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DJ Envy
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Just hilarious
Available Features Compatible device service and consumer activation of Nissan Connect Services package required Use only when safe and legal. Subject to third party service availability. For more information, see nissanusa.com connect legal Apple CarPlay is a trademark of Apple Inc. Intelligent all wheel drive cannot prevent collisions or provide enhanced traction in all conditions. Always monitor traffic and weather conditions.
Kevin Smith
Hey kids, it's me, Kevin Smith.
Harley Quinn Smith
And it's me, Harley Quinn Smith.
Kevin Smith
That's my daughter, man, who my wife has always said is just a beardless dless version of me. And that's the name of our podcast. Beardless D Me. I'm the old one, I'm the young one, and every week we try to make each other laugh really hard. Sounds innocent, doesn't it? A lot of cussing, a lot of bad language. It's for adults only. Or listen to it with your kid. Could be a family show. We're not quite sure. We're still figuring it out.
Harley Quinn Smith
It's a work in progress.
Kevin Smith
Listen to Beardless me on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Dylan Mulvaney
Do you remember what you said the first night I came over here?
John Cameron Mitchell
Ow.
DJ Envy
Go slower.
Dylan Mulvaney
From Blumhouse TV, I Heart podcasts and Ember 20 comes an all new fictional comedy podcast series. Join the flighty Damien Hirst as he unravels the mystery of his vanished boyfriend. I've been spending all my time looking for answers about what happened to Santi and what's the way to find a missing person. Sleep with everyone he knew? Obviously. Listen to the hookup on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
John Cameron Mitchell
This is John Cameron Mitchell and my new fiction podcast series, Cancellation island stars Holly Hunter as Karen, a wellness influencer who launches a rehab for the recently canceled in the future we will all be canceled for 15 minutes. But don't worry, we'll take you from broke to woke or your money back. Cancellation Island's revolutionary rehab therapies like bad touch football, anti racism, spin class, and mandatory Ayahuasca ceremonies are designed to force the council to confront their worst impulses. But everything starts to fall Apart when people start disappearing.
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Karen, where have you brought us?
John Cameron Mitchell
Cancellation island, where a second chance might just be your last. Listen to Cancellation island on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Charlamagne Tha God
Wake that ass up in the morning.
Harley Quinn Smith
The Breakfast Club.
DJ Envy
Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlamagne, the guy. We are the breakfast club. Lauren LaRosa is here as well. And we got a special guest in the building.
Charlamagne Tha God
The legendary Tasha Smith, ladies and gentlemen.
DJ Envy
She's back. Welcome.
Charlamagne Tha God
Good morning, guys.
DJ Envy
How you feeling?
Harley Quinn Smith
I feel amazing. I feel like I'm at home. I feel like I'm with family. Family. I love you guys. I appreciate you guys, your voice, what you do. I just really appreciate you.
DJ Envy
Thank you.
Harley Quinn Smith
Seriously, you are one of the most.
Charlamagne Tha God
Underrated people in this business. You do not get the credits you deserve for, like, the way you pour into people and the stars that you've helped become stars. I don't even know if people understand that part of it.
Tasha Smith
Everybody's story is Tasha Smith did it first. Tasha Smith told me, like, well, speaking.
DJ Envy
Of pouring into people, I. I just. I don't know if you knew this, but right before Tasha walked in, Lauren was fixing a wig and, you know, almost killing.
Tasha Smith
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Charlamagne Tha God
So she was asking Tasha for tips. Cause Tasha be fly all the time.
Harley Quinn Smith
I get it.
Tasha Smith
She just came in here and started matching today. Now, you talking about being fly, not about the wig. You just showed up with the same.
DJ Envy
Color face, but she was fixing a wig and kind of, like, wiping her eyes, like, she was tearing up. And I said, what's happening? She was like, you know, when I left tmz, the one person I called was Tasha Smith.
Harley Quinn Smith
Oh, my goodness.
DJ Envy
So you wanna explain what you tell Lauren?
Tasha Smith
I think I text you. And I was like, hey, I'm thinking about leaving my job.
Harley Quinn Smith
See, See?
DJ Envy
Fixed away crying.
Harley Quinn Smith
That's all right.
Tasha Smith
I was like, I'm thinking about leaving.
Charlamagne Tha God
My lashes ain't glued in correctly.
Tasha Smith
I don't have my lashes today. Shut up. I was like, I think about leaving my job, but just wanted to talk to somebody that, like, understands, like, you know, career and, like, you know, longevity in it. We had met and we talked before, but I was just like, you know, everybody has, like, such a great story of, like, how your perception of them and kind of what you see for them. And I was like, I don't really know who I can call and I trust right now. And I reached out to you, I text you, and you sent me a voice note back and I remember I was driving into my garage and I pulled over and was listening to the voice note, and you were like, whatever it is you're feeling, do it. You are a star. You're going to be great. Don't be scared. Do it. And let me know when it's done. And here I am.
Harley Quinn Smith
I am so proud of you. Can I just tell you that I am so proud of you? When I saw everything that was going on, I was literally singing your praises. To have the courage and boldness to make a decision, to live your life in the way that you saw it. And I'm so proud that you took that leap of faith. And it's something. I gotta share something with y'all, because when I was at. I was, like, meditating last night, and I was thinking about you, and I was thinking about Jess, not trying to, like. But y'all are both my girls. You know, I played Jess's mom, you know, on a TV show, and y'all are my babies. And when I think about just us as black women and just how powerful and unique we are, I was meditating, and I was like, what is it that I can say to women? And do you mind if I just share this? Okay, so what. What I. What I ended up writing down was, you are not in competition. You're in community. And us, as women, sometimes we think we're in competition, but we're not in competition. We're in community. Right? And also, your light doesn't diminish because someone else is shining. Like, it's not going to dim our light to let someone else shine. If anything, when all of us are walking in the room together, allowing ourselves to shine, that room becomes even brighter. Okay. The other thing I thought about, and this was you and Jess, is that every woman is uniquely designed. I was thinking about my girls over here. That's Monique. That is my girl Venetia. And I'm like, look at how individual they are. Look at how individual we are. We're all unique. We're all different, right? But we don't have to fear about anybody taking up space, because there's room for every shade of brilliance. Okay. The other thing I wrote down was, insecurity dissolves when we recognize individually as women are divine design. Because we are all designed divinely by God. Right? And when we embrace our uniqueness, we give others permission to do the same. Marianne Williams. So let's celebrate each other. You know that, right?
