← Intrusive Thoughts by Adam Rippon
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Use of flavored tobacco by teens is a crisis. Tobacco companies use flavors like cotton candy, watermelon ice, and cool mint to hook kids like me. They seem harmless, but they are. Addiction to nicotine sets us up for a lifetime of health problems. Organ legislators can do something about it. Passing Senate Bill 702A will keep flavored tobacco away from kids. But there are just a few short weeks left for lawmakers to act. Take action to protect kids like me@ flavorshookoreegoids.org paid for by the Campaign for.
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Tobacco Free Kids Action Fund. If you are listening to this podcast and you think, wow, you sound a bit different, you sound a bit more accomplished, established, you sound like a winner. Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Intrusive Thoughts. I am your host, Adam Rippon. I want you to know, listener, that you're not mistaken in the slightest. That that tone you hear, the shift in my voice, the absolute change of complete personality is. Is there? Is correct. Now, what is it? I'm sure you're wondering, what could it be? Just, are you having a great day? Are you having a great life? And I am having a great life. And I am having a great day. And I'm having a great day because yesterday I won an Emmy. And you might be thinking what I know I was thinking exactly the same thing. Now, what does this mean? Well, obviously up at the top, it means I'm an Emmy winner. And it also means I will become absolutely intolerable for the unforeseeable future. Now, I know you're scratching your head. You're like, I didn't watch the Emmys last night. I didn't watch the Emmys even kind of remotely around the time I'm listening to this podcast. Don't worry. This episode, it'll be evergreen. Won't matter when the. The real Emmys are. I'm getting a real Emmy, by the way. By the way. Let you know, put a pin in that and still getting a real Emmy. But the Emmys I'm talking about, there was no award show that you missed. Okay, whatever, Whatever. Now I am talking about the sports Emmys. I don't want to put a label on it. All Emmys are Emmys, right? That's what they say. If you're getting a sports Emmy like I am. But an Emmy is an Emmy. I'm still going to get that gold statue. I. That will come with a price. Not an emotional one, though, a physical price. It will come with for me. And that, yeah, I'll have an Emmy, but I'll also be $400 down. I don't care. I do not care at all. Now, what did I win this Emmy for? I won it for best Actor. No, I won it in the sports Emmys, like I said. And I won it in the category of outstanding live special championship event. And you guys know how hard I've kind of practiced to be the winner of that specific category. And it was. It was a journey. It was such a long journey. And, you know, I specifically, like I said, trained, trained, trained for this category. And it is just absolutely amazing that I did come out on top now. I couldn't do it without my team. I really couldn't do without my whole entire team now. Okay, this category is basically. It's like the entire. It's for the Olympics in Paris, and for the Olympics in Paris, I did work for NBC. Now, was I in Paris? No, not even close to Paris. Not even close to Europe. So how did I. How did I pull this off? Well, I pulled it off because I was actually working in Stamford, Connecticut, which arguably is a lot like Paris in the way that it's a city, period. And I really adored that. And so I will tell you like, a real story. So the real story is this, of why were you in Stanford? So if you work an Olympic Games for NBC, there is likely two options of where you'll go. You'll go to the host city of the Games if you have a position that requires you to be, like, at at events, and if you're dealing more with, like, the media side of things or with live to tape different things that involve the Olympics, you might end up in Stanford, Connecticut. Now, what is in Stanford? In Stanford is the headquarters of NBC Olympics. And so while, yeah, some of my coworkers were eating baguettes under the Eiffel Tower or they were feeding pigeons on the Champs Ly Zees. I was taking a bus from Stamford to Greenwich to go to my hotel and eat a yogurt. And in a way, it was just as beautiful. And little did I know this is true. Little did I know my work. I laugh until I pass out. Little did I know my work would end me with an Emmy. I am really trying to contain myself because I am sort of like, now that I have this accolade and award, I do need to take a deep breath. I don't want to get ahead of myself. Now, I want you to know that if you search Adam Rippon Emmy, it will come up. I've searched it this morning. The first thing that comes up actually is kind of Google AI saying, no, Adam Rippon did not win an Emmy. Which is actually fucking wrong. Thank God. And right under that is the link to where I won the Emmy. And I am listed with about 4,000 other people in this list. And it doesn't. Honestly congratulations to absolutely everyone. Like I said, it takes a village. And if you see how many names are on this list of which I am included in, which does make me and all of these people award winning, Emmy winning people, you will go, whoa, that is. That's maybe the names of an entire actual small village. And I want you to know something else. I want you to know the category I won this Emmy in. So I won or not the category. What it will say on my trophy, because you absolutely. No, I'm ordering that trophy. I'm ordering two if it's allowed. It's most likely not allowed. It doesn't matter. I will kind of put in the cart two. I'll just see what they say if they send two. That's great. I also don't know how the cart thing works. I'm. I'm assuming it's like an Amazon sort of situation. Most likely. Not one can hope. All right, so how it's listed on this sheet is as follows. So it says, outstanding live championship event. Ding, ding, it's me. So they have the producers, they have the executive producers, they have play by play. And then we get down to a little list I like to call event analyst. I'm smiling ear to ear because I am, of course, you know me as Adam Rippon, the host of