Que Sera, Sera

Summary

The Friend Zone – “Que Sera, Sera” (April 22, 2026)

Hosts: Dustin Ross, Hey Fran Hey, and Assanté

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Episode Overview

In this week’s episode, the trio dives into the layered complexities of self-perception, body modification, and the psychological aftermath of trauma, using the Netflix documentary Caterpillar as a springboard. Alongside their trademark humor, the hosts navigate generational issues, family dynamics, colorism, LGBTQ+ identity, and the lure of cosmetic surgery. The show also features lively discussions about birthdays, black-owned businesses, Coachella highlights, and new music and TV recs, as well as engaging community feedback.

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Main Discussion: Caterpillar Documentary

[57:25–147:59]

Summary & Structure

• Topic Introduction
  • Fran was captivated by Caterpillar, a doc about an experimental eye color change surgery, expecting it to be a typical Netflix “trainwreck” but finding it unexpectedly moving and complex.
  • The production, directed by Liza Mandelup, follows a gay black/biracial man, David, from Miami, and several others from around the globe as they seek unregulated surgery to change their eye color in India.

Key Topics & Insights

David’s Journey and Family Dynamics

• Background: 50-year-old David struggles with depression and deep insecurities rooted in childhood colorism, abuse, lack of family acceptance, and being marginalized for his sexuality.
• Mother’s Role: Tense, emotionally withholding; conversations highlight generational trauma and cycles of dysfunction. Carmen (his mom) shares her own hardships but fails to offer David the validation he craves.
  • “She’s just not a nourishing parent.” – Fran [70:52]
• Vulnerability on Screen: The trio notes the courage it takes for David to reveal harsh living conditions and emotional pain. Each host expresses empathy for both David and the brokenness visible in his mom.

The Allure and Danger of Body Modification

• Obsession with Appearance: David is consumed by the fantasy of transformation and online testimonials pushing “Bright Ocular,” an unregulated eye color implant procedure.
• Medical Tourism & Exploitation: The surgery is offered via impersonal emails and conducted in conditions compared to a “braider’s suite” with questionable hygiene and no FDA oversight. Predatory practices and indifference from staff are highlighted.
  • “You finna let the boogeyman cut your eye in half? That don’t even make sense.” – Dustin [84:15]
• Intersectionality of Trauma: All surgery participants (mostly POC) have stories rooted in trauma, colorism, self-hatred, or intense social/familial pressure.
• Cultural Commentary: Fran and Dustin criticize how these unregulated surgeries prey on insecurities, with social media echo chambers amplifying feelings of inadequacy.

The Aftermath and Inner Work

• Removal and Reflection: David removes the implants after complications, realizing external change can’t fix internal wounds.
  • “That happiness he felt with the eyes was a decision.” – Fran [105:56]
• Community Responsibility: David now cautions others online about the dangers.
• Host Reflections: The team connects this story to broader issues of colorism, parental validation, and the importance—but often vagueness—of “doing the inner work.”
  • “People say ‘do the work’ but rarely explain what it means. What does that actually look like?” – Fran [148:49]

Noteworthy Quotes & Moments

• “In a world that often feels unpredictable, altering one’s appearance can serve as a way to reclaim ownership of the self. Cosmetic procedures may represent control. The sense of mastery is fleeting if it’s pain, not purpose, that drives it.” – Fran (paraphrasing from mentalhealth.com) [106:58]
• “I just felt a sense of survival. Ain’t nobody telling me I’m good enough right now. I believe I am.” – Dustin [125:41]
• Group critiques highlights, e.g., influence of colonized beauty standards (“Everything was blue, blue, blue…” – Fran [137:10]) and Instagram-perpetuated insecurities in kids (“Why are little girls putting acids on their face at 10?” – Fran [132:22])
• Discussions about finding strength (or the lack thereof) to break the cycle of family patterns.

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Community Corner: Listener Feedback

[28:11–56:14]

• Patreon / Spotify Comments: The hosts read and discuss listener messages about driving anxieties, car trade-ins, success and shifting priorities, private school applications, and the joy of mutual support among listeners—especially women sharing financial tips.
  • “Women in the comments, messaging me…just being like, listen, this is what you gotta do. I love that.” – Fran [30:42]
• Shoutouts: Victoria, Deneen Taylor, Christina White, Diamond, and more for personal testimonies and community engagement.
• Shared Experiences: Listeners open up about wellness journeys, navigating organized religion, and how childhood trauma can inform adult choices.
  • “We have to choose life and choose to live it in a capacity to which we are our best selves.” – Lexi Bowers [41:20]

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Black Business Highlight: Erin’s Cup & Cookies (Chicago, IL)

[22:28–27:57]

• Entrepreneur Spotlight: 17-year-old Erin, founder of Erin’s Cup & Cookies, launches a coffee shop before old enough to work legally—offers mentorship, community hub, and creative cookies like “Velvety As…” and specialty chai teas.
• Impact: The business inspires local youth and demonstrates generational potential in entrepreneurship.
  • “From lemonade stands to coffee shops. Erin, I see you, girl!” – Asanté [26:05]

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Music and Pop Culture Roundup

Coachella & Carol G Talk

[176:59–197:15]

• Highlights: Carol G’s headlining set, pop crossovers, Coachella moments. Fran raises concerns about cultural appropriation in reggaeton, pointing out how white and non-Afro-Latinx artists dominate even regional music forms:
  • “It’s musical blackface, and I have a hard time with it… Look who gets amplified: Rosalia from Spain, Carol G from Medellín. That’s my issue.” – Fran [194:53]

New/Notable Music Picks

[201:57–218:41]

• Fran’s Picks: Isaiah Rashad ("Same"), Kelela ("Idea 1"), RJ the Weirdo (“At Least She’s Beautiful”).
• Dustin’s Picks: The Guess Who ("These Eyes"—a nod to the doc’s eye theme), Maya P ft. Ilwalki (“Reaper”), Ball Greezy x Ice Billion Berg (“Since You’ve Been Away”).
• Assanté’s Picks: Black ft. 2 Chainz (“Sunday Again”), Naomi Scott (“Demon”), Justin Bieber x Travis Scott (“No Sense”), and others across R&B/hip-hop/alt-pop.

TV Recommendations

[221:28–231:43]

• “Real Housewives of Atlanta”—shoutouts to K. Michelle and Pinky Cole; “Bell Collective Birmingham”; “Task” on HBO (new FBI drama with Mark Ruffalo); mention of “Love After Lockup” and other unscripted hits.
• Listener Segment: Cross, Burbs, and other Patreon binge recaps.

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Wellness Segment: Shoes for the Active Life

[156:14–172:25]

• Fran’s Top Finds: Keen Women’s Targhee 4 hiking boots—lightweight, supportive, “comfort right out the box,” and waterproof. Nike Vomero 5 for walking/gym.
• Mental Wellness: The joy of nature walks/hiking, designing a good life, celebration of self-kindness and being present in nature.
  • “There’s something about being out there that makes God feel so real…it just opens you up.” – Fran [172:25]

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Other Highlights & Notable Quotes

• Dustin’s Opening Rant: About Kimberell and the performative nature of public apologies from problematic public figures, linking to LGBTQ+ topics and Black church culture.
  • “That was for Patreon…because who in the hell wants a Kimberell?” – Dustin [10:25]
• Birthday Shoutouts: Celebrating Fran and other April babies with loving and heartfelt wishes from the co-hosts. [14:14–16:58]
• Humor & Chemistry: The episode features classic Friend Zone banter, including detailed, hilarious dissection of reality TV and pop culture, and irreverent, sometimes biting analogies (“Why does your eye color sound like a vape? I want that Ice Frost 33.” – Dustin [137:57])
• Community Engagement: The show continually references audience comments, emphasizing the podcast’s role as a safe space for vulnerable sharing and collective healing.

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Key Timestamps

• [57:25] Main Discussion starts (Caterpillar documentary)
• [70:48] Family Dynamics & Generational Trauma
• [84:15] Medical Tourism & Risk
• [97:06] Aftermath & Recovery
• [105:56] “Happiness is a decision” realization
• [136:49] Influencer Marketing and Exploitation
• [137:10] Colorism in Eye Color Choices
• [148:49] The Need for Real “Inner Work” Explanations
• [176:59] Coachella Recap & Carol G Discourse
• [156:14] Wellness Segment - Best Hiking Boots

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Episode Tone and Language

• Conversational, candid, and often comedic—shifting seamlessly from serious vulnerability to outrageous, irreverent humor.
• Hosts maintain warmth and empathy, especially when addressing trauma, insecurity, and self-love.
• Critical and analytical when required, especially concerning issues of race, identity, and appropriation in entertainment and music.

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Closing Thought

“You have to be proud. Your life could have gone so many different directions…and there’s something about being in nature, about finding peace, that makes everything else make sense for a while.” – Fran [172:13]

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Next Steps

The hosts invite listeners to share their own experiences of transformation, inner work, and responses to trauma, promising a future episode exploring “what inner work actually means.” They remind everyone to stay engaged with Patreon for extra content and community.

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Transcript

[A]

Still figuring out Mother's Day. We can arrange that with edible it's easy to send a gift mom will love without the last minute stress. Order online for delivery or easy in store pickup and make Mother's Day feel thoughtful, simple and handled.

[B]

America's best network just got bigger. Switch to T Mobile today and get built in benefits the other guys leave out plus our five year price guarantee. And now T Mobile is available in US Cellular stor best mobile network based on analysis by Oogle of speed test intelligence data 2H 2025 bigger network the combination of T Mobile's and US cellular network footprints will enhance the T Mobile network's coverage price guarantee on talk text and data exclusions like taxes and fees apply. See t mobile.com for details. Welcome to the Friend Zone.

[C]

Every time I'm in the zone.

[B]

My name is Dustin.

[C]

I'm Francesca, also known as. Hey friend.

[B]

Hey.

[A]

My name is Asante.

[B]

This is the friend zone. Let's start the show.

[C]

I'd say I'm Sur, but I know who you are.

[B]

So this week we back and I really did not want to talk about this person no more. I didn't. I don't want to see this person. I don't want to see any of their accessories. I don't want to hear what the cadence with which they speak, which irritates the fuck out of me. I don't want to see their dense glasses frames leaning down on the bridge of their nose when they speak. I'm sick of this motherfucker. I am sick of them. But yet again, they're on a podcast Mike talking. And it's funny that when I identify the person, this will make sense. But it's funny that someone from their genre has found their way into the podcast space as a guest and is now getting traction and clicks with the sensational things that they say. Uh oh, you would. Out of all the people that do what you do, you would be the one that's over here on the podcast talking. I'm talking about none other than Kim Boogie down Ankle Barrel. That's right.

[C]

When you said accessories, for some reason you already knew.

[A]

You already knew.

[B]

It's Kimberell. Can't you tell? Like this Carlton bank said, but so she done found her way. I'm. I'm not even. No disrespect to the podcast or the podcast host, but I'm not going to mention the name of the podcast because I don't really want to encourage nobody to go listen to that real talk.

[A]

I like that move.

[B]

You Know what I mean? So, no disrespect to the host, but I just don't even want to highlight her. Not the host.

[C]

I thought you were saying she is not host herself.

[B]

It's probably next. It's probably coming. You know what I'm saying? It's going to be called Bitch Cess.

[C]

You know what?

[B]

Bible Bitch session. That's what it's gonna be called. Okay.

[A]

But no show that would have Tokyo Tony on it. That would be her clothes.

[B]

Ugh. Anyway. Cause I wasn't even thinking about that miscre.

[A]

I mean, we talking bad, so I just felt like he bad too.

[B]

So she's sitting on this podcast as a guest. She's pontificating as she normally does. And she goes into this rant about the people who have been vocally, you know, in opposition of her and some of her foul, dirty, filthy ways and the horrible things that she does and the way she looks and stands and her legs being bent, all that stuff, all of it. And so you could tell that she had a problem with that. And so she goes into this tirade about how you can't drag me because my name is too heavy to drag. You know, you don't understand the potency of my value in the space that I occupy. All these other things. I'm going to play a clip of her and then we're gonna break that on down too. Mind you, this just a clip, just a small clip of some of the stuff that she was saying. Listen to this about my existence.

[C]

And that's why I don't have any

[B]

ill will against anything or anyone.

[C]

People say you apologize over and over. I will do it until whoever needs it.

[A]

I don't have a problem.

[B]

You need another.

[C]

I'm sorry. Tell me what time. Tell me what time. Tell me what time.

[B]

Because we got to get. Everybody, let's get through and let's get over this.

[C]

Because once we get over it, I want to know who you are now. Now that you've received your apology, who are you now? You're still fussing? Are you still complaining? Are you still calling me out of my name? You don't want an apology.

[B]

You want something else.

[C]

So let's find out what you want now.

[B]

Give it to you. I'm a mother.

[C]

I know a cry when I hear it.

[B]

Oh, I'm a mother. I'm a mother.

[C]

Two dumb. I know a cry when I hear it.

[B]

And you don't tell your baby who. That's just a snippet. She said a whole lot of other shit in There about how when people come up to her in the airport, which they do, it's always love and all this other stuff. You can't stop all of this. She sat up there and lied, number one. You can stop her motion. Ellen did real fast. She thought she had one on that Hidden Figure soundtrack and was going to weasel her way onto the main stage of a talk show on network television. It didn't happen. Okay. She also went on to say how then you remember she had made those comments several times. She had made homophobic comments from the pulpit. Okay. Preaching to congregations. And she said she's also been in the pulpit saying, I don't know. This is a direct quote. I don't know nothing about no lgbtq. For all I know, that means let God be true. Quickly. She did like that. So, like, my thing is, what is this?

[A]

Any.

[B]

Why are you doing this? After you say it? That means that you feel like you got us. You know what I'm saying? Like, you had a good one. You know what I'm saying? So that's why you celebrated with that. Okay. Number two, after everybody had been on her ass and she kept falling down on the floor because the universe wasn't even in alignment with her and her ankle distribution of weight of body, and so she ended up falling all the time. So after multiple events of that, she did an apology. Remember that? When she had on the off shoulder, low, deep cut, black dress, tits out, cleavage out, her breasts were smashed, but out. And then she had on them black arm gloves, remember? And she sit up there accepting it. Was it the Soul Train Awards? I believe it was. And I told her, I'm sorry to the LGBTQ community. And she went into all that other stuff. Only right. To then sit up in an interview and mock the people who felt like they were deserving of an apology by saying, I'll apologize till I have to. You want an apology? What time? What time? What time do you need it? And they're laughing in the background. That's her making a mockery of the apology that she gave, which was not sincere, obviously. And she just did that to pacify people who have been talking shit. Because the conversations surrounding her being a pos Right had been growing and gaining traction. But it Only people like that, they cannot. They don't. They lack the patience and they lack the. The stillness to be able to just sit in that moment of the apology because they didn't mean it. They can't. They cannot help themselves but have an outburst like that later on, just like she just did. Which shows their true colors. Which is exactly why Michelle Obama was talking about her when she said, I'd say I'm surprised, but I know who you are. That's why. Okay? Because we know who she is. We're not surprised. And then she, in that also, in that interview, she talking about everybody that's talking about me. I don't take it personally because they need me. They need me. You need me. No, what I need you to do is shut the fuck up. That's what I need you to do. I don't think she can sing personally. My choice. You know my opinion, what that white lady say on House.

[C]

That's my opinion.

[B]

It's my opinion. I don't think she can sing. To me, she sounds like, you know

[A]

how people don't believe in sexuality. I don't believe in her as a singer.

[B]

She sounds like a train when she sings. Like the train whistle that smoke. That's how she sounds. That's how she sounds when she's singing. And I just don't think that she's worth my time. She's not worth my time. She's not interesting. And whenever, whenever people stylize the way they speak it when they say stuff like that.

[C]

I never really listened to her until now. For real? For real.

[B]

You know, it's an effect.

[C]

I didn't know that was her cadence.

[B]

It's an effect, you know, and it's not. Don't nobody even talk like that. And you don't love yourself. She talking about she love herself so much. Then why every time I see you, are you hiding with big shield glasses and hair that's curled like this to cover your face? Every time I see you, usually when a part is in the middle, the hair go like this. Her hair is parted in the middle and then curled, flipped over to the front to hide that face. Because she don't like herself. That's why she was so excited as a gospel singer to wear bodycon clothing. She had on a. Was it a herb or marine? So it was. I can't remember what kind of was, but it was some basketball wise designer shit. A body dress, bodysuit on. And she gonna take a hoodie and just wrap it around her legs, her little stick legs and her, her ass. And she walking backstage happy to be seen in revealing clothing. Yet you're a woman of God and you assess it. It's all a grift. It's all fake. She ain't. I'm not buying it.

[A]

Excuse me.

[B]

And yeah. Bless you, friend. And because no no blessing of Kimberell.

[A]

You know that clip is resurfaced of her on. I think it was what Sunday's best

[B]

being that was singing Let her hold It. By the way, he tore her ass up.

[A]

No. And because she deserved it.

[B]

Yes, she did.

[A]

Yes, it's a sing competition. And yes, these people have capitalized on trying to be fake Simon Cows and whatnot. But if y' all are supposed to be the people of God and y' all are tackling and then lying right afterwards, we got our own thing going on up in here. Yeah, lying is that thing you got going on right now, bitch. Because you were just rude.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I'm telling you are you can't take it because you feel like you're in a seated position. That's why people like that always get knocked down. And when they fall, they fall real hard. I'm not waiting on the fall girl. But you're going to fall.

[B]

Yeah. And I hope you get stoned. Since you love the Bible so much, I hope somebody stone you. You know what I'm saying? That's what you get. And with that being said, Kimberell, that was for Patreon. Welcome to the Friends. On you, we look at all things mental health, mental wellness and mental. No, thank you, Kimberell. Because who in the hell wants a Kimberell? That was easy this week. Hey, friend. Hey, Asante, how you doing?

[C]

Hey, how are you? Y' all doing? 20 kings.

[B]

I'm on fumes, but I'm here.

[A]

No, still celebrating the Green Day, I see.

[C]

Did y' all have fun?

[B]

Shout out to everybody. No, I had fun. Everybody. Well, not everybody knows, but a lot of people know. 4:20 is a big part of my life as far as the day. And celebrating that day, I generally throw a house party that day. And I had done it yearly for like three years, I think, in a row. And then in 2024, on 4 20, I gave my TED Talk, so I couldn't do it that day. In 2025, I had just moved into my new place like, three days prior, so none of my things were here. So this was the first year that it was back. And, baby, we were so back last night. I'm talking about shout out to all my friends.

[C]

We are so back.

[B]

New York City pulled up last night, and it was on a Monday, okay? On a Monday, you know what I'm saying? We really got it in. And everybody had fun. Everybody respected my house rule, which is no requests. Cause you ain't finna be. Can you play?

[C]

Can you Play. I hear that.

[B]

You ain't gonna do me like that to death all night. No so. And plus, I don't wanna hear some things y' all play. I don't wanna name no names of artists, but I don't wanna hear some of the songs they play.

[A]

Show house.

[B]

When you come to my house. I done seen so many Shazam apps last night. Cause they all just. What is that, you know, Shazam in the music. People don't really watch music videos anymore, so I love showing videos to the songs I like and just keeping the energy at a certain level with the music. So, great party. I don't have a voice. I'm hoarse. You know what I'm saying? I really just. I had a lot of fun, and my house was packed. Like, packed.

[C]

Yes, we. Are you gonna talk about your installation?

[B]

Sure. Yes.

[C]

Your step and repeat.

[B]

When I throw house parties and shit, I just like to, you know, do a little something extra to make it, like, memorable. You know what I'm saying? And I like for people to have a good experience. So I know people love taking pictures and stuff. And so I built this installation in my window sill that was like a. It's a lot of greenery. It's moss, and it's built like a hill. A lot of different types of greens. And then there is a inset neon sign that says, Dustin's 420. So the greenery is, like, around that, and the moss is coming up from underneath it, and it's just cool.

[C]

So cute.

[B]

And I love doing stuff like that. When I become an old man, I'm gonna have a flower shop somewhere and

[C]

just o, oh, me and be a floral stylist.

[B]

You know what I'm saying? But, yeah, I like creative shit like that. And I was in here with my measuring tape and my floral foam and pins and hot glue gun. So much goddamn hot glue on my nails right now from burning myself while I was doing it and shit. But I got it done. Very pleased with the turnout. And y', all, everybody that came in here last night was like, oh. And they was over there taking pictures and stuff. So I was like. It was cool. Mission accomplished. Mission accomplished.

[C]

That's so cute. I love it. Did you sell celebrate Asante?

[A]

I celebrate every day. But speaking of celebrations, I know we got one coming up.

[C]

Do we?

[B]

Yes, we do. Excuse me.

[A]

Do we? I just know we got one coming up. I just know I want to shout you out now, sister girl.

[C]

Oh, thank you.

[A]

I mean, for those of you out there listening, if you're A newer listener. One of the most beautiful, creative, giving. I only have so many words and they won't even express what I truly want to express, but just the best person in the world. Hey, friend.

[B]

Hey.

[A]

Thank you for being a force in our lives and doing all of the amazing work that you have done for us as individuals, a collective, everything. You deserve each and every flower.

[C]

That is so sweet. I appreciate that.

[B]

I hope your birthday is natural, artisanal,

[C]

and you know it will be.

[B]

Yeah, I do. And I hope you get to ground somewhere. You deserve it. You work your ass off and you have for so long, tirelessly and gave us so much game. Show me the keys. Gave me, literally gave me the keys to the kingdom and was like, dustin, this is how you need to set this up. And I've taken that with me as I move forward. Forever grateful for that. So amongst many, many other things. So happiest birthday to you, friend. Love you with all my hearts. Thank you.

[C]

I really appreciate that. Y' all know I'm a birthday girl. I love my birthday.

[B]

Turn up. Let's get some kombucha,

[C]

right? I'm really excited. My partner always feels a lot of pressure. He was telling me, he was like, I always feel so much pressure to just make it so great.

[B]

That's how much he loves really good birthdays.

[C]

Yeah. He was saying that he just always wants me to have the best birthday. So. Yeah, I don't know what the plans are as I know it is, but I know. So I'm excited.

[B]

A standup guy. Yes.

[C]

But, yes. Thank you, guys. I really appreciate that. I'm excited.

[B]

Remember when your partner would be saying bye to you, sometimes we would hear him on the.

[C]

Y' all be like, love you. That is so. Bye. I love you, man. Y' all are the best.

[B]

That is so funny, man. Happy birthday.

[C]

Thank you. Thank you. And I hope you had a really good time with your birthday, too.

[B]

I did.

[C]

The April babies NXT is coming up soon as well, right? Isn't it his big 40?

[B]

Yes, I believe so.

[C]

I think it's the XD. I think it's your big four zero. We love you. I know. Isn't that crazy?

[B]

Like, the world needs more XD growing up. The world needs more xd. So bring on more birthdays from him.

[A]

Absolutely.

[C]

Xd, we love you. Knowing you, you are not going to want to do anything.

[B]

Yeah. XD is another fun person to gossip with, especially at, like, public events.

[C]

He's so funny. He's legit. One of the funniest.

[B]

Oh, my Gosh, without trying.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Like the way he can just. You know what I'm saying? Like you dying. He's so, so funny. We love you, xd.

[C]

We love you, xd. Happy early birthday to you too. So let's jump. But do you guys have any announcements or anything that you would like the folks to know before we jump in? Jump in.

[A]

Well, you know, just to go ahead and let the people know. If you part of Patreon community, next week is the last Wednesday of the month.

[C]

Already? Yeah, already.

[A]

Yeah. For those of you that are not part of the Patreon community, what I'm talking about is on Wednesdays we do this thing that we call the Wednesday wind down. Last Wednesday of every month, we go live and we say hello to you guys. If you would like to join us, go to patreon.com friendzonepodcast for more information. So last Wednesday of every month at 8pm Eastern Standard Time. So that is happening next Wednesday. I don't have the date on my hands. So that's the 29th. Yes.