Tasha Smith
Yes.
Harley Quinn Smith
And let's allow ourselves to not be afraid of anyone else's light out like outshining our light because it can happen when we walk in who we are. I love you. I love Jess, and I love what both of you are doing. Your voices are so important to our culture and to our women. So let's allow ourselves to remember. And not that you guys feel like this, but this is for all of us women, that we are not in competition. We are in community, period. I just love you. I love to say that.
Charlamagne Tha God
Okay, as you were saying that, I'm reading your arm, and it says, trust.
Harley Quinn Smith
God and dream big. So these are two. Like, these are my first two tattoos that I ever got right, because. And I always say this, you may have heard me say this before, that we have to dream big, right? And how whatever our dreams are, it's not a figment of our imagination, but God showing us a glimpse, a glimpse of our future. And even you deciding to leave where you were, that was something that God placed in you saying, it's time to move. And a lot of times we get comfortable and complacent with where we are, but God's not always feeding us in the place that we've already been. And in order for us to get that new food that God has for us, we got to make moves and go into areas that we're unsure of. But that's where our faith lies, and that's where we end up experiencing God in a whole nother way. Could you imagine if you did not leave, you wouldn't be experiencing God the way that you are now in your life. So I'm excited. Let's go. Okay. Seriously? Oh, my God.
Charlamagne Tha God
You know what? I want to ask Tasha, because you're making me think right now. Who did that for you? What you just did for Lauren and Jess, who did that for you? When you was on the call, you.
Tasha Smith
Do it without, like. Like, it's just you. Like, the first time I met you, I think. I don't remember if it was at. I don't think it was Earn's party, but the first time I met you, our first interaction, I was just like, she's really. Like, this is just her. Like, if it. You just pour in, like, effortlessly, like, who taught you to do that?
Harley Quinn Smith
You know what? I. And a lot of people. And I'll tell. It's two things I want to share. One is I remember a while ago, and I think I've told you about, you know, the time I had gotten born again, and, you know, I went to ministry school, and I thought, oh, one day I'm gonna be a Preacher or something like that. But I realized that my ministry is what I'm doing. Like, is me teaching acting, me empowering other people to pursue their purpose. My. My acting, my directing, you know, being a good leader, like, those are the things that I learned that I feel like I could utilize those gifts in the world that I'm in within this industry. As far people that have done that for me, I'm going to be honest, Angela Basset and Marianne Jean Baptiste. I don't know if you're familiar with Marianne Jean Baptiste, but she's an amazing actress from England. You know, she's. She's in a. In a film right now called Hard Truths. Her Hard Truths. And she was in a. She. She was nominated for Oscar years ago called Secrets and Lies. But she's a brilliant actress from the uk. And I remember I was on its series and I never even share this out loud. I've never shared this publicly, but I'm just. I feel it. I'm a share it. I was on a show called For Better or Worse, and I was tired of doing the show. Like, I just felt like God had more for me. Although it was a blessing at the time and I had a good time and it was a wonderful thing. But in my spirit, I kept feeling like my voice isn't being heard as far as my artistic voice in a way that I feel like it could be. And, you know, I was making money, it was cool, whatever. But I said, but I feel like I have to go. And she was someone that I made that call to. The way you talk to me, she was the one that talked to me like that and said, go and pursue your dreams. Go and do what you desire to do. You would act for free. You would be in acting class. Class, acting for free. Go and pursue what's in your heart. And when I quit, for better or worse, because I did, I ended up going. And that's when I started really pursuing my directing and I made space for my directing. So me walking out of that space, not only did I end up, like, getting Empire, which gave me a whole nother rhythm of acting that I could experience, but that's also the birth of my directing career. It was me taking that leap of faith. And now I have this whole new, you know, like, career opportunity and all of that stuff, but it was for me, making that one move that seemed crazy to everybody else.
Tasha Smith
I didn't even tell nobody. They didn't even know. When I came in here, I had already had the guest hosting schedule. I didn't tell my mom. I didn't tell my grandmother. And because I didn't want to hear nobody tell me not to do it right, I just quitting and drove home.
Harley Quinn Smith
I love it.
Tasha Smith
And then I came here and isn't.
Harley Quinn Smith
That deep how sometimes you can't tell everybody your move or your dream? Because think about it. Sometimes when you want to do something that might seem crazy to others, people will give you advice based on their own fear and their own insecurity. Like, just because you ain't got the faith to go mean, don't. Don't project that on me. So sometimes, no, you gotta keep your move silent sometimes because other people will discourage you out of what's in your heart to do. So I'm. I'm happy for you, sis.
DJ Envy
What's your thoughts on? You know, a lot of people say that it's difficult for women to work with each each other. And this is where this situation came from. And they say that women are always in competition and there's not enough community. What's your thoughts on that?
Harley Quinn Smith
Yeah, it's. It's what I had. I was sharing. You know what I mean? I feel like sometimes us as women, they think it's about being competitive. They think that just because someone else is shining, it's gonna dim my light when that's not the truth. Like, if we allow ourselves to embrace our uniqueness and our individuality, we will encourage other people to embrace theirs.
DJ Envy
Have you had that issue? I wanna ask that.
