelf... It takes years... And to stay there, it's so hard too.”
  (03:25)

• Melissa Butler on economic power:
  “What if all that $9.4 billion went to these black brands.”
  (10:59)

• Bowen Yang on community investment:
  “The community has got us this far. We will continue to invest in the community like we will never turn our back.”
  (48:04)

---

This comprehensive discussion sheds light on the intricate dynamics Black-owned businesses face in maintaining their presence in major retail landscapes amidst shifting DEI policies. The guests advocate for strategic support, community solidarity, and continued advocacy to navigate and overcome these challenges.

Transcript

[Bowen Yang]

This is Bowen Yang from Las Culta with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, the best of SNL musical acts, live from Radio City.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Sign me up.

[Bowen Yang]

SNL 50 the Homecoming Concert is a Peacock live event hosted by Jimmy Fallon. Packed with appearances by some of the hottest names in SNL music history, the event will have legendary performances and popular lyrical sketches highlighting the musical impact SNL has had for the last 50 years. SNL 50 the Homecoming Concert is streaming on February 14th live from Radio City Music hall on Peacock. Welcome to my legacy. I'm Martin Luther King iii and together with my wife, Andrea Waters King, and our dear friends Mark and Craig Kilburger, we explore the personal journeys that shape extraordinary lives.

[Jess Hilarious]

Join us for heartfelt conversations with remarkable guests like David Oyelowo, Mel Robbins, Martin Sheen, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Billy Porter.

[Bowen Yang]

Listen to my legacy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

This is my legacy.

[Jess Hilarious]

Yo, what up? It's your girl, Jess. Hilarious. And I think it's time to acknowledge that I'm not just a comedian. It's time to add uncertified therapists to my credentials. Because each and every Wednesday, I'm fixing your mess on Kathleen Reckless on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Got problems in your relationship? Come to me. Your best friend acting shady? Come to me. Thought you was the father, but you not come to me. I can't promise I won't judge you, but I can guarantee that I will help you. Listen to carefully Reckless on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hey, it's Alec Baldwin. This past season on my podcast, here's the thing, I spoke with more actors, musicians, policymakers, and so many other fascinating people like writer and actor Dan Aykroyd.

[Jess Hilarious]

I love writing more than anything.

[Melissa Butler]

You're left alone, you know, you do three hours in the morning, you write.

[Jess Hilarious]

Three hours in the afternoon.

[Melissa Butler]

Go pick up a kid from school and write at night. And after nine hours, you come out with seven pages and then you're moving on.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Listen to here's the thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts, wake that ass up early in the morning. The Breakfast Club.

[Bowen Yang]

Morning, everybody.

[DJ Envy]

It's DJ Envy. Jess. Hilarious Charlamagne, the guy. We are the breakfast club. Lauren LaRosa filling in for Jess. And we got some special guests with us this morning. We have the founder and CEO of the Lip Bar, Melissa Butler. Welcome. And we also have co founders of rucka roots, Dr. Ellen Rucka sellers and Ione Rucka Jamison. Welcome.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Good morning.

[Bowen Yang]

Thanks for having us.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

Thank you so much for having us.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, the reason we wanted you here today is because there's all this conversation about Target and should folks boycott Target because they rolled back their DEI policies. But then there are people who say we should be doing a buyout and supporting all the black owned products in Target. And you all have black owned products in Target. So we wanted to hear from you all.

[Melissa Butler]

Well, thank you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Absolutely.

[Melissa Butler]

Thank you. Thank you for this opportunity. Thank you for this platform. Thank you for this opportunity. Thank you for this platform. You know, I think it's very important for brand owners to have a voice in this because every day we are in there grinding. We have worked so hard to get on the shelf. The shelf space is a covenant space, right? Everybody doesn't get the opportunity. And for a brand to get to shelf space is a huge process. It takes years. It takes years. It really does. And to stay there, it's so hard too. And so I'm so glad that you gave us this platform because we need our community. We need our community tech, you know, galvanize around these black brands because we're fighting the good fight too.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

Right?

[Melissa Butler]

So let's take it back.

[DJ Envy]

Let's take it back.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Let's go.

[DJ Envy]

Let's go to the problem. Start with, since you're speaking, let's talk about Rucker Roots, what Rucker Roots is and talk about the process of selling your product. Because most people don't know. They don't understand, like you said, they automatically think you have a product, you put it in Wal Mart and you're good. Oh, no, they understand that, you know, it goes from one store and then a region and then from not to a store. So break it down to what Rucker Roots is, how it started and how you.

[Melissa Butler]

So for Rucker Roots, we are all natural hair care company. I own and I started it in 2015 with the goal of being a household brand. Right. And so we started it in professional salons. So we gave product to, you know, stylists and let them use the product. We had a distributor, then we went to trade shows, which we met Melissa at several trade shows, trying to get your product out there so you're in front of the consumer. And once you get the notoriety or the, once you get enough recognition amongst some of these retailers, they come to you and say, hey, let's talk about coming into retail. And so our first retailer was Sally's Beauty. And then Target. And after you get one, you get more. But in order to stay in those retail stores, you get audited. Basically every year you have a line review. If you're not performing, guess what? Your space is gone. And so when we look at the boycott, I'm not telling people not to boycott. Like, that's not in my spirit. That's not where I come from. You know, I mean, boycotting is part of, you know, our bloodline. Right. What I am telling people is you can't forget these black brands that have worked so hard to get there, because it's a long process.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And see, that's why I think a buyout is good because of what you said. If, you know, these products are sitting on the shelf in Target and nobody goes in there and buys them, then that gives them a reason to say, you know what? Get this stuff out of here anyway.