[B]

Yes. Because tomorrow 22nd.

[A]

So.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Look, I had to do quick math, but I didn't know if, you know, I was correct. Yes. 29th and 8pm Eastern Standard Time. Again, for more information patreon.com friends on podcast, we do more than just go live once a month. We also have premium content. And if you're listening to the show from one of your favorite apps, we love that app as well. But on Patreon, you get to see us and you get it commercial free. So if you want to listen to.

[B]

It's a whole nother show.

[A]

It's a whole nother show, but you can get this show commercial free. And I think that it can get connected to some of your favorite apps. So you don't actually have to leave that app.

[C]

Absolutely.

[A]

If you want to watch us, we have video as well. So come see us or come hear more about us [e-mail] the Friend Zone podcast.

[C]

And we're currently reading Brandy's memoir, which we'd start discussing this week. Literally. Oh, yeah, the guys are holding up their books. Mine is on the couch somewhere. It's really good. I'm really into it so far. I love just music. History of our icons. Our black icons. Y' all are killing me.

[A]

You know I got the audible.

[C]

Did you?

[A]

She read smart.

[B]

I hope it ain't AI.

[C]

Oh, I bet it's good.

[A]

I hope it's not AI either, but

[B]

because she got an easy AI doing that.

[C]

Huh?

[A]

You gonna make me Go look this up. Because she sounds so good. And I was thinking, like, Brandi, you know, she. She's always had a good speaking voice already.

[C]

I was gonna say she has a good tone.

[A]

Like, everything about her, like, you know, the beauty, the singing, but the actual talking voice, like, it was just crazy. Listen to her and be like, damn, girl. Like, I just want to listen to you talk. So if it's a. I'm gonna be mad.

[C]

I love Brandi. The book is great. So far, we are 74 pages in. It was a lot of pages to start with, but I didn't. That one chapter was so long, the showcase chapter. I didn't want to, like, cut into it. So I was like, fuck it. We just gonna read this whole section. But it's really good so far in over a week. I think it's good.

[B]

I mean, you guys, come on.

[C]

And also, that was so funny, his face. And also, we're gonna be watching Real Housewives of Rhode island, which was a unanimous yes. I. I put it out there just because I thought it'd be funny that I would be recapping it. And everyone was like, yes, friend, let your hair down. We want to hear it.

[B]

They just tired of that other show.

[C]

Oh,

[A]

Taco about it.

[B]

Did I say that? What Dr. Heavenly be saying? I'm gonna say this and I'm gonna take it back.

[C]

She kills me. She always apologizing. So let's jump. Oh, Dustin, do you have an announcement? I don't know if I could.

[B]

Oh, do I? Do I? Yeah. Monday Night Live with myself, Blue Tolusma. My Girl, My Girl, Claudia Jordan. And Carlos King, every Monday night at 7 o'. Clock. And also catch Reality After Dark with myself, My girl, Claudia Jordan. My girl Mandy B.

[A]

Who?

[B]

I know y' all seen her in Spectacular on stage, right?

[A]

Absolutely Spectacular.

[C]

From Pretty Ricky. What do you mean?

[B]

He brought her out and gave her a lap dance at the concert. Is it the Millennium Tour or the

[C]

See this so I can buy it?

[A]

Whatever the tour.

[B]

Reebok, did you see. Yeah, I don't know what the tour is. Fubu. I don't know what the tour is.

[A]

Are you okay?

[B]

It's that tour. Okay. And Mandy was there, so she looks so nice. I don't know what it is, but it's that tour, you know, the high school tour, the Life Touch tour. I remember Life Touch was in pictures.

[C]

Yo, send me a clip. I want to see.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

To see this.

[B]

And we need to put it in the carousel. Anyway.

[C]

Actually, you're absolutely right. I'm sure Mandy would appreciate it. Let's jump into this week's black business highlight. So I want to thank Victoria on Twitter who I love Victoria, I always love your rival recapping. Yeah.

[B]

Hey, Victoria.

[C]

She live recaps as she listens to the episode every week. She's been doing it for years. I'm always love catching it.

[B]

So thank you, Victoria.

[C]

Right. So Victoria actually tagged the friend zone Twitter account to a black business. And I was like, oh, this is perfect. I looked it up and it's Aaron's cup and cookies. And it's in Chicago, Illinois, if you're in the area. It's located at 1212 West 111th Street. It opens Monday through Friday from 7:00am to 3:00pm and Saturday and Sunday from 8:30am to 3:00pm if you want to look it up, it's Aaron Cup.com that's E R I N S C U P dot com and Aaron's underscore cup on IG. According to the ChicagoReader.com written by Laila Brown Clark, it's the best coffee and community hub started by a young entrepreneur on the Far south side. There was an ABC News special because apparently Jasmine. Well, no, excuse me, Jasmine miners who highlighted Aaron. But Aaron's cup was all Aaron's idea, from concept to design. And at 17 years old, y' all genius. She opened this coffee shop. Here's the most amazing part. She couldn't legally work there every day, so she partnered up with this man named Kale Hunter, who was like an entrepreneur with 20 years of entrepreneurship. So they partnered up together. He would run the coffee shop from Monday through Friday while she was at school at Della Sal Academy. And then she ran it on the weekends, but it was hers.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

Genius.

[C]

And then when she became of age, she. She closed down. They parted ways, obviously, beautifully. Nothing, I'm assuming nothing went wrong. Exactly. Now she was able to independently run and she reopened. Mind you, this is like an honor roll student at De La Salle this whole time. So she's running this company. Her family in the ABC highlight said that she manifested this when she was two years old because apparently she was one of those toddlers that was obsessed with the taste of coffee. And all she wanted was coffee. And anytime they were at a coffee shop or a coffee house, she would go to the barista asking for a cup.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

And that's where Aaron's cup came from. Because the baristas would be like, we'll get Aaron a cup. The cutest thing. And so she was a baby when she opened this 17 years old, so go support her. I think this is a beautiful story. They said, too, that she has been a mentor for a lot of the young kids, obviously, in the area. Just showing them what's possible, that they can be young, they can open companies and. And be a. And create a hub for the local community. I love that idea. And I'm sure. Imagine being a kid and seeing this young girl running a business in your neighborhood. I'm sure that is really inspiring and inspiring. So Erin's cup and cookies. Definitely check her out.

[A]

Stop lemonade shops to coffee shops.

[B]

Right, right, right, right.

[A]

Aaron, I see you, girl. I see you.

[C]

And I pulled up the menu because I was curious, and they have. Let's see.

[B]

It's written in crayon.

[C]

That'll be cute, though. They have gourmet cookies. They have one called Velvety As.

[B]

I want that one.

[C]

Velvety already.

[B]

I want that one.

[C]

Cookies.

[B]

Right. She grown now. That's the first new item on the menu when she took over by herself.

[C]

Butter cookies. Called you Butter. No, I think that's cute. Chocolate chip, little oats.

[B]

I bet you they have cheese.

[C]

They have chai tea. Actually, I saw a lot of people in the Yelp discussing the chai tea, so apparently that's their specialty. Smoothies, lemonades, hot chocolates, and then, of course, all the coffee you can get. Espresso shots, frappe lattes, fraps macchiatos. All of the things y' all go.

[B]

Go support Aaron's cup. This is a great story. The menu sounds comprehensive and good.

[C]

Right? Right.

[B]

I give me some butter cookies and lemonade when I tell you.

[C]

And when you look it up the storefront, it's just so cute, and I love it. It's really. It's, like white with these blues, and it's just. I think when you look at the surrounding neighborhood, it just looks like a bright light in the community. So shout out to you, Erin. I love this for you, and I wish you much success. Right. I love that she couldn't run it during the week because she had to be in school. Could you imagine? You got a business.

[B]

Marseille Martin on Blackish ass. You know what I'm saying?

[C]

And thank you to Victoria for tagging us, because I'm definitely glad that we could highlight Aaron's cup and cooking.

[B]

And, Victoria, you better go, too. Don't be just tagging us. You take your ass down there and get you one of Aaron's cups, too. Love you, Victoria.

[A]

Thank you, Victoria.

[C]

We love you, Victoria. Let's jump into the recap segment so last week's episode titled Old Time at the Apollo. Oh, don't you see? Thank you for that, Dustin Ross.

[B]

I think that you sang it, friend.

[C]

Every time I was writing it out, I couldn't help. Was a Shoot the shit episode. No hot button, no segments, just whatever wanted to come up. Y' all know how it goes. And those of you listening had a lot to say. A little. A little here and a little there. Oh, Asante. Who stood out to you, brother?

[A]

A lot of great things since it was a pan episode. First of all, shout out to Deneen Taylor. I'm out here in the Spotify streets. Denise comment reads, Fran talking about having a hard time backing into spots.

[C]

Hard time. I just can't do it.

[B]

To be clear, look, well, I really tried.

[A]

Deneen agrees to be clear because she goes on to say, I've been driving for over 20 years and pulling into a spot, you would think I just got my license, right?

[C]

My brain don't understand the mechanics yet. I'm sorry, y', all, but I think that.

[A]

I think there is a large market of people like you. Like, I feel like there are people that are just good at it and can do it or can learn to do it, but I feel like there's a large market because that's why they developed the technology to help you back into it. I feel like it was such a need. Right. Another comment regarding you, friend from Aaron G. Chapman. Aaron reads Fran, do it. A dealer did this to me. In regards to your dealer calling you about your car. And it's because the used car market is so hot and they can make more money on your car. So that. So. So like I was saying to you, I've been doing a lot of research on cars. I told you, I'm a car person. This is my identity now. Cars, because they're all valued at so much, you know, once a car is used, it already drops below a certain amount. So now that your car has been used, they take it back from you, they put it back on the market. A person that has to pay more interest, they are now trying to get that car, so they're making more money off of them. Meanwhile, you get you a brand new car and you start a new term, whether it's for more interest, same interest, or less interest, whatever it costs to get you back and keep you in case they need another used car. So that's why I was saying do it. But also, we are not car salespeople. We don't have licensing. These I don't even have experience in this. It's just from the research that I've done. And I also agree with Denise comment. I feel like those disclaimers are necessary and they know.

[C]

And I have to say, too, I love the amount of women that me just put me on a game. Something about that is fly is so flattering because, you know, the manager said, oh, due to the in. Cool. Thank y'.

[B]

All.

[C]

I appreciate y', all too. But something about the women in the comments, messaging me, emailing me, and just being like, listen, this is what you gotta do. Boom, boom, boom. Like, I love that because women, you know, they tend to act like we're clueless and a lot of us are, me included. But that's because that it's new for me. This is all still new for me.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

So I love y' all and I appreciate that y'.

[A]

All.

[B]

I think that's dope.

[A]

As right friend, to your point. There was actually a woman I used to watch on YouTube. I wish I could remember her name, but, you know, one of those financial people come up on YouTube. This woman, I remember her talking before about how to get. She was like, this is how you lower your car payments now. It's not like an actual you go out and get something. It was more so just about paying at a certain time before interest catches up. And I thought that was so interesting. But I remember it was a black woman, a whole financial YouTube page. And I was like, I look like I remember having a similar meeting her, right?

[C]

I wonder if the. If this lady popped up for me because there's a black lady that popped up for me now and she be putting people on game. But on Tik Tok, talking about what to do to save money. And I've been like, keeping track of her because she seems to know what the hell she's.

[A]

I got to dig in the crates and find this lady.

[C]

If I find her. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And see the same lady.

[A]

Last comment, I want to share and I'm going to hand the mic over to you, friend from Casey o'. Bannon. This is in regards to Dustin. You'll know after I read the comment. It's just a quote and some and laughing emojis. The com. The quote reads, where was he keeping the titties? Laughing emoji, crying emoji.

[B]

I want to know did he have a cubby? A cubby, you know, of some sort? Or was it a, you know, what did he have? I want to know where he kept that rack. I would like to know. Maybe he had some racks like baker's racks or. You know what I'm saying? They might have been in the kitchen, friend.

[A]

Where did you find that out there in those streets in regards to the old time at the Apollo episode.

[C]

So Lee John. And Lee John is another one I want to send love to. Right? Lee John is hilarious in the Patreon streets. Lee Johnson. The dealerships call you when they have a low used car inventory and high demand. Similar to what you said. No interest though, is something I would look twice at, even if the term is longer. You could take your saved interest and add it to your payments to pay it off faster if you wanted to. I would go look at the numbers and hear them out. Fran, you may come out with a win. LOL at Fran taking these car deals. That would be funny because she's told us how she doesn't even get new phones.

[B]

Yes, yes.

[C]

Wow. Shots, shots, shots.

[B]

It's a step in the right direction. So, friend, where we at with it? Have you. Have you gone and had the conversation or what are you thinking? I'm serious too.

[C]

I have not, but I'm really considering.

[A]

Friend, we gotta go down there. We just gotta hear them out. We don't gotta leave with nothing unless it, you know, line up.

[C]

I'm hearing it because, like I said, my own car. And. Yeah, that's really why.

[B]

Yeah, like, that's a fun thing.

[C]

Yeah, I know it's because I don't know it. I. Like I said, yeah, last week I wasn't even thinking of it and considering it, but because cars do depreciate. Someone being like, I'll buy that off you for how much you paid is like, what?

[B]

Okay, I want you to know that this is a. A thing about, like, this is a part of the having a car experience. Like not. Not having any. In any interest in getting a new car or whatever. And then. And then you just end up at the car lot or you see summer and then the next you call your people like, girl, why am I at the dealership? Finna sign on a new car I was not even thinking about. No, that happens in your car.

[C]

We went to the dealership of. Of my Oak.

[B]

Huh. Just to look just a little.

[C]

And you know, that kind of already made me be like, oh, I see one. But y' all made me laugh in the comments because y' all were like, girl, they call me every year. Like, that's a thing. Which I'm like, okay, I didn't know if that was a thing or not. So I'm glad that y' all put me on. Because people said that they get caught, like you said, especially if it's, like, a car that people are after in some capacity, especially in the used car market. So Chris says, fran, I love listening to you talk about your driving journey. One of the first things my mom taught me how to do as I was getting ready to get my license was to back into parking spots. Her reason was, okay, I wish. Her reason was, you never know when you have to get out fast. Which made me say, what kind of situations have you been in before? But I, too, am one of those people that always backs in when I park. That is impressive. I just love watching y' all do it. Cause y' all gotta put your arm.

[A]

Yep.

[C]

And on the other. Yeah.

[A]

And then I love being able to leave. So I gotta back in. I have to. I have to back in. Sometimes I'm like, all right, let me just pull in it. But I'm like, nah, let me go ahead back in.

[C]

That's true. Cause all weekend in Atlanta, when you were parked in the house, you got yelling the whole time. Yeah. Yeah. You and Crystal. You know what? I'mma make that a thing. Maybe that'll be my new goal. I'mma. I'mma try. How do you practice that, though? That's so.

[A]

I don't know, but it's so funny that you caught that, friend. Cuz I really hated the way that that driveway was set up. So the fact that to back into that awkward ass, I was like. But I still was doing it because, like I said, I got to give me a. Especially where Atlanta was a good time. That's funny. Thank you.

[C]

Especially where we were. Lastly, Candy Green said I listened to Dustin on an episode of that Carlos King podcast last year, and that she capitalized that is how I found the friend zone. I love y'.

[A]

All.

[C]

I'm a work from home wife and mom of three kids with special needs. I look forward to all of your content and love each of you. And yes, to recapping Real Housewives of Rhode Island.

[B]

Love her. What's her name?

[C]

Candy Green.

[B]

Hey, Candy Green. Candy Green. Hey, Candy Green. Love you, girl.

[C]

And then the episode the week before that was Asante's episode. And that was, why. Why is my thing on chicken and popsicle sticks? I'm like, what episode was that? We are so crazy. The gmv. I don't know that that was any better. Well, thank you, Dustin Ross. Where we talked about what happens when you do everything right, but life still feels unclear. Did success change or are we just Figuring it out in real time. Thank you, Asante, for that conversation. Who stood out to you in the comments?

[A]

First of all, thank you both for your contributions out in the Spotify street. Still, I want to shout out Christina White. Christina's comment reads, I love this conversation. I feel like hard work and preparation get touted as the only way to get whatever success looks like. But we definitely have to factor opportunities into that and how absolutely random it seems for who gets an opportunity and who does. Sometimes. I went the college route and have built a career I'm proud of because of it. But had I lived a couple of miles west or been in a different teacher's homeroom, I may not have been able to ever afford it. And that's so crazy because like you said real, like that's so crazy. Just crazy to think about. And I kind of maybe passively had that consideration. But when you just like put it like that, Christina, thank you. Another comment I want to shout out is Diamond. Diamond's comment reads, asante. This was very timely. As a new mom who was once a very. Who was once very career centered, I'm having to reimagine what success looks like for me. Priorities have changed, the amount of leisure time and money has changed. And as a result, my timeline for career goals and even what I wanted for myself has had to shift. Success metrics these days revolve around how well my daughter is cared for first and then everything else after. The career goals will come, but priorities have have shifted in this new season. Shout out to you, diamond, and congratulations. Absolutely, you're successful. You were successful in your business and now you're already successful being a mother. I know you're. I know you're being amazing. Thank you for your comment. Lots of other comments that I could read. One of them was crazy. Hey, you okay? I'm gonna read this one from Turn, turn. Rayum. Tun. Rayum. Excuse me, I. I'm sorry. The comment reads a hey you for a non binary parent is hilarious. That's why I was struggling because that one caught me because I forgot that it happened.

[C]

Let me guess who says,

[A]

and you know what? I'm gonna leave it right there actually

[C]

friend as he laughs.

[A]

I mean took him clean out. Took me, almost took me out the path.

[B]

So

[A]

what did you find out there in those streets?

[C]

So Darian Cook said, I just wanted to come and say I truly appreciate when Dustin speaks about his experience growing up in organized religion. We share the same religion, so I always love hearing that I wasn't alone in some of the feelings I had growing up from having to sneak to my own prom, to being deterred from going away to college and all of the other strictness that caused me to while out. I also love when he does Bible study because I remember all of the stories and the yellow book.

[B]

Some of them came from my book of Bible stories. Yep, Always light up.

[C]

It's always hard for people to relate to my experience, experience. So I smile and not big when I listen. The biggest thing for me was not being able to speak to my gay family members and it was just something I could never get with.

[B]

So I'm being a gay family member.

[C]

Right. So I left the moment I became old enough. I still respect some teachings, but I can never be all the way in. Also, I went to Dustin's show in Detroit and it was honestly heartwarming to see his family, his brother, and especially his mom be so supportive of her openly gay son after raising him at religion. It really made me tear up a little to see because I know how they can be.

[B]

Man, I love this. Well, tell me the commenter's name again, please.

[C]

Darian Cook.

[B]

Darion. Thank you, Darian. Love you, Darian. Much love to you and thank you so much. And I'm. And thank you for seeing me. Me.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah, you just cooked in that message. Thank you very much.

[C]

Lexi Bowers said. Hey y'. All, I really hope this makes it to the recap segment. Well, Lexi, wish granted because I hope to help someone in my situation. I'm currently 32 years old, divorced, with two elementary school age children. Four years ago, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that limits mobility and as a result, I immediately fell victim to my illness. Fran the wellness segment was an affirmation and reassurance as about three weeks ago, I made the choice to not only live, but live well. Yes, I got a fitness trainer and also altered my eating habits significantly and he is holding me accountable weekly. I'm plus size, which greatly affects my condition. But between the weight training and moderate monitoring my eating habits, I'm already feeling better and interacting with my children in a better way. All of this is a choice. We have to choose life and to live it in a capacity to which we are our best selves. To my autoimmune girlies, you are not your disease. You can live and be better. While we may still experience flares, our good days can be great if you choose. I'm happy to hear that, Lexi. Right?

[A]

Congratulations.

[C]

And I'm glad you felt reassured because that's Literally, my only goal with the wellness segment is just to encourage us

[B]

to just try proof positive right there.

[C]

Absolutely. And Ari said friend, my granddad is 89 years old next month and rides his bike. Goals. Okay. He drives his car everywhere in New York City still.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Day and night. Brain sharp as ever. It all trips me out. But he thrives off of independence. I'm happy to have such a badass granddad.

[B]

Shout out to your granddaddy. This is your granddaddy. Is your company I love.

[C]

Can you imagine being 89, still out here driving and riding your bike with

[B]

a mean Viagra prescription? Yes. A stern Cialis prescription. Absolutely

[C]

not Stern.

[B]

A Stern prescription. Yes.

[C]

And then my last one is Tia, who says Fran, here you speak about your private school experience. Has encouraged and inspired. Inspired me to get my daughter into private school. Hearing you speak about the opportunities confirms all the hard work we've done applying and getting her accepted. She starts in the fall, third grade. Yay. And we are beyond excited. Thank you so much for sharing. That makes me so happy. I really hope that this opens many, many doors for her. I will say this.

[B]

Keep her black.

[C]

Thank you.

[B]

I knew where you was going and I knew how you was gonna say it. So this is like, let me say it for my sister. Keep her black now. You know what I'm saying? She needs to go play with her cousin.

[C]

Okay. And please hold space for her and make sure she has room to tell you what she's experiencing. A lot of parents are just like, just be happy that you may know. Let us talk about it, please.

[A]

Right.

[B]

But yes, she go hang out with her family.

[C]

That part. But, yes, I'm so happy and excited for her. And this is going to be life changing. Dustin Ross, would you find in those Twitter streets two tweets?

[B]

One positive, one me. Okay, so the first tweet comes from Cardi B. It says, when you hold power and authority, use it with kindness and respect. Never abuse it, because not everyone will endure your arrogance in silence. Treat others exactly like you demand to be treated. Atlanta. I'll see you soon. I actually was at her Friday night show in Atlanta. It was her last two shows of the Little Miss Drama tour. Me and Alex went. We had so much fun.

[C]

I can't.

[B]

But anyway, the concert was incredible. And I know that the next day she went live on Instagram or something like that. She was checking the security for being racist, basically. And so just shout out to Cardi B To me. She just shows she's a great example of how to maintain being your authentic self. And also having some principle. Right. And some integrity underneath that. She's always providing a baseline of integrity with the things that she does and says. From her bringing out multiple other female rappers, both older and younger, from her sticking up for herself, always talking about marginalized people. The comments she made about black Americans and with the things that they've done for our freedoms and shit, it just. She's just a great artist to me, and I thoroughly enjoy being a fan of her. And I had a great experience at the concert. So shout out to Bill Kalis. You heard me.

[C]

Also, I want to try her grow good her hair. Yes. I freaking signed up the waiting list because it sold out so quickly. And I wasn't even aware of the drop date. You know, I just was kind of clueless. And then I saw it. I'm thinking, oh, let me go on the website and order some. No, girl, that's not how we doing this. So hopefully they drop again soon. And if any of you have tried it, let me know what you think. I'm seeing so many amazing reviews, and obviously, by the looks of. Honestly, I'm gonna trust a Dominican girl from New York City.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Who is doing hair care. I'm sorry, but they just get it. You know what I'm saying? So.

[B]

And she's been doing her hair on the. On the. On the Internet for years.

[C]

Okay. With the bag.

[B]

Yeah. Thank you, bag. I love that they included that in the marketing, too. Thank you.

[A]

She.

[B]

At the concert, she had a. It looked like a truck, but it was, like, themed to, like, a beauty supply where you could get all the products. I wish I had known you wanted it, because I would have just mailed it to you.

[C]

Yeah, I had. See, I didn't know Pam.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

Right.

[B]

But yes, that. Shout out to Cardi B. To me. She's just.

[C]

Shout out to Cardi B.

