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The Brett Cooper Show
Elon SLAMS Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” & Michelle Needs To Stop Podcasting | Episode 36
00:38:24
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- [00:00]
Brett Cooper
Guys, Scooter Braun's company just got raided in Korea. Trump and Elon might be getting divorced before Michelle and Barack and there is one plastic surgery trend that everyone is going after. Alright guys, I was literally walking up to the studio to record this episode when my publicist called me and said, oh my God, Brett, have you seen the news? Scooter Braun's company just got raided by the feds in Korea. I had not. I quickly ran to TMZ and and yes, it is true. Hybe is being investigated. One of their executives is being investigated for insider trading. Now this is all I know as of now. I can go more in depth on that on Thursday in our episode. If y' all get some more information, I'll call up some friends, see what I can dig up. But the one thing that I will say that is very interesting is that as all of this Justin Bieber Scooter Braun scandal information has been coming out, somebody has been very active on social media defending himself and that would be Scooter Braun. Specifically in the comments section of of Ian Carroll and Candace Owens. And that is because Ian Carroll was specifically talking about the business dealings of his company Hybe. And he was very defensive in the comment section saying Ian did not know what he was talking about. There was nothing nefarious, he has no idea about the music industry or business in general. And then two weeks later his company gets raided. So that's just interesting food for thought. We will dig into that on Thursday, do not worry. But for now, we need to talk about Michelle Obama once again because she just can't stop podcasting. She's kind of like Meghan Markle where she is just failing upwards. Nobody is watching her podcast and yet every week they sit down, they record an interview and the only people who watch it are people like me who see clips on X and just want to make fun of it. And that is what we are going to do today. I kind of want her to stop podcasting because it's so bad, but selfishly, it just gives us such great content. Now before we dive into that story, make sure that you're following our podcast page and rate the show if you're enjoying it. And if you want to get information about the tour that I'm doing this spring, go to BrettCooper.com that's where you can see all the dates and buy tickets. We still still have some seats available and of course you can also get information there about Cooper Confidential, which is my subscriber only platform. This clip from her most recent episode. I just need you to watch it. I don't even have words for it because it simply does not make sense. She is trying to make an argument for the pro choice movement and it is the most insane word salad, confusing mess I have ever heard. Just take a listen.
- [02:24]
Michelle Obama
So many men have no idea about what women go through, right?
- [02:30]
Brett Cooper
It's all about that.
- [02:31]
Michelle Obama
We haven't been researched, we haven't been considered. And it still affects the way a lot of male lawmakers, a lot of male politicians, a lot of male religious leaders think about the issue of choice as if it's just about the fetus, the baby. But women's reproductive health is about our life. This whole complicated reproductive system that does the least of what it does is produce life. It's a very important thing that it does.
- [03:04]
Brett Cooper
Michelle, I am also struggling to understand how any of that is connected. Because you start off that statement, you have one path that you're trying to go down. You have to blame the men and the male lawmakers, they don't understand us, so therefore they can't understand the issue of abortion. They shouldn't be making decisions on behalf of our bodies. And yet you yourself don't seem to understand that our reproductive systems as women, that we are literally designed to carry children. Obviously you don't have to carry children. You can be a woman without having children. But a woman's reproductive system, that is what it's for. Obviously it monitors our hormones. There are other. But it all goes back to our ability to carry a child. And how is that connected then to the issue of choice and us not being researched enough? And you are simultaneously saying, and this is what makes no sense to me, you are simultaneously saying that bearing children is the least important function of our reproductive system. And yet it's so sad because we haven't been researched enough. So when women are sick and they can't bear children, then that's a bad thing as we need to be researched more. So what? I just don't even understand what this 1 minute and 3 second clip was actually about. You didn't make any profound argument about anything. Honestly, it just seemed like a very ill thought out way for you to place the blame on men, per usual, because that's kind of all you do. And watching that clip made me think of a video that I just saw on X earlier this morning of a trans person breaking down because men don't want to date them because they can't have biological children. This is a crazy video and I promise this goes Back to Michelle Obama. Just take a watch.