[Melissa Butler]

And. And honestly, isn't that the goal?

[Bowen Yang]

Absolutely.

[Melissa Butler]

Isn't that the goal? And that's. That's what we're working. I mean, that's the goal for them, you know, to weed us out, to discourage us, to, you know, bring trauma and drama and all the things that, you know, as black women, we have. We have to deal with every single day anyway, with.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

Oh, can I try?

[Melissa Butler]

Yeah, go for it.

[Bowen Yang]

Okay.

[Melissa Butler]

Ellen.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

Ellen and I are sisters, and we're from South Carolina. Phyllis. South Carolina. Charlemagne. And we come from a very big family in a very small town where 4 out of 10 people in our town are unbanked or either underbanked, so they don't have the debit cards to shop online. All they have is to go into our local Walmart and get products off the shelves. So that's 40% of our clientele that can't shop online. Now, we're not telling you not to shop online because as we all know, we want you to shop online. But, you know, we come from a small town where a lot of our clientele can't shop online.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We just getting WI fi in some of these rural areas, we couldn't even.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

When Covid hit our hometown, we couldn't even have remote schools because most of the people don't have the energy.

[DJ Envy]

Jesus.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

Yeah, so we want our people to be able to go to the Walmart and pick up our products and shop.

[Bowen Yang]

I think more than anything. So throughout this process, it's been really disappointing to feel the wrath of our own community. Like, I started the lip Bar in 2012, literally making lipstick in my kitchen because I was frustrated with the beauty industry, its lack of diversity it's excessive amounts of chemicals. But I really want it to center black women. And I've been doing that for 12 years. Like 12 years I've been standing up for black women saying, hey, you are enough. Hey, I am creating products for you. Hey, I'm making sure that I am building our self esteem collectively. And so when this happens, I want our community to know that, like, we are disappointed too. Like we're upset with, with Target and Walmart and Google and all of these companies that have shut down their dei. But to ask us to remove our products from retail, it's unrealistic because what does that look like for most black businesses? It looks like us shutting down our actual businesses. So you ask like, how does it work to get into retail? Well, how it works is we buy inventory up front months in advance, almost a year in advance. So when you think about retail, pull.

[DJ Envy]

The mic up so they can hear you. Yep.

[Bowen Yang]

When you think about retail, it's kind of a crazy thing. Like we buy products to sit on shelves just in case you want it. Which means that we are having to outlay capital at the forefront for thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars and thousands of units so that if you go into your local Target, Walmart, cvs, it is available for you, you basically front.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And target the brick.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

Yeah, absolutely, Absolutely.

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

There are minimum on that, like amount of inventory.

[Bowen Yang]

It depends on, it depends on how many doors you have.

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

Some stores do have that. Yeah, it's a large amount. And they don't give you money to.

[Bowen Yang]

Up and they don't give you money to up it. And so you have to buy that inventory, but you don't get paid on that inventory for sometimes eight months, you know, a year depending on when you set. And then once they place the order, you can have terms that are net 60, net 90. So like black owned brands are waiting on their finances to come through. We can't just pull our products from Target. We're in, we're in contracts with them. We are for the most part dependent on retailers to ensure that we have the visibility and to make sure that we have the turns. Now some people will say like, oh well, just you know, make sure they [e-mail], y'all. In 2020, when Black people, when it was a trend to shop black businesses, we all benefited. Yeah, we all benefited. It felt good. We were living in the money. We, we hired more people, we bought more inventory. And then guess what? It wasn't invoked to, to shop black anymore. So I want us to remember the buying power of black businesses. Sure. If you want to boycott, boycott. Because, like, there is so much power in our dollars. But at the end of the day, we have to be intentional about our shopping to make sure that our dollars are going back to our communities. Because guess what? Black people hire black people. Like, My team is 75% black. My team is 100% women. I'm investing in my community. I gave $35,000 in grants to black women last year. So it's like, these are. This is what black businesses are doing. So the minute you decide that shopping black is a trend, it negatively impacts us. The minute you decide that you won't shop in the stores that carry our products, it will impact us. Now, we're not here to say you should shop in these retailers. If you feel disrespected, you have the ability and the right to take your dollars wherever you are most comfortable. But to your point, don't forget about us. Please do, in fact, go to our dot com.

[Melissa Butler]

Exactly. And honestly, if you think about the amount of money that is spent black people spend on beauty brands, it's like $9.4 billion. Right. And as a brand founder, we get about a small percentage of that, like 2.5% is spent with, you know, black brands. Think about our community. And if all that $9.4 billion went to these black brands.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Right.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah. Then we want.

[Melissa Butler]

We can do. And then we could have our own targets. And so that's the thing that, you know, we need to. I think that we need to, you know, I know that there's a boycott. Not telling people not to boycott. I understand that, but I think we have to switch our mindset to, hey, you know, we haven't been, you know, shopping fully with these black brands all along. How about, you know, we flood. Flood their spaces. Flood, you know, stop. Stop buying any other brand and just buy black. The power in that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah. Because the reality is, you know, when all of this first started happening, I didn't even know that Target had all of these black brands. To me, that's a good thing to have the awareness. But now what do we do with that awareness?