[B]

And her kids are so funny too. She. I seen a post the other day where her son Wave, had her little baby, Blossom, at his school. Right. He cheated in class, and he was walking her around like his friends making a. And say, like. Like, Blossom. Blossom. Say six, seven, and a little baby. She was laughing because they was, like, encouraging her, and she's like. Like she was. She was saying it. It was so cute. So, so, so cute. So shout out to her.

[C]

God bless.

[B]

And now here's the me thing. There's a tweet. There's a Twitter account called Sunday Divine. S U N D A E Divine. And they tweeted, when your life becomes a case study, in karma and attached a screenshot of an article. I don't know what it's from, but the headline reads Caitlyn Jenner appeals to Trump saying she cannot travel after passport gender changed. Changed to male.

[C]

Oh shit.

[B]

Which already whoever wrote this is a stupid because your gender is not male, your sex is male. So in this passport gender change to male. I almost want to just, just to set my phone down like that because what am I reading? But anyway. But it's a. It's two dummies, right? Because not only is the person that wrote that stupid Caitlyn Jenner is stupid as well. Yes, because what the. Did you think it was gonna happen? I'm so glad they tapped that boxy shoulder of hers and, and slowed her ass right the down. You don't get to do it both ways hoe you don't. And then you was in the headlines recently talking about some. I wish I wouldn't have accepted that Glamour Women of the Year award. Well why'd you take it hoe? Because we didn't want you to have it. Then I knew. I knew she was fake as knew she was fake. Just a white person who wants to do what they want to do. Aligning themselves with them up ass white Christian nationalist values and print. We ain't even call them values. Talking points. Okay, tried to run for governor of California. Who in the was going to vote for Caitlyn? Hit you with the car ass Jenner. That big old foot getting stuck on them pedals and you running into every goddamn thing because yo, yo, Sperry Topsider foot wrapped ass didn't hit the damn dad too hard.

[C]

I love a spare.

[B]

Sorry friend. I gotta remember that when I'm thinking about stuff.

[C]

It's a lot of shots.

[B]

Well yours be cute. You know how to do the little string thing on the end.

[C]

You know

[B]

this is more of a Montana, you know, more of a 4x4 type thing, you know what I'm saying? Mud runner, all that kind of. But Caitlyn Jenner, lacrosse. What's the thing you call that you swing at Lacrosse?

[C]

Lacrosse.

[B]

What's the. What's that thing called that you swing? Do you guys know?

[C]

Oh, the. I don't remember.

[A]

Well I remember it does have a name.

[B]

Yeah, that's her foot. The lacrosse thing, you know what I'm saying? Catching big old fish net foot. I can't stand her motherfucking ass. I hate Caitlyn Jenner. It's because of contradictory shit like this and the minute it affects you now you're crying it's just a textbook case of whiteness. Like my boy deray says, watch whiteness work. You know what I'm saying? This is it right here. The privilege. The assumed privilege of you to halfway be trans, right? Trans when you want to and you want to do whatever it is you do. But when it's time to actually stand for something, when it's time to actually speak out about anything, you're parroting these right wing fucking conservative white nationalist talking points. That's what you choose to do. And they hate you. You're A to them. They don't even understand the difference between trans, which is a gender identity, and homosexuality, which is a sexuality. They think that trans shit is gay. You're A to them. Caitlyn Jenner. And you wanted me too now. And so that's all I got to say. Caitlyn Jenner, brief swearing ass.

[C]

You can't tell me.

[B]

You can't tell me she don't still wear underwears with the hole in the front.

[C]

You know what on that long.

[B]

Long johns, you know what I'm saying? Caitlyn Jenner being Long John Johns. That's what she being. Waffle. That waffle cotton. You know, the waffle cotton material. Long johns in the summer under jeans wranglers. Okay. With the rams. A belt with rams horns on the buckle. You know what I'm saying? And keys.

[C]

That's like a shot again.

[B]

Yeah, a bunch of keys.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I did want to share this tip. One of our listeners named AB said, I listened to Yalls episode today regarding taxes. I used to work at Best Buy in Cali and anytime customers would come in with an Oregon ID or driver's license, the taxes would be waived. What? See, not sure if they still do this, but it's worth a try when you're shopping in other states. What?

[B]

I didn't even know that new level online, that gift. Just give me an ID at your crib, friend.

[A]

I just need your address for when I'm at the dmv. Okay, I'm here right now.

[C]

Is Jersey the same? All my tripping, get some jersey IDs.

[B]

What jersey.

[C]

On that note, let's

[B]

hit it. Oprah. Welcome to the Friends.

[A]

Well, as we all know, I've been the same person for about a month now because I just got me a new car. And the only reason that I got a car is because I needed to make sure that I could afford one. And the way that I was able to make sure that I could afford one was to watch my spending and the way that I was able to watch my spending was with Rocket Money. Okay? Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending like me, and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Try for $0 at RocketMoney.com zone that's RocketMoney.com zone RocketMoney.com zone Spring testing is

[B]

around the corner, projects are picking up and the push toward the end of the year is officially on y'. All. IXL helps kids stay confident and prepared during this important stret. IXL is an award winning online learning platform for Pre K through 12th grade with personalized interactive lessons in math, reading, writing and science that adapt to each child's level and pace. Now this is proven in all 50 states. To improve grades, students who use IXL score higher on tests. IXL is in fact used in 96 of the top 100 school districts in the U.S. we have actually tested this. I know I'll speak for myself. I'm very close with my family. You guys know that. I've had my family on the show before and there's young school aged children in my family as well. We've used IXL to help them and it's been the perfect benefit and supplement to their education. My little cousins, they need to have their key skills reviewed before they go up for state testing. We know how critically important that is to their success in higher education. So IXL is really a useful tool and you can make an impact on your child's learning. And you can get IXL now. And the Friend Zone listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixl.com friendzone visit I x l.com friendzone to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price. Y' all know what time it is. Your outdoor space should feel like you, but it can take a long time to get there. And I'm talking about things that I know. Fran and Asante, y' all both know that I just got my place a year ago and I have a large outdoor terrace that I'm so grateful for. But it takes a long time to improve that, to get all the things to even figure out what you need for the outdoor space. It takes a long time, right? But enter Wayfair to help you out with all that. Whether your vibe is modern, coastal, which I love, farmhouse or eclectic, Wayfair has the pieces to create an outdoor space that is uniquely yours. And I can Speak about this again because I ordered several items from my rooftop from Wayfair, from an outdoor rug to a couple tables for my terrace. Like things to just make it feel more comfortable and homey, but in an outdoorsy way. And it really worked out. And after I got my Wayfair delivery, which was seamless right from the truck to the door, everything was intact. No scratches, no bumps, no bangs. And adding those pieces gave my terrace the exact feel that I wanted, a lived in terrace feeling. So with filters, customer reviews, visual tools, all the things that can help you actually imagine how the item will look in your space, Wayfair makes it simple to narrow down what works for your style and your budget. They have everything from outdoor seating, y', all, grills, lighting and decor. Wayfair is literally your one stop shop for home. Installation and assembly services are also available so that you can create a truly seamless experience. And if you want an even faster shortcut to the good stuff, shop Wayfair Verified. And these are products that their team of specialists have vetted by hand using a 10 point quality inspection. And they do it on video. Those really help you out while you're shopping too. It gives you a different look at the item, a different feel for it. You can compare it in size to the person speaking about it. It's just a really useful tool. And I love that about Wayfair. So get prepped for patio season. For way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. That's W A Y F A I R.com Wayfair Every style, every home.

[C]

So this week's episode, I was watching a documentary

[B]

already.

[A]

Sorry, I forgot this is a show. My bad.

[C]

So I was up late one night, maybe like two, three weeks ago. I think I mentioned it on here when I had watched it. Yeah, right. But I was up late doing my usual on a Friday night, which is laid up on the couch and a blanket with the fireplace, looking for documentaries. This one pops up on Netflix. And I was like, what is this? This guy with these eyes and it's called Caterpillar. And then I read the caption and it said, or the description rather. And it's like, you know, eye changing surgery. I'm like, oh, oh, I need to watch this.

[B]

His face was shaped like a beefsteak tomato.

[C]

You know, don't start.

[B]

Didn't you think so as soon as I seen him, I was like, wow, his face is shaped just like a beefsteak tomato.

[C]

No.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So I click it.

[B]

Not in a bad way he just was. It was similar. You know what I'm saying?

[C]

I watch it. And then when I was in Atlanta this past weekend, I made everyone watch it.

[B]

I'm glad I went in Rome.

[C]

Okay. As XZ says, we had a wang

[B]

dang doodle shout out to Coco Taylor. Yes.

[C]

And I was. And I actually told Jade and xd. Well, I told Jade, I told her, you and XD should recap this because I find them. That's my favorite podcast. I find them so fucking funny. And she was like, okay, we watched it. She was like, I can't believe you find this shit. And then I thought, okay, they did their recap. We had to talk about it because I also wanted to hear your thoughts because y' all hadn't watched it yet. So, for those who are new, this is a documentary called Caterpillar, and it was created by Good Deed Entertainment. The director is Liza Mandelup, and the producers are J. Van Hoy, Matthew Churchill and Liza Mandelup. Which made this a very complicated experience for me because initially when I watched it, I thought it was going to be like an entertaining, kind of predatory style doc like Netflix does, where they just, you know, tap into the misfortunes of people and make us laugh.

[A]

Right.

[C]

But it was a lot more than that.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And so where it gets complex for me is that it was a very layered podcast. Podcast, you hear me? Layered documentary. I mean, transphobia, colorism, I mean, you name it, we went into it. Insecurities, all of the things. But it's a team of white people that created it. You know what I mean? And then everybody in the doc is black and brown. And so that is always very challenging for me to kind of know how to sit with that. But let's get into it. So I'm not gonna go scene by scene because we don't need to do that, but I'm gonna go section by section. So we find.

[B]

We meet sexuality, bisexuality.

[C]

We meet the protagonist, who is Raymond David Taylor, but he goes by David. And he's a 50 year old. He's a 50 year old gay man from.

[B]

He gay as hell too, by the way. I was like, him and his face the minute he came home. Yes. All right, girl, you ready? And then. And then they gonna say, now look up. When they was taking them pictures outside, they gonna say, look up.

[C]

And he was like, I loved it.

[B]

I was like this gay ass motherfucker.

[C]

Now I was very confused because he was saying he was biracial. Right. And. And I was like, you not just Puerto Rican from New York. I mean, I was just kidding.

[B]

You wanted us to know that, you know what I'm saying? Like you wanted us to know that

[C]

that was a tear, very Nuyorican vibe. So I'm still trying to understand that family tree. I don't think it ever really gets explained. But he's a 50 year old gay man from Miami, Florida, struggling, right, as we see with deep seated insecurity, trauma, depression, this sort of crisis, right, of self worth that he's describing. We also meet his mother, Carmen, who's 70 years old. Even the first interaction between them, right? He's calling her to let her know he's gonna come through. And she's like, can I call you a salad?

[B]

But he, they was both weird. They were both weird.

[C]

I mean, he definitely would not get off the phone. And it was driving me nuts, driving me crazy.

[A]

That's what was like. I was on her side in that moment because that was the first thing, the first thing I said to you was, hey, I'm eating, can I call you back in five? And then you proceed. And then you proceed.

[B]

I just wanted to let you know I'm coming over to see you.

[A]

That it drives me.

[C]

And she was like, okay, David, let me just call you back. He was like, but like I'm just trying to, it just was this certain.

[A]

But you good though. I will tell you when I call you back in five minutes. Okay, well I'm just telling you that I'm coming down to see you, you know, what time should I come? I will talk to you in five minutes. Okay, well then just call me back

[C]

or like, okay, so already you, you, you're seeing the tension, right, between him and his mom and this sort of neediness on his end and this, this sort of avoidance on her end. At least that's how I read it.

[A]

You can tell there's been an unhealthy dynamic that's played out between them off road. That's how I felt.

[B]

I was like, my reflection was. Well, both these is crazy. That's what I thought when I watched. I was like, oh they both these is crazy.

[C]

Like, okay. And he is.

[B]

I felt sorry for him.

[C]

I did too.

[A]

I cried.

[C]

I believe you.

[A]

I, I friend, I. That's why I was like this morning. So I watched this twice, right? The first time I watched this, I remember, I remember feeling a completely different way. Like I remember being like, okay, let me go into this. Open minded. I was like, damn, all this is interesting. Like, damn, this is up. Damn, this is crazy. And then, like, it was cool, right? Rewatching it this morning at a fresh lens. I laughed again at the beginning, you know, with the gay in the club. But then I just remember shaking my head, like, as I was watching and hearing him just read his. His cry pretty much to get this surgery as he was talking about his experiences, and then to watch those dynamics play out with his mom just mentioning having had him and him being gay and how that's, you know, that's fine. She could deal with that. But if he was trans, that'd be too far. I was just like, uh, this is just like. Like it's taking me out. So it was just.

[C]

And her crossing the boundaries, Right. Of discussing things with production in front of the camera that she did not. Clearly did not discuss with him prior. Because hustling drugs, drugs, hustling his lifestyle growing up, how he was out in the streets, his sexuality, how he identifies. I mean, she was going in and then she turns and he's crying.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Which I was like, she didn't realize he was crying this whole time. He was sitting behind her crying this whole time. Because she's just exposing all of these layers that he possibly did not feel comfortable discussing. Right. This is a documentary about his eye color change. Like, he probably wasn't there yet. And then she turns around so casually, like, should I not have said any of that? You know, and then didn't really know how to care for him in that moment.

[B]

I know it's like her name is Carmen. Carmen. Right, Carmen. That would have been the last time you seen Carmen on the documentary. For me, if that was my mama, we would have been like, where in the world is Carmen? San Diego. Where Carmen, period. Cause she. I would have. I would have stopped her from filming.

[C]

Right.

[B]

You can't handle being in this environment. Unless you want me to tell your business, Carmen. Cause Carmen got a story too. A hip hop era.

[A]

She. Well, so she does have a story. And that's why it was so sad to see how broken David was and how he was treated in those earlier moments and then even how it all ended. Right. But like, watching re. Watching it, actually I felt bad for Carmen because they both are missing something. Obviously, it's from her, but when she said that piece, I think she said, was I the best mother? I was the best mother that I could be. Like, it was still that lack of accountability of her being like. Like, you know, like, you know, I

[C]

know I missed things.

[A]

Yeah. I could have done better, you know, like, certain wording of certain things. Because she's kind of missing certain pieces. And then I feel like David's missing those pieces even more because she expected or wanted him to be more because she just kept saying, you're a man. So it's like she was already a woman of a different time with a different mindset and a lot of those failures. So then having to try to which she hadn't reconciled. So to help him through life already was not working. So now he's in this thing where he wants his eye color changed.

[C]

Yeah. So let's. Before we jump in there. So we meet him and his apartment is in bad shape.

[B]

Fifth geek style.

[C]

I mean, there's a lot of B roll of his stovetop, his bathroom, his bed. Like, it just. He's not in good shape as a gay. Mm.

[B]

I was. I was shocked.

[C]

Shocked to see that it's the hand on your chest.

[B]

I was shocked to see that, number one, you're filming.

[C]

Right. That.

[A]

I just wouldn't have expected that either, too.

[B]

I cannot. I. I can't tell that story.

[C]

But that book show.

[A]

Right, right, right. Friend. I know. Yeah.

[C]

But, you know, that went to show that something's going. Something's wrong, that there's a deep seated problem here. He shares with us that he wants to feel different. He said, I'm tired of feeling sad because if I feel sad one more day, I don't know if I'm gonna make it now.

[B]

See? Yeah.

[C]

And he shares how he's just been in this cycle of depression and grief and sadness that he cannot seem to get out of. He kind of. Yeah. He shares a little bit about sexual abuse. He shares about the struggles with his mom not being there. His father wasn't around. Apparently his mom was working. She even shared later in the doc, she was making $2.35 or 30 cents an hour trying to raise these children by herself with no help, you know, and how things were just so challenging for her. She was also being abused, you know, and that actually reminded me so much of. Of stories my mom had shared of when she was cleaning offices and she had, you know, first come to the States and how it's very true, especially when you're an immigrant, how the men take advantage, you know, and that happens to everyone but immigrants especially, because they know that you probably don't have a lot of family here. You can't advocate for yourself, don't speak the language. Right. And so just very predatory. And that reminded me of those experiences. Experiences that she shared, but she just was sharing, like, she just had so much Going on. She fell into the streets just trying to support her family. So obviously we start seeing this sort of generational trauma and cycles coming in. So that's why I was saying that this caught me off guard because I'm like, oh, wait, this is not about eyes.

[A]

Right.

[C]

This is not about this eye color surgery.

[B]

I struggle with elders and people who are older than me sharing stories like that and then not following them up with. So because of all of that, it's so important for me to right my wrongs today. You know what I'm saying? When those stories are offered up as simply an explanation and with a view toward shutting down any corrective speech or whatever. I hate that personally, how much, you know. And I don't jig with older people that do that. You know what I'm saying? You don't get to just be an asshole because life was fucked up.

[C]

Up.

[B]

You were fucked up to me.

[C]

Right.

[B]

You know, and so. So why should I cater to your experience when you're a horrible part of mine? I can't get with that personally. So that's when I'm out the conversation, when I start hearing that kind of talk. Because the next thing, we're gonna move to a level of disrespect, you know, And I don't want to take it there. So I just. That's when I know we ain't got no business talking no more.

[C]

And it's a lot of de centering that happens in those conversations, which I saw it happen several times in this doc. But also, I know that we as people have experienced that where you're trying to share how you feel about the parenting, how are you growing up, or experiences that you've had. And they, like you said, will go into their story.

[A]

You don't know what I went through.

[C]

Yeah. Descend to you in that moment. And do you notice? Because I noticed this so strongly in this doc, there's like a blankness that goes over their face when they're just completely gone. It's like, into their narrative and they have forgotten that you were talking what we were talking about, what we were talking about. Then their story goes into every twist and turn. And then you're sitting there like, wow, you completely are disregarding the fact that I came to you.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you're the one who was wrong.

[C]

And you're the one who was wrong. And that never comes up. And that's. I think it's what a lot of us feel very challenged trying to have conversations with our elders or family members. That glossiness that goes on their eye. Kills me every time. And we saw it so many times in this documentary, so clearly, have some

[B]

humility when you give a fuck.

[C]

And he kept saying, right, I just want to be acknowledged. I want to be seen. And you see how many times his mom won't see him.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So clearly we've seen where a lot

[B]

of times hijacking the conversation and shit. The way that she does. My thing is, you're gonna see you

[C]

with those eyes and a lot of lying. Remember when he was like, you call me the F word?

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And she said, no, I don't. And I was like, girl, now, you know, I don't even know you.

[A]

We weren't even there. We know you did.

[B]

Like, and then talking about. She supported him being a female impersonator.

[C]

Right.

[B]

I bet that was a good thing.

[C]

She was a great impersonator.

[B]

Yeah, right. Like, what?

[C]

So you supported as entertainment, but not as my life.

[B]

I told y', all, I'm never gonna be the uncomfortable person in the room again. Never. When it comes to any of that. Gay. None of that. So the assumption that people have where they feel like they can just prioritize their abhorrence of homosexuality over anything else, that's deemed a sin to those that deem it that way. It ain't flying over here, anyone, regardless of who. I hate hearing that shit. I hate hearing people talk like that. What the fuck makes you. You have the nerve, right, to assume such a haughty, arrogant positioning and think that it's up to you to say, well, since you like that. No, because you and I get to cheek and no, fuck you and that.

[C]

Yeah. And remember when she said to him, just because I can't accept everything, remember that line? It don't mean I don't love you. I'm doing the best I can, Mom.

[B]

And my thing is, you want to play them games, and something is wrong with me because I'm gay. Well, some. Well. And I'm not talking about my parents. I'm speaking about a parent saying this to their gay kid. Right. I'd just be like, well, something wrong with you because you had a gay child. So what's our soul? What you got?

[A]

You know what I'm saying?

[B]

Like, you had a gay kid. God don't like you either. You had a gay child. What's wrong with. With you? You know what I'm saying? Like, you got to think about it like that, right?

[C]

But we see, you know, through his apartment, through the sadness that he's expressing, through his relationship with his mom. He's just really unhappy. And we see him obsessively looking online for cosmetic surgeries, eye changing colors, color surgery. And. And he's obsessively watching this. He's, like, driving Uber, right? Watching it while he's waiting for the customer to get in the car. He's sitting, having lunch, watching it. He's in bed. And it was terrible because you see all these people in this. In. On this YouTube channel and a bunch of YouTube channels, right? Just sharing how this changed their life.

[A]

I have a note about one of those testimonials, please.

[B]

What? You knew one of the people? Yes.

[A]

Oh, the girl that. Oh, no, not in real life. Not personally. Not personally. That girl that they showed first, the Latin girl. She was on Bad Girls Club.

[B]

Wait, what? What? She's in the sun.

[A]

She was on, like, season. Like one of the newer. Okay, like. Yeah, like one of the seasons where we were kind of dope. So I remember. I don't wanna. I called it. I forgot what I used to call those seasons. It was like the dead seasons. Low key. That's what I called it. Because, like, the show was over, but we still gonna watch to see what's going on. And she was one of those girls, and I only remembered her because she was one of those girls everyone kept trying to pick on. And I was like, y' all know when y' all do this, y' all make this girl hotter than she's supposed to be. And she then became that. So I. Watching.

[C]

Did she?

[A]

No, she. She didn't have them. She didn't have them, so I didn't. So I don't know if maybe they thought she was famous enough to promote the Eyes. So I was like, did they catch her from Bad Girls Club? And they were like, oh, this will be a great marketing tool. So I was having my own internal weird moment when I saw her come up on the screen.

[C]

I cannot. We're watching this YouTube channel, right? And it kind of reminds you of just like the echo chamber that the Internet is, right where you are feeling these things, and then you can find other people feeling these things. And it kind of just amplifies everything that you're experiencing and makes you feel like, okay, there's so many of us. Like, I need to do something about it. So he finds this company called Bright ocular. That's the YouTube channel. I guess I kept popping up for him, right? And I even was reading because apparently this documentary came out on south by Southwest festival Circuit back in 2023. That's where it, like first premiered. And I found a couple of bloggers that attended back in 2023. So come on. Right. I was able to actually the film critic and author I found, her name is Connie Wilson. She has a website called Weekly Wilson. So she was there, right? Weekly Wilson, she was there. And she wrote this blog post about attending it back then. And she said that Liza initially was just doing research on filters and apps, you know, and the way that we lean into apps, changing our appearance. And through doing research, this bright ocular company popped up for her, similar to the way it popped up for David. And she contacted Bright Ocular at the time to ask if she could do a documentary about the process of the eye color change. Apparently they were very positive in their response, but nothing ever materialized. So that's where she kind of tapped into the forums, the Reddit, you know, the. The areas where people were discussing their experience who did have. Exactly. Who did have an experience. I guess she figured, if I can't get the company themselves, I'll get people that are on the road to this and get the process through their eyes, literally and figuratively. Yeah. So that's how she came in touch with David and followed his process.

[B]

So David, you know, he answered the email.

[C]

Hello. So the way that Bright Ocular works is that you can write a letter to them, kind of like a make a wish foundation, right? Where you tell them, these are the struggles I'm going through. I can't afford this. I can't afford this any other way, but I really need the surgery. He wrote all his life story and someone named Spencer, which. Spencer, right? No, but you know what's crazy? As I was looking at the bright ocular YouTube, because it's still up, what with all these videos, y', all, even in the doc, when they were shooting the promo videos, those exact videos are in. This is kind of crazy to watch, you know, the shot where he's doing the push ups on the steps. Oh. Anyway, so.

[A]

Damn.