Harley Quinn Smith
You know, I've never been a jealous girl. Like, I. It's just not how I've been. Like, I've never been like, a girl where I'm, like, mad at somebody else's. I mean, look at me. I'm an acting te like. And most of the women that I teach, from Mary J. Bl to Andrew Day to Michaela Cole to FKA Twigs, I mean, I can go on and on. Like, God has placed some incredible women around me whose lives I got to pour into, but also they pour into my life just through the process of working. They encourage me to dream as big as possible. But I also want to say something about self love. And that's the thing I feel with some of us women that may cause us to be, you know, insecure or jealous because you know what jealousy does? It creates division and separation. Right. But I feel like the lack of self love sometimes could cause. Could create, you know, the way that we go out in the world. And if we don't have self love, then I might be insecure around her or insecure around another person. But if we embrace our self love, you know, we will allow everybody to be. We will grant people out of love, right? The permission to be who they are. Like I told my girls today, I said, y'all bitches better get cute today. I'm not even playing. I said, y'all bitches better get cute. My. My sister Barnesha, she came around me the other day to do. The first day she got here to do my makeup. When I tell you she was covered up, like, she literally covered up her entire body. I was like, she was cold. No, she was. She thought I would be insecure of her being a bad bitch. Because sometime, you know what I'm saying? Like, going around, like, if you come and do some women, if. So, if you have insecurity and you see this ass and this little waist and these titties and this fine girl walking in, you'll be like, I'm uncomfortable. But no, I actually love for my girls to be beautiful. I love bad bitches only around me. Okay? I just love it. I love it.
Charlamagne Tha God
Especially when they got all that melanin. Lower that mercy.
Harley Quinn Smith
But we just have beautiful. Yeah, right, right. But I just think lack of self love, you know, and us not allowing ourselves to embrace our individuality and our uniqueness, and the more that we embrace that for ourselves, the more we can allow others to do that. Like, I love. Like, I. When I think about Taraji, when I think about Angela Bassett, when I think about Janet Jackson, when I think about Naomi Campbell, and these are all my friends. I can't be insecure with bad bitches like that in my life. I'm sorry. Because they're all incredible. Okay.
Charlamagne Tha God
I saw you at your. I think it was a birthday party this year, and your sister was there, and Taraji was there, and Megan Gill was there. Like, you had your whole sisterhood around you.
Harley Quinn Smith
Oh, my God. And it was amazing. We got a chance to celebrate me and my sister's birthday together. And then Niecy's birthday was the next, and we went and celebrated her birthday. It was like we were all team Black women on steroids. It was just awesome. It was awesome.
Tasha Smith
I think one of the biggest things that I learned from this, like, past two weeks, like, with everything that was happening, is, like, how much people are paying attention, because there were so many people that reached out, even in private, and did what you just did, like, hey, like, I want to talk to you. I want to talk to y'all, whatever. And I think it's like, it was crazy when it was happening, but now, like, taking a step out of all of it. I'm like, the people are getting to realize that, like, sisterhood sometimes can look like we might have misunderstandings. And we got. We. We have to talk about it. We got to figure that out. What has that been like for you and your career? Because we don't hear a lot of y'all stories. If there were misunderstandings between you and any of the other girls.
Harley Quinn Smith
Oh, and best believe it'd be a lot of misunderstandings. You know what I'm saying? It be a lot of misunderstandings. It be a lot of that. Like, seriously and physically, people getting hands.
Charlamagne Tha God
Put on each other.
Harley Quinn Smith
Listen, but see, that's why, like. And I'm from Camden, so it's some people I stay away from on purpose.
DJ Envy
Oh, my goodness.
Harley Quinn Smith
Listen. Because I always say, as nice as I am is as nice as I'm not. Right? You know what I mean? And it's some energy. I know. I just don't flow with. I just don't. Because if it's that kind of energy that's coming in, I'm not a mean girl. I don't like mean girls. I don't like it. I don't like seeing women treating each other poorly or badly. It makes me sick. But I'll tell you one thing about me. I have never ran from a fight. Like, I'm one. I. I'm not afraid of. Of, you know, confronting confrontation, having hard conversations. And most people, they will throw rocks and then hide their hands.
DJ Envy
Absol.
Harley Quinn Smith
I don't like that. I don't do that. I'm about that life of having conversations, confronting the situation. Let's sit down and let's talk, and let's deal with the discomfort of whatever it is you're feeling. But most of the time, y'all. Most people don't want to ever really sit down and talk because they don't want to have to be able to acknowledge what it is that they're internally going through. Like, whatever their internal struggle is, it's easy for people to run and act like they're a victim. But if people really confronted things and had honest conversations, they would realize that most of the pettiness is not because of something external, but it's because of your own individual internal struggle. And that's what's creating the external problem. It starts within you, period.
DJ Envy
How do you deal with the noise? Because I think even with them to go out of their situation. But it was the noise.
Harley Quinn Smith
Oh, my God.
DJ Envy
It wasn't the interior in this cub. It was the outside people. Can I tell you, with dirty mirrors and dirty floors.
Harley Quinn Smith
Oh my God.
Tasha Smith
You get noise though.
Harley Quinn Smith
Oh, honey, can I just. Well, I try to, you know, I try to, you know, I'm not saying.
Charlamagne Tha God
You are noise, I mean period.
Harley Quinn Smith
I'll tell you this about noise. It's something you ask about noise. Were we talking about noise? We lit. I was just talking to my girls about. Sometimes it is so important for us to sit in silence, right? Think about when you're on the phone, bro, and it's a lot of noise going on. What do you do? You be like, hold up, wait a second, let me step away so that I can hear this call clearly, right? And a lot of times, especially when you think about all the social media and all that stuff, we allow ourselves to stay in the noise and stay listening to the noise when sometimes we might have to put the phone down, be silent, don't listen to anything. Because in your silence, that's when you really hear the still small voice of God on the inside of you. But you can't hear God and how God wants to guide you to deal with the situation if you're allowing yourself to constantly listen to the noise. So the way I deal with noise is I try to allow myself to get as silent as possible. You feel me?
Charlamagne Tha God
I do, absolutely, 100%.
DJ Envy
I absolutely do.
Charlamagne Tha God
100%. Have you ever had to get loud with a person? And what does that sound like, Tasha? Cause you already. I'm just.
DJ Envy
The world is constantly changing. It's up to you to decide how to respond. Choose to be bold, to try something new. Choose to reinvent yourself. That's what Nissan did with the all new totally reimagined Kicks. The dynamic new exterior styling immediately announces that Nissan isn't messing around. The interior, a completely redesigned cabin with premium features like wireless Apple CarPlay and a panoramic moonroof make driving a Kicks immersive and exciting. And with new performance and safety features like intelligent all wheel drive, the Kicks is both fun and safer to drive than ever before. It is the dawning of a brand new era for the Nissan Kicks. Only one question remains. Is it a new era for you as well? Drive the all new reimagined Nissan Kicks.