Intrusive Thoughts. But now you know me as Emmy winner event analyst Adam Rippon, who also hosts Intrusive Thoughts. And on this list, we have, you know, really incredible people. We have hosts. Right? You might know some hosts. Who else won this Emmy with me? Mike Tirico. Yeah. Ever heard of him? How about Maria Taylor? Yeah, I thought so. What about Peyton Manning? Right? Peyton Manning won an Emmy last night. So I bet you're kind of holding your tongue now, sideline reporter. Who was a sideline reporter? Snoop Dogg. Okay. Snoop Dogg is an Emmy winner now. And let's go back to event analyst. Me, Okay? I am an Emmy award winning event analyst. I didn't know I was nominated. I didn't know that they included me in this list, which is both hilarious and incredible. It's absolutely incredible. So it says on this list there's many, many names and I am one of them. Adam Rippon. Believe me, I double, triple, quadruple checked, and I have it Right here. I have it right in front of me on my computer. TheEmmys TV. It's, it's coming there. This is the official list. Also an event analyst, Martha Stewart. Yes. So me and Martha Stewart are both getting Emmys for being event analysts at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France. Stanford, Connecticut. Oh, God, it feels so good. Dwayne Wade, congratulations. Also an event analyst. Like I just reading this list and it's just, oh, my goodness freaking gracious. Most people would rather remove a nest of irate hornets than search for auto and home insurance. That's why the zebra searches for you. Comparing over 100 insurance companies to find savings no one else can compare. Today@the zebra.com. i think I'll wait inside. So I want you to know how I found out. So I found out because one of my very best friends, I met her through NBC Olympics. She was a figure skating researcher at the time, which is how I met her. She was interviewing me and I went, wow, this girl is pretty cool. And so we became friends. Her name is Sarah Hughes. And Sarah and I became really good friends. And she continued to work for NBC Olympics when I started working for NBC Olympics. But she works, she's like a full time employee at NBC. So she does so many different things. She works the Kentucky Derby, she does gymnastics. She does basically a little bit of absolutely everything. And so Sarah has won two Emmys before and not only has she won them, she's gotten the trophy. So she has the trophies at her apartment and every time I'd see them, I go, God damn it, I want one of those. And I knew that the sports Emmys were happening and so I just, you know, I really didn't think about it. Who? Little old me from Stanford, Connecticut. Why would I even be nominated? Well, why actually shouldn't I be nominated for my critically now critically acclaimed and award winning content that I put together? Yeah, it's critically acclaimed. I'm an Emmy winner. All right. So is Martha Stewart. I wonder how many Emmys Martha Stewart has. We will kind of get the researcher on that. And by that I mean I'll look it up later. So back to me in the Emmy. So how did I find out? So my friend Sarah Hughes, we've established that she works the Kentucky Derby, she works figure skating, she works gymnastics, she works kind of it all. I knew Sarah was up for a few Emmys and she did win two Emmys and she texted me late last night. So I wasn't even like paying attention to who was winning or what. And so she texted me late last night, and she said, congratulations, we won an Emmy last night. And when I read this, I went, okay, cool. Like, how nice of her that she's saying this. Like, we are such good friends that she's including me in her win. She's such a selfless woman. And then she got back to me and she said, no, you won an Emmy yesterday. Imagine my actual utter surprise. I said, what did you mean? And she said, no, you won one. And I'm thinking, like, she's just kind of assuming, like, no, you should definitely be on this list. Like, there is no way you shouldn't be on this list. And I'm just thinking, God, Sarah is just so optimistic. Like, this is such a glass half full kind of mentality to take about, you know, why would I even be included in this? And she goes, no. And she sent me the list of people. Like, I said, It's 4,000 people. It takes a village. And I have the name of every villager right in front of me. John Rizzo, James Twoley, Tim Watson, Christopher Weed. These are all villagers, okay? They're all Emmy winners. Matthew West, Matt Wilson. Oh, God, it feels so good. So that is how I found out. And I really was like, sarah, don't play with me because I will become absolutely intolerable. Which I already. I was bordering on being intolerable, but now it is. And so I was thinking, like, okay, obviously the next morning, I'm like, how do I immediately contact the Academy? Because I'm now in it. You know, being a winner, I have to be in it. And so I immediately was searching, how do you get your Emmy? Where does it go? How do you get it? And this is the caveat, right? Like, you can win one of these Emmys. But like I said, there's many, many names. They included, like, the entire team, everybody who did play by play, all of the event analysts, the. The content associates, the researchers. Like, all of these people. 1. They've done all really incredible work, and it really does take all of these people to put together a great Olympics. I say the one sincere thing I will actually say. And so it is incredible that they've all been recognized for their work. Now, the. The caveat, like I said, is that you can call yourself an Emmy winner, but if you want to be an Emmy owner, that is a different story, okay? Because they will include you on this list, but then you are absolutely on the hook for getting your own Emmy, which, whatever, I could give an actual fuck, because I don't care how I have to do it. I will write a check. I will Venmo you. I will Venmo the Academy. And I will go send it here. Send it to this address. It'll be my home address. I'll be waiting on the front steps to sign for that package, because I know it's a package. I want you to know something. I know this firsthand because of Sarah's Emmys, that when they send you your Emmy, which I'll be getting, absolutely. You