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

And women, I feel like girls who follow beauty. Like, I remember when you got into Target, and I remember being like, oh, my God, like, that's so lit. Now I can. I don't have to go and, like, scavenger hunt for her. So it's unfortunate when. Neat. I remember when Tabitha Brown got into Target, like, we kind of celebrated because it is the platform. But at the same time, there is some Weird stuff because like I heard, I saw a report that one of the brands said that they found out, when we found out that, that the.

[Bowen Yang]

Dei, we all found out, they didn't.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Inform you all, no emails went out.

[Melissa Butler]

Or nothing, Nothing, nothing.

[Bowen Yang]

And so now we're just on the front lines fighting for our lives on social media because people are coming at us as if we did it, as if we created it. So no, we did not have a heads up. That was unfortunate. But I will say, like myself, people like Tabitha Brown, people like be from Honey Pot, we have been having constant conversation with Target about the impacts about their responsibility in the matter and frankly pushing them on what they need to do next. And so just know that just because like we are online and we're still selling our products that does not mean that in the background we are not fighting the good fight within the retailer. Because at the end of the day, like I know people are upset with, with Target and Walmart but like we actually have skin in the game. Like yeah, you need to find a new place to shop your toilet paper but we are actually in business with them. So of course we're upset, we are more upset with these retailers for, for blindsiding us and for frankly not being clear on what this actually means. Now that being said, all of those brands for the most part shopped or launched and Target before DEI was this three letter trend, were like going back to like dark and lovely. They've been pushing and building small black owned businesses. So as far as I know they continue, they will continue to do that. But the reality is we are, we are witnessing an attack of dei, we are witnessing an attack from the government on di. So like how, how are we all supposed to manage that? Are we supposed to shut down our Gmails?

[DJ Envy]

I was going to ask the dei, get your products in, give you the opportunity to get in there.

[Melissa Butler]

No, no, no, no. We got into retail because we were a strong brand. Now do you know some of the buyers look like us and they appreciate representation. Absolutely. Some of the buyers that we have met with, with some of our retailers, they are African American buyers. And that's so important too to make sure that we have those people in those positions so that they can bring in brands like us and understand the importance. But if you look at how much African Americans spend, I mean there's these.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

Retailers are all in the money making business, right? And we spend money.

[Melissa Butler]

So yeah, it's a business.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

We don't foresee our, our brands going in. I mean, you know, we don't they want to make money, and our. Our consumers spend the most money. That's just facts. So I just really.

[Bowen Yang]

Black women spend nine times our white counterparts on beauty products. And so obviously, there's a difference in a black woman's hair and a white woman's hair in terms of makeup, aside from color theory and a brand caring enough to actually have a wide range of colors, there's no. There's no real difference. And so my buying team is actually not women of color. They've never been women of color. And so I think that speaks. Speaks to the idea that, like, to your point, they're in the money business. Like, everybody here is trying to fill a gap. Everyone is trying to figure out, how do I get more customers to shop our products? And this is what. Where, you know, if you have a record roots, if you have a lip bar and you understand that this can bring a different customer, you have an advantage. And so we all have strong businesses, we all have strong brands, we have strong followings, and that's how we've been able to stay in retail this long.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes. You know, last time I got hand on your products, Melissa, we was at the DNC convention and Governor Gretchen Whitman.

[Bowen Yang]

Oh, my God.

[Jess Hilarious]

Just to give.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Give me an Angela Rai and who else was it? Tiffany Cross, like, just gave us all products at the table.

[Bowen Yang]

So it's clearly not just black women. Yeah. So I am from Detroit. Detroit is a big part of my resilience and my grit. And like, she has stood up for. For Michigan in a big way. And so she's one of those people where it's like, if she decided tomorrow that she can't use the word DEI anymore, I'm not gonna say, like, oh, you know, she. She not about the people. This is like, she has shown me over the years that she is showing up. But we. We love us some big rich.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I want to expound on that. Right. Because somebody told me, and I don't know if it's true, they said Target didn't actually roll back their initiatives. They just changed initiative name. Is that true?

[Melissa Butler]

I think that a lot of these corporations are scared to get sued by the government. Right. I think that's what they are nervous about. You know, this new administration coming in and making all these changes and. And the war on diversity, equity, inclusion, and they're scared to get sued if they put it out there. And I know, you know, just this week, we just. We just shipped huge orders to, you know, one of our retailers. Yeah.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

We've had major expansion.

[Melissa Butler]

Yeah. We just. But you know, that has been in the plan for a long time. Like Melissa spoke to earlier, it's not like an overnight thing. But of course, they could have gone in and canceled those orders. They could have not sent them to us, because that is their prerogative, too, to not send the purchase orders. But we are in the process of shipping tons of inventory to one of these major retailers that have come out and said that they are against the diversity, equity, inclusion.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, so they doubled down on their dei. So they're like, send us your stuff.

[Melissa Butler]

No, they are part of the. They have rolled back diversity, equity, inclusion. But we are getting huge purchase orders.

[DJ Envy]

The product is moving, so they can't do that.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

But we need the people to go into the stores and purchase the product.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Can we say the store name?

[Melissa Butler]

Walmart.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah. Yeah. And same. Same on the Target front. So, like, we've had conversations and we're like, what does this mean for our brand? Because, like, you know, it's. It's crazy to the idea of, like, being so outspoken on this without going to target themselves. Like, we want to go straight to the source. So we like, yo, what's up? Yeah, what if that was the first thing we mean for our brands? And they're like. We're like, exactly. We will continue to invest in. In your brand. And we've seen purchase orders, you know, that were. That were larger than usual, but not because, like, they feel bad because the products are moving.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

Right.