- [04:35]
Trans Person
This is to all my trans women out there that you know that we deserve love. That we deserve the such a pure love. Cause we love so hard. And if you feel in your soul we may not be able to give you a fucking biological baby. But no matter what, no matter what, the love that we give to certain people in our lives will fulfill that more than fucking blood. Cause you know why? Our community has proven that time and time again. I don't need a man who is basing love off fucking science.
- [05:20]
Brett Cooper
Oh, the audacity that a man wants to be with somebody who can bear a biological child. That's not basing love on science to be a bigot or offend you. That is just basing love on what somebody wants in their life and what they should be allowed to want. You are allowed to have preferences. You do not have to date somebody because of who society is currently victimizing at this moment. Now, the reason why I wanted to play this video for you is because obviously this person is hysterically crying in their car. So it seems like men actually do care about the reproductive system working or actually having a female reproductive system to begin with, because producing life is kind of the whole point for both men and women. That is the core function, Michelle, whether you like it or not. And I actually think that this doll and Michelle Obama would actually get along really well considering the high opinions they have of themselves and what they bring to the table. That whole part at the end of the video being like the, you don't need a child because I, I will fulfill that. That is like, that was a lot. But it kind of sounded like something that Michelle might have said on this ridiculous podcast. Because this whole tirade about choice and women's reproductive health was not the only thing she chose to complain about in this episode. It is apparently very difficult for her to be married to Barack. Remember, they're not getting a divorce. They're very happy. She would let us know if they were unhappy. That's what she said. And here she is letting us know once again.
- [06:45]
Michelle Obama
There was a line of people waiting to shake hands with our respective husbands. You know, people like reaching over our heads and spilling water on us, trying to get to these two, you know, illustrious men, you know, and she didn't. She had the same look on her face as I did. Like, here we go.
- [07:07]
Brett Cooper
I have never seen a more ungrateful, out of touch woman. Seriously, like, Michelle, you married Barack Obama, who became the president. You are telling a story about your husband greeting his fans. At one point, this man was the most famous person in the world. He was the President of the United States of America. And you're sitting here rolling your eyes over Americans wanting to meet him. You knew what you were getting into. Obviously, you didn't choose to run, but he did. This should be par for the course at this point. And obviously having a ton of people clamoring all over you and pouring water on you, trying to get to your husband, obviously that's not the most pleasant experience. But to constantly. To consistently speak about this as if it is the worst experience in your life. Oh, my God. It was just. Come on. They want to see our husbands. Yes, obviously they want to meet your husband. They're not really interested in meeting you. You weren't the president. And I really think that all of this goes back to a general insecurity or jealousy over the fact that Brock is more famous than she is. There was another clip on her podcast recently where she was talking about something similar where she was like, I should be respected. I have all of these things to say and people aren't inviting me to speak. It was something like that, but per usual, there was no gratitude, no hope, no positivity whatsoever. And speaking of that, as I was pulling these clips, I saw this incredible repost on X from a former fan of Michelle's. Just hit the nail on the head perfectly. This guy said, michelle Obama needs to stop this podcast of her. She is destroying her brand. The more that she speaks her truth, the more harm she does to herself. I always thought she was smart, but I'm not so sure about that. She hates everything, it seems. She is not a happy, joyful person or fun. No, she's not. Like, again, I keep saying this. No wonder she and Barack are never seen together. No wonder there are speculations that there is trouble in paradise when this is the person you have to wake up next to every single day. Now, speaking of trouble in paradise, there seems like there's an even bigger breakup that is happening in the D.C. politico world, and that would be between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump. Now, within minutes of me sitting down to write this episode, last night, Elon announced via X that he was officially leaving the Trump administration. Now, this was always supposed to be a temporary role, but, guys, the timing of this is very suspicious. So here was his announcement. He posted this last night. I'm filming this on Thursday. So this is on Wednesday night. He said, as my scheduled time as a special government employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending. The Doge mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government. Now, like I said, and like he pointed out in this tweet, Elon was never supposed to be a permanent figure in the Trump administration. I think people hoped that he would be or assumed that he would be in some capacity, but they knew that, you know, he has SpaceX to get back to and run, he has Tesla updates, he's doing all the self driving vans, he has other things that he needs to be concerning himself with, but he was Gonna dedicate himself 100% to Doge for a certain amount of time. And so he's saying in this tweet that that scheduled amount of time has now come to an end. But interestingly, it comes exactly one day after he went on television and did a bombshell interview where he criticized President Trump's big, beautiful bill. Just take a listen.