can absolutely count on anything. If it was my last dollar, if I had the choice, I could eat or I could own a trophy. I've ate a lot of really good things. I don't need to eat anymore. I need another trophy. The priorities, you know, I could die, but I could die with a trophy. And so I'll die with the trophy. And so, like I said, even if it was my last dollar, that's what I'm doing. I'm buying the trophy. It wouldn't. It would not absolutely matter. Absolutely at all. And I want you to know something else, that when I do order this Emmy. Oh, wait, I didn't finish that story. So when you. When you order the Emmy, it comes in a beautiful wooden box. Okay. And I've already read through the entire website today because people who go to the Academy website one are mentally ill. Hello, me. So people who go to the Academy website, they go if they need to apply to get their statue and fill out an application, but they will also go to this website if they are seeking to repair a statue. And these statues are so delicate and intricate that it's actually. Instead of trying to make repairs to it, they said that it can be more inexpensive. It can be. Yeah. More inexpensive. Is that English? It doesn't matter. I don't need to speak. I'm an Emmy winner. Somebody will clear this up. It is less expensive. There we go. It is less expensive to just order a new trophy. A bit wasteful. Whatever. I don't make the rules. Greta Thunberg will deal with that on her end, not me. Okay? Now, so I do know that it comes in a beautiful trophy. And just wait. Just you absolutely wait. Because when I get the trophy. All right, When I get the trophy, I want you to know. And I'm gonna let you know firsthand right here, you're the first to know. Hot off the press. When I get that trophy, I will be acting like I was in the award winning series the Bear. I will be acting like I was alongside Gene Smart through all five or four seasons of Hacks that I was right there. I was on the front lines. And, you know, I. That's just. That's just me. You know, maybe somebody else on this list will be humble and they'll go, no, I couldn't do this without my team. And I'll go, yeah, I couldn't do it without my team either. Gene Smart, Hannah and Byner, Paul Downs. That's because I'll be acting truly like it was the Academy who sought me out. God, it feels good. I know, I know, I know there are different categories of Emmys. So like the Emmys that I'm talking about for the acting, those are called, like, the primetime Emmys, and these are the sports Emmys. But when we kind of take the labels away, which I know sounds a bit woke, right? Take the labels away. Hear me out. Right? Let's just take them away for a second Emmy. When we take the labels away, it's just an Emmy. And I just. I want you to see me for who I am, and I want you to see my Emmy for whom they are. Right. I want to address one more thing. When it comes to my Emmy that I really can't say without showing all 32 of my teeth or 28. I got my wisdom teeth removed as a teenager. As an 18 year old, I did that. And I'm glad I could share that with you right now. But I want you to know that maybe. Was I jumping the gun? Like, maybe I'm just included on the list and that's as far as it goes? No. I got an email from my boss, my big old boss, the big old boss, the president of NBC Olympics, in an email that did go to about 5,000 other people because like I said, I was not alone on this. Because it makes. Be absolutely. It doesn't make. It takes the village. God, my head's already getting scrambled. But I want you to know that I got an email and it says that the. I'm not gonna reveal too much, but it does say the. The subject is you are an. I have to open this. I think I have an idea of where it's going. Hello, Paris announce team. Me some good news to pass along. Our Paris Olympics coverage captured the live special category at the sports Emmys last night. And for the first time, announcers are listed on the entry. So that makes you an Emmy winner. Oh, God. How Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely incredible. It feels really good. I don't feel, like, changed at all, but I do feel different, you know, But I didn't change. Changing is something that you do on purpose, right? When something's different, it just sort of. It happens or just is what it is. It's more unintentional. And this unintentional change, like, I didn't even know I was nominated, right? I didn't even know, which is honestly a really good thing that I had no idea because I'd be sweating. Like, I'd be sweating, Like, I wouldn't be able to concentrate on absolutely anything else. And this is the. Absolutely. The best way to have found out this incredible, absolutely stunning news. And moments before I found out I was an winner of an Emmy. Emmy winner. Winner of an Emmy. Me. Moments before, I was trying to get into bed, and my husband said, you didn't take a shower before he got into bed? I said, no, I can't. I don't really feel like it. And he goes, go take a shower. Oh, God. I was annoyed. So I got my wet ass into bed and then checked my phone, and I realized, no, I needed to take a shower because I needed to find out this information with a clean body. And I'm forever grateful for my supporters and in this case, I mean, my husband, who took. Who told me to take a shower, and he is. He will be listed on that team of supporters. And it's just. Wow. It feels incredible. I just want to thank you all. Thank you all. I want to thank the great city and the great state of Connecticut, the great city of Stamford. I think we should move along just quickly. I want to get to some really good voicemails today, because we do have some. And I've really spent quite a while on myself, which is so unlike me. It really is not like me to just sit here and gloat. But I'm not gloating, you know, Like, I am. I'm so happy for, like, people like Martha Stewart who have gone unrecognized and, you know, are unrecognizable. You know, I just. I. I'm. It's about. It's for Martha. It's for Snoop Dogg. It's for Maria Taylor. It's for Mike Tirico. And so I'm so. I'm so grateful for my team. For my team. Now let's turn the page. Just quickly. I just want to tell one other story. Now. This is in the kind of same