[Bowen Yang]

Like, we're known for our lip colors. Like, we've been doing this for 12 years, and we continue to grow year over year. And so that retailer is going to see that, and they're going to continue to double down. They're not. They're not just kicking all the black brands out. I just want to be clear about that. Exactly.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But I wonder if that's because of the. They're calling it a boycott because. Because there's some people who are like, no, I'm gonna go in these stores and I'm gonna buy all the black products. I may not buy anything else, but I'm gonna go buy the black products.

[Melissa Butler]

And we want you to do that everywhere. And we're not telling. Like, we're not here to tell you where to shop. We're here to tell, like, ask you to shop with us. You know, we're not telling you. Oh, to buy black. Yeah. We're not telling you not to go into Target, telling people the effects of what it does to your business.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Absolutely.

[Melissa Butler]

Exactly.

[Bowen Yang]

Absolutely.

[DJ Envy]

It was something. Cause Tamika Mallory was here and she was saying that, you know, when people go to these stores sometimes they forget like, you know, they'll go to get.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

They might go get the lip bar, they might go get Rucker Roots.

[DJ Envy]

But that's the reason they do it. But people don't, you know, understand the effects of people who are, you know, have businesses in Target or Walmart or Sam's Clubs or Costco that it affects. So what do you tell those people like? So you tell them, look, we understand the boycott, but you gotta, you gotta, you gotta understand that we're supporting so many of our community and we gotta make this happen, gotta make this work somehow, some way.

[Melissa Butler]

I tell them, shop wherever you decide to shop, but shop black shop with us. We want you to buy the products wherever you feel comfortable buying them, wherever you have access to buying them. Because so many people, like I own was mentioning earlier, they only have certain amount of stores that they can actually shop.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

If you have the luxury of boycotting and you feel the need to boycott, then go ahead and do that. But some people don't have that luxury, like I said. And we have, you know, we always talk about promoting generational wealth, promoting, you know, giving back. We have a fund, a Rucker education scholarship fund where it's going on our 12th year where we give back scholarships to students from our hometown that are first generation scholarship students. So we want to do more of that in our community. We want to create more generational wealth. And in order to do that, you have to continue to support our brands because we have done everything like Melissa just said. We, we fronted, we just fronted so much inventory and we want to sell it through because we, you know, if not then we'll have these huge buybacks and that just chargebacks and that just really hurts our, our, our business and our brand.

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

So you mentioned the thing about Target just changing the name. They did both. So they changed the name of their supplier diversity team to supplier Engagement. And then they also got rid of their belonging at the Bullseye, which is a strategy to include black employees, build meaningful careers and improve like experience of black shoppers and promote black owned businesses. So they did both of them.

[Melissa Butler]

And I know we're talking about Target, but for us, Rucker Roots, we're in several, seven different retail stores. So there's so many other options to shop. So we're in target, we're in JCPenney, we're in Belk, we're in Sally's, we're in Amazon, we're in Walmart, Walmart, Walmart and if you look at, you know, JCPenney and Belk, they have doubled down on their d. They are, you know, they are adamant about keeping diversity, equity, inclusion with, you know, their companies. And we're there too. So, you know, we and our products, you know, we're on shelf at all of those places.

[Jess Hilarious]

Yo, what up? It's your girl Jess. Hilarious. And I think it's time to acknowledge that I'm not just a comedian. It's time to add uncertified therapists to my credentials. Because each and every Wednesday, I'm fixing your mess on Carefully Reckless on the Black Effect podcast network. Got problems in your relationship? Come to me. Your best friend acting shady. Come to me. Thinking about cursing that one stank auntie out at the next family gathering. Do it. But come to me before you did because I cussed all mine out before you wanna fight your co workers, Come to me. Baby daddy mad cause you got a boyfriend. Come to me. Thought you was the father, but you not come to me. I can't promise I won't judge you, but I can guarantee that I will help you. As a daughter, a sister, a mother, and an entrepreneur, I've learned a lot in life. So I'm using my own perspective and experiences to help you fix your mess. Send me your situation, and let's fix it as a family. Listen to carefully Reckless on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Bowen Yang]

Welcome to my legacy. I'm Martin Luther King iii, and together with my wife, Andrea Waters King, and our dear friends Mark and Craig Kilburger, we explore the personal journeys that shape extraordinary lives.

[Jess Hilarious]

Each week, we'll sit down with inspiring figures like David Oyelowo, Mel Robbins, Martin Sheen, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Billy Porter.

[Bowen Yang]

And they're plus one.

[Jess Hilarious]

They're ride or die as they share stories never heard before about their remarkable journey.

[Bowen Yang]

Listen to my legacy on the iHeartRadio.

[Melissa Butler]

App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

This is mylegacy.

[Bowen Yang]

Snakes. Zombies. Public speaking. The list of fears is endless. But the real danger is in your hand. When you're behind the wheel, Distracted driving is what's really scary and even deadly. Eyes forward. Don't drive distracted. Brought to you by NHTSA and the Ad Council. Do you remember what you said the first night I came over here? Ow. Go slower. I met Santi at a luau party in October. I'm Santi Damian. Oh, it was bizarre. The guy just disappeared one day. Santi has been missing Ever since the hookup. What is that? I'm solving a mystery through sex and haven't made a private dick joke until now. Like, no matter how hard I try, all roads lead to the hookup. You think it's causing people to turn aggro? I'm gonna rip your arms off and use them to. Yeah, that's a word for it. This is such terrible representation. I'm so sorry, poppers. These aren't just any poppers. Mama always used to say God gave me gumption in place of a gag reflex. No, my psychiatrist didn't laugh at that one either. Listen to the hookup on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Melissa Butler]

And as a black owned business, if you're gonna boycott one, then flood, flood the other. Our website is. I mean, we have a warehouse in Indianland, South Carolina, where we're shipping, packing, sending orders out every day on our E Commerce. And a lot of times I own and I are in there. Like last week I posted on my social media, I was like wrapping a palette that was going out to Walmart. Like, we're still in there grinding every single day. And so if you're going to, you know, say, okay, we're going to not shop here, then shop elsewhere. Support the brand elsewhere where you feel comfortable.