Just hilarious
Today Available features compatible device service and consumer activation of Nissan Connect services package required use only when safe and legal subject to third party service availability. For more information see nissanusa.com connect legal Apple CarPlay is a trademark of Apple. Incentives collisions or provide enhanced traction in all conditions Always monitor traffic and weather conditions. There's a type of soil in Mississippi called Yazoo Clay. It's thick, burnt orange and it's got a reputation.
Harley Quinn Smith
It's terrible, terrible dirt.
Just hilarious
Yazoo clay eats everything, so things that get buried there tend to stay buried until they're not. In 2012, construction crews at Mississippi's biggest hospital made a shocking 7,000 bodies out there or more, all former patients of the old state asylum. And nobody knew they were there.
Tasha Smith
It was my family's mystery.
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But in this corner of the south, it's not just the soil that keeps secrets.
Harley Quinn Smith
Nobody talks about it. Nobody has any information.
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When you peel back the layers of Mississippi's Yazoo clay, nothing's ever as simple as you think.
Harley Quinn Smith
The story is much more complicated and nuanced than that.
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I'm Larison Campbell. Listen to under yazukle on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast.
Dylan Mulvaney
Is this a good time? It's me, Dylan Mulvaney, and my dear friend Joe Locke from Heartstopper. And Agatha all along is my very first guest on my brand new podcast, the Dylan Hour. It's musical mayhem and it is going to be so much fun.
Harley Quinn Smith
I like a man.
Dylan Mulvaney
You like a man. What do I like, Joe?
Harley Quinn Smith
You like a man too.
Dylan Mulvaney
We often. There's quite similar. There's some cross pollination happening in here.
Harley Quinn Smith
Not like. No. Have we?
Dylan Mulvaney
No, no, not yet. Never say never. I cannot wait for all you girls gays and they's to join me on this extremely special pink confection of a podcast. There is so much darkness in this world and what I think we could all use more of is a little joy. Lindsay, Listen to the Dylan hour on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Love ya.
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Imagine you're scrolling through TikTok. You come across a video of a teenage girl and then a photo of the person suspected of killing her.
Harley Quinn Smith
And I was like, what? Like it was him. I was like, oh my God. It was shocking.
Tasha Smith
It was very shocking.
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I'm Jen Swan. I'm a journalist in Los Angeles and I've spent the past few years investigating the story behind the viral posts and the extraordinary events that followed.
DJ Envy
I started investing my time to get her justice.
Harley Quinn Smith
They put out something on social media so I'd get called in the middle of the night all the time. It's like, how do you think you're gonna get away with something like this? Like you kill somebody.
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It's the story of how and Why a group of teenagers turned to social media to help track down their friend's killer.
Harley Quinn Smith
This is their story.
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This is my friend Daisy. Listen to my friend daisy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Charlamagne Tha God
But listen, she's already loud. So what does getting loud for Tasha?
DJ Envy
I mean, is it louder?
Harley Quinn Smith
I put it to you like this. I'm a passionate human, okay? I'm a passionate human, okay, bruh? And as loud as my goodness is, I put it to you. Like this one time, I cussed somebody out really bad, and I went to my pastor, and I was like, oh, my God, I feel so bad. And she said to me, sometimes you gotta meet the enemy's aggression, that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, but the violence take it by force. And sometimes some people need to get checked. That's right.
Charlamagne Tha God
I love it.
Harley Quinn Smith
So when it's time to get loud, like I said, I don't mind it. Boom, boom. I don't mind it. I don't mind it, bro. I swear my loud can be loud. And honestly, when I get loud, people get traumatized. I. I mean, I'm serious. I like, you know, when I said folks to throw rocks and. And then hide their hand? Like, I've had situations like that, and when I've had to check people like that, then they want to go run in the corner and cry and act like that. I'm like, don't cry now, big bad bitch. Don't do it.
Charlamagne Tha God
Big bad.
Harley Quinn Smith
Big bad bitch, though. You a big bad bitch, though.
Tasha Smith
Okay?
Harley Quinn Smith
Like, don't cry. Don't cry now, boo. Okay? And sometimes it's what you're. It's the seed that's that you're reaping, period. You know what the Bible say? That's right. Whatsoever a man soweth, that he shall also reap. And sometimes, you know, they reap that ass kicking. I'm just saying. Is that a Chappelle chick? Yes. Okay.
DJ Envy
I was gonna ask about that. We were actually talking about that earlier today.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, y'all, that's dope.
Harley Quinn Smith
This was a gift from my brother Dave. I love him so much. He. He wanted me to. He was happy for me doing the show. He was happy for a lot of the things that's been happening in my life, and this was a gift that he gifted me, and it's not many people that have a Chappelle chain.
Charlamagne Tha God
That's right.
Harley Quinn Smith
And I don't know. Do y'all know, like, I've known chappelle for, like, 30 years, like, we started. Y'all know I used to be a standup comic, right?
Charlamagne Tha God
Yes, I do.
Harley Quinn Smith
Yeah. So I was a standup comic. Dave was like. He was. He. He was literally a mentor at, like, 18. I'm not gonna lie. When Dave was 18, 19 years old, he was. I call my big little brother, you know, and he helped me out so much. Like, you know, some of those people, like, I should have thought it. Dave. Because Dave was one of those people that always encouraged me, inspired me every time anything was happening in my life. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten calls about. I'm proud of you. Keep going. Keep dreaming. He's such a motivator, and he's been such a blessing in my life, I cannot tell you. So, yes, this is a chappelle change.
Charlamagne Tha God
I love that because, you know, we live in an era where people don't like to represent folks who have assisted them or provided them opportunity or helped them, and I don't understand that. I don't understand resenting somebody that has helped you in some way. Yeah, like, you should rep them.
Harley Quinn Smith
Exactly. I. I'm with you on that. Yeah. So I'm repping Dave now.