category of, like, celebration. Now. I'm just. I want to share something with you that you will need a pen and paper for. And I wrote this down because I just wanted to make sure that I did share it. Is it, like, relevant to anything we've talked about? No. Is it important at all? Not really. Like, does it go with anything we've talked about? No. It has like absolutely zero zero, zero. I'm begging you on my hands and knees to believe me. This has absolutely nothing to do with what we've talked about so far at all. And truly we could not even include it at all. But I'm going to share it because I wrote it down and I went. I just, I need people to know this. Okay, now here's what I'm going to share. I like to gatekeep things. Sorry. I don't need everybody knowing my business and my secrets. But there is something that I cannot gatekeep any longer and it is this. Over the weekend I had some friends come over to my house and when they came over, I thought it would be nice to have like a cocktail ready for them. Okay. And I was thinking, what should it be? What's a cocktail that like everybody will like? Because it can be a bit polarizing when, you know, when you, when you think about putting a cocktail together. Because there are some people who are like, oh God, I can't drink vodka or I, oh my God, I'll black out from tequila. So I'm trying to satisfy everyone's needs and so by that I focus on my own first. You know, when you go on a plane, they say put your mask on before putting the mask on that child sitting next to you. They say that in the video that I watch every single time I go on a plane, I go, huh, huh. That au pair, that babysitter next to that 10 year old girl, put on her mask first. Don't be worried. There is oxygen flowing through the bag even though it's not inflating. I told you, I listen. So when I'm thinking of the cocktail, what cocktail am I going to put together for my guests, I go, well, what would I like? You gotta start somewhere, right? I can't if I only know what I like. Let's take it from there. I just hit a glass straw against a glass cup, which is fine. So I can only take it from the first step of like, what do I know about me? Well, I definitely do know myself and I do love the vodka. Okay, now where am I going with this? I'll tell you, it's just, I'm. It's like I'm taking the long kind of route to get to just sharing a recipe with you. That's all this is, is that I need to share this recipe. So I wanted a Martini that I felt like was going to be appeasing to everyone. You know, like I said, not every spirit is for every person. And some people want a glass of wine, whatever, something blah, blah, blah. I wanted something straight out the door. I'm going to give you a kick right in the ass. That's what I wanted to provide to my guests. And maybe we host differently, but that is how I like to host. I want you to be flat on your ass within 30 minutes of entering the front gates of hell, which is what I call my home, the front gates of hell. So I wanted a martini and I wanted something that had a little kick, because then that, that's going to just like kind of last throughout the evening. You can have another glass of wine later. I like to start with the martini too, because then you don't go, oh, God, we need another bottle of wine. Because wine is one of those tricky things where it's like it sometimes can take one or two glasses to kind of get the, the gears grinding, if you know what I mean. But in Martini, that'll get you flat out quick. Pretty quick. And so I thought, you know, what could it be? Can I not An Aperol spritz? That can be polarizing. Some people think Aperol tastes like Pine Sol, which I did for the first few years of me kind of really muscling them down. Now I love them. Love, love, love that Aperol Red 40. Do not take it out of my Aperol spritz. I will freak out. I need it to be red. I thought, what else could I do? You know, I like to make a Vesper, which is the James Bond martini, but I couldn't remember what was in it. And God forbid I Google that recipe. But I know that it has Lillette Blanc in there, which I had. But I, you know, couldn't remember the rest because I couldn't stop thinking about one martini that I've made that is the most delicious Martini I've ever had in my life. And it is a hair martini. And now if you are driving, pull over to the side of the road. If you are standing, find a chair, sit down, grab a notebook, grab a pen, and listen to me very fucking carefully. You are going to go to the liquor store, all right? That's kind of universal. This is not something you can get at the grocery store. I'm from Pennsylvania. There are is no liquor at the grocery store. You got to go to a wine and spirits place. And that's where you're going to have to go now because you're going to need a few things that you cannot get at your local grocer unless you. I don't know if you can get these at your local grocery store. We are not shopping at the same places, which is fine with me. Good for you. Oh, all right, now that you've pulled over, now that I've given you some time, this is the recipe here. Please follow it. Do not stray. You need 2 ounces. Actually, wait, I'll. I'm. I'm going to give you the full recipe. First. I'm going to tell you what you need. You need elderflower liqueur, okay? You need Gray Goose vodka infused with pear, which is Grey Goose lapois, all right? You need lemon juice. Don't get the lemons, get the juice. All right? The juice is going to be the most consistent flavor all throughout. Just get the lemon juice, okay? Nobody has time to squeeze and all of that stuff. Whatever. You're getting the juice. You're also gonna need simple syrup, okay? Which is just sugar and water. Just get the simple syrup. It's two dollars. Whatever. If you're buying Grey Grouse Lapois, a two dollar simple syrup isn't gonna break the bank, all right? And listen, if you're worried about breaking the bank, then you get a Svedka. You get a big, giant bottle of Svedka, and you mix it with some water and some ice, and you go, okay, when I hit it big, I'm going to get the Grey Goose lapois, But until then, okay, all right, so that's your martini if you're going. Hey, I can't afford any of that, all right? I've been there. I've