[Bowen Yang]

I think one of the misconceptions is that if a brand is in retail, they've already made it. They're already, they're already huge. And it's like, just because, you know, we get press or because we're on the Breakfast Club, that does not mean that the brand has actually gone the distance. So I just want people to know that by, by not shopping, you know, black owned, no matter what the channel is, know that you are impacting how someone is feeding their family.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

Absolutely.

[Bowen Yang]

Like, just because the lip bar, you know, press and likes do not equal dollars. Like, let's not get get fooled by the social media hype. And so people are. People will say like, oh, they already got it. It's fine that they can, they can miss the dollars. No, because we got payroll every two weeks. My boy, what are you doing?

[Melissa Butler]

We came, we got warehouse, warehouse rent. We got rent to pay. We got all the things. So what about.

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

Oh, go ahead. I was gonna ask behind the scenes though. I don't know how close a lot of you, like, the black owned brands were in these major retailers, whether it's Target, Walmart, whatever, but I feel like now, because y'all are kind of going through this together, has it created a line of communication or system where you guys are figuring out things amongst your own sales for the up and coming, like black owned brands that will hit retail, like shops.

[Bowen Yang]

And yeah, I had a call actually, like pretty much immediately after it happened. Renee blew it from. She did that. She helped organize it. And my first thing was like, y'all need to reach out to your buyers. Because a lot of people are afraid. A lot of people were like, I don't think I have the leverage to even reach out to Target and ask them what's going on.

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

I'm like, smaller brands in Target that are black.

[Bowen Yang]

But meanwhile, it's like we've been in Target for like eight years. So I know that I can reach out and I can, and I did reach out very aggressively actually. But I'm like, no. Reach out to let them know that we are coming together. Reach out to let them know that we are demanding that y'all give us some responses and some meaning to what this is. Reach out and let them know that, like, we won't just stand for this. And so, like, I do think that it is bridging the gap because typically, I think one of the issues in the black community is that we hold things to the chest and it's okay to be vulnerable because like, the more we are vulnerable, the more information we get and the more information we have, then we can actually make better decisions. And so I, I think it's absolutely happening. And I'm proud of the work that a lot of the black owned businesses are doing right now.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Can we talk more about like, you know, is it fair for black owned products to receive backlash for still having their products in Target or any of these stores that are rolling back the D?

[Bowen Yang]

No, no, it's not fair. Because here's the thing, like, people are complaining on meta. That is that has rolled back their dei. People are using their Gmail. That has rolled back their dei people saying that black, black owned businesses that are already small, that are already underfunded, black women receive less than 1% of all VC dollars. And I actually think that the number went down post Covid, like, we can't afford to do it. So what people are asking us to do is essentially like, you know, sell our houses, close our doors, fire our entire teams. And it's like, are you doing that for the, for the community, right? Are you doing that for the struggle? Like, are you quitting your job without a plan to feed your family, like, until we are all like locked in arms that this is what we're doing for the culture. It is un, it is unfair. Now we're not over here saying you need to keep shopping at Target or Walmart or Amazon, any of these places, because they have all decided to shut down dei. What we have said is like, we have shop my website, we have websites. Yeah, yeah, I have a store in Detroit. Like shop wherever you choose to shop. That is your prerogative.

[Melissa Butler]

Give us a little.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

I can say that 25% of our sales come from our Internet, from our E commerce, from our website. So the other 75% is from being on the shelves. So that's our livelihood. So we need you guys, you know, we need to stay on the shelves and we need you guys to purchase.

[Melissa Butler]

From Walmart, give the black brands more, more than 2.5% of the $9.4 billion that it spent and on beauty.

[Bowen Yang]

And it's so easy.

[Melissa Butler]

Give us more percent, give us a little bit more of that, you know, money. Right? I mean, that's all we're asking. Because people, people want to buy people.

[Bowen Yang]

I want us to be honest. Like, if you go into your makeup bag, if you go into your, your linen closet, if you go into your, your actual closet, how many of those brands like your fashions, how much of it is black owned? How much of your makeup?

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

Today? A little bit different, but I get a point, but go ahead.

[Bowen Yang]

Like your pantry, like your fashions, your hair, your makeup. Like the lip bar is constantly begging people to shop the lip bar over Elf or over Nyx. Like, and it's not just about the lip bar. There are lots of black owned brands you can shop. This is not just.

[Melissa Butler]

Yeah, it's about our community. Right?

[Bowen Yang]

It's about our community.

[Melissa Butler]

It's about our community.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

We would love for you to go on our dot com, but we know that only 25% of our sales come from there. I mean, we make more money when you shop on our website, you know, our personal business website. So.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But has anybody from Target reached out at all?

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah, I've talked to Target about shit.

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

For like two weeks.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay, but what do they say? Like, what do they say to y'all?

[Bowen Yang]

They ain't saying nothing.