DJ Envy
You got a lot going on. I know she got to go fast. We got to get into some of.
Harley Quinn Smith
The stuff that she want to start with.
Tasha Smith
Survival of the thickest.
DJ Envy
There you go.
Tasha Smith
I love that show.
Harley Quinn Smith
Yes.
Tasha Smith
But in the newer season. Yeah. Season two, you have, like, now we're learning about your character and kind of, like, you have your own storyline and things of that nature. I know. Like, what was the decision to do that? Because it wasn't like that in previous seasons fully. Like, we. We knew a little bit about what you had going on, but not as much focus.
Harley Quinn Smith
Well, I mean, I thank God for the writing team that they, like, focus more on her relationship. And, you know, my character, I play a queer woman. Right. And I've. You know, I've never been a queer woman before. Okay. I'm just saying, like, I legit. Ain't ever been with a woman before. Like. Okay. Like, for real.
DJ Envy
So how'd you do your research?
Harley Quinn Smith
Well, I. I asked. Look, I was rehearsing. Who coaches the acting coach who coached me? The acting teacher I work with was a guy named Carl Ford, who I love deeply. Okay. Susan Batson's son. I don't know if you guys know Susan, but. But anyway, so Jerry Johnson. I'll tell y'all this. I directed Harlem, and I directed some beautiful scenes with Jerry and Gail Bean. Right. And I was just obsessed. Like, I knew that survival was coming up, and I was just really pouring into them as a director. But while I was pouring into them, I promise you, I was dreaming. I was, like, saying, God, please bless me with someone like these two women, like, the way that they were. And as supportive as they were, as Gayle and Jerry were with one another, I wanted to experience that as an actor. So when it was time to see who my love interest was, Jerry was up for the job. So Jerry and I, I said, jerri, we gonna get together. Because what I saw you do with Gayle, I really want you to do this part. So she and I got together and we rehearsed. Michelle didn't know this. Nobody knew this. We were rehearsing before her screen test, okay? So that by the time we did our screen test together, our chemistry was incredible. And I said to her, because she's a queer woman, I said, I need you to teach me everything. So the first thing she taught me when we were filming our love scene was how two women had sex. Because when they said, it's time for y'all to have sex, bro, I opened up my lips. All right, let's. I was, like, trying to, like.
Tasha Smith
I was like, how y'all do.
Harley Quinn Smith
How does this happen? How does this work? And she was like, ah, you really ain't ever had a woman. And then she went and was like, we do it like this. You know the little scissors.
Charlamagne Tha God
The scissors, yeah. She had to learn the scissors. Yeah.
Harley Quinn Smith
And so I was like, woo. Thank God you was here. Cause I didn't want to look stupid, sis. Okay?
Tasha Smith
But it worked out for her. Cause she got the role.
Harley Quinn Smith
She got the role. And imagine y'all just rehearsals. Imagine if you had to do that and she got the role.
Tasha Smith
They were building that chemistry before she. No, but they have a sex. This is your. And this was your first. This is your first time being on camera in a female. Female sex scenario.
Harley Quinn Smith
Well, we had, like, the first season, I had some makeout scenes and stuff like that. But as far as, like, having, like, a full blown. Yeah, that was my first time. But I gotta tell you, working with Jerri, it was just, like, easy, and it was just. It was fun, and it was wonderful, and she was just wonderful. That is my sister for life. Jerry, I'm giving you a shout out. I love you, sis.
DJ Envy
Women must let you all the time.
Harley Quinn Smith
Now, you know, I be like, stop.
Charlamagne Tha God
When y'all was rehearsing, did you call it a dry run?
Harley Quinn Smith
Well, we didn't. We Were rehearsing that particular. Like, we didn't do that in rehearsal. Like, but that was when we were actually filming the sex scene.
DJ Envy
Would you give a woman a try, a chance, man, cut it out.
Harley Quinn Smith
Now she's into it. Now it's okay for him to ask me that, but I'mma just keep it 100, y'all. Like. Like, I'm like, a gay man.
DJ Envy
What?
Harley Quinn Smith
I'm like, a gay man. What do gay men like? I mean, I'm not even lying, bro. I am like, the gayest man in the world. Like, I am a straight up gay ass man. Like, I love. Like, I just love, love it too much.
Tasha Smith
Like, I'm not even playing.
Harley Quinn Smith
And I mean, literally. I mean. And even if I'm out, if I'm messing with. Why are y'all so stupid? Unless you. Wait, wait. No, you started it at me. But wait, let me just tell y'all this, all right? I'm about to say something that's like, a little. All right, So I like when a man goes down on you. It's great. I love it. But I be like, I'm not a lesbian, so we gotta follow this motherfucker back. You know what I'm saying? With some penis. Like, I just, you know, it's just what I like.
Tasha Smith
Because I've heard people say that women do it better on women because they know what the woman wants. But I be thinking, like, after that, it's like, now you know what's coming after that.
Harley Quinn Smith
That's like having a salad, but you can't get the steak. You know what I'm saying? That's just me.
Tasha Smith
Or no dressing.
Harley Quinn Smith
And. Okay, but you know what, too? I'll just say this.
Charlamagne Tha God
It's also about that. Remember how I be having the conversation with Studs? And I'm like, so y'all be sucking this. Like, imagine having the scrap on on, and a woman is sucking it, and then the person with the scrap on is moaning. That just sounds like, what is that?
Tasha Smith
But if that's what you into, maybe if it feels you. But I be thinking about, like, girls who are trying it for the first time or, like, you know, they're bi. It's like, so if you're bi, you know, like, you. You're not. Like, you know what I mean?
Harley Quinn Smith
Listen, how do we get there? Well, let me tell y'all this. I think it's all about preference. Like, it's all about what you eat. Like, I don't eat what you eat. But no, well, wait, but you know how there are Some foods. Like, some people like chocolate cake. Some people like vanilla cake.
DJ Envy
Some people like fish, right?
Harley Quinn Smith
And some people like fish. Some people like steak, right? I mean, and for me, I just like what I like. And just like, you can't, like, turn a gay man that likes what he likes to have a woman. You know what I mean? You can't turn a straight woman to want something else. I mean, I just like what I like, but I love. You know what I'm saying? Like, go get yours.
