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- [00:00]
Lauren LaRosa
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
- [00:04]
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- [01:04]
Josh Zieman
A decade ago, I was on the trail of one of the country's most elusive serial killers. But it wasn't until 2023 when he was finally caught. The answers were there, hidden in plain sight. So why did it take so long to catch him? I'm Josh Zieman, and this is Monster Hunting the Long Island Serial Killer. The the investigation into the most notorious killer in New York since the Son of Sam. Available now listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:35]
Drew Ski
Let's get to it.
- [01:36]
Lauren LaRosa
Time to do it. I'm the homegirl that knows a little bit about everything and everybody exclusive.
- [01:41]
Josh Zieman
No, she don't lie about that.
- [01:42]
Shopify Advertiser
Right?
- [01:42]
Spencer Graves
Lauren came in hot.
- [01:44]
Lauren LaRosa
Hey, y'. All, what's up? It's Lauren LaRosa. And this is the latest with Lauren LaRosa. This is your daily dig on all things pop culture, entertainment news, and all of the conversations that shake the room, baby. So first, let's check in behind the scenes of the grind. Our last episode, I was in real life. I was going through things at the exact time up until I walked into the podcast. And it was no way I could do a full podcast episode without talking about. I went through the whole day just kind of like dealing with it. My grandmother, I told you guys, please go back and listen to the episode. The episode is titled When Life Gets Real. And in that episode, we talk about Mattel debuting the autism Barbie and Mary J. Blige announcing her Vegas residency. But in real life, Life got real. I had a bit of a health scare with my grandmother, who spent the night at my home the day before yesterday, and it freaked me out, man. Like, just watching people you love get older, we talked about that on that episode. So please go take a listen. It is such a beautiful thing because you get to watch them experience life and, you know, get. Get their flowers and just everything they put into life. You watch them get out of it and get to enjoy it. But at the same time, it is such a crazy, like, mental. Excuse my language, but I have to say it this way. It's such a crazy, mental mind to watch people you love get older at the same time, because health becomes a thing and, you know, especially if they're not, like, married or they don't have a life partner, whatever the case may be. It's just such a weird space to be in. So I was dealing with that in real time, and we talked a bit about it, which really helped me be able to get through the episode. Yes. So if you guys don't hear it in my voice and just in my tone of my energy, I'm feeling a lot better today. I pray, and I just decided to do as much as I could and just know that God got us okay. My grandmother, she. She knew that I was, like, really upset, so she's been calling me since then, just checking in, like, are you okay? I'm okay. We okay? So behind the scenes of the grind, things were a little shaky, but I'm feeling a lot better today. If we're checking in now, let's get on into the latest. Wow. There is a lot to talk about with this story. So first up in the latest, Drew Ski. Comedian Drew Ski. He done pissed the people off. Okay, now let me just say that anytime somebody makes fun of anything in the church, there's always somebody that's upset. You're either upset because you're one of them churchgoing folk who don't believe the church. And when I say the church, I don't physically mean God. I don't like, you know, I'm talking about the physical place, like the. The church itself. Physical place itself, but also the community. So the people that you meet in the church, the people who run the church, work in the church, all that stuff. Right. If you're one of those people who don't think any of those people can do anything wrong, you get upset when people laugh and joke about the church. If you're one of those people who. Y' all know them people? Everybody got at least One or two in their family where it's like they kind of grew up in church and then they had like one thing that happened to them in church. And I don't mean like nothing because y' all know some things be going on sometimes in these churches. I mean like, you know, maybe they heard something they didn't like or the pastor, because this happens, denounce something that they, you know, believe in or you know, the way that they live their life or whatever. So now they hate all things God, religion. They just, they're, they're universe people. Right, so you're one of those people or you're just one of those people who grew up, you know, like a lot of us did. I know I'm one of these people. I'm not mad at this skit though. I thought the skit was funny as hell. I want those people who grew up in the church grew up in a very faith based family and home. So from the elders, you just don't play with certain things and church is one of them. So Drew Ski has a lot of people having a lot of conversations right now because he dropped a skin get via his Instagram and on his social media platforms all about the mega church and some of the things that go down. Let's, let's get into that.