[Melissa Butler]

But, you know, like our sales team with Walmart, we've had several conversations with them, like really strong conversations. And they say the same thing. We didn't bring you in because of diversity, equity, inclusion. We brought you in because you're a strong brand. And we're, you know, we're going to keep you there as long as you're performing. But that's the key. We have to perform.

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

But do they plan to, like, say more, to kind of, like, protect y'all a little? Not protect y'all, because y'all don't need them to protect.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I don't even know why they put out a press release to begin with.

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

To say, like, they kind of, like, it aggravated things when it did.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah.

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

So they don't plan on, like, what's the remedy? Because if this was the Black Square era, they would have been. Came out and, I don't know, wear a cloth something. So KTA club, 25% off at target right now.

[Bowen Yang]

When Nancy Pelosi.

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

That time was a different time. Now they can be silent, and no one cares, and it's like, whatever. But, like, if they plant. Because you guys don't seem like you're leaving anytime soon.

[Melissa Butler]

Well, we can't afford to leave, right?

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah, you can't.

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

I mean, so it's a partnership.

[Melissa Butler]

It's too real.

[Bowen Yang]

I think that people have to continue to put pressure.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

Yeah.

[Bowen Yang]

Honestly. So, I mean, in my conversations with Target, they have been apologetic. They have been clear that they are continuously investing in small black and brown brands. Like, this is literally from, like, their mouths over the last two weeks. But I'm like, listen, don't say it to me. Say it to the public, because it's the public who is upset. It's the public who you owe something to, not just your vendors. And so I think we have to just continue to tell our story and demand what we want to see.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And, you know, I wonder. I haven't spoken. And this is why it's so difficult. Right. Because I love y'all. But then I love Denina Turner's, and I love Tamika Mallorys. And I understand why you feel the way y'all feel, and I understand why they feel the way they feel. But I wondered, was there any conversations amongst y'all? Did anybody. Did any of the people wanting to boycott call any of the people who have brands in the store?

[Bowen Yang]

No. I talked to Roland Martin.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay, okay.

[Bowen Yang]

And he. He was like, we got a boycott. And I said, well, we got to do whatever we got to do, but just make sure that y'all are clear on having a plan to continue to invest in and support black businesses. Because it can't be this thing where it's. It's trendy to shop black today, and then two weeks later, you know, we're not in vogue anymore. Like 2020.

[Melissa Butler]

I mean, I live with someone that's on the front lines. Yeah. My husband is on tv fighting the good fight every single night. And we have these conversations at home. And, you know, he understands that I have a business to promote. He appreciates the boycott where, you know, boycott, boycotting and, you know, civil rights movement is part of our bloodline. Like, we're from the deep south. And in that, I appreciate, you know, their movement because that's how things have changed in history. But like Melissa said, you know, it can't just be a trend to forget about these black brands. And so I think it just has to be. You know, people have to look at it in a different lens. And that's why I think it's so important for black brands to have these conversations with the public. Like, hey, you know, that's great. You know, we. If that's what you want to do, then, you know, vote with your dollar. That's fine.

[DJ Envy]

The thing is conversation, right? It's something that you said earlier. Most time, people, when they see something in a store, they automatically think you made it, Right?

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

Automatically think it's successful. You guys are rich, you guys are filthy, you guys are billionaires. Because they don't understand what it takes. So without having these conversations, people don't understand. Not only that, as a dad that goes into Sally's, a lot of times I don't know what's a black brand or what's a regular brand. My wife says, go get some shampoo or we need a new shampoo for whatever. So when I ask the lady at the front desk who a lot of times might not be black.

[Melissa Butler]

Yeah. She's.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And don't think you black.

[Melissa Butler]

Die. No, they're taking a shot at me.

[DJ Envy]

Saying that I use Just for Men. But anyway. But we need to have more of these conversations so people understand what it is. Because a lot of times I don't think people actually get it. Because the first thing you think of is when you see a brand in Target is that you guys have made it and it's not necessarily the truth.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And I believe, you know, there's guys like John who. Bryan. Who have presented, you know, plans on what should happen. I believe what he says. He says we should redirect energy towards supporting companies that double that. Double down on dei. And he says we should position diversity, equity and inclusion as a business imperative, not a political.

[Bowen Yang]

But is it realistic to do that when the government has made it a political.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

Yeah.

[Bowen Yang]

Agenda. So some. Some of the companies. Right. And target aside, like, if the government is like, we're gonna cut your funding.

[Melissa Butler]

Right.

[Bowen Yang]

If you. If you uphold Your dei, what is that. That company supposed to do? So maybe it doesn't impact Costco because maybe they're not receiving government subsidies, but for those companies that. That are, like, how does that work? And I'm really. I'm really asking, because I feel like we have to be clear that it's not just the companies that are doing this DEI pullback. It's also Trump, if we're just gonna be honest.

[Melissa Butler]

Absolutely.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I mean, it's because of Trump. But I guess, you know, John O'Brien is saying that you should reframe the narrative around diversity, equity, and inclusion as critical for economic competitiveness, innovation, and market growth. Like, it impacts your bottom line. Like, that's what we should be telling these companies. Yeah.

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

They know that, though.

[Melissa Butler]

Do they?

[Bowen Yang]

What?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

When. First thing you learn, and if you have a retail background or seller's background at all is market study and numbers. Retail stores are placed. They choose clothing that goes into Nordstrom's based off who lives around that Nordstrom. They know what people look like, how they shop. They know all of that. It's just, do they have to care kind of to her?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And that's what I said. That's why. When I. When I said, do they. It's like, why would they even put out a press release? Like, why would they just put this.