[C]

Right. So even if you go back on their YouTube, you can go back 10, 12 plus years and people are speaking about this Spencer person, which is eerie. Right? Because you know, it's not a person, but anyway, it's probably just a signature to their email.

[A]

What?

[C]

So this Spencer person writes David back and says, oh my God, you're perfect for this. We absolutely want to fly you out. All accommodations covered, surgery covered. You. You got it. Like, we'll happily do this for you. We hope to help you. We hope that we can change your life and be a part of this transformation you're looking for. Of course he's flipping out, right?

[B]

Jumping.

[C]

He's like, my life's about to change. He flies out to India.

[A]

He did the split.

[C]

Remember when he bought his. His little salmon outfit?

[A]

His. His eye reveal. His eye color reveal outfit.

[C]

His. He says, David, yeah, his eye. His eye reveal outfit. And it's a salmon curta. I was trying to find what the proper term for it was. And he was saying that he felt like an Indian prince in it. Remember he wore it and was walking through the streets and people were like, shaking his hand. He's like bowing and just feeling so alive, so excited at the opportunities that this.

[B]

I want to see the second camera because I want to see what happened after he walked past. That's what I want to see.

[C]

And he knows the scene that killed me. Y' all saw when he was. Well, yes, but when he was on the rooftop, he's like, I love you, India. And he's like, I'm changing. This is my new beginning. And then the camera pants and there's a guy in a hoodie on the roof staring at him like, shut the fuck up.

[A]

But that, you know, is so sad though, like, to your point of like, you know, him sending that letter, like, everything before that, that we had watched was so, like, damn. Like, people want to. People want to change. People want to be seen, People want to be felt. And he really thought that this was gonna be that thing. Like, it was so weird to watch him watch those. Those. That early YouTube video when it was like the most attractive thing. These are most attractive traits. The eyes, the window to the soul. And so, like, I'm sure that that was a, you know, the longer video of all the things. But for him to have set on the eyes and just been so obsessed with the eyes and becoming tranced with that, it's just like, bro, like, I know that you. I just wonder what that connection was from the trauma he had.

[B]

Well, he said it. Remember? He said that he was darker than all of the rest of his siblings and that he was dealt. He dealt with extreme, like, colorism and racism, judgment and bullying.

[C]

I remember his dad, the mom showed a picture of his supposed. Supposed. I'm gonna say that, dad. And he was like a light eyed, green eye.

[B]

I ain't trying to disrespect this lady,

[C]

but he was a green eyed. A light green eyed dude. So that could be part of.

[A]

That's literally what it was. Because I kept trying to rem. Like, why. Like, why is it the eyes like, why is that the thing that he said on. Because everybody had a reason for wanting to do their eyes, but for him. But you're right, that piece about the dad, I forgot because. Never mind. It wasn't funny. It really was like, damn. Like, this is crazy and this is up. And it made me cry when he was reading that testimonial because when he was dumping all of his. The things that happened to him, you know, I'm biracial and I've dealt with a lot of racism and all this other stuff and I was just like, damn. Like, sir, I too want to be seen as well, but this is just not it. Well, to me, when I seen them needles in the eye, I just really was like, this is not it.

[B]

It just reflected deep seated insecurity. Flat out. At the end of the day, if you think that changing your eye color is going to change the way that people in the world receive you or you have a more positive experience, it just. First of all, that's inaccurate, Right. Second of all, it reflects deep, deep seated insecurities. He was not an ugly man.

[C]

He wasn't.

[B]

He's not. He's not an ugly man. He's. And I'm gay. I know a gay people, you know, in different communities. Like, he can get his way in certain spaces. You know what I'm saying? People will be attracted to him.

[A]

You saw his friend that was taking his pictures. I was like, oh, okay, look at them. Sitting all close on the couch.

[B]

He tried to take all his pictures.

[C]

And you know what? That was another layer I wanted to tap into too, right? No, the layer of like. No. How gay men are so obsessive with appearance. Right. And weights.

[B]

Thank you.

[C]

And weights. I remember Sante showing me in the apps the no fats, no femmes, and just how serious people were about that and how serious people are about their workout regimens and how who has abs and who doesn't, right? So I'm sure he's dealing with that then. He's dealing with the color in Miami in my. Oh, my God, in Miami. Then you have the colorism where he said growing up he was the darkest in his family. Imagine being a child growing up and being told that you're ugly or your hair is bad, you know, and you seeing your family. Not to mention media. Let's talk about media. Who are you seeing the magazines? Who are the people being highlighted as the leads in movies? What are the dark skinned people being highlighted as? There's just so many levels to how he was being consumed yeah. You know.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And so this is terrible to see what it has done to him because now he is willing to put himself in a position with an unregulated, non FDA approved, even though I don't even know if FDA approval means anything now.

[A]

Right.

[C]

But.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I'm still stuck on the person from India being named Spencer.

[C]

That part or the fact that Brad Ocular doesn't have an office. That was funny when you remember the manager from Spectra. Spectra is the actual center where they do the eye surgery in India. The manager said that she's never spoken to anyone from Bright Ocular. She's never met anyone from Bright Ocular. And all communications have strictly been via email. And there's a scene where David and the other people that are having the surgery, they discuss this. They're like, it is kind of weird, huh? And in my mind, I'm like wanting to shake all of them because.

[B]

So you're gonna let this. The boogeyman cut your eye in half? Like that don't even make sense. Somebody that you don't know, never met, never seen that, never seen that. There's no building, no office, no consultation.

[A]

Right.

[C]

And then manic. But that's why how you say, I

[B]

don't know, is a way to say

[C]

Manahim, who's one of the guys from there, he was like, what are y' all looking for? You know, y' all been watching movies, you expect some representative from the Matrix to come, hello, I'm from Bright Ocular. And in my mind I was like, bro, yes, literally.

[A]

But then they were all trying to make themselves come about being like, oh, well, we did do all those. Those evaluations, like, the examinations, they're like, yeah.

[C]

Which meant nothing, Right. Because everyone was approved.

[A]

And when they were. Well, you know what? I almost halfway trusted the value examinations because when they were telling old boy

[C]

Fumia, I believe Fumiya from Japan.

[A]

Yeah. When they was telling him, they were like, he might not be a good candidate for this. I was.

[C]

But he still was.

[A]

Well, I felt bad. I also felt bad for him because I also was like, he's like, he needs a translator. Like, and then it was like, oh, yeah, I'll tell somebody to explain it to you.

[B]

All right.

[A]

And my mom, you know, so to watch him go through this, like, it was very, like, it was kind of scary to see his character. I was like, damn. Like, he really is just on a whim, doing some.

[B]

Just out in the world. You know what I'm saying?

[A]

Jasmine, she knew she was doing this, but I'm not gonna try to. Yeah. But, like, you know, there were people that were sure about this, like, David was. But it was kind of scary. Even when the other girl was sitting with. There with the doctor. I'm sorry.

[C]

No, it's fine.

[A]

No, when the other girl was sitting there with the doctor. Because y' all had told me this when we. Y' all watched when that doctor, he was like, oh, I don't have. The girl was like, oh, would you get this done? And he was like, no, I don't have a need to get this done. And she was like, well, would you if you had a daughter? I don't have a daughter. And he was like, I don't recommend doing this, but if you want to do it, go ahead, do it. It's your life. But it was crazy because he was the one that was vetting whether or not they should do this, but asked if he would do it himself personally. He was like, hell to the. He was really like, hell to the. No.

[C]

But there was a lot of. It was a condescending tone as well.

[A]

Very like, you're stupid for doing everybody, right? They're like, you're dumb enough to do this. Just do it.

[C]

He kept calling it fashion. And then he was like, is you're doing it for fashion? You know why? Notice no one in the office had this eye color. Not one of them.

[B]

The reason that they were no one was indeed to those people was because they think those people. People are crazy.

[C]

Oh, absolutely.

[A]

So, like, that's a cash grab for them. Yeah. Yep.

[B]

They like. Y' all really gonna let us cut half your eye off? Okay.

[C]

But the manager said it, remember? She was like, people or. I don't know if it was. The manager might have been one of the other women that worked there, but she was like, they are hoping that this changes how they're perceived so they know that it's for them. It's silly, right? They're viewing it as a silly thing that tourists come to do, and they have no. When they were gaslighting Izzy, Right. Izzy was one of the young ladies who got it done. They nicked the silicone that they were implanting over her iris. It clearly was nicked, right?

[A]

Yeah. Because when they showed it, I was

[C]

cold, and so we made a mistake. They. What shocked me, though, was how quickly he came up with the lie. Like, it was on the spot. She was like, it's nicked. He was like, no, we do it. That was deliberate. It. Right. It's a case by case situation where we did it to Relieve your eye pressures for your benefit. And they kept telling her, don't worry, don't worry.

[B]

It's for you, for your benefit. Part is a. Is the first red flag. Second of all, he was able to lie on the spot like that because they probably make that mistake all the time. Regularly, regularly.

[A]

And you know what it is? It's one of those things where, hey, this isn't a legitimate surgery. But, like, when they injected it. It into old boy's eye, I saw, like, that little fold in his, too. And I feel like that's part of, like, how it is. But hers probably came out a little bit more, and hers was also, like, faced outward. So instead of them just being like, oh, you know, with every, you know, injection, there's some sort of, you know what? No, they inject that shit all the way in there. I didn't like it when you. You want to talk about an invasive surgery. I. Oh, my God.

[C]

But here's the thing. No, I know. Even, like, so he gets there. He's about to have the surgery. Here's what really blew me. First of all, everyone was people of color, right? Second thing, when they went to surgery.

[B]

Oh, yeah, the pilot is black.

[C]

But you know what made Dustin Ross, you know what made me feel sad for him? You saw when he was like, oh, all of y' all are exotic. He tell them all, y' all are exotic. And when they were asking, what eye color are you getting? They were all getting the same eye color. You notice he lied and said he was getting it, too. Just that wanting to belong.

[B]

That's. And that's the problem. And don't get me started, because we're going to have the bed writing conversation all over again. But that's the problem with a lot of these people who. Their whole life is built around existing online.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Online. You got to get off that fucking computer and get out into the world doing things, especially if you hate your family, you really need to be out in the world seeking community elsewhere and not in digital spaces where it's a bunch of people who are just like you and who are posturing to be different. Yeah. Like, and it gets so deep that now you got motherfuckers doing shit. Like. And like, you said, great point, Fran, him saying, oh, yeah, me too. And that wasn't even what his choice was.

[C]

We knew he'd been saying this 3G frost gray the whole time. Right. And it made me so sad because he just looked like such a little boy being like, oh, yeah, that's the color I was Getting too, you know. Mind you, this is a 50 year old person.

[B]

I wanted to pop him. I wanted to take my hand and be like, stop that.

[C]

And then last color.

[A]

That's how his mama be treating him, right.

[C]

I've been thinking about the frost gray and just, you know, even when they were sitting around and the rest of the people were discussing like, what other procedures they've gotten done, did you see how like he's just sitting there looking? So she was like, that's why you're so nervous.

[B]

It's your first one, right?

[C]

Just so overstimulated.

[B]

And I've been like, I hope you go blind, Dustin Ron, when she said that to me, it's your first one. I hope you go, nevermind.

[A]

Meanwhile, in my mind, when I saw what happened at the end, and I won't say it, I thought to myself, like, for her, this is for her and this is for her.

[C]

So once they are showing the cast of people getting this, the surgery, you start seeing that something is wrong with everyone. I mean, granted, something is wrong with all of us, period.

[A]

Right.

[C]

But they just, all of them were discussing their trauma and this idea of needing to do something drastic to change as some kind of marker, right. Of a before and after. There's this like desperation to just be someone else. And all of them as. Yeah, as they were discussing their reasoning for all the procedures they've had done, they all discussed really traumatizing experiences they had growing up with Izzy. She's from New Delhi. We see that she had a lot of issues culturally, a lot of issues with her religion, a lot of issues with abuse and control and, you know, just really struggling through these oppressed. Through an oppressive childhood that she shared and just wanting to. She's also a single mom who had a child young, which makes her decision

[B]

even more crazy to me, but go ahead.

[C]

Right. We met Jasmine from Jamaica, who also shared about a very traumatizing childhood. She had a ton of surgery. She had her breasts, she had her nose. She was getting pamphlets. I know. And then we had Menekim, who he just was like, I'm an underwear model at the clubs.

[B]

I respected that person.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Like finally, you know what I'm saying?

[C]

Right. He's just trying to do it for vanity. But we also don't really know his story. You know, it's not that he was really as open.

[B]

I wouldn't have told mine either, would y'?

[A]

All?

[B]

Or am I wrong? Cause I don't.

[A]

I told him.

[C]

I mean, if I'm participating in a document, right?

[B]

I still would have thought I'd have been like, I'm just into it.

[C]

Like, I mean, I wouldn't have. We wouldn't have been there.

[B]

But yeah.

[C]

And then there's Maurice, who was from the U. S. I was trying to get read. I was like, what? From where? Like, because the. The perm.

[A]

I didn't understand at first.

[C]

I thought he was Brazilian, I'm not gonna lie. But then he said, he's from the U. S. I was waiting for him to say something. I was like, wait, I know that accent. But no, he's not. But everyone just. Everyone just had a lot of things going on. And Izzy, remember, she meets with the spiritual practitioner before the surgery, and she tells her, you know, I am here to get this eye surgery. I just need change. Like, I've been through a lot and I need something to change. And the practitioner tells her, sometimes you have to understand that your physical body is a radiation of your inner self. And when you work just on the physical body and not on your inner self, it's not going to show much of a change. The karma will catch up to you if you don't work on it.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Real talk.

[A]

Doing stuff like this in her last life, and she's going to keep doing it until she learns the lessons she needs to learn, right?

[C]

And I, you know, me, I started looking up, like, the psychology of cosmetic surgery and, like, body trends, like body modifications, right? And there was a website called mental health.com that had a lot of psychologists that write blog posts, and they were saying that a lot of people who have really traumatized child childhoods, they tend to do this, right? They tend to get a lot of tattoos or they'll change their hair a lot, or they need to create a marker of some sort of, like the before and after, right? Trying to disassociate. They said that the only part that can be dangerous with that is that it's a fleeting feeling, right? And then you. You need to get it again. And then you need to get it again. Which kind of fits with Izzy. She's getting all this work done. She. This is what, like her fourth procedure. Then they were talking about, I want to get my teeth done, and nothing satisfied, right? But they never. It seems like they don't take the time to sit with the inner work, facing where the discomfort is actually coming from, and trying to get the proper help to get to the root of it, right? As opposed to these modifications that, as we see and as that article said on mental health.com, that can be Very fleeting.

[B]

So this is sad fillers.

[A]

She said she wanted her titties done. She just wanted them to have that fake boob look. I was like, so you already got the boobs, but you still need to look. So, I mean, what's Kristi Gnome feels like, damn.

[C]

No, you know What? And even Dr. Siraj, because it was Izzy who was asking him, would you get this done? If you had a sister, would you let her do it? Even with him saying, no, daughter, he

[B]

was like, you still did it.

[C]

She still did it. And that just told me so much, you know? And even in the in later on, when they were showing that people were having complications, she literally said, I'm not getting them taken off.

[A]

Yep. And so what Destin was saying earlier about her going blind, like, in my mind, I'm like, she's literally gonna go blind and she's gonna be okay with that. She'll be like, at least people can see.

[C]

Like, if I can see me with the producer. At the south by Southwest premiere. She didn't say names, maybe to protect their identities and obviously their right to privacy. But she said that some of the. That David was one of the smarter ones because as soon as they told him he was having complication, he got them removed relatively quickly. Right. He didn't play with that. Whereas other people, she said in the article, did not do that. They refused to remove it. Of course, I thought it. Izzy. I don't know if that's what she was referring to, but she did say some people have gone blind since.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[C]

Some people have had to have cornea transplants and that. It's just been really, really bad.

[A]

That's.

[B]

That is.

[C]

And I was trying to find the people. Right. And you literally can't. I couldn't find them on social media. I couldn't find if they did any updates on YouTube. David is the only one that is still vocal. You can see him on Tik Tok. He goes by King David Caterpillar on TikTok, and he is very vocal.

[A]

He gotta. They using his likeness. He gotta take it. Right. Take some of it. So.

[C]

Absolutely. I even saw him on Reddit. He popped up when I was doing my research in the forums, he popped up.

[B]

Was he doing cameos now?

[C]

No. He goes under like, okay, Jaguar on Reddit. And he was basically just responding to people's questions where they were like, why the did he do this? What? You know what he say?

[B]

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[C]

So the first trauma of the experience is that when they go to put in the transplant, they put in the wrong color. He's been asking for this 3G frost gray. And they actually put the jade green. And the reason they did it is because when you go into the suite, because it was a sweet child that looked like the suite that my braider, when she stopped braiding at home and finally elevated and got her suite, it looked like that.

[A]

But one of them ones, they have enough to get their own suite. So they sharing. So there's two chairs in there. Cause watching the side by side side transfers, I was like, this is unbelievable.

[C]

Can we talk about the fact the doctors had on Nike slides with their feet out?

[B]

Yep.

[C]

Did y' all peep? Did y' all peep that there was a garbage can next to the bed?

[A]

A regular ass? Yep.

[B]

And a bunch of my old boy felt right at home.

[C]

You know what?

[B]

It's trash on the bed.

[C]

The fact that one of the doctors was sifting through a folder with files over his head that there was another body, what, a couple inches away from him getting the surgery. There was like three people.

[A]

And I couldn't even get sedated for this.

[C]

And then. And there was no sedation child.

[B]

There's no way.

[C]

The fact that he was like yelling it y' all when he was like, please sedate me, Please sedate me. And they were being aggressive, ignoring his eye.

[A]

They were all very, look at the light.

[C]

Look at the light.

[A]

No, no, nobody. Everybody maybe was professional to a degree, if you want to use that. But nobody had good bedside manner to any degree. Like, it was just like, nobody's trying to even work with you. Everyone's kind of just like, just take

[C]

it took it from you.

[B]

They had no good bedside manner because there was no room on the side of the bed. The way they had the people stacked up in that suite like that. This was so unprofessional. Very akin to and reminiscent of the young lady we discussed either last week or week before who had the valeres.

[C]

Right, right, right.

[B]

Same thing. Did they put these pictures on Facebook? You know, do your thing. I'm a person who is not opposed to cosmetic surgeries. I think people should do whatever they want to do with their body. But when it's rooted in a hope or a wish for the future to feel different, you need to be aware that you are in the same body, you're the same person. You can change, like, your body or whatever, but it's the inner which is going to make you feel differently about the new outer changes that you make. So although I'm not going to get my eyes julienned, you know what I'm saying? Hey, if that's your thing and you're going to an actual medically approved, you know what I'm saying?

[C]

Tiny, who still has her eyes all these years later, you know what? There's actually, actually. Because I thought about it, I was like, does she still have it? I went to look too.

[B]

Her daughter got hers removed because Zanique had them too. But she experienced complications. And when it got them taken out, Tiny didn't have those complications. I think she went to Africa, though. She went over to Africa to get hers done. And she said when she got to the hotel where they had all the patients staying at, she said it was just a bunch of people with all these beautiful eyes walking around.

[C]

You know what?

[B]

See?

[A]

And she said that. But you know what? That's real. Like, it's like, look at David and them's experience. And like, them, nobody else, they just. The only person that they bumped into was Jasmine. And it was like, damn, this is weird. That ain't nobody, ain't nobody to notice. Y' all are like, oh, these are the eye people. And like, oh, yeah, because you know, when they. Okay, so the term medical tourism, like, I loved hearing that term because it's such a real thing, right? Like, I love watching the tick tock videos of, like, this is me going

[C]

out here to Turkey for the hair implants.

[A]

Now the men go out of Turkey

[C]

for the hair, Colombia for teeth, Mexico for dental work.

[A]

I mean, listen, I would go to any of those ventures, right? So it's like. Like you're saying, like Dustin said, we're not knocking people that get those things done. To your other point, Dustin, like, I agree with you. This is one of those things where you have to have that inner before the outer. But also these people, it's just a step. And they all felt like this was the step that they needed to take those other steps. And it's just sad that this was one of those things where, like, nobody was noticing any of the signs or there were signs and everybody ignored them either, because they just knew that they needed that step, which I think is just True for all of them. Right. Like, they just, they just knew that they needed that step because even old girl Izzy, to the end, she was like, I still, you know, I'm living my life. But for the rest of them, they. They had that step. Some of them got. They all got it removed because they were able to experience whatever they needed to experience. But they still have work to do. So hopefully David has seen this piece with his mom and has done some of that work.

[C]

But also this could be part, hopefully is part of the process for them. Right. Where they, like with David. Because obviously we don't know what happened with the rest of the cast, but with David, we do see at the end, he was really willing to get them removed immediately. It kind of opened his eyes. There's no other way to say it. As soon as I said it, it opened him up right. To realizing that that happiness he felt with the eyes was a decision.

[A]

Right.

[C]

And I really appreciated how simple when he said that because it's like it was a decision to feel this way, as a decision to want to feel this way, to do something to do. That's a beautiful moment. Yeah. And so I do feel, and even in. I saw that he's now an emt, he's like living his best life in Brooklyn. He looks really good, like he's taking care of himself. And so I believe, hopefully that there was a transition, maybe even all the opportunities at this documentary. You know, he still did get to travel the world. He's on the films festival circuit. I'm sure he's been able to do

[B]

a lot since Drag Race.

[C]

They asked him why his mom wasn't at the south by festival, and he said to avoid drama was his response. So clearly he's working on his boundaries, you know, so hopefully.

[B]

I thought he was gonna say, I hate her, but I'll take that too, you know what I'm saying?

[C]

But on mental health.com they said in a world that often feels unpredictable, altering one's appearance can serve as a way to reclaim ownership of the self.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

For individuals who have experienced trauma, rejection, or emotional chaos, cosmetic procedures may represent a form of control, something tangible that they can direct. Right. Which makes sense when you think about it in that way, they said. This drive for control, however, can become compulsive when change is pursued in response to pain rather than purpose. The sense of mastery may be fleeting. Cosmetic surgery cannot resolve the deeper emotional wounds that often fuel this desire for transformation. And they call it a short term strategy. And it does become this sort of Illusion of progress. Right? That's all I kept thinking. And that's the sad part. And they, like they said in this article, it's fleeting. They're just on to the next. I was looking to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. I looked up to see their thoughts on this.

[B]

What did they say? They wrote a descent.

[C]

So these are called iris implants. And they explain that the silicone discs are inserted over the natural iris. So this placement, like the doctor that spoke to David later on said, it's unnatural. And the issue that happens is that it's blocking your eyes. Natural drainage. Think of the fluids in your eyes. It needs a space to drain. And when you're putting a silicone, a piece of silicone over your iris, there's no room for it. That's where that pressure that the doctor kept talking about. Oh, you may feel pressure. You will feel pressure. It's not a. You may. As he kept telling him, just make sure you go get it checked up. Remember, he told David, it's a silent killer. Just go. Every two to three months, imagine a

[A]

damn contact lens in your eye permanently. And that shit dries out or hardens or. And it's, oh, oh, my God.

[C]

But you know what's so crazy? There's another. There's another procedure now that apparently is really popular, and it's called caroto pigmentation. And it's similar. But instead of injecting that silicone implant that they did, that we watched them do, they inject dye?

[A]

Because what if it bleeds into you?

[C]

They're injecting dye. There's this place in New york called Corrado NYC. Their YouTube channel popped up and I saw all these people.

[A]

But how?

[C]

I mean, I saw a dude just like a month ago. If you type it in, you'll see, he'll pop right up. And I was like, not a month

[B]

ago, what if it goes beyond, like, what if it goes into the white of your eyeball? Right, Hazel.

[C]

And they said it. So they're injecting, injecting payment pigment. So apparently there's a laser that creates a tunnel.