- [06:11]
Drew Ski
Do you want a revolution? I'm going to have Wanda stand up here. Wanda, please. Wanda told us earlier this month that she could not have a baby anymore. So I impregnated her with the word of God. I'm going to impregnate everyone with. With the word of God. You going to get pregnant with the word of God? You going to get pregnant with the word of God? You going to get pregnant with the word of God. And pregnant. I had somebody in the congregation ask why I'm wearing Christian Dior and Christian Luboutons. Cuz I'm a Christian and I walk in the blood of Jesus. Give him some praise. I'm a Christian first and I walk in the blood of Jesus. Give him some praise. Give him some praise.
- [07:02]
Lauren LaRosa
It's the subtitles, it's the subtitles on the, the, the, the video the that appear like Snapchat for me. So Drew on a surface level, right, takes some of the big things that happen in church. So you have ties, you have offering, you have the prayer like the prayers for people in the church. So when he brought the lady up and basically like those prayers for those miracles and you know how like there's that time in church where like you do like Church announcements, right? And they talk to you about this person was going through this and they survived this, and we prayed this. And, you know, he does all of that. Even the prayer request at the end of the video where people are asking for the pastor to pray for their wives, their, you know, all the things, the fundamental things that go down in church where people come to. To praise, to worship. Right? All that stuff. But the difference in Drew Ski skit is he leans in to the mega church vibe. So at the mega church is you have. And there's been a lot of pastors who went viral for the theatrics in their church flying through the ceiling, you know, just even in how they preach, leaning into things that are like pop culture and culturally relevant. Like, can you help me? I said, baby, can you help me? Then he's like, but I'm going to do the church version of it. Right? A lot of churches flipping hip hop and rap songs on its head have went viral as well. And whenever these certain things happen, people always have the conversation about whether these things help the church. And a lot of people who, you know, have younger congregations will say they do. Because you attract a younger audience. You keep that audience there. It's hard to get people in church. People want a church from YouTube now, especially young people. And then there's the other side of people who are like, no, because if you're coming and you're coming for God and you're coming for the Word and you're coming for the deliverance, you don't need a production like this, Right? And then there's always the conversation about money in the church, and Drew Ski leaned into that.
- [09:14]
Drew Ski
We are raising funds for a project in Zimbabwe. Yes. We are trying to get our congregation over in Africa. Amen. We wanted to raise $4 million for that.
- [09:26]
Lauren LaRosa
Amen.
- [09:28]
Drew Ski
Hallelujah. That needs to appear today. We are not letting anyone leave until we reach our goal. Amen. Hallelujah. Life savings here. Give him some praise for that. Give it his life savings up.
- [09:46]
Lauren LaRosa
About a lot of pastors who went viral for the way that they went about money and collecting money within their churches. Pastor Marvin Winans more recently was a pastor that I covered. People were very upset at this moment that happened in his church. Hi. Roberta McCoy. Giving faith and stand in unity with the vision of perfecting church, of sewing this seed of $11,000 plus $235 and receiving the blessings to come to all that participated.
- [10:15]
Drew Ski
Now that. That's only twelve hundred dollars.
- [10:17]
Lauren LaRosa
Yes.
- [10:18]
Drew Ski
Y' all not listening to what I'M saying, if you have a thousand plus.
- [10:23]
Lauren LaRosa
A thousand, okay, I'm gonna work on the other 800.
- [10:26]
Drew Ski
Well, that ain't what I asked you to do.