[Melissa Butler]

Well, they did it because I think it was leaked.

[Bowen Yang]

From the target perspective, they didn't put out a press release.

[Melissa Butler]

I didn't know that something was leaked.

[Bowen Yang]

And that's why, like, they still haven't said anything because they're like, we didn't.

[Melissa Butler]

Say anything in the first place.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Nobody said anything. I haven't seen Walmart.

[Bowen Yang]

Oh, Walmart. Absolutely. Put out.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

They did. Okay, what they said.

[Bowen Yang]

But. But they did say what they're going to continue to do. And I think that that is what is owed to the. To the people. Like, instead of just saying, like, okay, we're. We're killing dei. Be clear on what that means. Be clear on what that means for not only your customers, but the people who work there.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

Yeah.

[Melissa Butler]

Or if. If you're. If they're concerned about Trump and the administration, you know, giving them, you know, lawsuits or whatever if they continue. Change the name. Like, do emerging brands, like, you know, change. Change the name, but don't eliminate, you know, these, These, you know, these brand owners and these companies that work so hard to get to the place that, you know, because if you say you're.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Just getting rid of dei, they think that you just don't care about black People you don't care about, you know, whether black people shop.

[Bowen Yang]

Black people get. First of all, black people are not the biggest beneficiaries of dei. It's white women. It's white women, it's veterans. And it goes so much further than just black people. It's DEI is the pumping rooms that women have when. When they're pregnant. DEI is the accessible ramps for disabled people. But I know black people because we are so unfortunately used to being oppressed in this country. We immediately are like, they hate black people, and rightfully so. Right. So it's like, okay, well, tell us that you don't. And I think that's what we're all waiting for from all of these companies.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Let me ask this question, and I know that y'all have answered it in different ways throughout the interview, but I just want to be be clear. What do you think is the appropriate strategy to let these companies know that we don't like how they drop DEI without affecting Yalls bottom line?

[Melissa Butler]

The companies or our community?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Both.

[Bowen Yang]

I think we have to keep being vocal. I don't think there's anything wrong with putting a bullseye on target and saying we won't accept this. But I also think that in the same vein, we have to be intentional shoppers to ensure that we are actually voting with our dollar. But, like, keep. Keep putting the pressure on Target. Why not?

[DJ Envy]

Well, let bullseye affect your business, though, where they look back and be like, you know what? Melissa's being too difficult with this damn bullseye.

[Bowen Yang]

Let me go here.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Melissa said she don't care if they.

[Bowen Yang]

Boycott, not if our sales are impacted. So, like, they. They speak green first.

[Melissa Butler]

Yes, exactly. Yeah. High performing. And if you're. If you're. If your products aren't just sitting there and if they're making money and all the things and they're going to keep you there.

[Bowen Yang]

And Melissa can say whatever she wants.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

To say because all they care about is the money.

[Melissa Butler]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Black owned makeup company in Target, right?

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah. And we've been target since 2017, 2018, and we've grown year over year. And like, of course we're disappointed, but we're not gonna pull our products from Target in this moment because it doesn't make financial sense for us. But we will continue to put pressure on Target and say, yo, like, this is not okay, right?

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

Oh, go ahead.

[Melissa Butler]

Oh, no, go ahead. I don't even know what I'm about to say.

[Ellen Rucka Sellers]

This. This whole thing brings up a conversation of, like, how people feel when especially the black beauty Brands begin to, like, if they're bought out by non black people, stuff like that. I remember, I think, was it Courtney's brand or was it my. It was one of those brands that something like that happened with and they got dragged for it. And when this happened, I remember there was a thread that I read and they were basically saying, this is why we should only sell through us. And I was like, but what does that look like? How do you do that? I guess it's like owning your own store in Detroit versus and doing more of that versus being in the Target. How do you guys feel about that conversation of like, you know, like even, I don't know, investors or kind of the capitalism conversation?

[Melissa Butler]

I think that it's important for us to remember that when you're growing a brand and, and you get to a certain level, there's only so much that you can do and you have to bring in investors and you have to bring in different, you know, amounts of money to scale to that global and to hit that global brand. And, and when companies decide to sell, you know, I know a lot of companies have, but they, they also bring that money back to the community. They give so much money. They funnel all that, you know, so much, so many scholarships and, and so many, you know, grants and everything back into the community. I think it's kind of unfair to put that amount of pressure on black brands because aren't you growing your brand for legacy, for economic growth in your community? Aren't you growing your brand so that you can make a difference, that you can leave something behind greater than you? Isn't that the purpose?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I want to see you sell record roots for a billion dollars and then go open up five more businesses.

[Melissa Butler]

But that's what I'm saying, like, and so in other communities, people don't give them hell for selling their products.

[Bowen Yang]

No, they get celebrated.

[Melissa Butler]

They get celebrated. And I think that's so unfair. And, and it's unfortunate. I don't, I don't like it.