[B]

Really?

[C]

And this laser creates the tunnel in the cornea. And that's where they insert the dye. And then there's also a third one called laser depigmentation, or it's called stroma, apparently. And that one is where they have a laser that's destroys the pigment of your eye to then show the blue underneath.

[A]

See? See if these procedures.

[C]

I got all this from the American Academy of Ophthalmology because they're warning people about this, you know.

[A]

You know, some of these procedures. I guess there is good that there is technology to be that invasive, you know, just in case there's like, cancer or other things. But this is like, I just draw the line. For me personally, it's just too much for me, it's just so harmful.

[C]

You get glaucoma. I saw them saying, this creates glaucoma. This creates cataracts. Mind you, these are young people. Glaucoma and cataracts. You hear that with the elderly, you know, and usually it's the elderly that haven't been taking the best care, you know, it's like. It's just.

[B]

It's too risky. It's too risky flat out. And the first risk you need to be concerned with is going fucking blind.

[C]

Right?

[B]

You know what I'm saying? Like, if you're blessed with sight and you can see, that's something that you take care of, you know, it's one of your five fucking senses. So you don't gamble with that.

[C]

Kills me. They said the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the AAO advises that the only safe way to change eye color is with specialized contacts, contact lenses prescribed by an eye doctor. Doctor. They're like, stick to the basics, kid. Like, that's all you gotta do, you know?

[B]

Well, I ain't doing it. I can tell you that right now. I am.

[C]

And when they made the mistake, they would. You see how they were gaslighting him instead of saying, we made a mistake, they were like, it's beautiful. Like, you'll be fine. Let's just put the other one then. They even told him we could switch it out. We could put his eye back in yours and yours back in his. Thank God that they were smart enough to say that. That was gross. I was so confident, concerned in that moment. Because if they went as far as getting this in the first place, I didn't know if it was going to be a reason to be willing to swap it.

[B]

Where. Where is the line here? You know what I'm saying?

[C]

But they both said, no, thank God. And so they stuck to the colors that they got. I'm not going to lie. All the colors were terrible, but I

[B]

thought it was better than the ice frost.

[C]

I can't lie. I was like, buddy, this was a good mistake.

[B]

You finna be looking like Storm. You might as well. You need to go on and get that.

[A]

Yeah, it looked better, y' all not. You was on the. The doctor's side that time. She was like, why Are you complaining? I was like. Like, it's the wrong color in my eyes. And that's a gay man.

[C]

Because it was free, too. I feel like they low key was

[B]

like, bitch, you should be grateful. Yeah.

[A]

He had the nerve in the other room. Talk shit about shit. If it is, I want my money back. I was like, bitch, you ain't getting no money back.

[C]

I want a refund.

[B]

I was like, of what?

[A]

Like, girl, you'd be lucky to make it home after this bullshit.

[C]

But what about when they did the montage of everyone's eyes? They looked crazy.

[A]

I wasn't with it.

[C]

That slow montage of everyone's after eyes

[B]

looking like Jennifer Hudson in Cats. Why does it touch me? It's so easy to see me.

[C]

It's easy. Such vampire in Brooklyn.

[A]

When they first pulled that bandage off

[C]

Jasmine's eye, But she was so happy. Did you see her? She literally couldn't contain.

[B]

She said it was gonna make her feel like. What did she say? A new. It's really. It's just about entering a new. What is she. What has she said? Remember?

[C]

But remember when Izzy saw her when she was sitting there and Izzy said, where you go? Like. Like, everything's gonna change or something like that?

[A]

They were like, oh, my God, I love it. Oh, my God, it looks so good.

[C]

What color did you get? Is that jade green? Frost three Dream Fast gray. I was like, this is but. And then you saw the elderly women sitting on the bench. I know they was looking like, what?

[B]

Like, you know they were reading by. You already know.

[C]

I know they was. I know they was sick. I just kept thinking I felt so bad.

[A]

Cause Jasmine, like, she did feel like she needed that. Like, after they played, how they edited that, like, the way they played out her story. I was like, this is so sad. But, like, unfortunately, and I hate to take it to this place. Right, friend? And I'll just be short, Dustin. I promise. On this past week of Real Housewives of Atlanta, K. Michelle, she talked about her butt implants and something happening. And I just felt so bad for her because that's something that she's gonna have to deal with for the rest of her life. And so, like, just these invasive surgeries with people just being so unhappy or feeling like they need to make those changes. It's so unfortunate that it's a change that you can make, but it doesn't necessarily dictate that, you know, the next steps are gonna be better. Because look at Kate Michelle, like, now she's doing better in so many other ways. But she starts to deal with that. So the other people, like, I hope they don't have to for the rest of their lives, even if they got them removed, deal with some sort of

[C]

other eye problems, complications.

[A]

Yeah. Has fed something up or.

[C]

Because even when he took them out, did you see his eyes? They just looked.

[A]

I tried looking the same. So I don't know if I. I don't know if I just couldn't see him the same, but his eyes did look kind of weird to me. It was like, did something happen or am I just like.

[C]

What was killing me was okay. So they all get the surgery. He decides to stick with the color. He is walking through the streets. Well, he ends up moving. Yeah, he's feeling good. He even his friend calls him and was like, I got an apartment for you. That was under $500. When he said that, I said, where?

[A]

Oh, well. Oh, well.

[B]

Well, he, he. But then when he pulled.

[C]

No, but when he was at the park in front of the project, because, you know, I was like, I sniffed that little park with them black iron.

[B]

The black iron gate, like, okay, now we finna see.

[C]

I said, oh, honey, you got a storm coming. And when he showed us that hallway with them beige bricks and that green door, my body froze too.

[B]

Because you know what that is?

[C]

PTSD is real. Do you hear me? I was just. My body hurt watching him in the hallway and he opened that door. First of all, I will say this, Fran is crazy. No, I will say this as someone from the projects. You are blessed to have an apartment because those apartments are not bad. I'm agreeing. Like they're spacious. You have a full bedroom, two bedroom, three bedrooms, kitchen. Like, it's a nice apartment. Obviously it's the conditions because they're not maintained. You know, it's. It's very bottom of the barrel in terms of how the area is kept because they don't care about facilities. The facilities. Right. There's no maintenance. So I was happy for him in that regard because it was an upgrade. Like project or not, that was a fucking upgrade. He had to. What was it, like a two bedroom or one bedroom? He had a whole ass apartment. He did a good job too, decorating it.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

You don't think so he had all the plans.

[B]

It's just funny because, you know, and

[C]

then the wall was missing. That whole wall was missing. But I was happy for him nonetheless when he was calling his friends outside like, I'm in New York. And then he was like, yeah, I got a rent stabilizer.

[A]

No, but it was it was. It was everything after that transition, right? Because before he went to New York, wasn't he riding down the highway playing

[C]

Whitney when he was driving from Florida to New York?

[A]

Like, him flying down the highway was. It was fun to see with them poor little dogs.

[C]

Every time they showed the dogs, they was like, how?

[B]

Because he taking them down there next.

[A]

Only if they pay for it. I thought it was so freeing just to see him have that moment and then back to, like, him getting to New York, like, watching him make those phone calls. It was just so fun hearing his friends like, oh, my God, you're back. Like, oh. And he's like, I have to see you. Come, come. And then him being like, oh, whatever

[B]

happened in the past, let's just bury the hatchet.

[A]

I was like, oh.

[C]

And he met with his best friend. And that part even made me sad because. Did you see when he was walking with his best friend and he. And she was like, you're my best friend. He was like, say it again. And then he told her, I just love to be wanted, you know? And it's just like, ugh. You just want to hug him the whole time. I just felt awful for him especially. And he talked about that. Maybe I'm cringe because I'm so needy, but, like, it is what it is, you know? And she.

[A]

Oh, go ahead. Sorry. Cause you're still talking about her. Go ahead.

[C]

No, his friend. And she was giving him advice because he was asking her about her transition and her process to really becoming actualized, you know, in the ways that she sees fit, in the ways that she hasn't allowed society to make her conform outside of what she sees herself as. And he was like, how do you do that? You know? And then think about it. That's what. All the loud noises of your family telling you you're ugly, of society having ads of people that don't look like you. How can you be yourself in a world that makes you feel like what you're seeing in the mirror is ugly and it's not acceptable, and it's not in alignment with the beauty standard.

[A]

And for her to even offer up the piece that the difference between me and you is that, you know, my family, like, we've had our differences, but there's always been. But for him, you couldn't see any of that. Like, what she mentioned, you already didn't see that at all with the relationship he had with Carmen. And it felt so. It felt right, but so, you know, morally wrong that she said, you know, not from what she Said, but just to see that he wasn't getting that love from his mom, you know?

[C]

Yeah. And I remember that part because when she was like, I have my sister and my mom and they love me, I remember my partner was like, well, damn, why are you saying it like that? Because she was like, your mom didn't love you.

[A]

Because it did come off really wrong. But like, after having witnessed it, it was like, damn. Like, you know, like, it's fucked up, but it's like, you see it. You. Like she's saying. Because they are best friends, like she's just saying what she saw, but. And hopefully he can receive it from her because he can't even see his mom as a human. Not even to be like, you know, like, oh, I forgive you. But to be like, oh, bitch, you're fucked up and I can't fuck with you. Like, you know, like, clearly I can't work with you. So. So he can't even just stop to say, like, he'd rather keep trying, keep trying, keep trying just to piss himself off, like, all right, mom, well, I gotta leave now and then go home and deal with all the other things that make him unhappy. And now this relationship with his mom that he knows he's gonna keep working on, even though it's not perfect, along with the other things that aren't perfect.

[B]

Personally, I don't believe in struggling with your adult relationships with your parents in that way, in a subordinate way.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I just don't. And appeasing to problematic and toxic, toxic takes from them just because those are your parents. I don't understand that personally.

[A]

Not even saying he needed to do that, but even to make a decision to.

[B]

I ain't really talking about him.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I'm talking about in general. In general, people, adult children of parents sometimes get caught up in this whole. Like, I have to learn how to deal with this toxicity or live around this toxicity that I get from my parent. When to me we can just be like, yo, I'm not playing into that. We just gonna respect each other. Otherwise we ain't gonna bang. You know what I'm saying? Cause I no longer have to appease any of that. I don't really give a fuck what you own as far as how you think I'm supposed to be doing anything. I don't care. So, like, either we gonna agree to disagree and exist in this space, but I'm never gonna try to convince you to accept or any of that. I'm grown.

[C]

I'm with you on that. When I watch documentaries or even reality tv. Reality tv, where I see how heavily people take their parents acceptance and their word. And I get. People are raised differently. There's religion, there's culture, there's all kinds of reasons why you feel stuck. But I always wonder what is it that makes certain children able to break out from under that, regardless of who it is? And other children just say, these are the cards I was dealt with. I just gotta like take it well,

[B]

you know, because mama wanted Mama only like, you know, because mama ain't gonna like that. Mama gonna be mad, right?

[C]

And then. And they're in their 40s and it's just like I've always, I've always struggled with that, honestly. Right. I've always struggled with that. But you know, people, because we struggle

[B]

with it, because you don't feel it, it doesn't mean that you have to be disrespectful, right? Or you have to be kind, confrontational. It just means that you. We're going to exist a certain way or else we're going to address what we got to address. Simple. What I'm not going to do is, is try to, like I said, appease or play a game of. Well, you know, we got to. I'm just not, I'm not supporting in that way. Yeah, I'm not.

[C]

So I'm with you on that. And it's hard because you see Carmen and this dog, even till the end, just not. She's just not a nourishing family member. Let's just say that it's not a nourishing parent. And it made me sad because I thought of that too, especially I grew up in a household where everyone did look different from me. Everyone was a lot whiter. I was raised by the Puerto Rican side and there were whiter straight hair, slim, you know, and then I had more of my Dominican Haitian coloring on my skin. My hair was, was natural and I had curves. And as you can imagine, there was a lot of strange messaging as a child about me not being attractive, me needing to change my hair and straighten it and you got to do this and not being in the sun, all of the things. And I wondered what is it that made me. Even as a kid, I just always had my hair natural. I just always was very accepting and even loving of what I look like. And my mom is. Because my mom didn't play into it. And I think that was a big piece of it. Right. Me and her have a ton of issues. But one thing I will say, she never ever she had me in African Dance. She was taking me back to Dr. And making sure I was, like, grounded and aware of all sides of the culture. She never played that whole, like, oh, you know, I know black papi. All the whatever. The shit that people make fun of with Dominicans, that just wasn't my experience. All my friends have always been black. You know, my experience was a black experience where I just happened to be Dominican. And so I think that's the difference, right? Like, there was that one person in my life, even if no one else was, who did give me the proper messaging. And maybe that's different. It's like there's some people that just don't have anyone. So you have society and culture, you have family, you have friends. There's just no one giving you the messaging then. Is that what makes someone more susceptible to.

[B]

No.

[C]

What do you think?

[B]

I struggle with that because I was gay, am gay. I'm gay.

[C]

I was going, really?

[B]

Yeah, yeah. I was like, wait a minute, let me put this appropriately on the track. But, yeah, but like, on some real shit, I grew up being gay and being told that it was wrong morally.

[C]

Scripture, from a religious standpoint, every.

[B]

And in addition to all the external factors outside of the religion, but just at school and the shit you hear about gay people and shit. There was nobody in my life at the time. Not that, like, my brother knows and like my sister, y'. All. Y' all know we. It ain't nothing but like, before I knew that they would be accepting like, that, I still felt like, how can I articulate this? I just felt a sense of survival. Like, my survival instincts made me always feel like I'm not going to be downtrodden and be ashamed of whatever the fuck. Once this comes out, that's it. You know what I'm saying? Like, I'm not going to be a downtrodden person just because nobody's telling me that I'm good enough right now. I believe I am. So, like, I'm going to fucking. They can kiss my ass. You know what I'm saying? To a certain extent. So I struggle with people who are like, well, nobody was telling me whatever. Ain't nobody tell me that. I had to tell myself, like, ain't nothing I can do about it.

[C]

But, I mean, we do know that. That everyone is different. Everyone receives messaging differently.

[B]

That's true.

[C]

Expresses differently. Some people are just. For whatever reason. It's like the people when we did documentaries about cults. Why are some people more susceptible to a cult leader and they're messaging than others? Where for us, as clear as day, fuck, no. But for someone else it's like, oh, see what he talking about? You know what I'm saying? And so. And it could be from the same family, because I've seen people from the same family, same family. Even though I think there's no such thing as being raised the same, right? Because your personality and your parents personality may not click the same way that you're sibling in their personality. So there's still going to be varying

[A]

experiences, but a lot of varying factors that go.

[C]

A lot of varying factors. But at the same time, I do see that there's just a difference in people, because I even see people that I know that got similar messaging to me and it really fucked with them. Like they're out here doing all kinds of modifications to align with being assimilated. You know, they're gonna assimilate to popular culture and the beauty standards. They're getting this done, they're getting that done. We see people bleaching their skin in the Caribbean all the time. Like the hair straightening, the rottenness, the white nicious.

[B]

What was it called? Was it white nicious?

[C]

That's what I'm saying. You know, even my mom, it took her. I think she was already in her 50s when she stopped getting relaxers. And a lot of it had to do with my success on YouTube where she literally was like, oh, this is cool.

[B]

You know what I mean?

[C]

It's a revolution, right? So it's like, you know, everyone kind of comes to it when they come to it. And I think that that's what we saw in the doc where David, in the end, thank God, there seemed to be a light starting to flicker in him because he did feel really good. Like we saw him dating, he was like kissing out on the streets dancing. And it was funny seeing the pandemic too. I wondered if when this was shot, like, are they gonna include that? But yeah, he's in the pandemic dancing. And he really said, I feel seen now. I feel acknowledged, I feel accepted. I feel beautiful. Like, I did hate the scenes where they had the people I felt were staged. Your eyes are beautiful 100%.

[B]

Well, he loves a health risk, right? He loves a health risk. He went over there to get them eyes done, then they show him dancing in the pandemic. He loves a health risk that David, I don't know, I just was speaking more towards like the anger piece a lot. And this is so not healthy, right? But like a lot of like the anger at the audacity of people Feeling like they were able to determine my worth has always fueled me personally. So, like, the fact that you. The fact that you are being adversarial towards me over something I can't change pisses me off and makes me want to spite you. You know what I'm saying? In whatever way that I can. And I know a few other people that think like that, but y', all, right, Everybody's different. You know what I'm saying? And it just shows up different, differently. Like, yeah, it's just something about the anger for me personally, that must be like.

[C]

Like, see, I looked at the. I looked at the. I remember being younger and looking at my grandmother and how she talked to my mom, and that's when you kind of start seeing that. Like, oh, my. My grandma was a. What they call an almond mom. Just very obsessed with perception and body, and you're getting fat and all was this. She'd grab your stomach, you know, why aren't you wearing heels? And this is from my mom's side. Her mom was very vain, very beauty obsessed. I remember she put on my jeans once. Mind you, I'm her granddaughter, and she was telling me that she looked better in them. So imagine that being the person that raised you, you know, and messaging that they're putting in. I'm so blessed. My mom never gave me shitty messaging. She just didn't. So she cut that at the root, like, that's it for me. I'm not doing it. Thank God, because she could have very well passed it on.

[A]

Right?

[C]

And then imagine I have my mom talking to me like this. Then I have my grandma, then I have my cousins. And then you go to school and they're making fun of you for this. Then you look at ads and magazines, you watching TV shows. That's a lot. So I'm not surprised when the average person doesn't have the strength to say in the mirror. Although I'm hearing all this shit, what I see is fine with me.

[A]

Right?

[C]

That it's just like, I understand that not everyone's gonna get that. And I started as a kid seeing how that was trickling down. Trickling down. You start seeing how everyone was talking to each other. My grandmother and my aunts. Of course, my aunts are gonna then talk that way to their daughters. Then their daughters are bullying the girls. And the. You know, it's like it just never ends until you are that person. Like my mom. That just cuts it.

[A]

Yep.

[C]

And if I had had children, oh, that would never even have been a reality for them, because they're see, they would have seen their mom that's going online with no makeup, like, you know what I mean? Which already is shocking in this day and age. People tell me I'm brave all the time. Like, you know, this isn't a revolution. This is just what I look like. I'm not trying to be brave. And like that is hard in a society like this with people gotta stop with kids, man.

[B]

Y' all gotta stop with kids. Y' all got to stop doing shit to fuck with the psyche and self image and self worth of kids.

[C]

But social media doesn't help. Do you see the, the, the videos I'm noticing are getting younger and younger with little girls doing skin care. Why the fuck are you putting acids on your face and you're under 10?

[A]

Like you don't need none of that, little girl.

[C]

The face is red as fuck. Because they're mixing all kinds of shit that they see whoever else, you know, and it's like any and even I see the boys as they're growing, I'm seeing the things that, that they're concerned about now. Like I told you last summer, the oldest one was like, oh, I need to work on my protein.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And I looked at him like, your protein? And then he, and he asked if he, if it's okay if he used my scale. I said, oh, honey, what's happening now? He's like flexing his little muscles in the mirror. He wants to work out with his dad. I'm like, oh, shit. Okay. So that's starting to kick in. You know, now he's how he is seeing how he's being perceived. And now he's trying like that's awakening in him.

[A]

Look, you see, friend? That's what Carmen's talking about. That's exactly what they're supposed to be doing. David didn't do any of that. Okay? I'm just like, bitch.

[C]

But this, but this, that's all in all this documentary, like I said, so layered, right? It was like, oh, this had so much more to offer than what I thought was going to be a funny documentary about silly people getting their eyes changed. And it also makes you look at people that are doing the modifications like this very differently.

[B]

Very differently. Yep. It makes me curious about the story in a humane way. That part that was absolutely absent before because you know, I be thinking just crazy.

[C]

And that's what I'm saying, that to me, this was really well done in that sense that now when you do see the person getting the modifications, the lips of this or that, the eye color change. Instead of being like this wacky person, you think of medical tourism. You think of what like Dustin just said, what's the story? You know.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And how deep does the story go that you are at the point of modification, you know. But what did y' all think of this doc?

[B]

Overall it was eye opening. I think that it was. It was a purview into. Nah. It really was good though. And I. I had never. I just always thought it was rooted in vanity. I never really thought to even explore the stories behind that. I thought it was rooted in vanity and group things like the Valliere. You know what I mean? But it wasn't. And I actually low key want to know what is going to happen next with David.

[C]

Low key.

[B]

I would like to follow his story Same.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I hope he gets a reality show out of it. One that's good, one that's healthy. You know what I'm saying? Because we want to know more. We know what's going to work out with him. We want to know what's going to happen with Carmen. All of that. So we need to follow David. It. I hope that comes out for him.

[C]

I like that idea. Honestly. I wish they could do it with the whole cast like life after this decision and what it has changed or not changed in their awareness. Self awareness, self image, self identity. You know, like all of the things.

[A]

I just want to know if it's even line.

[C]

No, I just. I mean I. Who. Who knows at this point because she seemed really adamant about keeping them in

[B]

and they need to sample the that so Raven theme song for the. For the reality. Don't you Even to the future.

[C]

I did appreciate that David went on YouTube and made that video letting people know do not do this. Because that's what was missing. Right. We also missed the influencer piece of this, right? Where they traded this free trip and free surgery for influencer marketing and testimonials. Which is how they continue to suck people in. Right? Because you see all these like tiny said all these people in the lobby with beautiful eyes. It's like, you know, if you're already looking at this promise of transformation, you already try to align with these what seemingly unattainable beauty ideals. But now you can get the blue eyes. What you notice is always blue.

[B]

Always.

[C]

I said nobody wants like a good hazel.

[A]

A little maybe red.

[C]

A little tiger.

[B]

Like why is your eye color. Why your eye color sound like a vape. I want that ice frost 33 and

[A]

why is the 3G frost the ghost

[C]

to show you though, right? That's that colonizer too, right? Like that's how deep it go. Everything was blue, blue, blue. I was like,

[A]

I thought the lights was blue today. Thank God.

[C]

But yeah, just, I was glad that he made that video. I thought that that was an important community aspect, you know, because the influence, influencer marketing is really whooping. Yeah, I mean that's, it's that promise, that promise that, that everything you've been through, this decision, this transformation is going to change all of that.

[A]

Funny, right? It's a little poetic because like you were saying, they, they, you know, sent him the offer saying that they would accept him as a client for that free marketing. But now it's like if you look them up, it'll be him in that one video doing the push up. But then right next video, they're like, oh, let me click on this testimony. This, you know, his own testimonial. He's like, don't get that shit or whatever you're saying in the video. So it's like it works against them in a way. And I'm thinking, I'm glad that happened.

[C]

And they're still up and running.

[A]

I told you know what I was

[B]

just about to say they posted a

[C]

video up to three weeks ago.

[A]

Yeah, of course they are.

[B]

I won't even be surprised if people watch this and want to do it.

[C]

Yeah, you think?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, friend.

[C]

Okay, you're right.

[A]

Okay. Can I say my final piece about this documentary? I enjoyed the documentary overall. I love, loved actually watching David's story because again, when I first watched this, I watched it and I was interested in it and I was like, damn, this is crazy. But when I really watched it that second time, I was so emotional just, you know, hearing his story, like 10 minutes in, I was like, at the 9, 40 something mark, I was like, I'm not even 10 minutes into this and I'm tearing up just because it was so bad to see someone. We're people that can look in the mirror and be okay with ourselves. Whether it's, you know, feeling amazing or, or feeling, you know, just okay. But some people look in the mirror and they are just not happy or they're just like, here goes another day of. Or whatever. And that's manifested into, well, maybe if I get my teeth done or some bigger boobs or different eye color, my life will change. Like I will have a whole new life. And to watch him say, you know, hey, thought that was going to be it. But it wasn't. It was just the decision to make that happen and I can make a new decision. And now I'm making life happen in a different way. Beautiful. For the final piece, Izzy choosing to keep those in, I was like, oh, this is. This is who this is for. Like, Izzy went in and she had every warning sign. David had warning signs. But unfortunately, I just feel like David had a lot of trauma. Like, you know, Jasmine, she had trauma, so she said, I'm it. I'm in. Did Jasmine have hers removed? I didn't remember.

