The Friend Zone — "Do It For The Vine"

Hosts: Dustin Ross, Hey Fran Hey (Francesca), Assanté
Date: September 17, 2025
Podcast Theme: Exploring mental health, mental wealth, and mental hygiene in Black culture, with candid conversation, pop culture analysis, and humor.

Episode Overview

In this lively episode, the trio tackles the changing landscape of internet culture and content creation—especially the speed and style shifts since the Vine era ("Do It for the Vine"). The group kicks things off with a sharp critique of social media personality Jeffree Star, pivots into heartfelt updates about family and community, and wends its way through nostalgia for New York, the evolution of podcasting, Black pop culture (Love Island, JLo), and the pressures shaping online content today.

The discussion offers both hilarious throwbacks and earnest insight on grief, friendship, digital culture, and maintaining authentic creative paths in a rapid-fire attention economy.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Calling Out Jeffree Star and Online Bigotry

Timestamps: 01:09 – 11:42

• Francesca delivers a fierce condemnation of Jeffree Star's history of racism, appropriation of Black women’s aesthetics, and recent public transphobic, anti-nonbinary statements.
• She details Star’s long pattern of harmful behavior, specifically:
  • Racial slurs caught on video (“...all you have to do is go on YouTube and look up Jeffree Star N word. ...He’s in a restaurant asking some white man, can you beat this fucking nigger up for me? He called this woman an ape.” — Francesca, 03:16)
  • His mimicry of Black “ghetto fabulous” style and his relationships with Black men as props for his brand.
  • New rants denying trans and nonbinary identities while profiting from gender-nonconforming expression.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “You don’t get to be a man and wear a wig and do business and then say that those people who are that and who identify as that can’t exist. It don’t work both ways, Papa.” (Francesca, 08:37)
• Call to action: Listeners are encouraged to divest from and stop supporting creators like Star and other white influencers co-opting Black queer femininity.

2. Heartfelt Life Updates & The Power of Showing Up for Loved Ones

Timestamps: 12:17 – 22:21

• Francesca shares a personal story about a longtime family friend (the matriarch of the “Lone” natural product company) battling illness. She describes the warmth and integrity of this family, who insisted on sharing profits after Fran boosted their business (“They sent me a check for $15,000...Who does that? ...It's capitalism.” — Francesca, 14:10).
• A reflection on grief, the frustration and beauty of hospitals, and the importance of leaning into discomfort to show up for community, even as an introvert.
  • “It just reminded me the importance, like the importance of just being there and showing up for the people that you love.” (Francesca, 15:53)
• The spirit of chosen family and friendship is celebrated—especially after a New York trip to support Jade’s birthday (“...to see her so happy that her friends jumped on planes just for her to feel loved and supported on her big 4-0.” — Francesca, 17:13).

3. Nostalgia for Old New York & Podcasting Studio Culture

Timestamps: 22:21 – 32:35

• The hosts reminisce about their old recording studio days: celebrity run-ins (Cardi B, Dave East, Trey Songz), the joy of physical spaces, smoking rooms, and memorable listener interactions.
  • “I miss that smoking room. And you know what else I'm pissed about? Chaka Khan and Rufus have a song called Smoking Room. And I never got to smoke weed in the smoking room at the studio. Listening to the smoking room... That's just my book of regrets.” (Francesca, 24:21)
• Shout-outs to producers and podcast staff who helped build the Friend Zone community.
• Playful memories of listener gifts and podcaster camaraderie.

4. Podcast Announcements & Community Q&A Call-Out

Timestamps: 32:35 – 34:14, 82:46 – 85:10

• They announce a forthcoming Q&A episode, inviting questions for all three hosts and encouraging thoughtful participation.
• Listeners are prompted to send emojis (“crying baby” and trophies) if they make it to certain points in the episode, fostering community engagement.

5. Black Pop Culture: From JLo to Love Island & Reality TV Representation

Timestamps: 38:22 – 50:36

• The team unpacks the culture of Fashion Week/New York festivals, the desire for dual city-country lifestyles, and the vibrancy of Black women on “Love Island”.
  • “The black girls are in front of the line when it comes to that Love Island, you know, that's why I'm glad.” (Francesca, 43:13)
• They discuss changing TV host dynamics, future possibilities for more diverse casting and hosting on prominent reality shows, and specifically shout out Black female reality competitors.
• Hilarious dialog on JLo’s reputation and Hollywood shade.