- [10:16]
Elon Musk
You know, I was like disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it and undermines the work that the Doge team is doing.
- [10:28]
Trans Person
I actually thought that when this big beautiful bill came along, I mean, like, everything he's done on Doge gets wiped out in the first year.
- [10:35]
Elon Musk
I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don't know if it could be both.
- [10:41]
Brett Cooper
My personal opinion, and that really is the perfect way to say that. And you can see that there is so much else that he wanted to say. Like in that entire interview, he's kind of holding himself back. And that is not something that Elon Musk usually does. He basically just like blurts out whatever he wants to say. And in this interview he's like, oh, yeah, unfortunately that was not what I wanted to see. And listen, in my opinion, Elon is not wrong about this. Like, the big beautiful bill is supposed to be Trump's, you know, piece de resistance. I can never pronounce that, so hopefully I pronounce it correctly. But he has basically shoved everything he wants to get done into this bill. And everybody assumed that that would mean, you know, yes, getting the tax cuts, all of that, but they didn't assume that it was going to increase our national deficit around $4 trillion, which is what it is slotted to do. And for reference, it is always so interesting to look at the bias comparison on ground news for all of these big political issues, because the left, of course, is calling this the big, bad, ugly bill, saying that it is going to worsen racial inequality in some way, while the right of course is focusing on the tax cuts and hopefully saving people money. According to Ground News. And Ground News is one of my favorite platforms, they cut through the noise with an unbiased perspective, showing both sides of every story and prioritizing honesty above all else. Their unique technology even allows users to compare how different sides of the corporate media report on a story like we saw today, ensuring that you see all sides and truly stay informed. And in addition to that, Ground News's blindspot feed brings you the stories that have gotten little to no coverage, making sure that you always stay informed instead of letting big or their algorithms on social media decide what you see. So if you are ready to truly break free from Big Tech's algorithms and media bias and stay informed with transparent news, now is the time to join Ground News. And when you go to groundnews.com Brett or scan the QR code on the screen, you can get the same premium plan that I use every single day prepping for these shows, but for nearly half the price. Again, that is groundnews.com Brett if you wanna get unbiased news and actually hold the media accountable for only $5 a month. So obviously based on the premise of Doge, which is to reduce spending and cut back government bloat, Elon Musk is not going to be happy about this. And his announcement that he was leaving the Trump administration came the day after this interview. And Elon is not alone in his opposition to this bill. A lot of Republicans are against it. For example, this was Rand Paul's response to that video. He said, Elon Musk is right. The House's version of the one beautiful bill would explode the debt by $4 trillion, undermining all the cuts Doge has made. There is nothing beautiful about that. And per usual, because I think he is the most principled politician in our government, Thomas Massie is also against it. This is what he had to say.
- [13:15]
Thomas Massie
This bill dramatically increases deficits in the near term, but promises our government will be fiscally responsible five years from now. Where have we heard that before? How do you bind a future Congress to these promises? This bill is a debt bomb ticking. Very soon the government will be paying 60, $16,000 of interest, interest alone, per U.S. family. And what are we telling him? Instead of taking care of that problem, we're gonna give you a sixteen hundred dollar tax break.