[C]

We don't. We don't have any.

[A]

So Jasmine, one of those people, her trauma ran so deep, I feel like she might keep it until she goes blind. But Izzy, that's what I felt from her. I felt like she had every opportunity saying, don't do this. Like, for her to talk to that doctor and try to give him a couple different scenarios and him just be so defensive and then just be like, no, bitch, I would not do this. Like, this is this fashion. Like, I don't give a fuck about this. Like, she said at the end, she was happy living it up. Like, like I said, I just made it up. But she might go blind and be like, at least people will have these eyes to look at that. Like, for her, it was a great investment, I feel like, to. In her unfortunately, you know, traumatic experience mind. But unfortunately there are other people that are going to watch this and take away that message that she probably received.

[B]

The only person, you're right, that it worked out for is Tiny, you know,

[A]

because Tiny got a different surgery. Africa, right? Like, you know, the land. Like, like.

[C]

But also the Corrado NYC one. When I looked it up, it's twelve thousand thousand dollars. And I'm not saying that. That because they could charge you that and it'll. It could be the same they was doing, you know, But I wondered like, the level of service. I don't know this. Apparently the ophthalmology people said it's a fucked surgery regardless, right. But I do wonder, are there levels of it where they are maintaining it? Like, how is this. How does this work?

[A]

I'm sure that they have to, right? Because especially when they were talking about, or I think when you were just talking, talking about how, like, the eye has to get rid of those proteins and stuff. I don't know.

[C]

For some maybe there's a drainage system, right?

[A]

If there's some sort of. Every two to three months, they go in there and get their eyes just watered, right? Heavy. And they try, you know, push it around or something. I don't know. But like, There is definitely probably levels to this because like I said, lymphatic

[B]

massage on your eye, you gotta. You got an EBL.

[A]

These EBLs killing y' all just. Just because it's such an invasive surgery. But it's like I was saying earlier, it could be beneficial in the case of, like, cancers and stuff. So I'm sure there are different variations of what they could do and could be using and maintaining it. So they could be. Old girl could. Hopefully Izzy found somebody that was like, hey, girl, just so you don't go blind. Maybe you just get it watered every couple of months or something. Whatever they need. Because I don't want the girl to go blind. But I do realize, yeah, she's one of those people that's just going to do some like that. And if you're one of those people, do something. I mean, be safe. Don't do it. I don't know. Like, there's nothing I can say that people have already decided how they feel.

[C]

Have y' all ever, real quickly, have y' all ever been through something and then your reaction to it was to do change something, like modify something as

[A]

a response, like, oh, let me go get a haircut.

[C]

Or like, to the trauma, like in a. Like, have you experienced something traumatically that then you went and had a very drastic response? Whether it was like a tattoo, a piercing, you know, like some kind of modification. Because I was thinking of that, I was like, have I. When I experienced the things that I experienced, I think the biggest change, I mean, is when I, like moved to Brazil for a year and I was like, so young, but I did it because it was my way at the time.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Of disassociating with my reality. And I think that was probably the only thing I could think of where I would just even now be moving across the country. I know that there's an emotional element of that, of this idea of getting away from that version of me that I need to evolve and expand from. Because it's just like, you know, so I'm sure that's a part of it too. When I think about it, I don't know.

[B]

I can't think of anything. My shit will just be like more work related. When I go these days, when I go through traumatic experiences, I just dive headfirst into work and go hard. And so you'll see like a new project come up. It's been a few things that was birthed by a nation of traumas, you

[A]

know what I'm saying?

[C]

That's real shit. So this Whole. This whole company.

[B]

So, like, you know, it. That's how it looks for me personally, you know what I'm saying?

[C]

I'm not really, you know, I like body modification.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah, I feel you on that.

[B]

I might have caught a body out of response to one or two. Yeah, I react that way, you know what I'm saying? But that's it.

[A]

No, that way. Yeah. Mover as well.

[C]

That's funny, right? I wonder what that is. We just. And you said when you were little, I remember you said you used to always try to leave the house and run.

[A]

Remember? I used to always get in the. It's so funny that you bring that up, Fran. And it's so funny. I've been talking about cars. Remember? I used to. I used to get out when I was younger and just take walks, but I used to get out when I was, you know, too young, and I used to always get behind the wheel sometimes. And I used to drive.

[C]

Oh, my God. Yeah.

[A]

I don't want to say the age, because that's crazy. And in case my mama listening, I

[B]

don't want her to know what.

[A]

But I used to get behind the wheel and drive. So it's funny now that I was thinking about. Remember the conversation we had about how I told you I had took a trip and I was actually on my way back? I had told friend this. I don't think I told you this, but I told friend I got behind the wheel when I first got my whip, and I had went on a long drive, and I had to take the long drive back. And before I got. Before I drove back, I had, like, a moment where I was like, almost like I was breaking down a little bit. I was like, is this. Am I scared to drive? Like, I just drove all the way here. Like, what's going on? And then I got in the car and took the left, and I was like, okay, I'm good. But I was telling Fran, like, how crazy it was that I was doing that. And now that I think about this, I think about, like, I moved to New York because I. I needed, like, I learned Atlanta because I was always trying to get out and run away from, like, little things. And so when I was in New York and I did a whole lot of things, a lot of. A lot of things were birthed out of trauma there as well. But then I ended up moving from New York, too, because it was like, all right, Had a lot going on. Love this version of myself, but also need to be a new person at some point. So let Me, take what I. I've had in New York, marry it to whoever I'm going to be in the future. And that's who I am right now.

[C]

Yeah, I think that'd be a good audit for people listening to just kind of look back at the times you've experienced X, Y, Z and then see what was the response, you know, because sometimes you might not even be aware. And then you think back like, I sure did cut off all my hair or buzz cut it on YouTube looking at you. Shameless Maya. But one thing I loved to end this episode, there was a. A quote by Paste magazine that said caterpillar is a beautiful look at longing and insecurity. The way that these feelings are nurtured and amplified by social media echo chambers and the dangers of potentially falling prey to someone attempting to sell you a dream of transformation. And I thought it was, like I said, it's a complex feeling because he's a white production team.

[B]

I feel like they handled it well. I didn't feel. No, I. It didn't feel like they were exploiting, avoiding the people. I felt like that I didn't feel it.

[C]

Like I said, it's complex for me because I think their very nature is

[B]

in general, you know, it's inherent.

[C]

Because why did you choose to go to the black people? There's. There was some white people, you know, like, do you get what I'm saying? So it's like I can't help it but feel that way. It's always going to be complex for me. But it was also beautifully done. So I'm going to hold both emotions.

[B]

I get it.

[A]

I only felt that way for a little bit when they put the wrong eye color in because when he was saying he wanted the anesthesia and they ain't give it to him and then they put that color in, I was like, that's the wrong color.

[C]

And even the manager laughing when he was like asking for help and was really frustrated at her lying, telling him not to cry. Like it just was. There was a lot of emotions that I feel like were being exploited too. So I don't know, I struggle with

[A]

it but I to help him get it taken out cuz he was freaking out on there.

[C]

Cuz he just say he didn't have the money. It's the least they could do.

[A]

I hope they did. I hope they was like, we got to get this taken out. Like I know we could just wait for him to go blind, but.

[C]

Right.

[A]

I hope they just like, hey David,

[B]

we gonna do this.

[A]

I don't I can't confirm it or not. I'm just. Hopefully somebody had some decency there.

[C]

Yeah. But if you haven't watched it, Caterpillar, available now on Netflix. If you have watched it, we would love to know your thoughts in the comments. I'm sure you guys are going to share, you know, or even how these themes have shown up in your life and how you've responded. I'm more curious on the psychological aspect.

[B]

What color did you get right?

[C]

You know, did you do body modifications? Did you run away and move to another state, another country? Like, in what ways has that shown up and what. Inner work, that's another thing, too. People will say you got to do the inner work. But what does that actually look like for most people? Like, what has that actually been in your life? You know what? I should actually do an episode about

[B]

that, a follow up.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, that'll be something that I. Because that's a question. I think that's such a. Don't you think that's such an important conversation? People say, do the work, and very rarely do they explain what that means. You just hear. You hear certain terms thrown around, like your inner child. Okay, what are you doing with your inner child? You know, like, what are those? What does that work, actually watching at this angle? We'd love to know your thoughts. Share them below. And thank you guys for joining us on this conversation. I think it was very layered and we tried our best, best to handle it comedically, but respectfully, your friend, for

[A]

making us watch this documentary, you and

[C]

all of my friends.

[A]

I don't like eye stuff at all.

[C]

Those shots with the injections killing me.

[B]

Brutal.

[A]

I'm telling you, like, it's all I could think about.

[B]

You know, I got sensitive eyes. So this whole documentary was triggering for me. Yeah, y' all know I'm hearing me out. You know what I'm saying? So, like, I'm like, oh, my God, why are you risking it?

[C]

And I hear this about Lasik. Oh, also lasting.

[A]

I wanted to get Lasik.

[C]

I hear this about Lasik. That's like, people, be careful. Do your research. But there was a girl that popped up for me a couple of years ago, maybe like a year ago, actually, I won't even say a couple of years ago, named Jasmine Hill. I went back and found her. She's the first person I've ever seen that was. Was openly discussing this eye surgery because she had gotten it done in Beverly Hills. I won't say his name for legal purposes, but it's a surgeon who is still doing this surgery. And if you go to his TikTok, I don't have to say his name. You can literally type eye surgery. Beverly Hills gonna pop up. And he's doing the same thing, like, bright ocular. It's like this influencer promo. If you notice a lot of black and brown people. He is not. And she was a young black girl. Beautiful girl. Big, beautiful eyes. He put the wrong color.

[B]

What color did he give her?

[C]

She wanted, like, strange enough, she actually wanted a brown. It was just a lighter brown.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Yes, Right. It was a brown that was.

[A]

She didn't want to be a vampire

[C]

because her eyes are really dark. And she just wanted that lighter brown some. Right. And he put in olive green. And it's not even an olive green. That is, like, natural looking. She said it when she saw the. Because, you know, they do one at a time. She told him, this is wrong. How did you put this in? And then he tried to blame what he said or what she said he said was that they put the wrong color in the box because the box actually labeled it. And she did show it. It was labeled as that color, which was like mahrong, which is brown, but it was green.

[B]

But you can see.

[C]

Hello.

[B]

So when you pulled it out the box and had it in the tweezers,

[C]

and that's the part that she was like, you still did it. Knowing. But he told her, oh, well, sometimes it looks different in, like, the box versus the eyes. So he thought maybe she was pissed about it. She kind of had a similar situation where it was like, I gotta roll with it. But she was hoping that he would do something, you know, and he didn't. He really didn't.

[B]

She still got the green eyes.

[C]

She still has the green eyes up until she stopped. Yeah. It's on TikTok. She has a whole account where she's discussing the complications she's dealing with, how she's embarrassed because the color is so unnatural looking. And now she's, like, out outside and people looking at her like she's crazy. And her name is Jasmine Hill, and she was the first person I've ever seen documenting this eye surgery. And I remember being. When I tell you, I was like, oh, my God, this is the craziest thing ever. Because you never. You don't know anybody that's actually gone through this or discussed it. Right. Or disgusted publicly. And then the fact that she had complications. Did you just find her on TikTok? I saw your.

[A]

The way you looked, the way I

[B]

was so curious because we said her eyes are olive green. I'm like, what does that even look like?

[C]

Do you see them?

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

He said, yeah. Beautiful girl.

[B]

Yeah, she is.

[C]

Do you see what her eyes look like naturally? That's what kind of broke me because I was like such beaut. Big, beautiful eyes. Like big beautiful eyes.

[B]

That's fucked up, man.

[C]

And he is not trying to help her. He actually, in her last video, which she posted I think in like December, she said that he was trying to sue her.

[B]

Damn.

[C]

Because he was like, I don't want you talking. He sent her a cease and desist that he didn't want her posting videos about what happened. And she was like. But it's my experience. I have the right. He got his lawyers involved and he told her that he has lost, lost 13 clients and that he wants her to pay for each eye of the 13 clients that he essentially lost in finance.

[B]

Please kiss my ass, you quack.

[C]

His lawyers sent her screenshots of every video that they needed taken down. Yes, this is the girl.

[B]

Stop playing because look, Asante, I'm literally. I literally had the same exact video.

[A]

We have to scroll to get to that one.

[C]

How did y' all pull up the same video? That's crazy. So if you want to see a real life person discussing this. Jasmine hill on TikTok. Yeah, and look up the doctor too.

[B]

Cause that, oh, we definitely looking his ass up. I'll see y' all at the top of the show.

[C]

You'll see it in the comments.

[B]

See y' all at the top of the show next week. Time for some Good old fashioned Dr. Shaymin. See you next week.

[C]

That's it for this week's hot button. Let's jump into the segment.

[B]

Welcome to the Friends. America's best network just got bigger. Switch to T Mobile today and get built in benefits the other guys leave out. Plus our five year price guarantee. And now T Mobile is available in US Cellular store. Yours best mobile network Based on analysis by Google of speed test intelligence data 2H 2025 bigger network the combination of T mobiles and US cellular network footprints will enhance the T mobile network's coverage price guarantee on talk text and data exclusions like taxes and fees apply. CT mobile.com for details. Confronting high credit card debt can feel scary. But the good news is if you owe $10,000 or more in credit card debt, financial relief options are now available. National Debt Relief is currently offering debt relief designed to reduce what you owe. Fast tracking your way to being debt free. If you qualify for debt relief, you may Be able to pay back significantly less than what you owe and save thousands of dollars. Imagine only paying one low monthly program payment you can afford and saving money as you become debt free. National debt relief has already helped bring debt relief to over 550,000 US consumers, earning thousands of five star reviews and an A rating with the Better Business Bureau. You're stronger than your credit card debt. Take the first step and visit nationaldebtrelief.com to see what debt relief you qualify for.

[C]

That's National Debt Relief.com this Week in Wellness. So for 4 20, I too was partaking in the greenery. I didn't, I didn't tell y'. All.

[B]

You went to the flower shop, right?

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Plant.

[C]

He said okay. I was hiking. We were exploring some hikes that I had written out. I have a note on my phone on my 12 that has. Yes, we have the notes app. We have the notes app on the 12. I have a list of. Do y' all have a notes app with like all the restaurants you want to visit, all the excursions?

[B]

So many.

[C]

We are so funny. Is that a millennial thing?

[B]

Stores. If I walk, I have one for good date spots. I have all that.

[C]

Me too. I even have one for things I want.

[B]

Yeah. Specific with links.

[C]

Clothes with links. Okay. We are so funny. Is that a millennial thing? Let us know in the comments. But I have a list of all the hiking trails that I want to experience while we're out here and just knocking them out one by one. We finally went to one this weekend. It was so good.

[B]

Really? How far was your friend?

[C]

It was only like 1 hour, 45 minute drive, so not too bad. But the wildflowers are out right now, so there's certain trails that is all flower. Like y'.

[B]

All.

[C]

When I tell you, it's. It's almost like you don't even understand how this place is real. It looks straight out of like a Disney cartoon. You know those shots where they pop up with the flowers and the. And the roads. Then you have the mountain with the ice cap behind you.

[B]

Now you know how you would have smelled me. That's all I'm gonna say.

[C]

And then there's like mountain goats. And when I tell you, it's. It's just, just the most beautiful, surreal experience. Honestly, I know there's a lot of crazy history with Oregon, and I also understand it being a state that someone would be like, why Oregon? But this legit, hands down, the most beautiful state in this country. Like, you cannot convince me otherwise. I know everyone has their beautiful areas, but there's something surreal about the nature out here. It just makes no sense to me. And so I. I want to go, I'm telling you, like, oh, it's just like, you just stand there like a child. Like, how. How does this look? Like this. But anyway, so we were exploring one of the trails and I had needed new hiking boots because I told you, I think I talked about this on the wellness segment maybe a couple years ago. A couple. When I, you know, episodes ago, I. I mentioned the Acolos. Those are the ones that I was wearing. They're great. They're sturdy. I'm someone that has really sensitive feet. I have, like, baby feet. They're really soft and everything breaks them. I get blisters from shoes that people say are so soft and comfortable, and somehow my feet will not find them soft and comfortable. So I'm one of those people that just always struggles with having to break in shoes, even shoes that are deemed comfortable. So when a shoe works for you is automatically comfortable. It's mind blowing. I wanted to buy a hiking boot that was like, lighter, if that makes sense. Because the Ace solos are big. I think with every step you take, even though it feels sturdy, it also feels like an anchor.

[B]

Some 42, some 40 belows, yeah, they'd be heavy, but I'll be making it work. But they be heavy as a big.

[C]

You know, every time you step, you

[B]

like, why am I trudging? I'm trudging along. Why am I trudging?

[C]

And low key. Doesn't it make you not always want to reach for them, even though you like this will look good with the fit, but I don't feel like dealing with that heavy ass boots, you know?

[B]

So the ones you got are lighter, friend.

[C]

So I was trying to find, you know, there's so many hiking boots and it's not necessarily my world like that. So I was like, trying to reading all kinds of reviews and asking people that live out here, and I found a pair and I had to tell y' all about it because they're a hiking boot, but they feel like a sneaker because they're so light. And so I. And I was kind of nervous because I bought them back in December but hadn't used them. And then I was like, with the type of feet I have, that's not really something you want to try. You know what I'm saying? So I was kind of hesitant. But something told me, you'll be fine. Just put them on. Put, you know, some good chunky Socks.

[B]

The boots raised up an inch off the floor.

[C]

Like, y', all, we hiked for hours. It was probably like two, three, four hours or something. No, like, it was like three hours, right? Because I'm considering back and forth, and I had no blisters. My feet didn't even hurt. And it felt like I had had the boots for years. That type of worn in comfort. Come on. A hiking boot. I literally was like, I have to make this a wellness segment. I know there are people that go walking. I know people that go on hikes or just walking trails, whatever it is. I know people are trying their best to be more active. And a lot of the issues we run into is like, what's the shoe that's gonna help me do the 10k steps? Or what's the shoe that I can wear on the trail? I will say they're a bit pricey, but in my opinion, pay for it once or pay for it twice, right?

[B]

Come on now.

[C]

Pay on the back.

[B]

Are you gonna pay on the front end? Yeah.

[C]

So they're the Keen Women's Targi 4. And Keen is K, E, E, N. Targhee is T, A, R, G, H, e, e. And 4 is written like a nomen. A nomen. A Roman numeral. They're waterproof, y'. All.

[B]

I'm looking them up now.

[C]

They're so cute. I mean, you know, those boots aren't necessarily like. Like, oh, look, but they do what they gotta do. They actually look bad.

[B]

These brown and black ones are dope.

[C]

You see them?

[B]

These men's. Oh, I can get these down at the dsw.

[C]

I have the men. Oh, they're like. They go for, like, 180, depending on which style you get. I have the ones that are brown with pink. Of course. What I like about them is the front, right? They have space across the front that allows your toes to splay. And I like that because.

[B]

How did you find this brand?

[C]

Just, you know, me, just researching hiking boots. I was on Reddit, I was on YouTube, even TikTok, just seeing what people felt were the best for people that were hiking. And everyone kept talking about Keen. I have a pair of Keen sneakers, and I do remember when I put them on, they didn't. I didn't have any issues. They were so comfortable. They're the. I'm trying to remember the key. I'm not good with the names, but it's a Keen sneaker. It's like, beige and has, like, these red laces. If you know Keens, you'll know which ones I'm talking about. So I know that they're comfortable. And then the fact that they're like the top boot that all the hikers mention, I was like, okay, there's something to this. So then it comes down to, okay, but which one? You know? So then I was like, I'm just gonna try this one. I bought it. Like I said, I love that the toe box is kind of wide because then your toes just. Yeah. Room to breathe. Especially if you're going on walk for hours. It says it's multi directional lug. So it's a pattern that has a lot of traction. And some of the parts of this hiking trail were very steep. And then it's steep for a long time. So what you need is traction, you know what I mean? Because you're just like, woo. And then sometimes there's like muddy parts and you just need the boot to be able to survive all the terrains that you're about to come up against. I love that they're waterproof because living out here, it's a very wet city.

[B]

Nobody likes a wet sock.

[C]

I know you hate that. That's the way. And then it's cold out. I mean, what worst combo can you.

[B]

I'm going home.

[C]

And it is premium leather, so you can see it. We do love that. It's obviously going to change. You know how long it lasts. And then it has this breathable mesh too so that it doesn't get all stinky and foggy in that boot.

[B]

Hate that too.

[C]

And. And it's waterproof like I said. And it's 180, so it's steep. But I probably won't need to buy.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Another boot for a while because I'm not going hiking daily. I'm going hiking at most once a week. Once every two weeks. So I'm having this boot that's this quality, y'. All. We hiked. That was my first time wearing them and it was the perfect hike. And everyone that passed us was like, oh, great boot. You know how white people are. Great boots.

[B]

They say that.

[A]

I know they recognized. I feel like they probably recognized. And it was giving you the nod. They was okay.

[C]

For real. There was one lady that was. I was like, oh, are those the new ones? I was like, I think so.

[B]

Okay. They're actually not out. Okay. And then hit the heel, toe.

[C]

But I think they're so great. I'll make a list down below. Obviously I'm not working with them. I would. Y' all know I don't move like that. This is Literally something I bought. And it was so good that I had to come back, back and tell y', all, because I know that we're always looking for things that are comfortable, especially as we're taking on these more active lifestyles. People have hit me saying, what's your gym sneaker? What's your, you know, if you're walking 10,000 steps, what's the sneaker? I use the Nike Romero 5. The Zooms. I can't speak to, you know, I'm not a podiatrist. I don't know if, like the long term effects of that sneaker, if it's enough padding or if it's too much padding. You know, there's so much science.

[B]

Yeah. That goes into that.

[C]

It's not my profession, so I don't want to speak to that. But what I will say is that every time I wear them, they're so comfortable. I don't have any foot issues or foot pain after walking. Sometimes I'll do. I mean, we walk a lot. We walk daily. Sometimes I'll hit 15 to 20,000 steps, depending on, you know, how you got to retreat, girl. So it's important to me. I have like four pairs legit. I have like four pairs of vomeros because I need to rotate them regularly because I do walk daily. And then you're walking so much. Yeah, 10, 20,000 steps. Like, that's, that's gonna put some wear on that. And so I find them comfortable. They have a lot of different colors and I've never had issues with them. I love them in the gym too. They work well, in my opinion because they're not too padded. So if you're doing squats or whatever, you know, you're not like too lifted off. So they're good for the gym. I just think it's a good overall sneaker. The Romero Fives. But if you're looking for a hiking trail, hiking boot. The Keen Women's Tiger four. And I'm going to list both of them down below just so that you can check them out in case that you're interested. I know a lot of us are trying to be out outside and hopefully these will help you on that journey to really just getting your life together and being out here.

[B]

So I might have just found my son's name.

[C]

Which. Which one?

[B]

Keem Keen. That's hard, ain't it? Keem.

[C]

I do think Keem is cute, though. I can't lie.

[B]

You was just saying that.

[C]

I was like, keem, that is cute. I can see it.

[B]

Keane.

[C]

Ross.

[B]

Oh, Keem. Big Keen. Yup.

[C]

Big Keen.

[B]

Yeah. Anything gay. Kiki. I' ma love my child. I love mines. You know what I'm saying?