Charlamagne Tha God
And what about Desiree in A Temptation Story?
Harley Quinn Smith
Oh, wow, you guys, I'm so excited about that. It's funny. Cause I was showing Monique the trailer.
Tasha Smith
You love your girls?
Harley Quinn Smith
I do.
Tasha Smith
You do?
Harley Quinn Smith
They My girls. Okay. Like, seriously. But I was showing Monique. Well, I was showing you and Bernisha last night. I was like, y'all wanna see the trailer? You know, and when Monique saw it, she was like, I've never seen you in a role like that. W. All these, like, years of being in this industry, I've never gotten a chance to play that role. So shout out to Derrick Williams, my producer. I got a chance to produce it with him, and he gave me that script, and I was so happy he gave it to me. And I'm so excited about it. It's a thriller. It's, like, fun. It's like. And I feel like it helped me tap into things that I've never gotten a chance to really reveal on camera. I feel like I'm still. I feel like I'm just starting acting all over again.
Tasha Smith
You have a refreshing energy all the time, but I do feel it. Like you're in a different season or something about you right now. I don't know what it is, but it's there.
Harley Quinn Smith
I think it's my self. Love season, sis.
Tasha Smith
Love that for you.
Harley Quinn Smith
You hear me?
Tasha Smith
Love that for you.
DJ Envy
Now you know who you need to reach out to. Who sang you praises on Shannon Sharpe? Charlamagne messes with him all the time.
Harley Quinn Smith
My guy Rawlins. I love. Do you know how much I love you and Donnell when y'all be doing that little stuff? When he be doing those. Sometimes I be texting him saying, leave my brother alone.
Charlamagne Tha God
Stop.
DJ Envy
You gotta call him. He needs you. He. He needs your coaching.
Charlamagne Tha God
I need Donald. I just want Donnell to have more confidence. Like, Donnell is dope.
Harley Quinn Smith
He's incredible. And y'all remember I put him on bmf. I swear, I think he is so talented. I cannot wait to work with him again. I swear to God. Like, he is so interesting. He is so Funny he that that's a good example as far as like allowing your uniqueness to shine. Like when I think about Dave and Donnell and I remember I had a conversation with Dave and it was, I'm rephrasing it, but I was like, you know, what makes you work with him? Dave's like, I get sharper when I, when I have to follow someone good. Like, he's not always looking for comics that are not good. He looks for comics that are great. That's what challenges him to be great, you know what I'm saying? So greatness around us, it helps stretches us, you know. And Donnell, I love you so much. I love you so much.
Charlamagne Tha God
He's somebody who needs to silence the noise.
Harley Quinn Smith
Yes.
DJ Envy
No, no.
Charlamagne Tha God
He needs to silence the noise around him. He's letting all these people get in his head.
Harley Quinn Smith
He got to calm down. Yeah, but he. I talk to you, I'm going to talk to you, T. You gonna be all right?
Tasha Smith
He might.
Charlamagne Tha God
I want to ask you something as an acting coach. Like when you have already great talent, right? Cuz I don't know how often the great talent seeks acting coaches for every role. I don't know if that's the thing. Like, does Denzel seek an acting coach for every role? Jonathan Major seek an acting coach for every role?
Harley Quinn Smith
I don' I mean, I put it to you like this. I don't know individually, all the way with as far as how their process is. But it's a lot of us actors that enjoy the collaborative process because it's almost like you want to work with someone that can maybe see things that you can't see, you know what I'm saying? And the process of acting and the process of like researching a character and developing a character, it's a fun process to do with a great coach or teacher. Just because Michael Jordan was a great athlete, it didn't mean that he did not need a great coach. Most of our greatest artists have great coaches. Most of them. That's right, most of them.
Charlamagne Tha God
So when you have a great actor, you just teach them how to capture that role. Not necessarily how to act.
Harley Quinn Smith
No, it's not about teach them how to act. It's about us together looking for like all that we can find within the character.
DJ Envy
Is it fundamentals, like redoing the fundamentals.
Harley Quinn Smith
It's not every. For me, I'll just say this as a teacher, every process is different. Like it's, it's a very spiritual experience. You know, you have your fundamentals like your, you know, baseline. Right. Like I Come from Ivana Chubbuck's school. So we have something called the 12 steps that we do. You know, we have, like, a base. What is your overall objective, your scene objective, your inner monologue, your inner thoughts, Your substitution? Your Oscar is certain things that we are looking for within it, but outside of that baseline, there are other things that come up. Character research, physicality, you know what I'm saying? Like, all kinds of stuff. So each person is different based on each character is different. Each process is different. And it's like all of it is like an incredible, like, spiritual experience. And I always say, as much as you need the character, the character needs you. And everything is on the inside of us. Like, all of it is in there. We just gotta look for it and find it. And as a coach, I just sometimes is pushing people to trust their instincts more. It could be as simple as that. You know what I mean? And. But we discover so many things through the process of acting.
Charlamagne Tha God
Absolutely. I know you got to go, so I have one more question.
Harley Quinn Smith
I want to go, though. I can sit here with y all day.
Charlamagne Tha God
I'd love to have you here.
Harley Quinn Smith
Like, serious. Okay.
Tasha Smith
Why did I get married again?
Harley Quinn Smith
Where are we, honey? Again? I'mma just leave it right there. Girl. I am not talking about that. That.
Tasha Smith
Cuz it's not happening.
Harley Quinn Smith
Probably not.
Tasha Smith
Oh, my God.
Harley Quinn Smith
And it ain't because I'm busy. Tyler, Take what, three days to do a movie, seven days to shoot.
Tasha Smith
Who ain't got a weekend?
Harley Quinn Smith
Tyler, who ain't got a weekend? I mean, like, seriously, who ain't got a weekend? All right. Do not get me started, man.
Charlamagne Tha God
You want to do it?
Harley Quinn Smith
Of course I want to do it.
Tasha Smith
Why did he troll us like that?
Dylan Mulvaney
I.
Harley Quinn Smith
Why he troll me like that?