- [13:44]
Brett Cooper
I mean, it's just so ridiculous. Like a lot of that should be common sense. And unfortunately, Thomas Massie has gotten slammed for this opinion, I mean, for the last month, he has basically been public enemy number one in the Republican Party in D.C. trump has been going after him, unfortunately, which makes me so sad because I love Trump, but I'm also like, I am a ride or die for Thomas Massie. And because Massie has spoken out against this bill and said, hey, this is not doing what you promised the American people that we would do, Trump was like, no, we're gonna primary you. I mean, it's just so ridiculous. And yes, obviously the big beautiful bill, it has some great things in it. You know, it gets rid of tax on tips. It is slimming down the Department of Education to basically nothing, which I obviously want to happen. It prohibits taxpayer funded sex changes for minors, removes 1.4 million illegal immigrants from Medicaid. There are so many great things in there, but it still increases our deficit by $4 trillion. We are not in an economic position to do that. But even more importantly, we voted against that. We gave the President a mandate saying, fix our economy, cut down government. We want Elon Musk to go head doge and slash everything. And it's been so funny to see the left screech and go, we didn't elect you. We didn't. You might not have. I certainly did. I saw him campaigning, I saw him jumping for joy on the Trump stage at all of those rallies. I was like, that is the guy I want. I want him to cut all of this. And none of it is being codified. Instead we are just spending more. And so obviously Elon is going to be upset. He's going to speak out. He's going to go, why am I even here? Obviously principled politicians like Thomas Massie are going to be against it, like Rand Paul, Ron Johnson, and so many Americans who voted for Trump are going to feel the same way. One guy on X put it perfectly and he said, one of the only policy items that Americans agree on, 78% and Republicans even more so, 91%, is that reducing deficit is a priority. This bill expands the deficit. I don't see how you can frame this as a conservative win. Like, just because there are things inside of the bill that we want, that we desperately want, does not mean that the entire thing is a net positive. Because right now that might be exciting. Right now we might be getting what we want. But think about the impact of this in five years, in 10 years. You cannot judge a policy based on the intentions for it. And the feel good, oh, yay, we got a couple policy wins. You have to judge it for its outcomes. What is that gonna look like for us in 10 years, for our children? That is what I'm concerned with. That is what Elon Musk is concerned with. So I don't know how much trouble in paradise there is. I don't know if this is just kind of a coink, a dink that he was supposed to walk away from the Trump admin at this exact time and it just so happened to be when all of this was happening. Or maybe he just said, hey, I'm throwing in the towel. I have no idea if anybody has any insider information, you can drop a line. I would love to. But the point that I am trying to make is that this timing is certainly suspicious. Now, speaking of big, beautiful bills, last Thursday we were talking about how the Democrats are investing $20 million to learn how to speak to young men. They are holing up in luxury hotel rooms, allegedly trying to figure out a strategy to reach young men. And it seems like they have finally emerged from these hotel rooms to put their ideas, their $20 million ideas into action. And. And let me just say once and for all, they have learned nothing. They have learned nothing. I think that we can already say they have wasted this money, because what is coming out of Democrat politicians and Democrat operatives, activists right now, it is so ridiculous. But don't worry, guys. That shouldn't matter, because Pete Buttigieg is leading the charge. He is ready to save the Democrats, and this is how he's gonna do it. Take a listen.
- [17:14]
Pete Buttigieg
Of course, we should be talking about how, yeah, if Speaker Johnson got his way, it wouldn't be possible, not just for gay people to get married, but for straight people to get divorced, let alone, like, birth control or how he would want to regulate porn or whatever most people would have a problem with.
- [17:30]
Brett Cooper
So, guys, that comment was in a broader conversation about reaching young men, and it's kind of like a threat. Oh, no. If Johnson got his way, if the Republicans got their way, nobody would be able to get divorced, not even straight people. You couldn't get birth control. Oh, no, they're gonna ban porn. So therefore, you need to join the Democrats. And I was just laughing to myself when I saw this pop up on my X feed because it's like, of course. This is so predictable. Like, you're gonna persuade people to vote for you through their unhealthy vices. Like, that's really all you've got, Democrats in 2025. And I also don't understand how backing gay marriage is some new idea that you guys can lean into considering that that and abortion are basically your entire platform right now. Like, that is literally what you ran on last year. And obviously it did not work. So you need to find. And if this is the strategy that came out of the $20 million, then I really do not know what to say. And it really does seem like these talking points are coming from somewhere, because these are not unique ideas coming from Pete. Like, I think these are actual talking points, especially considering that this is what the current DNC chair, David Hogg, said recently on Bill Maher's show. He said that young people should be able to, you know, leave politics behind and focus on what young people should be focused on, which is how to get laid and how to go and have fun. Really, guys? Like, all you can think about is sex. All you can think about is politics and sex. And that is all you want young people to care about. Like, no, actually, we do inherently care about more things than just having fun and getting late. But what do I know? Maybe this will be a winning strategy for men. Who knows? You guys can sound off in the comments and let me know if this is persuading you in the slightest. But if Pete and David Hogg, if they don't reach you, don't worry, guys, because there is yet another soldier who was coming to get you, and she claims that she knows all about what you want. Take a listen.