[C]

That is a perfect way to end this one. And if y' all have any other questions about gear or what I wear, just let me know and I'll. I'll definitely create more wellness segments around just a more active lifestyle.

[B]

You're in a loving relationship, right? Long term. Support that for my single brethren and sistering and them during everybody. I like all black gym clothes. To me, like, I look sexier in all black.

[C]

You know what's funny?

[B]

I like all black gym clothes. Yeah.

[C]

Why is that a thing? Because that's me too. And, well, when I was young, okay. So when I was in my 20s. And y' all know this because people that have been following Hate Frame for a long time, y' all remember when I used to wear this Nike sets that had leopard and stripes and all kinds of colors? It worked in my 20s, early 30s. But now I'm the like, full black.

[B]

The same.

[C]

Only thing on me is a white sock.

[B]

But yes, you know, you do the

[C]

white sock with the full black fit. And my whole drawer of gym clothes is all black. And I've been trying to venture out. I did not by like a green par type walking on the wild side. I put them on to walk. And I felt silly. I can't lie. And my partner was like, oh, that you putting on some color. She was like, you gonna have that ass out there in 3D. And it was just so funny because I felt so. I was like, why is it uncomfortable for me to wear color at the gym? I don't understand. Understand that.

[B]

I just think, like, black, I don't know, black gym clothes look hotter. They make you look hot in the gym. So that's just a pro tip if you want to meet somebody.

[C]

I find that so funny you said that because that's literally my experience, and I'm trying to venture out. I bought a pink sweatsuit.

[B]

I am dying.

[C]

I'm trying so hard. I'm like, no, I can't be that goth

[B]

sweatsuit. We're all black.

[C]

Sweatsuit. Shout out to Honor Active. That's where I'll get a lot of my gym clothes. Honor spelled O N E R really cute. Like, girly gym clothes and a bunch of colors. Honor. Honor and keen. Not you having both revelations today.

[B]

Yeah. Honor. That's my daughter. Yeah. And she spoiled.

[C]

Oh, your kids would be.

[B]

There's no evil. There would be no limit.

[C]

Like we already know.

[B]

Y' all know what it is, so. Yes.

[C]

Those babies would have furs.

[B]

100%. 100%. And we have the boots. You think my little girl, I would find that little keen boot for orange, you know, Honor. Excuse me, I was about to name her Orin over here. Yes. Shout out to Keen.

[C]

Shout out to Keen. Shout out to Honor. Shout out to Nike Vomeros. And that's it. That's it for. Oh, and also, get outside, y'. All. It's so nice.

[B]

A lot of day, honestly.

[C]

We spent hours out there in the woods, and it just was like. We. We high fived each other after we finished the trail, and we were like, what a great life. You know, just so proud of yourselves. He literally told. Because we woke up early, made breakfast, and then drove our hours, did our hike. And I remember we high fived, and we're like, man, so proud of ourselves for this life that we've designed. You know, like, you just have to be proud. You have to be proud, you know, Your life could have gone so many different directions.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And I think when you're out there, there's something about being out there that makes. Makes God feel so real, and it makes you just. It just opens you up. I'm just so.

[B]

I had a nature experience. I don't know why I didn't even think to tell y' all this. I just had a nature experience on Saturday. I was in Georgia. I went to. I was in Atlanta. We went out to. Was it Altoona? It was a lake called Altoona or something like that. We went out there. We were on a boat. Shout out to my.

[C]

My boy.

[B]

Shout out to Lamont. It was his birthday. Much love to. Lamont's Instagram name is like, top draft pick or something like that, but shout out to Lamont. We were on a boat for his birthday, and at one point, y', all, we were out on the lake, and we had, like, stopped or whatever. The. The. It was the most beautiful. It was so picturesque, right? The. The. The. The trees were so dense. It was just gorgeous. And when I looked around, of course I was in.

[C]

You know, it was gay and spiritual.

[B]

It was literally gay and spiritual, but an aquatic as well. It was like a Baptist water. You know, water in the Bible, you know, said the Jordan River. You know what I'm saying? But it was like that. I looked around and I was like, I am literally at peace right now.

[C]

Doesn't it do something to you?

[B]

It was just so much great, and I was in good company, connected so Shout out to everybody that was on the trip. That was great.

[C]

You know when you go on vacation and you're at the beach, something about standing and just staring at the water. Whether it's the daytime and you're just watching the sun or at night time, when you're watching that moon and that moonlight going across the water towards you, it just puts you in such a meditative, seriously, serious. Well, you're so introspective and you just like, it does something to you and I. And that feeling it to me, it's just like. I love that because I think we. The way the world is designed now, even how fast videos are all the colors. I hate the way things are edited now where they put a bunch of short videos in it to make it like, I don't even know. You know what I'm saying? Like, just a lot to emphasize. Whatever they're talking about is just a series of short little videos from other videos. And like, it's so much stretch.

[A]

Yep.

[C]

So to be able to have the serenity to just sit without a bunch of noise, it's just. I'm grateful. And it made me realize, like, there has to be more of this and a lot less of anything outside of that one.

[B]

100.

[C]

Like literally for your sanity, for your literal sanity. That's how I was feeling this weekend. And I felt. Felt so grateful. And I had a phenomenal weekend after that. It's almost like it just set such a great tone.

[B]

I was on my friendship, now that I think about it, because I went to a vegan spot and ate vegan.

[C]

You know what? I like Atlanta for you.

[B]

The day before, shout out to my boy, Antonio Brown. He has a great vegan restaurant called Stirhouse. I. I made it the black business before here, but it's downtown Atlanta. Stirhouse.

[C]

I wish I would have known that when we were there.

[B]

That food was good too.

[C]

Because I still love popping into vegan spots. Even though I am not vegan, obviously anymore, but I still love vegan food.

[B]

I knew you'd be proud I had vegan food. And then I was on a lake out on. Out in the middle of nowhere. We didn't even have phone signals. That's how far out we were. Even at the restaurant. I was starting to get nervous too, because it's still Georgia and we were definitely the only flies in the buttermilk, if you know what I mean.

[C]

And you know, I know you know.

[B]

So I was like, damn, we was the only Jacksons amongst the Whitmans. So, you know, I was like, you know, but.

[C]

But I'm still working on that. Because when. When we're on them trails or if we drive to drive too far, I still have that panicky feeling in my chest of like, wait, wait, wait, what's. What town is this?

[A]

A sundown town?

[C]

You know, what city is this? Even when we pass certain people on the trails, I'm still kind of like,

[B]

I felt confident, though. Cause the people I was with, we would have tore that marina up. You know what I'm saying? So, like, so I wasn't too worried. Cause I knew, like, we.

[C]

That's the one thing that makes me feel like whatever's gonna be, we gonna be.

[B]

It's gonna be Que sera sera, baby. So. So, you know, I was tripping, but I still was like, right.

[C]

You know what? That'll be the name of this week's episode.

[B]

Que sera sera, sera.

[C]

I think the hot button needed it

[A]

too, you know, from came back.

[C]

But yes, that's it for this week in wellness.

[A]

This week in music. All right, this week we are going to keep it short. I just have a couple of quick stories and I'm going to be real quick about them. Coachella happened. We talked a little bit about Coachella happening. We know it was two weekends. A lot of cool things happened.

[B]

Shout out, Carol G. Shout out to.

[A]

Well, she closed it out, so I just wanted to give. Get to her last but real quick. Shout out to Justin Bieber. He had a lot of great moments. He gave Billie Eilish a moment. Because Billie Eilish is a notoriously huge Justin Bieber fan, which I ain't, apparently. I didn't know that. I'm a Billie Eilish fan and I've just recently become a Justin Bieber fan. And so it just. I felt like everything was right. Right. And then since it came out during the setting, a lot of other people. Justin Bieber had a great time. He had a great weekend. And then just also, we'll just quickly go to Carol G. Because a lot of. Oh, Tinashe, she DJ'd. She did her thing. Super dope. Pink Panthers was out there doing her thing. A lot of pop girls were doing their thing. There's a newer artist. Zara Larson. No, that's not the one. Addison Ray. Addison Rae. Okay, Addison. Right.

[B]

See, I always the one who name sounds like the publisher of a math book for high school. Addison Ray Mathematics.

[C]

Okay, so I think on the side.

[A]

Let me look it up. See, I was freestyling, but I always get the white girls always tripped me up.

[C]

Yo, you're mines. Addison Rae, I think Addison Ray, yes. She popped up on my YouTube.

[A]

So I. Addison Ray performed. Apparently she was very well received. Addison Rae had previously opened the montage of young of artists during the Billboard Awards and people had comments about how they thought it was a little bit of a mess. But she had opened the montage and, you know, they don't really do those montages a lot. And I thought she did very. I thought she did good for her little part because I had seen it and I actually didn't see a. A problem with what she did. I'm speaking of that montage after her. It went into the girl group Cat Eye, which we have been talking about. Just because they're being discussed other. Right. Medley. I said montage. Thank you. Cat's ey performed at Coachella as well. Of course, they performed without Manon, so I was not paying them any attention.

[C]

Yikes. I saw someone comment that they are promoting groups like Cat's Eye and they mentioned, like, a couple other artists so that we can start feeling comfortable with the AI music sound. This was a comment I saw on YouTube and I thought, yes, that makes total sense because why the hell else would we. Well, I mean, I know they have fans, but.

[A]

Well, you know that. It's funny. There are a few different theories about a lot of.

[C]

My bad.

[A]

A lot of their music. So that's a good one, too.

[C]

I'm like, what?

[A]

There are theories about. There's. There are a lot of theories.

[B]

Right?

[A]

There are theories about the girl groups because they were part of this show and, you know, it's part of a K pop. It's part partially K pop. So there's a whole bunch of other machines that work there as well. So it really very well could be part of that, you know. So I'm not going to discredit any of that. Yeah, I know it's a little tinfoil hat, but could be on the nose.

[C]

I'm with it. I said, yep, you're right. Absolutely. That's what it is.

[A]

I told you for you. Right. Be on or something. Yeah, but they performed. I don't care about them. Also, just want to shout out Sabrina Carpenter. She performed. She's been big business. I've been watching her. She did a good job. Madonna her ass. She's always going to come out on stage. Somebody.

[C]

I did hear Madonna came out. Did y' all see it?

[A]

I didn't. I saw a little clip of it.

[B]

She's got a new album coming out, though. I know she's doing Confessions on the Dance floor, too.

[C]

What?

[B]

Yes. She just announced it, like, last week or something, so that makes sense.

[A]

I'm not surprised.

[C]

I'm a master. I mean, I know she. You know, I love her too, but I'm a massive Madonna fan. I love her.

[B]

I saw a clip of her performing Live to Tell, which is one of my favorite Madonna songs of all time. I didn't even know it was a part of her set list. I would have had my ass at that concert. And I made the mistake of tweeting that. And then a throng of Madonna fans came in with, oh, yeah, she been doing that.

[C]

Oh, God, this was gnarly.

[B]

I'm just saying I want to go. That's all. I just want to be there. That's it.

[A]

Not. You love the music, friend.

[C]

Gnarly. No, I legit was like, oh, I.

[A]

So have you heard their new song?

[C]

No,

[B]

I will never.

[A]

I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna even. I'm not gonna even entertain this.

[B]

So, yes, I will never entertain a. AI Abuse.

[C]

And they keep popping up, y'. All. Now when you. You know how we will be like, oh, this popped up on my Spotify because, like, it's. It's the radio, right? It'll put you on. Now I have to look to see their profile before I mention them on this show, because I would hate. Hate to play a song and amplify an artist that is like, that would be. That would break me for all that

[B]

I could just listen to this song from the ice cream truck,

[C]

which at least has some cultural relevance.

[B]

That's it. If I just want to hear machine mechanical music, you know what I'm saying?

[C]

I can't. I can't. And I gotten caught maybe two times now, where the artist. I looked them up, and I was like, this is their only song, and they look like AI. And then I'll go try to find their purpose profile somewhere, and they just don't exist.

[B]

Don't want to hear it.

[A]

And lastly, for Coachella, flowers to Carol G. Because we're gonna end that part.

[C]

Yes, I'm happy for her.

[A]

There were a lot of other things and moments that happened to Coachella, but for Carol G. To come out there

[B]

and headline like that was a big

[A]

deal and close it out and do it her motherfucking way and looking good doing it, but that's never the point. You know what I'm saying?

[B]

Fran, you would like to add.

[A]

So that's. I said two stories. That one was supposed to be quick, so the next one Will be quicker.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Somebody said a couple of people have 10. And it actually came up in my text messages, so I had to. I'm just gonna say it here. There's Danny Kane drama happening.

[B]

Oh, my God. Let it go. What? Hit it from Dan. Let it go.

[A]

Let it go.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Please don't make me talk about it.

[C]

No, I need to know.

[B]

Oh, my God. No.

[A]

Okay. I wish I had the full story because apparently Danny Kane was supposed to go on tour with pcd. Who is Pussycat Doll. Pussycat Doll. Sorry. Which is a whole other thing.

[B]

Right?

[C]

Who's even.

[B]

Right. Both of the groups. We don't know who we gonna see. We might as well go see Cat

[C]

Eyes, because I know Melody. I was gonna say Melanie.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Melanie, Melody. Yeah.

[C]

And Scherzinger are not in it.

[B]

So Worcester side.

[A]

No. Well, so Scherz and Greer is in it. It's just Nicole and two other.

[B]

Yeah, Liam, that with the paper around the bottom.

[C]

The og. You heard.

[B]

I should.

[C]

No. All jokes aside, who's performing?

[A]

I.

[C]

Girl, I remember the redhead. You remember.

[A]

So she's not in it.

[C]

Damn money with.

[B]

They all hate Nicole. Worse society that much that don't nobody want to do it. Don't nobody want to with her. Is that what it is?

[A]

There was a lineup change. Wait, okay, never mind. I don't care about that. I'm just going to read part of the story. USA Today on March 20, 26, said pussycat dolls Nicole Schinger, Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt for an upcoming world world tour.

[C]

Oh, that was.

[A]

Now, there was also supposed to be. I don't know how closely tied these two stories are because apparently, like, this all was happening very passively. I'm not on Twitter frequently, and when I get on, I get off very quickly. So I know that there is a larger story here that I did not get all the way into. All I know is Danny Kane allegedly supposed to be touring. I don't know if it was part of this PCD tour or not, but they were supposed to be touring. And to your other question, which members? I believe it was Aubrey, Andrea and Dee Woods.

[C]

That I remember because I saw it,

[A]

because they had just did that thing at the end of last year or whatever.

[C]

Right.

[A]

And I say that thing because I don't remember if it was a show or it was like something that I don't remember what it was. But it was a thing. That's why it was a thing. So anyway, apparently there was an event coming up and it was listed that Danny Kane was going to be performing. And then from the official Danity Kane account, it was tweeted or Instagrammed. I don't know where this happened on social media that, hey, Danny K. Will not be performing because they aren't there. And so then Andrea and D. Wood spoke up and said, we Danny Cane, and we performing. So obviously left out was Aubrey. So Aubry is like, well, y'. All. I. I guess they. I don't know. Aubrey had a different engagement, so she didn't, I guess, want them to perform without her. So they felt like it was fair to use the name without Aubrey, even though Aubrey's still part of the new whatever of the Danny came that there is. So it just became a back and forth about how valid it was. I don't know who owns what. All I know is Don is on the side doing her thing. Her name kept coming up because apparently Aubrey was trying to. At one point, she was saying, you know, you know, Don is doing her thing performing. And that's all I focus on, because dawn is out here doing her thing, performing. That's the only artist I've ever, ever really focused on outside of Danity Kane, just because I don't have nothing against the other girls, but dawn has always just stood out to me, and so I appreciate her music, her sound like it was a TV show. So we all kind of live like, oh, this parasocial relationship that we need to follow them, I guess, still from the show or think of them or those versions of them. I've let all of that go, so I cannot comment on Danny Kane every time the stories come up, and I don't think many more stories of them will come up. But again, I just focus on Don't. So keep sending me dawn things. That was not quick. That's it. Oh, please.

[B]

So I'm just trying to get the story here right. So the story here is that there was a Danity Kane performance coming up on the schedule, but there's infighting. Right. And so.

[A]

Right, the.

[B]

So we don't know who. Who was supposed to perform, because according to this, who.

[A]

So we know that. So apparently Aubrey, I think she runs the official accounts. I think she was the one that spoke out and said, danny Kane is not booked for whatever the engagement was. I think it was a festival, a parade. I'm not sure. And so D. Woods and Andrea, they are the ones that are like, we are the ones that agree to this performance. And I think that's what I think.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But that still don't make sense because there's three other. For them to know she was busy, they had to have discussed it with her. No.

[B]

Right.

[C]

If she couldn't attend unless they were planning to never have her. Do you know what I mean? Like, something about that sounds a little strange as far as communication for being in a group, because normally there'd be an email, like, hey, y', all, we have this opportunity. You know, what's.

[B]

Everyone's availability?

[C]

Okay, like, so how. I'm lost to how that. That one person could think it's not happening. And the other two are like, it is.

[B]

Where is Iana? That's who needs to get these girls into shape. And we need all five members. And Iyanla, Van Zant and Iyanla need to be on one Now. I don't know what that means for.

[C]

Right. The other girl.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

See, I don't. I don't know what happened. I would. Because I would very much love to live in a world where all five girls got back together. Right? Because when it was the. Because just my opinion from over the years, when it first was Dandy Kane broke up on tv, I was like, damn, this is fucked up. But we only got like the Diddy side of it. Like, oh, Diddy's being a dick. He broke this group up, which was part of it. It was very real. But we also didn't know those girls outside of tv, so we didn't know who really wanted to be in a group, who wanted to go solo. So they're all having their own experiences in this group. So as they come back together as the four of them without D. Woods, I don't know what the conversation really was. I think they spoke out and said that whatever it was, but just took, like, my memory of me experiencing as a fan right on the outside, just watching the times that they came back together and then D. Woods isn't there, and then they disappear forever long. And then they come back and then now it's Andrea decides she's not going to be there. So it's just the three of them. And so then they all leave. And then, you know, Don, she's doing. She's doing her solo thing all throughout. But then consistently, Andrea, Aubrey and. And Shannon, they do their duo. Shannon was making solo music. Aubrey was making solo music. But then they come back as the trio and then they dissipate again. But now the trio is Aubrey, Andrea and D. Woods.

[B]

They need to fix whatever is wrong. They need to all get together, sit the down, pop their heads out of their asses and get equal Equal splits on everything.

[C]

Especially now with all these tours where people are like, reunion tours.

[A]

It's a great opportunity for the. If. Because I don't know about the whole. Because at some point from the Danny Kane account, it was saying that they were supposed to go on tour with PCD or open for them or whatever. If that was a real thing. If it was. I feel like dawn probably didn't come back because she was like this. Y' all aren't gonna do this.

[B]

She don't need it.

[A]

She.

[B]

But I think that she would do it if the shit was right.

[A]

That's.

[C]

That's.

[A]

That's literally my point.

[C]

I doubt she. It's more so y' all don't have your together.

[A]

I feel like she is the most serious out of the bunch, and that's why she. Like, I don't. I don't even think that she was asked to come back this last go round, but maybe she was. And she was like, I don't know if that's actually going to work. And she still got. She really has too much going on already anyway. But I feel like if it was going to be all five girls, I would love that. But the way that D. Woods comes back in this trio and then now it's like this duo versus the solo. Like, I actually don't want to hear about it ever again. They're crazy. I just want to hear about Dawn.

[B]

They're crazy. Dawn is a resource dawn has done. Dawn has grown so much as an artist from when we met her through Danity Kane. Right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Experimental projects that have been recognized by the Grammys, like, so many things. Right? And consistent. Maintained a presence in the live performance space. Consistently been sought after. She is a. A full creative. Consistently presenting us with visuals, moving over into a few different other spaces and shit. Like,

[A]

so.

[B]

So to me. Exactly. So to me, I would be like, yo, dawn can really make our new shit have a depth, you know what I'm saying? That we didn't have before. We need Dawn. Like, why wouldn't y' all just express that and bring her back around? Respect the game. She's the one who continued moving forward in music. Aubrey did other things in TV and shit, but dawn is the one that kept going in music. D. Woods has done theater and a lot of different other things get back together and make the Danity Kane brand strong.

[A]

Right.

[B]

You take the ego out of it. You know what I'm saying? I don't know. It's just stupid to me because they could use her and not use her in a malicious way. I mean, but they could use her. Her knowledge, her strengths.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And make the group doper than it's ever been.

[C]

So you gotta put egos aside for that.

[B]

You got to.

[C]

Well, good luck.

[B]

Just move your ego over into the

[C]

danity and make some money.

[B]

Hello.

[A]

For real.

[C]

Hit the world and see your fans. Like, what. What better do you have to be doing right now?

[A]

And that's just my quick synopsis of what happened. I don't actually know what happened, and I don't really care to know, because sometimes people that are around this or feel like I'm tied to this, they, like, want me to report or they want to inform me, and I don't. This is almost like. Like the near to me.

[B]

You tell them to go straight to hell. You ain't in the group. You just talking about the damn music. Cause you love it. Tell them kiss your ass or something.

[A]

That's it for this portion. The artist to mention. Now we're gonna push on.

[C]

And I do wanna say this last thing.

[A]

Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead.

[C]

No, I'm gonna say very quickly what my issue is with Carol G. Okay. As a Latina.

[A]

Okay, okay.

[C]

Are we proud of her? Sure. That's a big status symbol musically. Right. There's never been another Latina. My issue is appropriation of reggaeton. For me, this is a Colombian woman. A Colombian woman who has this Caribbean accent. Her aesthetic with the braids and the. You know, it's like. And. And even the way she moves through the music. She's from Medellin, from Colombia. You know what I mean? And it's like I never see homage being paid or, you know, and sometimes it's not even about homage. To me, it's just like, why are you.

[B]

I get it.

[C]

Yeah, you get it.

[B]

It makes perfect sense now to me. It's like.

[C]

It's musical blackface, and I have a hard time with it. And her. The same with.

[B]

What's the other one with an M or Anita, please.

[C]

No, Anita's is Afro Brazilian. So I don't have.

[A]

Okay, I love it.

[C]

She. Yeah. No, Anita's is Anita. It's the other one from Spain.

[A]

Rosalia. No.

[C]

Yes. Yes, she's from Spain. What the are you doing acting like. You know what I mean? It's like they. They get to take on this. These careers.

[A]

They know that sound works. So they all are like, oh, let's. Yeah.

[C]

And that's my issue. So that type of music, sometimes I have such a fucking hard time even, like, seeing the Clips. I just skipped over them because there's a part of me that. Yes, great for you. But then you also have to look at the business of music. Right? Why is she. When there's all these Dominican women, these Puerto Rican women, these women from the culture making reggaeton, Been making reggaeton. But look who gets highlighted. Look who gets the big look.

[B]

Books.

[C]

Rosalia from Spain and Carol G. From Medellin, Colombia. That's my issue.

[B]

That's why I. With Tokisha.

[C]

Thank you.

[B]

Okay. That's why I. With the real one. The real.

[C]

Okay, so you feel me. Like, I want to see my dimension.

[B]

Thank you for clearing that up, friend.

[C]

Yes, but I cleaned it up because I didn't want to sound like I was just shady for no reason. I was like, you know what? If I'm. If I'm a sigh. No, but if you're going to sigh or make make remarks, then say it. Stand on it. What is the issue? And so I wanted to also clarify that, because I also think it's an important point. So, like, yes, we can be proud, but also, this is designed that way.

[B]

I didn't realize none of that. So I take my claps back, and

[C]

to me, it's no different than the hot button issue. Right. It's like, look at the messaging about who gets to be amplified. That's why people like a David, you know, doesn't see himself even in the music of his culture. Like, that's crazy to me, and it's frustrating, and It's. We're in 2026, and that's how I felt about it. And that is my dissertation on Carol G. And Coachella. Thank you very much.