been there. And when I've been there, I've gotten the big bottle of Svetka. It's 10 bucks, $15. I don't know. It's been a while. And that's what you use. Sorry. Okay, now, now that you have all of these ingredients, you're gonna get your little measuring utensils, and you're gonna get a mixer, okay? One of those bottles that you just shake. Shake the hell out of it. You're gonna get 2 ounces of the Grey Goose lapois. You're gonna get half an ounce of the elderflower liqueur, one ounce of the lemon juice, and half an ounce. Do a little bit more of this simple syrup when I tell you this is the greatest tasting martini I've ever had in my life. It tastes like apple juice. Not even for a second do you have to. You know, there are martinis that I've had where I have to for, you know, the first few st. Where I have to. For the first few sips, kind of, you know, I tell myself, act like an adult. And I go. And I kind of shudder to myself for a second, and I go, hey, be a big boy. Come on, be a big boy. And don't make a face. Because I want to make a face the first few sips, because I'm like, my God, drinking this. It tastes disgusting. And then you go, okay, I've kind of. I've relaxed into it. Not the pear martini. Right off the bat. This thing should be in a sippy cup. It's that. Oh, my God. Finger licking good. It's so good. And now this is, like, not an original recipe that I thought of, obviously, right, because one of my other options was Svetka and a glass of water. So you. You have to know that this is not my idea. Not my original idea. It was a friend of mine, my friend Douglas. He is the one who introduced me to this pear martini. And I remember the first time I had it. It was maybe the first time it felt like, okay to travel in the pandemic. And he came over and I had, you know, we were doing, like one of those really small get togethers. I had a friend who was living with me during the pandemic that was like, you know, 2021, almost 2022 at this point. And he came over and he was like, we're trying this martini. I said, okay, sure, whatever. And I. 1 o' clock, 2 o' clock, 3 o' clock, 4, 5 o' clock, 6 o' clock, 7 o' clock. That's what was happening with me drinking these martinis. I had maybe, I don't know, five, eight of them. Guzzle, guzzle. Drink, drink, clink. Say cheers. It was out of this world. I was really hurting for about four days after that because it just. It all hit me at once. I was not drinking these with the caution that I should have. And I. I did learn my lesson, because when my friends came over and I presented them with the pear martini, I gave them the disclaimer of, this will knock you out onto your ass if you aren't careful. I looked them all dead straight in the eye and told them this, because it's true. And they said, you're going to drink this slowly. I know that you're going to think you can just knock this back like Jack Sparrow, but you cannot do that. If you respect yourself at all, whatsoever, you cannot do that. Everyone is Allowed. Two. No one will be having more than two of these martinis. You know, this is. I'm. I'm talking to them as if it's like a past version of myself that I wish a guardian angel had whispered into my ear of going, hey, put the shaker down. Put that shaker down. You do not need to be drinking half a bottle of Grey Goose Lapois yourself. Come on. And so I'm being the voice that I'm being the hero that I wish I had. How about that? That's what I'm trying to be. I'm trying to be the change I want in the world. And by that, I mean I look my friends dead straight in the eye and I go, you're only allowed to. And then you're drinking water. And then maybe a few hours later, you can have another drink, but not another martini. And I'm glad I did that because we nursed our one. And I'm telling you, like I said, it knocked me straight out. It is amazing. It didn't knock me out. I got the. The buzz, if you know what I'm saying. And so, like I said, this is the greatest martini I've ever had. This is the best drink you could make for anybody. But if you ever make this for your friends, you have to truly limit yourself. You are not allowed to have more than two. I'm begging you, like, I'm begging you, begging you to please listen to me. You've got to make it, and you're only allowed. You've got to put a cap on it. Like, you just cannot go any further than that. Just to reiterate, now that I'm done with that story, you can start driving again. Take a deep breath. Maybe pick. Maybe pick up some of the ingredients. And those ingredients are, one more time for those who did not have a pen and paper. Grey Goose Lapois, okay? It's got, like, sort of like a greenish sort of border on that elderflower liqueur. It's in sort of like a feminine shaped bottle. You'll know. You'll know what it is. Lemon juice, it's over by the pretzels, all right? That's where they always have, like, the juice and whatever. And you have to get the lemon juice. Don't be fancy, don't be squeezing lemons. This is not that you're not making tea, all right? You're making a serious military grade cocktail. Lemon juice and simple syrup, okay? Simple syrup. You gotta just get it. I don't know if it's shelf stable for how Long. But I will tell you, the simple syrup that I have, I've had it for about five years. I don't know if that's good or bad. I don't know if it's good or bad. But I'm still standing. I'm still standing. So that is the greatest martini you've ever had. I should probably make one for myself tonight to celebrate my win from yesterday. Cause I did find out around midnight that I was an Emmy winner. Just to circle right back, circle right back. Complete thoughts, unintrusive thoughts. And with that, let's hit up a voicemail. All right, let's get to a voicemail. And I really chit and chatted this whole entire episode. Kind of proud of myself. All right, let's find a voicemail. Please leave your message after the tone.
- [39:25]
C
Hi.
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B
I'm just wondering what you would do in a situation where you're not exactly sure if you should invite a friend's ex to a party. If you're nervous, if it's just, like.
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C
A weird thing, just give me your opinion. Bye.