- [10:33]
Lauren LaRosa
Now I don't know. People are up in arms. Druski and this skit have been trending across X all day long, honestly, since he first dropped the skit. Last night, I saw that Drew Ski posted that this video has now become one of his videos that has over 100,000 comments right on Instagram. But I spoke to a rep from Juice Q who tells me this is his most popular video. The video, y', all at this point hasn't even been up 24 hours. Drew Ski posted this video last night at 8:00pm I'm going to give you guys the numbers. So a rep for Drew Ski tells me that this is that not even one of his most popular videos, that this is his most popular videos. This video, in less than 24 hours, has 34 million views in 18 hours. And I'm trying to explain to you guys a lot of it is the discourse around the video. People were upset. People are not upset. A big part of it, and from what I was seeing online is there's a lot of people who feel like you shouldn't play with the church, that you shouldn't discuss certain things. But I feel like if these things are happening in some churches, right? Not all because. Not all because I do like at the end of Drew Ski's video, the way that the pastor of the church is portrayed is like this money hungry, you know, I rock the red bottoms. I'm driving away in the car. I don't really care about the people. This is all just a business. But I mean, all of this stuff stems from somewhere like, none of this is made up. This stuff is really happening in some churches. Drew Ski posted this video of this pastor flying down from the ceiling to preach to his church. If it's really happening, like, why are we upset that someone puts it together and makes it. Makes it funny. One of the things that I'll never understand about conversations about church is the sensitivity of it. And y' all can correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not a pastor whatsoever. But I do attend the church, shout out to seeds of greatness. My pastor would never fly in from the ceiling. Just wouldn't. Lines and Tines with Spencer Graves on the iHeartRadio app is a podcast designed for hunters and fishermen who to enjoy success.
- [12:52]
Spencer Graves
I like the idea of like, hey, put me on a big deer, you know, hey, there's a big deer out here. He's doing this. Be looking for this deer. But I also love doing it on my own. I love going out there and saying, running my cameras. I love patterning the deer. I like showing up at the right time, checking the wind, knowing what stand I need to be in. And then whenever it all comes together and it happens, that's the most satisfying, fine thing ever. So when you do it on your own, it's like, I then can hang my hat. But if I had somebody say, hey, pull up on these dots and catch them right here and you're gonna win. And then when I go in, it's like, yeah, it's cool. I won the tournament. The ultimate goal is done. But it's like, dude, when you find them and you make them bite, that's the puzzle. I love it.
- [13:38]
Lauren LaRosa
Listen to Lines and Tines with Spencer Graves on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. But back to my point, if this is something that is actually happening, why are we upset when people put it together and have conversations about it? I think one of the things that really distracts people from getting to God, it's not the theatrics. It's not, you know, someone sitting in the church and trying to figure out who's really here for God and who's really sent by God to let people versus who's here to be manipulative and just make money and, you know, take money and all the things. But I think it's the judgment of, like, maybe some people like the theatrics. I remember my first time pulling up to a megachurch in la. I had never been to one before. All the churches I've been to in Delaware prior to that were smaller churches. And even if they were bigger in congregation, it just wasn't what this was. I went to one church, LA in LA for the first time. Pastor Torre and Sarah Jakes Roberts used to be the pastors there. They're now over in Dallas at another Potter House church. They took over for Pastor T.D. jakes, who is Sarah Jakes's dad. But this is when they were, they were preaching there. This was some years ago. And I remember, number one, seeing metal detectors. And I was like, what, you have metal detectors at a church? But what blew my mind, they had valet. They had valet. Like, you could valet your car outside of the church. I don't know if one church is still like this, but you could valet your car outside of the church. At this point, I've never used the valet system there, so I don't know if it was paid for, if it was not paid, like, if you had to pay or if you did it, or if it was just more of, like, a parking, like, customary service. But I remember my first day walking up, and when I saw that. That they had somebody that could park your car for you at that point in time, it threw me off. I was like, is this. Like, is this the church I should be going to? And then something in me was just like, you're in la. You know, this is a bigger church. And I had heard of the church online before, so I'm like, you know, you never know who they're trying to accommodate by having something like this. And also don't let the physical things that you might not be used to or agree with stop you from getting the