- [19:17]
Unknown Female Speaker
I love young men. I love frat guys. And in that, I realized, like, even the ones that identify as conservative are almost always pro choice. They're almost always pro gay marriage. You'd be surprised at the number of them who supported Black Lives Matter. And so I feel like people just kind of lump them into this box when the truth is, again, a lot of them are with us on the issues. They're just not part of our coalition because they feel like they're not welcomed.
- [19:46]
Brett Cooper
Oh, wow. They feel like they're not welcomed in your coalition? Yeah, I'm sorry. You spent years calling them toxic and dangerous, saying that their masculinity was the worst thing to ever happen to society. You crapped on them constantly, from influencers and activists to literal politicians just crapping on men. You made fun of their hobbies and SP said that they were ridiculous and dangerous. You paraded caricatures of men on stage to represent them. Obviously, they don't feel welcomed. You can't just say that like, they don't feel welcomed here. You need to change that if you want them to feel welcomed. And sure, maybe some young Republican voters are with you on those Specific social issues. And guess what? Even still, that was not enough. Because being able to get an abortion at nine months pregnant and trans rights and supporting queer migrant rights, that doesn't help pay the bills. That doesn't help you be able to start a family or buy a home or keep you safe in the country that you live in. So obviously for a lot of young people, including my peers, those issues are not enough to make them vote for you. And you need to get that through your head. I mean, it is crazy that I am saying this, guys. I cannot believe that this is about to come out of my mouth. But it seems like Jake Tapper is the only person, the only Democrat who understands why they lost the vote. And here is what he had to say.
- [21:03]
Jake Tapper
I went on a left leaning podcast that shall remain nameless. And we were talking about my kids because I think they were both people without kids. And they asked me about my son and I said he was, you know, he's a football player and he wants to be a policeman. And their joke was about my 15 year old son. Oh, how does he feel about minorities? Like the idea that he wants to be a policeman, therefore he's racist. My son, like my football playing son, who has no political views, he's 15. He thinks about World War II and gaming and playing linebacker. That's his world. You're deciding he's a racist because he wants to be a cop. And why does he want to be a cop? He wants to be a cop because he wants to help people, you know, and he thinks that's the best way he can help people. And that's how the Democratic Party talks to men.
- [22:04]
Brett Cooper
Guys, he solved it for you. You don't have to spend $20 million. You just don't need to crap on them 24. 7. You don't need to emasculate them. You don't need to make fun of their jobs or their hobbies or their sports. You don't need to claim that everything is racist, which still is happening, obviously, in 2025. We're gonna talk about that a little later. Those are some, some really simple things that you can be changing right now. And you're welcome to pay me $20 million, because I told you that. But that's free advice. You should be able to go on social media and realize that those are things that you need to change. Now, in addition to solving all of those problems, I also think that you have an attractiveness problem in the Democrat Party. Like maybe these young men are voting Republican because the women are just hotter. They are so hot in fact, that quote unquote Mar a Lago face is now the most in demand plastic surgery request. That, my friends, is a fact New York Post published this this week. Mar a Lago face is now the most in demand plastic surgery doctor reveals who everyone is requesting to look like, the article reads. Forget Instagram face. Thank God everyone now has the Mar a Lago face, a curated blend of full lips, chiseled cheekbones, wide eyes and smooth, taut foreheads that never wrinkle in worry. Rowe said that his Palm beach office now sees up to 15 people a day, mostly chasing the same look. Ivanka Trump's face. I mean, who can blame him? She is stunning. Who would not want to look like her? Her skin is flawless because she probably eats good Rancher steak every single day. By the time this episode ends, another family farm will have shut down in America. Not because they stopped working hard or trying, but because grocery stores aren't buying from them anymore. Instead, they're buying from overseas where safety standards are different and truth in labeling is optional. But you won't hear about that in the headlines. You won't see any labels that say raised overseas packaged here. And yet that is exactly what you're buying in grocery stores. In fact, over 85% of grass fed beef sold in US grocery stores is imported and most shoppers still have no idea. Now, unlike imported meat, all Good