- [39:48]
B
Not sure if you should invite a friend's ex to a party. All right, you want my opinion? My first thing that I have to say to you is I think we need to think about why are you nervous, right? Maybe that is a sign that you're doing something that maybe, you know, you shouldn't do in this circumstance. Now, I think everything needs a bit of context, right? Like, I need a bit more context of this situation, of the friend, of the ex. I need more. Like, I need more context because that will help me determine of what is the right thing to do in this situation. I want you to know I'm taking this. So I have a notebook in front of me so I don't forget what I'm saying, which I often do. It's the martinis. I don't really drink. I'm laughing. I don't really, though. Now I'm sweating. Okay, all right. Back to the ex at the party. Okay. Like, I. I do need more context because I think it. It matters. It matters to me. How close are you to the friend? Right? If you're very close to. To the friend and you think that it's going to make the friend uncomfortable, then I don't see any reason of why you need to invite the ex to the party. I think if you are really close to the friend and you really liked the ex and they are exes, and you think that that friend is going to be uncomfortable in any way, I think you still don't invite them to the party because you knew the friend first. That friend is your friend. I think you're even, like, giving yourself subliminal clues of my friend and their ex, right? Like, in the food chain of everything, shouldn't your friend come first? And if you knew that X well enough, you would have said, they're my friend. And. But they're also the ex of my friend. But you didn't say that, so you kind of gave yourself away of. There is something of, like, maybe you like this ex, or you had a friendship with them as well, and you didn't want to lose that. And I think that, you know, that's valid. You know, that's. You know, I think that, like, sometimes you. Your friends will date people that you connect to, even if it's, like, on a friendship level. Like, you'll just have a lot in common with this person. And if you really feel like it's totally necessary, like, maybe pursue a friendship with them, I would think that's weird. I would think that's truly weird. But I think that you have your right to. To do that. But I think that's weird. That's just me. I think you also need to think about, like, how does this ex involve themselves with your other friends, Right? Like, more context for me would be really helpful because is this ex in part of a different friend group that is also invited to this party and your friend is kind of your group, and maybe the exes finding themselves kind of, like, connected to another group? I think if that's the case, then you. It would make more sense and it would seem more like, within the realm of, okay, I understand why they would be invited, but if they have no affiliation to anyone else at the party except for your friend and being their ex, that's when I'm like, why would you even entertain the possible drama of this? Why would you even do that to yourself? Because I think that, like, you could in a way that if you were like, no, I really need to be friends with this person, or, like, we really connected or whatever, then you could pursue that friendship. But, like, not at the cost of making your friend uncomfortable. Like, you need to do this in a different setting. You know, you could do it in a way where it's like, something that your friend isn't at or something. I don't know. But I do think that before you would even do that, you should have a conversation with your friend and tell them how you feel. Because, listen, if you. You just need to have a conversation. Okay, Right So like, let's just say, for instance, you are gay and your friend is gay and their ex is also a gay person. Right. I would think it was quite strange if my friend needed to get to know my ex, you know? Okay. And I think before you get yourself into trouble, you just. You need to have a conversation with your friend. But on the surface of this question, this is what I have to say. If you're feeling nervous or weird about it, there's a reason, and I think it's because you know, you shouldn't do it. That's my two cents. You asked me. Okay, let's do another one. Please leave your message after the tone.
- [45:45]
C
Hi, Adam. So my name is Helia. And I have been going through some issues throughout my 30 years of life with people just thinking it's cute or funny to say hell yeah, because it's spelled H E L Y A. And yes, that is the name that my parents gave me. So I guess my question is, what is your advice for anyone that's been, you know, given a hard time for the way that their name is or how their name's pronounced, I would greatly appreciate it. Bye.
- [46:23]
B
God, this is really quite the pickle that you've found yourself in. This is a tough one. Helia. 30 years on planet earth with the name Helia spelled hell yeah. God, that is really. That is your parents fault. That is really your parents fault. Your name is spelled hell yeah. God, I feel for you. I really do. I really feel for you. I think this is the thing. If this is something, I think you have two paths that you can forge on this journey with the name Helia. Helia. Hold on. Let's listen to how you say it one more time before I become part of the problem. Helia. Okay. All right. Helia. Helia. Helia. Helia. God, yeah, this is a really tough one because of this spelling, right? Because if your name wasn't spelled hell yeah, I'd go, okay, they're just being truly mean. But it's spelled hell yeah. This is truly. This is really tough for me. This is really hard for me. Okay, I'm gonna tell you how, like, the mind of a bully works or like, how the mind of somebody who likes to tease people works. They want to beat you to the punch and they want to go, oh, do you know that your name is spelled hell yeah? Like they're trying to get you in a. Oh, my God, I had no idea. And I think the reason that you're getting upset is, like, it's carried over from Childhood. Because when we're children, we just get upset when people don't call us by what we say our name is, because we want to be validated, right? Like, we want to go, hey, this is what I said to call me. This is my name. And when somebody's like, no, it's not. Like, that doesn't make us feel good. And that's carried on. Oh, God, I keep hitting that glass straw. Truly, my bad. And I think that has carried on into adulthood, where now I really can imagine that you're getting people who mean well reading your name for the first time going, hell, yeah. Oh, my God, girl, this is the funniest name in the world. And you're so lucky. I don't think you realize how lucky you are, because. All right, okay, let's go back to what I was saying before, because I'm just. I'm getting excited. I feel like you've won an Emmy. Elia has won an Emmy. Okay? So like I said, I think that, like, this starts from, like, when