word. That's my point. It's like, if we really focus on getting to God, just pour your own poison. Pick where you want to do it at and focus on what y' all got going on over there. People are always so upset and so not even upset, but people are always so touchy about these church things as if they don't happen, but they do. And because they do, low key is fair game, in my opinion, Right? So I go into the church, and I love the church. I was at one church. My whole. All of my eight years in la, I was at one church. And I'm so happy that I did not allow what was different and what I wasn't used to to stop me from getting to where I needed to get to when it came to my relationship with God. And once I got to know the people, not even got to know, but once I got to, because that is a big church, it's hard to kind of get to know the leadership and all that stuff in a church. Like, one church, ladies. Especially if you're. If you're, like, new to the church. But once I was there enough, and I began to see just the different people that would attend the church, right? So you have Beyonce's mom coming on any given Sunday and Miss Tina be in church, and she's there most of the time. She's not there with security. Just different things. I began to realize, like, okay, this is not about trying to look elite or a way to collect money. This is about understanding who you have in your church and just trying to make sure everybody's good and everybody's protected, which is why there's also metal detectors, which, again, too, that threw me off guard. When I first saw it. But even right now in this moment, looking back at that, I'm like, yo, people run into churches and shoot them up. Imagine if you had stopped a metal detector from allowing you in the church because you're used to walking in the churches that don't see the need for that. The distraction would have been so real. I don't know. I think the skit was funny. I think we let it be funny and we move on. But if we really being honest, this stuff happens in the church. And I've reached out to a few faith leaders who, you know, I was unable to get someone to come on and make a comment. I didn't know this was so touchy. Did not know. But shout out to Drew Ski, though. I mean, he accomplished what I think he set out to do. I mean, he, he. There's conversation started, the engagement is real. And now we move on. Hopefully. Hopefully. And now we move on. Because one thing that's not going to happen, if somebody is corrupt and they in the church, that person going to be corrupt until they not. If somebody is in church with the wrong intentions, them intentions ain't going to change. Hopefully God get to them, but them intentions are not going to change. You just got to focus on being you understanding what you came to that church to take out of it. And if it's not a right fit, just leave. If we're being honest, there is a business component to anything that houses people, serves people, or provides any type of product for people. I don't care if it is a shelter. I don't care if it's a food bank or a food shelter and a food desert or if it's a church. There is a business element to it. There has to be a business element to it. Because when you're inside of that church, you got to look up, you got lights, you got heat, you got comfortable chairs to sit in. You know what I mean? And a lot of times the people that are that are working in these churches that are volunteering at how many churches are not being paid. But when you do have a pastor that is, that is, you know, leading your church, they are being paid. Now the thing, and I get it, people don't want to be manipulated. Totally understand that. And I think it's nothing wrong with calling out people when those things are happening. But why do we as people act like this stuff doesn't happen in church? Like, why are we so mad at Drew Sky? I saw somebody say that they had to unfollow Drew Ski for this skit because it just felt demonic in their soul to watch it. So now we don't know that there are pastors out there that are very money hungry that's walking in red bottoms for all the wrong reasons. And like, y', all, this is all real stuff. Like, this is real, real things focus on you and your church. If it's not happening, where you at, you good? You know, I mean, you got you good. Now, in other news as we move right along, this segment is all about the people being upset. Lines and times with Spencer Graves on the iHeartRadio app is a podcast designed for hunters and fishermen to enjoy success.
- [20:24]
Spencer Graves
I like the idea of like, hey, put me on a big deer. You know, hey, there's a big deer out here. He's doing this. Be looking for this deer. But I also love doing it on my own. I love going out there and saying, running my cameras. I love patterning the deer. I like showing up at the right time, checking the wind, knowing what stand I need to be in. And then whenever it all comes together and it happens, that's the most satisfying thing ever. So when you do it on your own, it's like, I then can hang my hat, but if I had somebody say, hey, pull up on these dots and catch them right here and you're going to win. And then when I go in, it's like, yeah, it's cool. I won the tournament. The ultimate goal is done. But it's like, dude, when you find them and you make them bite, that's the puzzle. I love it.