Tasha Smith
So no calls, no nothing has happened.
Harley Quinn Smith
I refuse to answer any more questions concerning that, respectfully.
Tasha Smith
Okay.
Harley Quinn Smith
Cause I might get loud.
Charlamagne Tha God
We've been having all these conversations about community. Do you think community is earned or a right?
Harley Quinn Smith
I feel like it's earned. Like, I was. I remember I had one girl say, I don't have any friends. And, you know, I go back. I always go back to scripture. I'm like a cussing preacher. No, let me stop. But, you know, it's like, if you want a friend, you gotta show yourself friendly. How do you create relationship? How do you create friendship? You have to first allow yourself to give friendship in order to get friendship. And to me, like, when I look at like. Like acting or when I look at, you know, just people, what makes you really valuable? It's not just about your own greatness, but to me, your value becomes the based on. On how you're able to change other people's lives. To me, that's what makes you valuable. Like, if I can empower somebody else to pursue their purpose, to make money, to feed their family, I just lifted up myself. But not only with that, I've also created community. I love my acting school Tea Saw, because, you know, for me, I'm always like, what I say to you and everybody else as far as, like, we're not in competition, we're in community. Like, we are all here together. The brighter we all are individually, the brighter we are in unity. Like, let's go. But I love TESOL because the people that were in class like 15, 20 years ago at my school, I look at their lives now and they are all best friends today. Like, when I think about Tabitha Brown who came out of my school, Natari Spencer, who's like, Nafisa Williams, Chastity Saunders, I mean, I can go on Amon Joseph, Lance Gross, I mean, Tiffany Haddish. But every time we're all in a room together, everybody's like, oh, come on, y'all. It's the family. It's like community. But I feel like we earn that by how we love each other, period.
Tasha Smith
You just casually throughout.
Charlamagne Tha God
Word up, man. Tasha.
Harley Quinn Smith
Tasha.
Charlamagne Tha God
Be a lifetime achievement award.
Harley Quinn Smith
Something gotta bet.
Charlamagne Tha God
Somebody gotta do something.
Tasha Smith
Because when you move to la, they're like, we don't care if you want to act or not. If you're trying to be anywhere in front of people, you need to go to Tasha Smith's class. Like, that's how I found out. It was like, this is the thing you do. You do one church and you do tsaw. Like, that's what you do as a black creative in la. But you have so many people and you're just like, you know what we call seesaw?
Harley Quinn Smith
We call it the church of acting. And I remember one time at class, right, I had left out because I had to go save Sidra in St Martin. So I was not in class this particular night, but Mr. Denzel Washington had decided to come and visit class, and I wasn't there. I was pissed. But he came to class, and from what the teacher and the students told me that he was sitting in the back of the class with the hat on. Nobody knew who he was. And in my school, I had just pictures of, like, every incredible artist I could think of on the walls because I wanted. When people came into the class, I wanted them to look at the walls and dream. Like, I wanted them to see where their life could be, what they could possibly do. And so. So Kevin, the teacher at the time, he was, like, talking about that in the class. And then all of a sudden, they heard someone say in the back, I better be up on that wall. And then all the students turned around, and it was Denzel Washington. Can you believe that? And Denzel's the one that told Mary J. Blige that she should come and study with me. But he ended up staying in that class, and he ended up teaching that class for, like, until, like, probably went two hours over. And it was. Was, like, so incredible. I don't even know how I got on that story. It was something that was being said, but that was just such a blessing, like, to have him there inspiring all the students, and just any opportunity that, you know, we get to pour into other actors in order for them to go and pursue their dreams. Like, I see so many of my students that are so wealthy and thriving, some of them have better careers than me. I've never been nominated for an Oscar. You know what I mean? That's never happened, but I love seeing it happen. For Andra Day, for Mary J. Blige, and hopefully Michaela Cole and FKA Twigs. Do they do kickbacks coming up? Like, what do you mean?
Charlamagne Tha God
Like, just, here's this money, Tasha, here's this car. Here's this.
Harley Quinn Smith
You know what? The only. Now, this is sad, okay? This is sad, but not look. I don't look for kickbacks. I put it to you like this. Like, my product, my production company, company, is called Camden Bridge, because there was a time I was teaching, teaching, teaching, and I got a little angry because I felt like people were walking over me all the time. And I remember I heard inside of my spirit that it's okay to be a bridge, that it's okay. A bridge has purpose, right? Sometimes it gets walked over, sometimes it gets driven over. But it's a connector of people and be focused and be a blessing at being a bridge. So my production company's name is Cam Camden Bridge. Okay.
Charlamagne Tha God
So powerful. Be a bridge.
Harley Quinn Smith
Be a bridge. What were we saying? I mean, am I getting old? Okay, so, all right. I have to just be okay with being a bridge. So I don't. I don't get it for kickback. But the one person. Actually, it's a shame. I'm not trying to shame nobody, but the one person that gave me a very big gift was Rebel Wilson. I remember one day Rebel Wilson had picked me up the white girl.
Charlamagne Tha God
God damn it, black people.
Harley Quinn Smith
No, I know, right? But. No, but Twigs actually gave me this big crystal for Christmas last year. This big, beautiful, like she said. She said, here's a little sparkle that you give to the world. And it was like the biggest, most beautiful crystal. And look, both of them are British and rebel. One day she hit me up and said, you have a delivery coming. Make sure you're home. And it was just this huge, gorgeous YSL bag. Okay. I mean, it was just a big. Just huge one. So I know she spent some money on that period.
DJ Envy
Okay, well, you know, she gotta go. But we appreciate.
Charlamagne Tha God
We love you.
Harley Quinn Smith
We value you. We appreciate you.
Charlamagne Tha God
Sasha Smith.
Tasha Smith
Thank you so much.
Harley Quinn Smith
Where's Jess?
Tasha Smith
Jess is. Where is Jazz? She was trying to hang on, but. But you.
Harley Quinn Smith
Okay, well, we love you, Jess. I miss you. I love you guys. I'm the Breakfast Club.
DJ Envy
Good morning. Thank you.