you're, like, a young kid and you're not being validated and that annoyance has come into being an adult when people might read your name for the first time and they're saying, hell, yeah. And I think it reminds you of when people would mispronounce it on purpose. And so I think that might be why you feel annoyed now, because I think somebody could say something like, funny, clever, you might still find it annoying. But then they might not ever call you Helia again. They'll call you Helia. They'll call you by the name that you say after you correct them. But I think that, like, it must. And I'm assuming. Right, I'm just completely assuming that it just reminds you of when people were teasing you when you were a kid. Because, let's say it together, kids are fucked up. Like, they're truly. They're not nice. Like, kids are not notoriously. They're famously mean and. And just really rotten, even the good ones. And so I. I do believe you're carrying this sort of frustration of when you were a child with you into adulthood, which is totally. I get it. You know, nobody was kind of messing with the name Adam, right? Boring, plain Jane Adam. Like, nobody. Nobody was ever messing with that. The closest I can get to kind of commiserating with you and. And seeing the struggle you have is my husband's. So my husband is sort of, like, in an interesting position because his Finnish name is UC Pekka. Okay? It's UC-Pekka. And it's the same thing. Like if his, like if somebody's name is Mary Teresa, like, it's one name, you see, Pekka. But all of his friends called him JP in Finnish, which is Yipe. Okay, so he was just going by jp. And when JP moved to the US he had this opportunity where everybody would call him jp, but in Finnish, everyone would call him Yipe, but he has a direct translation of his name. So he thought this was like, really cool because he can, like, reinvent himself. Like, in a way. Like, in Finland he's Yipe, but over here he's jp. And even though it's exactly the same thing, it's, you know, somebody's calling you something completely different. Now, how does this tie in? Well, this ties in anytime he orders something on, like Uber Eats, or somebody sees any sort of paperwork that he fills out because he has to fill it out with his, like, full name. And they look at that name now I'm gonna, I'll spell it for you. J, U, S, S, I. Which a lot of people, they won't go soft J. They'll immediately go Jussie. And they'll think that he's put like a middle name in there. So they'll just straight up call him Jussie. And, you know, this annoyed him at first because he was like, can they just not understand? Like, you see? And I said, no, sweetheart, like in America, there's a lot of things people don't understand. And like the. They have such bigger fish to fry that they are really not worried about the soft J of your Finnish name. And he gets it now. He does still think, you know, some people are idiots. And he's right to think that. And you're right to think it too. But this is, you know, just me saying, like, I understand from the perspective of somebody who's like, quite close to me, my husband, you could say we are quite close. It is pretty serious. But from the perspective of somebody who is close to me, I see the, the annoyance that it can be of like, oh, God, nobody can say my name right. And, you know, he has a very, like, it's a very charming accent. But every once in a while, somebody won't understand a word that he says. And I think for him, it's like he'll be a bit self conscious of like, oh, maybe my English isn't that good. His English is truly kind of perfect. Better than mine and better than most people I know. But, you know, as somebody who's not a native English speaker, it's something that like, he can be a bit self conscious about. All right now, and enough about him. This is not intrusive thoughts with UC Pekka. This is intrusive thoughts with Adam Rippon. And we are now focused on you. Helia spelled Hell yeah. Now, you have two options. Like I mentioned, we just. I wanted to kind of get to the root of the issue, root of the problem. It's not a problem. It's an opportunity. All right? I think we have two paths we can forge, as I mentioned, and I think the first path is that you totally embrace it and you start a merch line, okay? And you capitalize on that's your mother fucking name, all right? You are Hell yeah. And you sell merch now, okay? And you're gonna make bank you trademark that, motherfucker. Hell yeah. Hell yeah. It's really. It is so close to being hell yeah. But I think that you fully embrace it. Because you know what? The thing is, is that you've beat. You've beaten them to the punch, all right? If you. If that's the. The path that you've taken, you've beaten them to the punch. And nobody's gonna repeat the joke that you made about your name again, because repeating a joke is not funny, all right? And if you go this hell yeah, merch sort of path, I think everyone will make it a point to know your story, which is that your name is Helia. Helia. I'm. We have to listen to it one more time because I'm confusing myself. All right, hold on. Helia. There we go. It's just. This is what happens when I see Helia in front of me. Helia. Helia. I'm practicing. Yeah. I think you gotta go the merch line, right? The other. You know, I. I think you have two. Two more options, right? I said you had two, but I do believe you have three. But two. It's like 2A and 2B. And so I think 2A is that you change your spelling of your name, not your name, okay? And I think you'd get Helia if you change the Y to an I. And right? You're not changing your name. You're still Helia. Because I think, like, if you just change the Y to an I. Listen, people have done worse when they've come over here from Ellis island, you know, they've started brand new identities. Okay? I'm watching you right now. And Joe. Joe Goldberg, he's changing his name all the. All the damn time. This is not like that. This is just one letter. Like, it's this is going to be quite the process, right? Because like, if you do do this, you're going to have to get a new social card, a new updated birth certificate, driver's license, all of that stuff. If you want to do that, go knock yourself out. I think we stick to the merch line. But I do believe that if you change the Y to an I, that when people see this, they will immediately kind of separate the, the, the entire spelling of your name. And they'll see hell, and then they'll see Leah and they'll go helia and they'll see that right away. And so I think that that is an option. And I really think that if you went helia with an I, it would not even cross anybody's mind to go, hell yeah, it would never even cross their mind if you did that. Then this is to be the second option. To be or not to be. You just change it. You're Susan now, Kimberly. Okay? You're Helen. You just straight up switch it up. Because you cannot control these dumb ass bitches around you. You can't, you can't do that. And you can't live your life