[Bowen Yang]

When Rich Dennis sold Shea Moisture, he started the New Voices Fund to invest in black women. And some of your favorite entrepreneurs were beneficiaries of him selling Shea Moisture. So he invested in Lip Bar, he invested in Slutty Vegan, he invested in Honey Pot, he invested in My Organics, he invested in Natural, like literally almost every. A lot of the popping black owned businesses right now came as a result of, of that sale. So to your point, it's really about what people do with the money when they sell. And then I totally understand people Being upset, like, oh, we can't have nothing. Because I feel like that's how the community feels like, you know, as soon as a brand grows or we support it, they sell to a white company or a white person. And my question to you is like, well, who do we sell it to? Unfortunately, there are no black Procter and Gambles or Unilever. Because why? Because we only spend two and a half percent of the $9.4 billion with black brands. And so if we were to pull our dollars and even if we just only focused on beauty and said, you know what? I can commit to only shopping black beauty. Clothing might be harder. Shoes might be harder. You know, your pantry might be harder. But beauty is not that hard. There are hundreds of black owned beauty brands, but we are still fighting with multinational corporations. People are absolutely still buying the L'Oreals and Maybellines instead of the lip bars and the Danessa Myricks. And so we would love to shop or sell to black people. It's just that that's not an option. So what do we do? Do we not realize our generational wealth? Because most black people, our wealth is actually tied in our equity, which means that we have to have a liquidation event. That's what it's called. A liquid liquidation event is when you sell some of your equity so that you can get some of the money. Yeah. Melissa Butler of the Lip Bar is a millionaire. On paper, baby. On paper. Which means that I need to do something, get that liquid. Actually get liquid. So I just. I want you all to understand how business works, especially when you fundraise.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But that's the most difficult thing, right? You're trying to explain business to people who don't have no business. So they really not supposed to get it education for.

[Melissa Butler]

But they're loud. They're loud.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Like, I remember when they got mad at be when she sold for, what was it, 380 or something like that, and she kept the minority stake and was still CEO. And I'm just like, I was happy for her, like, to your point, like, she can't have nothing.

[Bowen Yang]

And it's like, who she gonna sell it to?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Right, Exactly, Exactly.

[Melissa Butler]

Until we get to the point where we have, you know, these people that have grown brands, like, you know, Rich Dennis, that can actually help invest in and buy, you know, companies and all those things until we grow more of those people, until we have that status, then we don't have, you know, and.

[Bowen Yang]

It'Ll continue to happen.

[Melissa Butler]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

Go out and support these ladies, please.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Tell them how. How do they support Rucker Roots?

[Melissa Butler]

How do they support the www.rukerroots.com you can find us in seven different retailers. You know, shoes, where. But just support us.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, the lip bar.

[Bowen Yang]

Thelipbar.com if you're in Detroit, we have our own store but we're also Amazon, Walmart, Target, cvs and you can follow us on all social platforms at the Lip Bar.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And any final just messages for the community because I don't want you. I don't want to see y'all tweeting after this interview at people just. No, you need to say now.

[Melissa Butler]

No, we love y'all. You know, we need you. We love you. We are here for the fight. We're in it. We, you know, for us. We're not telling you to not boycott, but we telling you to, you know, support these brands. Support our brand.

[Ione Rucka Jamison]

We're going on 10 year anniversary and we couldn't have done it without our consumers and our loyalty customers. So thank you. Continue to support Rucker Roots. Follow us on all platforms at Rucker Roots and of course ellen said online.

[Melissa Butler]

Ruckerroots.com and we're on Amazon, Walmart, Target, Sally's, Belk, JCPenney. Yeah. And our website.

[Bowen Yang]

I'll just say the Lip Bar has always been a community based business. It's the community that has got us this far. And please know that we will continue to invest in the community like we will never turn our back. Like, I am from the blackest city in America, Detroit, Michigan. So just know that I am always putting us first.

[DJ Envy]

There you have it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's right.

[DJ Envy]

And it's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Wake that ass up early in the morning. The Breakfast Club.

[Bowen Yang]

Welcome to my legacy. I'm Martin Luther King iii and together with my wife, Andrea Waters King, and our dear friends Mark and Craig Kilberger, we explore the personal journeys that shape extraordinary lives.

[Jess Hilarious]

Join us for heartfelt conversations with remarkable guests like David Oyeloh, Mel Robbins, Martin Sheen, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Billy Porter.

[Bowen Yang]

Listen to my legacy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

This is my legacy.

[Jess Hilarious]

Yo, what up? It's your girl, Jess. Hilarious. And I think it's time to acknowledge that I'm not just a comedian. It's time to add uncertified therapists to my credentials. Because each and every Wednesday, I'm fixing your mess on Carefully Reckless on the Black Effect podcast network. Got problems in your relationship? Come to me. Your best friend acting shady? Come to me. Thought you was the father but you not come to me. I can't promise I won't judge you, but I can guarantee that I will help you. Listen to carefully Reckless on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Bowen Yang]

You are cordially invited to.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The hottest party in professional SP sports. I'm Tisha Allen, former golf professional and.

[Bowen Yang]

The host of welcome to the Party.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Your newest obsession about the wonderful world.

[Bowen Yang]

That is women's golf.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Featuring interviews with top players on tour, tips to help improve your swing, and the craziest stories to come out of.

[Bowen Yang]

Your friendly neighborhood country club.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Welcome to the Party with Tisha Allen is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to welcome to the Party that's.

[Bowen Yang]

P A R T E e on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hey, it's Alec Baldwin. This past season on my podcast, here's the Thing, I spoke with more actors, musicians, policymakers, and so many other fascinating people like writer and actor Dan Aykroyd.

[Melissa Butler]

I love writing more than anything. You're left alone, you know, you do three hours in the morning, you write.

[Jess Hilarious]

Three hours in the afternoon.

[Melissa Butler]

Go pick up a kid from school.

[Jess Hilarious]

And write at night.

[Melissa Butler]

And after nine hours you come out with seven pages and then you're moving on.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

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