- [21:10]
Lauren LaRosa
Listen to lines and tines with Spencer Graves on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you you get your podcast. Next up in the latest following Drew Ski. People are upset about the autism Barbie. Now. We talk so much about wanting diversity and inclusion and all the things. And Mattel has tried to do that with this line of Barbies that they call the Fashionista Barbie. So these Barbies are not only diverse in skin color and in look, but. But they're also diverse in weight. They're diverse in disability, and the people are upset. So yesterday. So on our. So on one of our previous episodes, please go check that out if you guys get a chance. We talked about the fact that Mattel dropped this autism Barbie and with the autism Barbie came a pink spinner. The autism Barbie also has on really big headphones. All these things are because of the sensory needs that go along with a person who is living their life with autism. We also talked about the clothing and the clothing being Flowy and, you know, just different sensory things. When it came to, like, you know, various fabrics and how they touch your skin and lay on your skin. If you are a person dealing with certain levels of autism as well, y', all, people are upset. They're saying Mattel missed the mark. So we going to take it to the streets into the tweets. And I'm a tell you guys some of the things that the people are saying. And I want to hear from you, let me know if y' all think that this is valid. I honestly, and I said this in the episode when we talked about this, when it originally dropped a autistic Barbie to me, I'm like, how do you even know that the Barbie is autistic? And then I looked into the accessories and I'm like, okay. And CNN did a interview with a girl. I'm going to find her name. And that is what made it register to me. Like, okay. Autism isn't just a. Isn't just a look. There are things that accompany, you know, people who are autistic that help their life be a bit easier. The same way that if you had a paraplegic Barbie, the Barbie would be in a wheelchair and it would be very easy to spot. But it would also add to visibility for people who are also paraplegic. I don't know. I'm gonna get to the streets. Let's take it to the streets and the tweets, which is our segment where we take these pop culture segments and we look at what are y' all saying? Low riders. What are y' all talking about? You for the tweets. We outside. We outside. We outside. Outside in the tweets.
- [23:41]
Drew Ski
Every other page are gold.
- [23:43]
Lauren LaRosa
Okay, so Dr. Jessica Taylor, she is a Sunday Times bestselling author, a psychologist. She studies victim focus, forensic psychology. She's been seen on Netflix, various TV stations, radio. So this is all in her bio. I don't know Dr. Jessica, Dr. Jessica Taylor, but I do know that her post about the autistic Barbie is going viral. So she says autistic Barbie by Mattel just landed. So let's get into it. She is thin, conventionally attractive, feminine, long, straight haired, neatly presented Barbie proportion with a mini dress and long legs. And what makes her out as autistic? Headphones, a fidget spinner, and I quote, a vacant look in her eye. According to Mattel, to represent that autistic people struggle with eye contact. That's it. Dr. Jessica Taylor on X says, be real with me. This is not representation of autistic Lives. It's aesthetic labeling, autism reduced to a single sanitized visual cue that has become popularized through social media stereotypes. Headphones function as a shorthand for sensory sensitivity which is then flattened into autism. This is branding and commodification of autism. Autism is where you have headphones on and a vacant look in your eye. I mean, are we being serious? Nothing about this dial reflects material, the material realities of autistic people's lives. There is no engagement with power, exclusion or harm. Autism is treated as something you accessorize, not something that shapes how you are treated by schools, employers, healthcare systems, families, friends, partners, police, court, police, courts, prisons or the state. But forget about all that. Look pretty, get your legs out and play with your fidget spinner. Sis, my new article. Then she posts an article that she did on this. I mean I can like, I hear her, but like now let me go to the CNN article because, because I hear her, but I also don't. I do think that there are people who, you know, use these certain accessories to make their walk through life every single day a bit better. And the only reason I'm saying this, I don't know. I don't have anyone close to me who suffers from autism. But I read this article when I was preparing for this segment the other day and because I also didn't understand it, I was like, why would you create an autism Barbie? Like how do you physically show autism? Because I know it's in mannerisms, it's in, it's in so many different ways that you know, you can pick up on a person's like autism and when you're seeing them, when you're talking to them, when you're experiencing them. And there's various different things that people like, she said that people other you by when you are autistic person, it's not just your physical dress or the things that you carry along with you, right? So in this article by cnn, there's a young black girl and her mom that they focus on and this girl, her name is miko. She is 5 years old. So this scene in the article says 5 year old miko's eyes light up with glee when she noticed something familiar about her Barbie. The doll held a fidget spinner and wore oversized headphones just like hers. The moment was almost magical, said Mikko's mother, Precious Hill, who's based in Las Vegas. Then they go in, they go forward to say Mikko, who is non verbal, also uses the AAC device, which is the tablet device that the, the autism Barbie Also comes with. Which helps people who have speech or language problems communicate. Autism is such an invisible disability at times, and to see that it's being represented through Barbie. Everybody knows who Barbie is. It felt really good. Hill says this Miko's mom. It's really important to me that Miko walks through life having representation. It really matters to me that she is not alone. So, I mean.