6. Fast Content: The ‘Vine’ Era vs. Slow Authenticity

Timestamps: 54:41 – 62:08

• Deep dive into "fast content" and the pressure to speed up everything for social media (e.g., TikTok, Instagram). Debate over whether fast-paced editing and playback speed-up are always better.
  • “It feels like everything is so fast...What is it that everyone wants everything so fast? It makes my brain hurt.” (Dustin, 55:18)
• Francesca and Dustin champion the value of slow, genuine, and present storytelling:
  • “Me personally, I'm not watching nothing in no high playback speed. Sorry. I don't talk like that in real life, you know what I'm saying?” (Francesca, 63:54)
• They contrast Vine’s heyday (quick, single-gag humor) with the newer pressured, hyper-edited formats—“If you can’t make it funny in six, seven seconds, you just not the funniest.”

7. Advice for Content Creators: Authenticity Over Algorithms

Timestamps: 66:19 – 69:16

• Dustin encourages creatives to avoid chasing trends and to respect their process and speed.
• They push back against the expectation to always be visible or “on", noting the rudeness and privilege in demanding constant output from creators.
  • “You can only present when you feel like you are able to and when your cup is full.” (Francesca, 68:59)
  • “Some people's interests completely change.” (Dustin, 69:20)

8. Beef and Blurriness in the Content Creator Era

Timestamps: 71:14 – 77:45

• Assanté recounts a story of minor drama in the Charlotte TikTok community to highlight the pettiness and opacity of online influencer beef.
• The hosts critique the modern “content-for-content’s-sake” approach and artificial viral drama.
  • “There's not like a plan. It's like I just see other people doing this thing.” (Dustin, 76:19)
• Reflections on the cycles of “it-girls” across YouTube (natural hair, beauty, lifestyle, fitness), and how many new creators emulate without substance or mission.

9. AI, Skits & the Erosion of Trust Online

Timestamps: 77:45 – 79:52

• The cast laughs over the proliferation of fake “old lady” AI videos and wonders what’s real anymore.
  • “Is this a skit? Like, how many times have you said that after you watch someone arguing in a video?” (Dustin, 78:14)
• Discussion of the general skepticism that the AI/influencer era has sown among viewers.

10. Pop Culture Catch-Up & Book Club Announcement

Timestamps: 52:13 – 54:41

• The group excitedly promotes their Patreon book club, reading Tina Knowles’ memoir “Matriarch,” and touches on the joy of audiobooks versus physical reading.
• Sabrina’s shout out for her “Mother Tree” family quilt, and giddy anticipation of the insights from a Black matriarch’s POV.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He [Jeffree Star] literally looks like a Halloween person all the time. Like all year long. He has a menacing face and it's because he has a menacing spirit.”
  — Francesca (09:47)
• “It just reminded me the importance, like the importance of just being there and showing up for the people that you love.”
  — Francesca (15:53)
• “You can only present when you feel like you are able to and when your cup is full.”
  — Francesca (68:59)
• “Me personally, I'm not watching nothing in no high playback speed. Sorry. I don't talk like that in real life, you know what I'm saying?”
  — Francesca (63:54)
• “There's always an era...the lifestyle girls, I feel, deaded all the other girls for real.”
  — Dustin (75:41)
• “Is this a skit? Like, how many times have you said that after you watch someone arguing in a video?”
  — Dustin (78:14)

Important Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |---|---| | Jeffree Star critique & callout | 01:09 – 11:42 | | Heartfelt life updates, community | 12:17 – 22:21 | | NYC/studio nostalgia | 22:21 – 32:35 | | Upcoming Q&A announcement | 32:35 – 34:14, 82:46 – 85:10 | | Fast content debate | 54:41 – 62:08 | | Creator authenticity discussion | 66:19 – 69:16 | | AI/fake-video confusion | 77:45 – 79:52 | | Book club intro (Tina Knowles’ memoir) | 52:13 – 54:41 | | Black pop culture (Love Island/JLo) | 38:22 – 50:36 |

Closing

The episode offers a blend of sharp social commentary, warm community storytelling, and strategic advice for navigating both evolving internet culture and real-life relationships. The hosts’ signature wit, personal candor, and deep commitment to authenticity shine throughout, making this a rich listen (or read!) for anyone reflecting on life, loss, content, and the power of digital Black joy.

Next week:

• Listener Q&A special.
• Submit your questions via DM or email.
• Join the Patreon book club for “Matriarch” by Tina Knowles.

“Stay black and protect your magic, a hoe.”
— Asante (85:20)