ranchers products are 100% born, raised and harvested in the USA from local family farms. Every box that you order supports the people who have spent generations upholding the legacy of American farm ranching. And truly Good Ranchers is some of the best meat that I have ever had. And whether you are grilling their beef, chicken, pork or wild caught seafood this summer, you will taste the difference. I promise you. And by the way, that kind of quality is exactly why I'm getting my grill master Father in Law their King Cut box this Father's Day. This is a new thing the Good Ranchers has rolled out. It is filled with thick cut rib eyes, thick cut New York strips and filets. It really is a feast fit for a king just like my father in law. And if you subscribe to any Good Rancher's box today, you will get your pick of free meat for life. You can choose from Wagyu burgers, hot dogs, bacon or chicken wings in every box for the life of that subscription. And if you use my exclusive code Brett at checkout when you're subscribing, you will get an extra $40 off so do not waste any time. Visit goodranchers.com to shop American meat that you can trust. And again, remember to use my code Brett to get your free meat for life and $40 off. And while you guys are grilling those amazing stuff, I have the perfect activity for your kids. Now you guys know I was homeschooled. I am a huge advocate for homeschooling. I mean statistics now show that homeschoolers test higher, they are happier, they are healthier, more well adjusted and yes, they are even better socialized. 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Again that's Outschooled.com Brett with code Brett35 at checkout. Now back to the plastic surgery. If you are not eating good ranchers regularly and your skin is not, you know, receiving the effects of amazing steak 247 and you need plastic surgery, the other people that you can request to look like according to this article are Kristi Noem and Kimberly Gilifoyle. Apparently these women are also high up on the list for prospective plastic surgery clients. Now just as an aside, have you guys seen Kristi Noam's before photos? Because I had no idea. Genuinely like it is more shocking than Lindsay Lohan's transformation. Which by the way, Lindsay Lohan did an article today and she was like I didn't get any plastic surgery. I just drank water with lemon juice. Bullshit. I don't know who your plastic surgeon is. It is incredible. We all want to know. I don't need to go get plastic surgery. I Just want to know so I can thank him. I don't know if he's as good as this Mar A Lago guy, but the transformation was incredible. Sorry, just had to go on that rant. Going back to the article, this trend, it's apparently not just for women. Doctors are now seeing a huge uptick in men coming in in Palm beach to get procedures done. Specifically politicians. God help us. All. The politicians are going to get plastic surgery. The same article reads, men are also entering the aesthetic arena, especially as political campaigns heat up. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, for instance. Oh, boy. Sparked speculation last year after showing up at the Republican National Convention with a dramatically tighter Whoville face and perpetually arched brows. Oh, my God. Rose said that he has seen a surge in male clients, many of them politicians or aspiring public figures, seeking quick, effective treatments to freshen up for TV appearances and events. Quote, I had people coming in for pretty aggressive lasering and things like that. As we got closer to January 20th, people wanted less and less, but they wanted to look great for the inauguration. All the parties were at that time. I want everybody to feel good in their own skin. I want everybody to feel glamorous and beautiful. But we do have to admit that is a little gay. I just have to say that is just a little gay. But, guys, it is not as gay as Broadway. And right now, the entire Broadway theater scene is embroiled in a scandal. And I know you guys are probably going, bret, I do not care about theater. I am not a theater kid like you. I just want you to stick with me. I want you to give me 10 minutes to tell you why you need to care about these insane people on Broadway, okay? Because it is divas against divas. There are allegations of racism. We have, like, social virtue signaling ideology mixed in here. And it all goes back to a woman named Patti LuPone. Now, if you are not a theater kid, Patti LuPone is an icon. She kind of has a torrid history for the reasons we're going to talk about today. But, you know, she starred in musicals like Gypsy. She has been on Broadway like 28 times. She's won multiple Tony Awards. I think she's probably in her 60s or 70s now, but she is a Broadway icon. And Patti LuPone recently, as in, like, just a few days ago, did an interview with the New Yorker, and she was talking about, you know, kind of retiring, what her life is like now and how she basically hates everybody because that's kind of her whole mo. And in this interview, she