- [27:48]
Josh Zieman
I.
- [27:50]
Lauren LaRosa
Some outrage, y', all is just why it's very selective. Like, I don't understand the point in being upset about something if there are other people who will likely agree that this thing deserves to be in the world. That is the whole. That's the through line of this whole episode with Drew Ski skit. Be mad all y' all want to. Let's not get away from the fact that everything that he called out in that skit either. We've actually seen it over the last couple years, and it's went viral. You've experienced yourself in church or, you know, so blink if you know someone who knows someone. Okay? Like, church people themselves will tell you there are people in churches who are not good people. There are church experiences and church, you know, infrastructures that are set up that are not good things. It is real. The church is a physical place where you come to get close to a spiritual being or beings. God, Jesus, that whole, you know, the Trinity, the God, God, the Father, the Son, period. I might not have said that right, but I promise you, I'll go to church. But we can't lean on that so much. Like, I just wish people would stop leaning into, like, these. And maybe this is me getting older. Oh, my God, do I sound like an old person yapping? Because I wish people would stop leaning so much on other people's experience or take on things or lack thereof. Like with the autism Barbie. Like, I didn't understand it, but the more I looked into it, I'm like, oh, if there are people in the world that feel like this is helping me with anything, I'm happy for those people. Let them have the Barbie. Not the trendy or the now trending and viral discourse about why this autistic Barbie is a slap in the face to autistic people. And there may be people who actually suffer with autism that feel that way. I'm not taking that away from them either. I am not. But what I'm saying is, is that can't we all just get along? Honestly, that's what I'm really saying. But I know y' all don't want to hear that. Nobody wants to hear that? Because that's not the thing that you want to talk about, but what I'm saying, to each his own, period. If you don't like Drew Ski skits and you don't think he's telling the truth about what happens in some of these churches, baby, I'm following. But when I saw y' all say, I'm unfollowing Drew Ski because he's demonic, because the man did a skit about church that was very funny, by the way, and entertaining. I'm like, okay, we need to take 125 or more characters away from some of y'. All. It's Lauren LaRosa. This has been another episode of the Latest with Lauren LaRosa, your daily dig on all things pop culture, entertainment news, and all of the conversations that are shaking the room. I tell you guys, every single episode, you could be anywhere with anybody discussing all of the things, but you choose to be right here with me, my lowriders. And I appreciate you for that. I'm Lauren LaRosa, and I will catch you in my next episode.
- [30:49]
Josh Zieman
A decade ago, I was on the trail of one of the country's most elusive serial killers. But it wasn't until 2023 that when he was finally caught, the answers were there, hidden in plain sight. So why did it take so long to catch him? I'm Josh Zieman, and this is Monster Hunting the Long Island Serial Killer, the investigation into the most notorious killer in New York since the Son of Sam. Available now listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [31:19]
Lauren LaRosa
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.