waiting for people to treat you with respect. They won't. Nobody, nobody, nobody will. We both start crying. I'm holding your hand. I'm going. It's okay, it's okay. Hell yeah, it's all right. But I mean that's, that's what you got to do, you know, you're Susan. Like I said, you're Josephine something. You got to completely change it up. But if it really bothers you, I think truly, you just change the Y to an I, right? And otherwise maybe There's A to C. 2 C is you give yourself a little nickname. Heli. Hells bells, I don't know. I haven't work chopped it at all yaya. Like, I don't know, something like that then that you just give yourself like a nickname. Because how often are people, you know, reading your name out? Unless you're like going to class or something. Maybe you're going to class. Maybe this is where this, this is happening. I mean, if you're going to class, can't you just. I don't think you need to like give them the government spelling of your name. You could just change your name for the sake of people spelling it wrong, but for the sake of saying it right. You know, I think you could just change your name on your Uber Eats order. You could change your name for your Starbucks order and everybody would go, hell yeah. You know, they they wouldn't go, hell, yeah. See, that's the. That's where the problem is coming is, like, I think even people who mean well are doing you dirty, which you don't deserve. Like, nobody deserves that. And I. I want you to know that, like, I am on your side. Even though about 90% of the time, I was saying your name Helia. Even though it's Helia. But I'm trying to, like, I want you to know that I'm here. Like, we're problem solving this together, you know, that's. It takes. You know, it's gonna take a lot of brain power. But you're already here 30 years. I don't. I don't think that you can just become Susan. So becoming Susan is process, you know, just like becoming Helia was a process. And becoming Helia was also filled with trauma of being called hell, yeah. And I think you got to embrace that. And I think if it really bothers you, 1. If it really bothers you, the people in your life aren't calling you Helia. And if they are, they got to get the hell out. But if it's something that's, like, happening when people meet you for the first time, I think that you just change that Y out for an eye. It's okay. It's for the sake of your mental health, you know, if this is a family name, the ancestors, they'll forgive you. Okay, if this is a family name, the ancestors will forgive you, because you will be changing a generational trauma of all the Helias before you, which I will say didn't say this. Helia is a beautiful name. Congratulations on a beautiful and interesting and unique name. Unlike Adam. Right? Adam. Just like, not really. Nobody was the. The worst thing people would do to like my name was if I write it out. Like, I'd have a school bully who would put an M in front of it and it would say madam, which is funny when I think about it now, but in second grade, it was devastating. You know, that was. That was pretty gut wrenching to see. But you know what? Just to kind of put a bow on this heli, I think you're going to be fine. But to that bully who put an M in front of my A and made me Madame Rippon, this is what I have to say to you on my new Emmy. It says Adam Rippon, and it says that forever, because an Emmy is forever. And if. Unless it gets broken, because then, like I said, if you go to the Emmy website, they say it is cheaper for you to just buy a new one than to repair an old one. So an Emmy isn't forever, but in theory, it is. And with that, Helia, all the best. You're gonna be fine. I like I said, let's take it back to you for a second. I think we go the merch. The merch line, you know, because the changing the spelling is pretty. That's intense. If we're gonna go the government route, right? If you're not gonna go the government round, we're just going, like, Uber eats. We're going. You know, when you order the Uber, when you order the Lyft, Helia, like, you just change it to an I. Like, just do that. You're gonna save yourself, you know, a lot of grief because it's like, okay, when I text my husband, I like to have full names in my phone. I don't like to go husband or mom or dad. Like, I don't like that. I have, like, Kelly Rippon, which is so, like, formal. But I like that because I just, like, like seeing all of that, you know, I just like how it's beautifully, like, written in my phone. And so when, you know my phone is gonna go Jesse Pekka, like, I hate that. So I had to write out, like, how do you pronounce it? So I wrote U C, like Y, O, U, S, E, E, peck. So I had to phonetically write it so that when my phone and I'm in the car, it's like you have a text message from UC Pekka. Because that's how I wanted it. So, like, I had to play by the game. I had to play by the rules of Apple, of Steve Jobs, you know? So I think that, you know, you got to make it work for you, my friend. You got to make it work for you. And I think, you know, regardless of the path you take, even if it is changing the Y to an I, cool, that's going to save you some grief. I think we still pursue the merch line. Like, the merch line is just so cool. I don't know. I'm trying to think. I'm trying to brainstorm. Let me just see before I end this episode. Can I think of anything that's, like, good? Like, I'm almost certain I can't. And you're never good. Gonna ask me for advice again, but if I can think of something good. Hell, yeah. Hell, yeah. Hell, yeah. Am I having a good time? Hell, yeah. Yeah. Well, needless to say, when you do Shark Tank this, I don't think that you're gonna include me in the pitch, which is fine because I am not really proving my worth. But come on, I think the merch is like incredible. It's your name and you should kind of monetize the trauma, which I always do say. And with that, I'd also like to say thank you to everyone who listened to this episode of Intrusive Thoughts. Thank you to the Academy as well. A huge thank you to the Academy. And again, an even bigger thank you if you listened to this entire episode, which I have no doubt you did, because God, what a good one. Thank you to Casey, our producer, who was here the entire time and listened to every single word. If you liked this podcast, make sure that you leave us a five star review. And if you'd like to leave a voicemail to the podcast, which I know you do, don't be shy. You can call us at the podcast hotline, which is 310-909-7117. I look forward to hearing from you and I cannot wait to answer your call. Until next time, I'm Adam Rippon. This is Intrusive thoughts. Bye. Nearly 90% of kids who vape say flavors are why they do it.
- [66:22]
A
If there weren't flavors in these tobacco products, a lot of kids wouldn't get as hooked.
- [66:27]
B
Urge lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 702A. Learn more at flavorshookoreegoids.org paid for by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Action Fund.