[A]

Well, I appreciate you.

[B]

High five. That was good, girl.

[A]

It was. Thought she was gonna leave it like, JLo.

[B]

There it is. And there it is.

[A]

See, I didn't even finish saying it

[B]

before you let it out.

[C]

Like, I had to do. It's the period to all of our cultural dissertations and conversations. The queen.

[A]

Like, I couldn't. Okay.

[B]

You know, Latin reads today have been on a million, like, for real. Because Fran is not. The clip is full. Okay.

[A]

See, friend, you, like, you made me glad I didn't talk about Tyler already. And then you had to go do that. So I was like, damn, I should have talked about Carol G. Either. No, I'm just playing because, you know, they still. You know, Tyler still ain't beat the. The.

[C]

Oh, yes, you've had a hard time with that one. But that's such a different one. That's. That's More complex.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.

[C]

I feel like we, we gotta give her some grace.

[A]

I, I, you know I've been trying, you know I, I have. I personally like the new song and the video is hot.

[C]

You know now that Zara Larson that she's.

[A]

Yeah, so when I mentioned her name earlier, that's why she was on my tongue. Very quickly. Tyler released a new video for a song called she did it again and it's featuring the artist Sara Larson which they kind of teased because apparently they had been seen out together and so I think it's cute. I've been liking the Zara Larson girl.

[C]

It's reminiscent of Beyonce and Shakira. Yeah, Rihanna did one like that. Who was it with? Where it was like her and someone else kind of dancing sex. I don't know why I can't you

[A]

write because everybody did do it too.

[C]

Remember that was like a thing for a second there. Who did Rihanna do it with? Now that's going to bother me.

[B]

Apparently that's who she been doing it

[A]

with when she did it with Britney Spears. When for the S M3 remix or whatever.

[C]

No, I thought it was like a video. Maybe I'm making that up, maybe not. Maybe it didn't happen. Well, one of our listeners will tell us who it was because it was Eminem Similar.

[B]

It's all right because I love the way you like.

[A]

I'm so glad we're over the era of hearing that song cuz I love me some robins but God damn if I heard her one more time Just gna stand like girl Yes I am at this point.

[B]

I love Rihanna's music.

[A]

I do love Rihanna.

[B]

Welcome to the friends.

[C]

Every time I'm in the

[B]

America's best network just got bigger. Switch to team America Mobile today and get built in benefits the other guys leave out. Plus our five year price guarantee. And now T Mobile is available in US Cellular stores. Best mobile network based on analysis by Oogle of speed test intelligence data 2H 2025 bigger network the combination of T Mobile's and US cellular network footprints will enhance the T mobile network's coverage price guarantee on talk text and data exclusions like taxes and fees apply. See t mobile.com for details. Do you have $10,000 or more in credit card debt? Maybe you're even barely getting by making minimum payments. With credit card debt hitting record highs. National Debt Relief offers real debt relief solutions for people struggling to keep up. These options may reduce a large portion of credit card debt for those who qualify. You don't need to declare bankruptcy, and you may be able to pay back less than you owe, regardless of your credit. National debt relief has already reduced the credit card debt for more than 550,000 consumers. So don't wait. If you owe 10, 20, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in credit card debt, you can now take advantage of this financial debt relief as the cost of living increases. To find out how much you could save, Visit national debt relief dot com. That's national debt relief dot com.

[A]

That'S it. Now again, for that portion of the show. Now we're going to move into the listings. Lately, I guess I made that up.

[B]

It says she has one with shakira.

[C]

Oh, it's shakira. Can't remember to forget you in 2014. Also, Shakira did it twice.

[B]

Look. Shakira. Shakira. She did it twice. Wow.

[C]

That was good. That was good.

[B]

I like shakira. Shakira. Don't take no I with shakira. Hell yeah. I love. You.

[A]

Want to talk about. You want to talk about that day one single. Like that's a single that will always get me. But yeah, friend. What have you been listening to over there?

[C]

Isaiah rashad.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Dropped a new record. Always happy to hear from him. He dropped a new record called same and this is how it goes.

[A]

Piers blue, turn me up a little bit

[C]

same the rock, the pocket full

[A]

of nuts it's the same the rock, a pocket full of nuts, the pills,

[B]

the blow, the gag, the top, the drop, the swerve, compares the props, the safe stash, the pad, the luck, the man, the myth, the legend, the great,

[A]

the plan get money till I'm.

[B]

Fly just made 200 bands just living how I live and make this in

[A]

my crib Just focus on my meals, my plate estates, my grass, my fam the path, the math, the yams, the cops harass it's fast as hell from

[C]

12 to 12 the dash, the chills,

[B]

the slates for real, the cake, the spill, the faith, the work, the race, the wheels I circle the bank slate still today you gotta get off your ass.

[A]

That's hard. I like that track.

[C]

I like that track, too. Now y' all done took me out of

[B]

was great.

[C]

I never know if I say her name right. Kalala.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Because I don't know, I looked up an interview to see and she said, kalela. And I was like, oh, okay. I thought it was khalilah this time.

[B]

That's what I've been saying personally.

[C]

Right. Thank you, Kalila. She dropped a new song called idea

[B]

One oh, I haven't heard.

[C]

What you be on but no one around

[B]

Cloud and the crater Scorch every don't make a sound illusion Hide the

[C]

solution deep in the ground. Nice, right?

[B]

Very good.

[C]

Love to hear her. And then lastly, this song popped up for me and he's not AI and it's called RJ the Weirdo. Have y' all heard of him?

[B]

No.

[A]

I don't know. Sounds like I met a few.

[C]

Could you imagine? No. Okay. And the song is called At Least she's beautiful. She can't get out of the mirror it tells her everything she wanna hear about us inside she's up and miserable but it's okay cuz she look good to everybody else but girl is terrible. But don't give up how many times she going to fall in love. My mama says you're no better. I wish so bad that those listening could hear what you were saying because can't you picture his foot the way

[B]

he's drag My foot dragging like show. Like to show girls poster with my foot dragging. Yeah.

[C]

That was so good.

[B]

Oh,

[A]

thank you, friend. That was a great selection.

[C]

RJ the Weirdo. What a wonderful discovery.

[B]

That's a good story.

[C]

At least she's beautiful. Yeah, that's a really good. We weren't laughing at you, by the way. We were laughing at Dustin saying that

[A]

he would dance to your song like.

[B]

And he sees how I would dance exotically.

[C]

He showed us how and has taken us out. But yeah, those are my three picks.

[A]

Thank you. Thank you, friend. Dustin Ross, what have you been listening to?

[B]

Well, my first song is a throwback, a hearkening to the hot button issue. This song is by the Guess who. It's from 1968 and it's titled these Eyes. Eyes. These eyes cry every night for you these arms

[C]

long to hold you again

[A]

the hurting's on me.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I will never be free now my baby, no.

[B]

Oh, no. You gave a promise to me. Yeah. You broke it. You broke it. Oh, no. These eyes watched you bring my way World to an end this heart could not accept and pretend the heavens on me. So that's these eyes. Might have guessed it.

[A]

Had his moment.

[C]

Okay, these eyes is crazy.

[A]

He had a moment like old boy when he was in the car.

[C]

We didn't even speak about the karaoke. Donny Hathaway.

[A]

No, we did not.

[C]

A song for you in the middle of his living room. I've been so many places in my life and times.

[B]

I don't want to go back to this one. Anyway, the next Song I'm gonna play is by Maya P. Shout out to Ilwalki.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And this song is called Reaper.

[C]

That's cute. My brother here. Reaper. Spent a thousand on my sneakers I got richer than my teachers I don't fuck with dude, he's a tweaker free. My brother, he a reaper Spent a thousand on my sneakers. I got richer than my teachers. I don't with dude, he's a tweaker. Really came from nothing. I never had rhyme. Big body, y' all miss some fast. They're like, who the is you? You know I'm that really up. Jeez, I ain't your last bitch. When I back in, they go beep, beep. Big body bends. This is not a jeep. I be with them sharks. I be with them reapers. Hunted on the dash. Hunted on a beeper.

[B]

That's right. And the last song I'm gonna play is by Ball Greasy, featuring Ice Billion Berg. This song is called since youe Been Away. It's old. It's from, like 2017, I think. Since you've been away I've been thinking

[C]

of you Thinking of of you since

[B]

you've been away I've been thinking of

[C]

you, Thinking of you since you've been away I. I've been thinking of you,

[B]

thinking of you since you've been away

[C]

I've been thinking of you, thinking of

[B]

you since you've been away I've been

[A]

thinking of you I've been thinking of

[B]

you since you've been away. I'm missing my voice. I done called a hundred times she

[A]

hit me back, man, that too good

[B]

to let it go like that so you could call me what you want I'm a sucker for every time I think about it I just want no more. They even got me riding to the liquor store.

[A]

I didn't die on 1/5.

[B]

I need a little more. She done blocked me on a grand. Anyway. A little relatable content. That's it for me this week.

[A]

I love that. I love that. All right. First song that I'm going to be playing is from Black, featuring two Chains. The song's called Sunday Again, and this how it goes.

[B]

Oh, Black, they back together? Yeah. Yeah. You been a bad, you been. You've been a baddest for a long time. You've been a baddest for a long time. Yeah, yeah. Promise I'm going to do you right Be the one you call me middle

[C]

of the night in and out of

[B]

sight but it's all right Know you're the bad as bad as Bad as

[C]

you

[B]

know, you good for catching me on my weekday. Always feels like Sunday. I like my breakfast with the bacon.

[C]

No such thing as overstaying the way you cut.

[A]

That was Sunday again with two chains black. I just like the feel of that. I like music that just Beatles right and that just feels right. You know what I'm saying?

[B]

Gorgeous. That could have been a fun Anita Baker song.

[C]

That's how I hear that, actually.

[B]

You know what I'm saying?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And I feel you on that, Santi, because when I was listening to some songs to try to figure out, like, what to play for this week, I literally was like, dang, man. Music don't make you feel nothing.

[B]

Yeah, you came up really strong.

[C]

I was about to play Etta James Tribe Called Quest.

[B]

She said, I hate that damn Beyonce. That next week. That next week,

[A]

next artist I'm gonna

[B]

play Shout out to Chanel.

[A]

Oh, my God. Her name's Naomi Scott. She apparently is a British singer. I think she. I read she was an actress. I was not very familiar with her work, but I think I thought, like, she was, like, in Smile too, and a couple of other things. Things I wasn't very familiar with, but apparently she's making this pivot over in the artistry. This guy reposted on my Instagram, and it was actually a montage of her new album. I want to listen to the album. This is a white girl. Normally, I don't really promote them, but I felt like this was worth it because, okay, I heard the music, and

[B]

I was like, if she jamming, she jamming.

[C]

That's not good. This good is good.

[A]

Well, this is good. I was like, I need to hear a little bit more.

[B]

We play.

[A]

This song is called Demon

[B]

Rice Krispies or whatever the name of that group is.

[A]

And you know what's funny? Those girls. So Coachella. Those girls brought the. The. The. The Cat's Eye girls brought out the K Pop Demon Hunter.

[B]

Girl Demon Hunters.

[A]

Yes. And I was like, I'm not gonna watch this. I didn't watch the K Pop Demon Hunters. But I know that there's a.

[B]

But if I have kids on some

[A]

real shit, see, that.

[B]

That demon being in that name would be like, oh, my. I'll be like, is this, like, kid of all things? Is this kid tested mother?

[C]

Let me tell you, those

[B]

kid tested mother approved.

[C]

I want to change the title episode.

[B]

It's your episode. You know what I'm saying?

[C]

That's so funny.

[B]

Shot call.

[C]

But the girls. The girls from Demon Pop Pop Slayer, whatever the hell they Are so good.

[B]

Rice crisp.

[C]

They're so cute. They're so talented, and I love the way they dress.

[A]

So I'm glad that they got to go to Coachella. Like, they got to perform on the Coachella stage.

[C]

Hopefully that, like, even though way bigger than cat's eye.

[A]

No 100.

[C]

I know. They was probably like, all right, we'll do this for today.

[B]

Like, fine, I guess, right?

[A]

Like, like, kind of annoyed, but I have to, like, it's Coachella. I can't say no to Coachella. But y' all for her ass.

[C]

Exactly.

[A]

Well, from me, not from them. Unless they want to be vocal about that, then it's gonna make me like them even more.

[B]

K pop.

[A]

Be my hunter girls. Anyway, next song that I'm gonna play. Sorry. I was like, what's.

[B]

That was a good pick, though. Asante. That was great. That black song with two chains.

[C]

I'm definitely saving it.

[B]

Love it.

[A]

This is ch.

[C]

Never did want to fake I'll tell you when it happens Love takes some time to make so don't rush the action I know you're trying, baby try a little less say a little, a little grace the table set I got to do it, baby what did you expect? Your mind is up ahead.

[B]

I'm already comes right up the bush. Don't push, don't push, Push.

[C]

Just let them dance. What is wrong today? What is wrong, girl? See what happens when we're both in nature for the weekend and.

[B]

And I'm on fumes. I'm literally running on fumes.

[A]

It's me.

[B]

I'm telling you. It's me. I accept responsibility. Oh, and I'm sorry.

[A]

The last. The last song I'm going to play is from Justin Bieber because he was at Coachella, and I've been with him, and it's featuring Travis Scott, and it's pertains to the way that you two are acting because the song is titled no sense. Here's how it goes.

[C]

Yeah, yeah it don't make no sense that I'm doing it with you it don't make no sense unless I'm doing it with you all right, son, don't set the same as you're watching it go down with me oh, no all right. They won't sleep the same Unless you're waking up in it with me oh, my It's a vacant house when you're gonna wait it's so empty and love

[B]

don't make sense when it's empty oh,

[A]

no

[C]

I've driven almost every car it ain't the Same when I'm without you. Wolf Been around a million stars. None of this.

[A]

And that is it for the Music man segment.

[C]

That's. This was a great one, y'. All.

[B]

Yes, it was.

[A]

You two ain't got no sense.

[C]

It's the in. For those who are not on Patreon. The combos we have while the music is playing is just a cherry.

[B]

It's another show. Show. It's a whole other show in and of itself because it's inspired. It's inspired conversation. And the references are immediately discernable because we're talk. It's in the moment. You know what I'm saying?

[A]

Listen. Because I had totally mentioned that girl's name at the top. And they had that whole conversation. Conversation and forgot that I. What I was talking about. So then I was like. And it's cherry.

[B]

Yeah. I thought.

[A]

Because I actually knew who you. I knew who that was, but I was like, oh, I didn't know that's what you was talking about. Like. No, because. So I was thinking about Naomi Sharon. That's why I said, Naomi Sharon. That's you talking about to the Patreon people. And catch you on like. Okay, what happened there? That's what happened.

[B]

I like Naomi Sharon. She sound like Octavia Butler.

[A]

Okay, that's it for the music segment. No more take.

[B]

I like her.

[A]

No more takes. That was it. You're cut off.

[B]

I like Naomi Sharon.

[A]

She said, no, you're cut off.

[B]

Like Big Eye, the goat, the oracle. Now that you want to talk about the way she predicted all this shit here. Anyway, this week in tv. So y' all already know. We are three episodes deep into the Real Housewives of Atlanta.

[C]

Look, I look like I have blush from how hard I do. You see? See how pink my cheeks are?

[B]

You would have seen how pink my cheeks was if they played that song in the strip club. If they played Dead two Chains. Oh, no, it wasn't. Whatever song. What song was it? Asante.

[A]

No sense.

[B]

If they played that song in the club, you would have known exactly how pink my cheeks was. Can you imagine me sticking my ass out on a stage?

[A]

No, stop, please. I would rather look at that eye

[C]

searching the foot drag.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Anyway, three episodes in.

[B]

So to the Real Housewives of Atlanta, season 17, K. Michelle's knocking it off the park.

[A]

She's doing it.

[B]

One thing I'm gonna do is tell the truth. For sure. She is doing a great job. And it has nothing to do with her arguing with nobody.

[A]

No.

[B]

It's just.

[C]

What does that look like nowadays it

[B]

looks like her hat. So she had a metal medical emergency connected to the ass surgeries that she's had, right?

[C]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

So at this point, she was in the hospital and where she had had a corrective surgery for the procedure to remove some of the material that they inserted in her ass to make it all bulbous like that, the wound reopened, and she didn't realize it because I guess the area was numb. And she got up and there was a liquid like, stain on her dress. And she was getting ready to perform at the American. American country music something. Some country. She was. She was tributing Reese Palmer, who was an acclaimed country singer and songwriter. And so it was an important performance.

[A]

Black woman that's been doing the work that has been a trailblazer.

[B]

Country music for black people, for everybody.

[C]

That's crazy.

[B]

Yeah. So anyway, so that happened, and she was in. She. She got. She got put in the hospital. So we were invested in that story in and of itself. But then there were things that made it housewives worthy, which was her having a full glam team at the hospital because she wanted to leave the hospital in full glam, and she did. And it's just been good. It's just been a good season. I love the scenes with Angela Oakley and her daughter Amari.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I was just thinking about her, like her mother. They look like twins and they're close.

[C]

Her daughter, is she new on the cast as well?

[B]

Yep. Angela came in season 16. She's Charles Oakley, NBA legend Charles Oakley's wife.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

And she was a fan favorite breakout star last season, and so we love her. Her daughter is beautiful. She looks just like Angela. And she's married. She got married to her partner, her wife now. And Angela's just been shown herself as a great mom, so that was good. Pinky Cole is such a polarizing character on the show.

[C]

How's she doing on there?

[B]

Yep. People love hate Pinky. James Caldwell.

[A]

Spices in your teeth.

[B]

Him. He said Pinky be getting on his damn nerves on the show. So. But Pinky, one thing about Pinky, she's a great sport. A lot of the criticisms that she's gotten, she's turned into jokes and memes and posts, which further gets on people's nerves. But it's. You know what I'm saying? So shout out to Pinky, though, and her family. Her family is beautiful.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And it's good to see her on there. So I shout out her to do well.

[A]

Hell, yeah.

[B]

But it's a great season, so make sure you Tune into it. And also shout out to Kelly, because when I was on the boat in Georgia on. On Saturday, I FaceTimed with Kelly. One of my friends that was on the boat was on FaceTime with her and he was like, dustin Ross is on the boat or whatever. And we talked. So shout out to Kelly Potter from the Real Housewives of Atlanta. But great.

[A]

I need some chicken and waffles. I need to stop by bananas. I. Yeah. When I'm out in Sandy Spring. Cause Angela Oakley, the way she was like, me and her had our issues.

[B]

That chicken.

[A]

Cause you know people. If people have issues and they are like, your food is so good still.

[B]

She's like, nah, I don't even name.

[A]

Yeah, look, damn, I have to try it. I needs to know.

[B]

I agree, Asante, but that's good. Also. The Real Housewives of Rhode island is good too. Two and we're three, four episodes in on that. So make sure y' all watch so that you can keep up when we review it on Patreon.

[C]

We sure are. It's gonna be fun.

[B]

We love you, Patreon. We're finishing the burbs on Peacock, on Patreon, on the binge. We're like, that's beautiful. Song by the Jackson 5 by Michael Jackson. We're almost there. So, yeah, that's going on. I feel like I'm. Oh, duh. Bell Collective Birmingham, baby. That's where it's at. If you have not been watching Bell Collective Birmingham on own, you're missing out. It is a great cast. They have found new. You know how we always say, where are the women who we don't know, who aren't celebrities, but whatever, whatever. Own Bell Collective Birmingham. That's where they at. Stormy Steele, we're very familiar with her and her successful Canvas beauty line, but there's new people on this show like fool me, this, this, this, this fascinating character. Just watch Bell Collective Birmingham. I ain't even gonna wax poetic about it. Just watch the damn show. Also, Belle Collective itself, the. The original in Jackson. They're on a break. We just had the mid season finale air this past week, but that they've had a great season. Catch up on those episodes so that when it returns in June, you can be ready to roll for the second half of this season. Love and marriage. Huntsville has been great too. Destiny vs. Letitia Scott has been incredible to watch. So make sure you watch that. And hey, that's it, man.

[C]

Let me. Let's. Oh, no. My brain thought you were talking about someone else.

[B]

No, I'm Talking about Letitia Scott. There's a character on level guy Chanteville named Nell Fletcher, and she had not been getting along with Latisha Letitia Scott. And every time she spoke about her, instead of just saying Leticia or whatever, she. You could tell she was mad. She's like. And Leticia Scott said out every time. So it kind of stuck with me personally.

[C]

But, yeah, for some reason that my brain heard Latasha, and that's how I said, she's on there now. That's crazy.

[B]

She's not on there. She's not on Motown gospel.

[C]

She's on Scott.

[B]

She's not on nothing. She ain't on nothing. Nothing. But some the same she been on since day one. Dirty deeds, doing dirty deeds, trying to take cuts and get money on top of money, and not telling the group, hating on Candy, hating on our sister, all that other stuff. So that's where Latasha Scott's been. But she can sing, though, if you feel like chasing her with your ear. When you listen to Latasha Scott, much like. Well, who is the other stanking, steaming pie pile of cow plop we were talking about earlier, Kimberly?

[A]

Wow.

[C]

Wow.

[A]

Where we started, we now.

[B]

Yeah, they both. You got to listen to them with your ear like this, because the way they be running, you got to catch it with your ear and shit. So that's where she's been. That's the Latasha Scott update. She's still somewhere, looking like the OVO owl still. That's what she is.

[C]

So I was about to go, oh, and then it just came natural. I wasn't trying to be

[B]

with a blonde wig and a Gucci belt. That's when she. That's her superhero cape. When she have that long blonde wig and that Gucci belt on top of something else. That's it. Latasha Scott is in full Latasha form.

[A]

That's her 3G frost contacts.

[B]

With that being said, that's it for this week. Week's TV Land segment.

[C]

Wait, you gotta watch Task.

[B]

What does that come.

[C]

Have y' all heard of Task? It's on HBO or Max, whatever they call it now. And it's with Mark Ruffalo.

[B]

Okay, what's it about, friend? He a taskrabbit that's killed people?

[C]

No, he's a FBI agent.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

And so it's very that. But it is so good. Wait, Asante, you saw it because you made a face.

[A]

No, I didn't.

[C]

Oh, okay.

[B]

I thought you talk about a different show.

[C]

We started watching it and ended up Binging the whole thing in one weekend. That's how good it was.

[B]

I'm g watch it.

[C]

It's so good task.

[A]

Mark Ruffalo, an FBI agent heads a task force to put an end to a string of violent robberies led by an unassuming family man.

[B]

It's time for the never to come. I need to get on google and see what's up with that. We need another season of the never ever miss. That's good tv.

[C]

We need another season. Where is love after lockup, I feel like I never know when their seasons are. They just come and go as shoes.

[A]

Right?

[C]

You know what?

[B]

On that note, in solitude.

[A]

No, you know what? In shows y' all need to watch. Y' all need to watch cross on prime. I already told you that you can see it this season.

[C]

You did tell us is a change

[B]

to me about it the way y' all did the gross point guy in society and specifically Eris Harris. So I'm gonna take my time.

[A]

Well, you know I went on ahead and talked about while I was here hot and fresh and they got a season two. So if I need to go ahead and make y' all watch it when I get the next bench, that's what I'm gonna do. Thank you.

[B]

Justice for Aris Harris.

[A]

Justice and peace.

[C]

On that note of the peace. We love you guys. Mi gentilatino so much. We thank you so much for listening. We do not take you for granted. Thanks for hanging out with us yet another week and we will catch you guys next week.

[A]

Y' all got a long ass episode. Stay black and protect your magic.

[C]

Sure did our nonsense. Oh no. Love you on fire it.

[B]

This is the friend dog.