ripped into one of her fellow Broadway stars whose name is Audra McDonald, and it is the most actory, dramatic thing I have ever read. Just listen to this. So the author writes, I mentioned that Audra McDonald, the tone and decorated Broadway star, had given the video supportive emojis. Exactly, LuPone said, and I thought you should know better. That is typical of Audra. She's not a friend. Hard D. The two singers had some long ago rift, LuPone said, but she didn't want to elaborate. When I asked what she had thought of McDonald's current production of Gypsy, which again, is a show that Patti LuPone started years ago. She stared at me in silence for. For 15 seconds. Then she turned to the window inside. What a beautiful day. Like, guys, I think I need to start responding to things like this. If there's ever a question I don't want to answer in an interview, if somebody's bringing up something I just can't touch, I'm just gonna go, what a beautiful day. I mean, that is like. That is a cold cut that just like. That cuts deep. Now, some additional context here is that Audra McDonald, she is beloved. She is far more decorated. I think that she's a bit more talented than Patti LuPone, in my opinion. And she is completely unproblematic. She shows up, she sings, she does the show, she wins a ton of Tonys. I think she has way more Tony awards than Maddie LuPone does, which is probably why Patti LuPone is so angry. But the reason why I am bringing all of this up, beyond the fact that, that you know, what a Beautiful Day is just hilarious, is because it has been so funny to watch all of this spiral online and create these shockwaves in the Broadway community. Because immediately her statement about this woman became problematic. And not because Patti LuPone was being mean or being a bitch, but because she was being racist. Now, Audra McDonald, if you did not know, is a black woman and you can't criticize a black woman, apparently, according to Left wing Theater X. Just listen to this response from a Mexican queer writer whose work primarily focuses on HIV and queer utopia. And yes, I did pull that from his website just for you. Patti LuPone's New Yorker profile is going viral for all the wrong reasons. A white star not reading the room and victimizing herself at the expense of black women. Patty's contributions to the theater and queer culture are immeasurable. But white women need to remember that nothing they do works in a racial vacuum. Patty, of all people, has no business saying other folks, especially black women, are too loud. She is the one who should know better. She should know not to speak poorly about any black woman purely on the basis of race. I mean, guys, it's really not that deep. Obviously, it's dramatic, but Patti LuPone is a Broadway actress. She has always been a diva. She has always been dramatic. Like, that is her entire brand. This is not some new thing like, you can just be a brat. You can just be a diva. You don't also have to be racist. Racism does not have to be immediately involved because the situation involves a black person. Like, it is 2025. What? What are we doing here? Like, I'm sorry, but Patti LuPone might just be insufferable. I mean, as an example, in the same New Yorker profile, she literally said that the Kennedy center should be blown up now that it is being managed by Trump. This was what the author wrote. She is even angrier the rest of the country. Patti lepunja's angry about everything. That is the takeaway here. She told me more than once that the Trumpified Kennedy center, quote, unquote, should get blown up. Now, in addition to that crazy sentence, another thing I want to bring up, just to drive this point home even more, is that one of the other things that she is most well known for is stopping her show's mid performance to yell at Broadway theater audience members. Like, just go search up Patti LuPone screams at audience member on YouTube. You will not see the same video. There are so many instances of this that you will constantly be able to find a new video. Now, of course, one of them had to be during COVID and it had to be over masking. Again, just watch this as an example that she might just be insufferable. That's why you're in the theater.
- [32:49]
Trans Person
That is the rule.
- [32:50]
Brett Cooper
If you don't want to follow the.
- [32:52]
Trans Person
Rule, get the down.
- [32:55]
Brett Cooper
I'm telling y' all, she's a peach. She's not racist. She just has something else going on. Now, my personal favorite, and then I will stop all of these examples was years ago during a performance of Gypsy. I think it was almost 15 years ago. And she literally stopped the show. Not in the Q and A panel, but stopped the show as she was singing to yell at somebody taking photos right now, you heard the announcements. Who do you think you are? She's screaming, get him out. How dare you? Who do you think you are? Get them out now. Guys, the best part of this and the reason why it is so insane is because she is screaming, who do you think you are?