Charlamagne Tha God
Wake that ass up early in the morning.
Harley Quinn Smith
The Breakfast Club.
Kevin Smith
Hey, kids, it's me, Kevin Smith.
Harley Quinn Smith
And it's me, Harley Quinn Smith.
Kevin Smith
That's my daughter, man. Who my wife has always said is just a beardless dless version of me. And that's the name of our podcast, Beardless Me. I'm the old one, I'm the young one. And every week we try to make each other laugh really hard. Sounds innocent, doesn't it? A lot of cussing, a lot of bad language. It's for adults only. Or listen to it with your kid. Could be a family show. We're not quite sure. We're still figuring it out.
Harley Quinn Smith
It's a work in progress.
Kevin Smith
Listen to Beardless me on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Dylan Mulvaney
Do you remember what you said the first night I came over here?
John Cameron Mitchell
Ow.
DJ Envy
Go slower.
Dylan Mulvaney
From Blumhouse TV, iHeart podcasts and Ember 20 comes an all new fictional comedy podcast series. Join the flighty Damien Hirst as he unravels the mystery of his vanished boyfriend. I've been spending all my time looking for answers about what happened to Santi and what's the way to find a missing person. Sleep with everyone he knew, obviously. Listen to the hookup on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
John Cameron Mitchell
This is John Cameron Mitchell and my new fiction podcast series Cancellation island stars Holly Hunter as Karen, a wellness influencer who launches a rehab for the recently cancelled. In the future, we will all be canceled for 15 minutes. But don't worry, we'll take you from broke to woke or your money back. Cancellation Island's revolutionary rehab therapies like bad touch football, anti racism spin class, and mandatory Ayahuasca ceremonies are designed to force the cancel to confront their worst impulses. But everything starts to fall apart when people start disappearing. Karen, where have you brought us Cancellation island, where a second chance might just be your last. Listen to Cancellation island on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Harley Quinn Smith
Welcome to Pod of Rebellion, our new Star Wars Rebels Rewatch podcast. I'm Vanessa Mar, voice of Harris Syndulla, Spectre 2. I'm Tia Sirkar. Sabine Wren, Spectre 5. I'm Taylor Gray.
Just hilarious
Ezra Bridger, Spectre 6 and I'm John Lebroni, the Ghost Crew Stowaway moderator.
Harley Quinn Smith
Each week we're gonna rewatch and discuss an episode from the series and share some fun behind the scenes stories.
Just hilarious
Sometimes we'll be visited by special guests like Steve blum voices Zabarelio's Spectre 4 or Dante Bosco voices Jaquel and many others.
Harley Quinn Smith
So hang on because it's gonna be a fun ride.
Dylan Mulvaney
Cue the music.
Harley Quinn Smith
Music.
Just hilarious
Listen to Potter Rebellion on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Podcast Summary: The Breakfast Club - Interview with Tasha Smith
Episode Title: INTERVIEW: Tasha Smith Talks 'Desire: A Temptations Story,' Tyler Perry, 'Survival of the Thickest,' TSAW +More
Release Date: March 31, 2025
Hosts: DJ Envy, Charlamagne Tha God
Guest: Tasha Smith
The episode kicks off with DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God warmly welcoming Tasha Smith back to The Breakfast Club. The hosts express deep appreciation for Tasha's contributions to the entertainment industry, highlighting her role in nurturing upcoming stars.
Harley Quinn Smith takes the conversation deeper by reflecting on the power and uniqueness of Black women, advocating for community over competition. She shares personal insights on self-love and the collective strength found in supporting one another.
Tasha Smith delves into her personal growth and the pivotal moments that shaped her career. She recounts how mentors like Angela Bassett and Marianne Jean Baptiste influenced her decision to pursue directing alongside acting, illustrating the significance of taking bold steps aligned with one's passion.
The hosts and Tasha explore the often-perceived competition among women in the industry. Harley emphasizes that lack of self-love fosters insecurity, which can lead to unnecessary rivalries. She advocates for embracing individuality to foster a supportive community.
The discussion shifts to handling external noise and negativity. Harley suggests cultivating silence and inner peace to counteract the constant distractions and pressures of social media and public scrutiny.
Tasha provides insights into her approach as an acting coach. She stresses the collaborative and spiritual aspects of acting, where both actor and coach work together to uncover the character's depth.
The conversation turns to the importance of earning community through genuine relationships and support. Harley shares stories from her acting school, TSAW, illustrating how fostering a supportive environment leads to lifelong friendships and success.
Harley discusses her upcoming projects, including Desire: A Temptations Story and her new production company, Camden Bridge. She shares personal anecdotes about mentorship, inspiration from fellow artists like Rebel Wilson and FKA Twigs, and the importance of being a bridge for others in the industry.
The episode concludes with the hosts and Tasha exchanging heartfelt goodbyes, reinforcing the themes of community, support, and continuous growth. They tease upcoming episodes and projects, leaving listeners inspired by the depth of the conversation.
Community Over Competition: Emphasizing the strength found in supporting and uplifting one another, especially among women in the entertainment industry.
Personal Growth: Sharing stories of taking bold steps in one's career, guided by mentors and personal intuition.
Handling Negativity: Advocating for inner peace and silence to mitigate external noise and maintain focus on personal and professional goals.
Collaborative Acting: Highlighting the importance of continuous learning and collaboration between actors and coaches to deepen character portrayal.
Mentorship and Representation: The role of mentors in shaping careers and the significance of representing and appreciating those who provide opportunities and support.
Harley Quinn Smith: "Your light doesn't diminish because someone else is shining." [07:08]
Tasha Smith: "As much as you need the character, the character needs you." [38:57]
Harley Quinn Smith: "We are all here together. The brighter we all are individually, the brighter we are in unity." [40:00]
This episode of The Breakfast Club offers an insightful and heartfelt conversation with Tasha Smith, exploring themes of community, personal growth, and the collaborative nature of acting. Through personal anecdotes and profound reflections, the hosts and guest inspire listeners to embrace their individuality, support one another, and continue striving for excellence in their respective fields.
For more engaging episodes and interviews, subscribe to The Breakfast Club on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast platform.