- [33:47]
Trans Person
Get out.
- [33:48]
Brett Cooper
It was A photographer. It was a photographer who was hired to be there to take photos of the performance. And that photographer posted this video years later on Instagram and she said TBT to When Patti lupone st stopped her show to yell at me, I was on assignment for New York magazine to photograph Patti LuPone's last gypsy performance. I came in the day before to scout the theater and figure out timing. I was mistaken for an audience member. And Patty stopped the show mid song and started screaming in the top five most mortifying experiences. Yeah, obviously that is just like, horrifying. Now, apparently later on, Patty did apologize. But guys, that was 15 years ago. The reason why I am showing you all these examples is because obviously this has been going on for a long time. And obviously Patty has not learned her lesson even in her old age. But unfortunately for Patty, this is not the first time that she has been called racist. Not even the first time in the last year. Because about six months ago, she publicly complained. I think it was on social media. And then she complained with the fan about the sound engineering's noise level from a musical that was playing in the theater next door to the theater where she was doing a play this past fall. And apparently the productions worked things out because it was too loud. Patti even sent flowers to the production for making those changes. And then she was publicly blasted online for racist microaggressions by the musical star who then posted a six minute long open letter to Patty about how much of a racist she was. Just take a listen.
- [35:14]
Audra McDonald
Ms. LuPone, I understand that there have been a couple of situations that have gone on in the last few weeks that I want to address. The first one is that you contacted our theater owner about changing a couple of our sound cues because you found them to be too loud. I wanted to address this because, Ms. LuPone, these actions, in my opinion, are bullying, they're offensive, they are racially microaggressive, they're rude, they're rooted in privilege. And these actions also lack a sense of community and leadership.
- [35:51]
Brett Cooper
I mean, guys, you cannot make this stuff up. Like, I don't even like Patti LuPone. I genuinely think that she is insufferable. And yet I have to defend her here because this is absurd. Like, maybe you could call her a diva for wanting people to be able to watch her serious play and not hear the music blaring from next door. But that also seems understandable and it was fixable and it was fixed. But making a six minute long open letter because you're offended, that is absurd. Like and this entire thing was never about race to begin with. I mean, from the beginning, Patty's complaints were not about race. Her comments in the New Yorker article were not about race. Your anger is not about race. It seems like it's just about you wanting to insert yourself and feel important in this drama. And the easiest way to do that in our twisted modern society is to claim racism and then throw somebody under the bus for not doing anything. Like, maybe that annoyed you. But it wasn't racism. And it is completely disingenuous to publicly claim that it was. And so here I am being forced to defend somebody that I don't even like because it is so ridiculous. You are making a cake out of a crumb for no apparent reason. And, guys, I really do think there is a positive takeaway here. And it's not for us, though. It's not for us. It is for Patti LuPone. Because in looking back at this episode, and this was a long one, this was long winded. We just went on a journey together today. But Patti LuPone, I want you to know that between this actress that made the video about you, between her and Michelle Obama, you can rest easy knowing that you are far from the most insufferable person on the planet. And this should serve as a reminder that bratty, insufferable behavior has no bounds regardless of race. Everyone has the potential to be a diva. And no, that is not racism. Okay, that's a wrap. That was a lot of talking. Alex, have my steak. We're not rolling anymore, right? No, this is exactly what I need. After talking for an hour, it's just Good Ranchers.
- [37:51]
Elon Musk
This is Alex. You're watching Brett in the wild, devouring her favorite post filming snack, an American raised steak from Good Ranch.
- [37:59]
Brett Cooper
It's well done. Just how I like it.
- [38:00]
Elon Musk
Brett doesn't know this, but she's actually doing one of the best ads ever for Good Ranchers and offering the best deal they have ever done. This could be you if you go to goodranchers.com and use promo code Brett at checkout for a year of free meat and $40 off your order, which again, is literally the best deal they have ever run.