E975 - JaNa and Kenny Breakup Contd, Maggie Q, The Valley Reunion w/ Elizabeth Wagmeister & RHOA Reunion

Summary

Episode E975 - JaNa and Kenny Breakup Contd, Maggie Q, The Valley Reunion w/ Elizabeth Wagmeister & RHOA Reunion

Release Date: July 31, 2025

Welcome to The Viall Files, hosted by Nick Viall and featuring insightful discussions on dating, relationships, pop culture, and reality television. In this episode, the Household delves into the dramatic breakup of JaNa and Kenny, explores recent pop culture events, and engages with special guests Elizabeth Wagmeister and Maggie Q.

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1. Household Check-In and Personal Updates (00:50 - 02:20)

The episode opens with Nick Viall updating listeners on the Household's recent bout of illness. He expresses concern over Natalie Joy's absence due to her sickness and shares a heartfelt birthday greeting for Louis.

Nick Viall [02:10]: "Happy birthday, Lou."

2. The Breakup of JaNa and Kenny (02:20 - 22:33)

A significant portion of the episode focuses on the unexpected breakup between JaNa and Kenny Rodriguez from Love Island. Sierra provides a detailed account of the events leading up to the split, highlighting social media reactions and leaked information that has fueled public speculation.

Sierra [09:11]: "Janae had posted... 'Kenny and I are no longer together... Discovering that someone you loved isn't who you thought they were... has been truly devastating.'"

Nick emphasizes the impact of this breakup within the Love Island community and the broader reality TV landscape.

Nick Viall [10:28]: "We'd love to hear from the men who've witnessed Kenny's actions, but so far, only women have voiced their concerns."

The discussion reveals allegations against Kenny, including accusations of racism and narcissism, leading to his being dropped by the Gersh Agency and unfollowed by fellow cast members.

Elizabeth Wagmeister [15:11]: "It's so sick and twisted."

The hosts lament the toxic dynamics showcased in reality TV and express support for JaNa during this tumultuous time.

3. Pop Culture Spotlight: The T App Data Breach (38:01 - 47:16)

The conversation shifts to recent news about the T app, a platform allowing women to post anonymous dating reviews. The app experienced a data breach, exposing 72,000 user images, which has sparked debate over privacy and safety in the digital dating landscape.

Sierra [39:08]: "The T app was hit by a data breach exposing about 72,000 images... praised as a useful way to warn women about dangerous men, while others called it divisive."

Nick and Justin discuss the implications of such platforms on modern dating and the balance between safety and privacy.

Justin Long [42:52]: "Everything happens in today's modern day society and it's really dangerous."

4. E! News Cancellation and Media Evolution (48:25 - 57:20)

Justin Long shares his thoughts on the cancellation of E! News after 32 years, reflecting on its role in shaping entertainment journalism and the shift towards digital media consumption.

Justin Long [39:00]: "Growing up, E! News was what made me want to become an entertainment journalist."

The hosts analyze how media consumption habits have evolved, with streaming and social media replacing traditional TV viewership.

Justin Long [53:53]: "Now, TV is just one piece of that puzzle."

5. Celebrity Gossip: Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau (57:10 - 58:23)

A brief segment covers rumors of Katy Perry being spotted with former Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. Justin clarifies that while it "looks like a date," there's no official confirmation.

Nick Viall [53:53]: "What do you make of Katy Perry being seen with former Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau?"

Justin Long [54:21]: "They could have been in a business meeting. It could have been a friendly outing."

6. Real Housewives of Atlanta Rapid Recap (89:46 - 93:11)

Elizabeth Wagmeister provides a rapid recap of the latest episodes of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, highlighting key drama points and cast dynamics.

Elizabeth Wagmeister [89:46]: "Drew still denies that she's dating a man living in her basement, but she does have his hookah to give to everyone."

The recap touches on potential cast changes and the evolving storylines within the show.

7. Special Guest Interview: Maggie Q on Her New Show "Ballard" (98:51 - 119:00)

The episode features an in-depth interview with actress Maggie Q, who discusses her latest project, Ballard, a procedural crime drama streaming on Prime Video. Maggie shares insights into her character development, the challenges of working in action genres, and her collaboration with her husband.

Nick Viall [102:35]: "What did it mean to you to have the opportunity to create a whole new show based off an already successful series?"

Maggie Q [108:54]: "I just felt excited. Meeting Michael Connolly and knowing I wanted to spend, I wanted to spend a lot of time with them."

Maggie also engages in a fun quiz segment, answering questions about her roles in various films and showcasing her versatility as an actress.

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Conclusion

In this episode of The Viall Files, Nick Viall and the Household navigate through personal updates, a high-profile breakup within the reality TV sphere, significant pop culture news, and an engaging conversation with Maggie Q. The episode offers listeners a comprehensive overview of current events in the entertainment world, enriched with personal anecdotes and expert insights.

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Stay tuned for our next episodes where we continue to explore the latest in dating, relationships, and reality television!

Transcript

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[Nick Viall]

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[Maggie Q]

You're crazy.

[Nick Viall]

What's going on, everybody? Welcome back to another exciting episode of the Vile Files. I'm your host, Nick, and my co host, Natalie is not with us today. She's not feeling well. I feel so bad. I. We're a very sick family lately. I don't know what's going on.

[Sierra]

What is going on in the house?

[Nick Viall]

Yeah, I think she had like a. Like a food thing last week and I. Who knows? But I think now she has what I had.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Oh, no, no.

[Sierra]

Like, hers was isolated.

[Nick Viall]

I don't know. I don't know what's going on, man. It's gross.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

I'm just sick in the head.

[Nick Viall]

It's gross. No, I mean like Natalie, a beautiful, gorgeous, obviously queen. Not her. She's not gross, obviously.

[Sierra]

But like the sickness.

[Nick Viall]

We're just sick.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

No, it is.

[Nick Viall]

And then river for some reason just like decided like for the first time ever, just like not wanting to fall.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Asleep, you know, she's got that joy de vie.

[Nick Viall]

She decided to stay up to like 11:30.

[Sierra]

Yeah, it's the other shoe drop when the time you guys need the rest the most. Like, let's party.

[Nick Viall]

It's. It's really something. I don't know how it is. You know what? And Leia's not with us today.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

It's Louis first birthday.

[Nick Viall]

Happy birthday, Lou.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Leah did call to try to do some work today and I said, leia, I need one thing from you. I need you to tell Louis that we love him and have a happy birthday.

[Nick Viall]

Awesome. And she said, okay, well, I don't know, for all the parents listening out there, I don't know what it's like for you guys, but it really feels like River. It's like she began this month as like, a one and a half year old, and now she's four. She's like. She's a runner. She's a track star. She's running around. You know, she's got so much personality. It's. It's. It's really. It's really something. She's growing fast.

[Sierra]

Is she sassy?

[Nick Viall]

She's getting. Yeah, yeah. She knows how to not listen.

[Sierra]

So she runs that house.

[Nick Viall]

Well, no, because, like, now it's just like, I don't really. Like, we're definitely in the. Like, what do we do? Like, how do we punish her? Like, do we punish her? Is she too young to be punished? Does she really, even under. We know that she is choosing not to listen. You know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, yeah. She knows what no means. She knows what yes means, and she looks at us and goes, no.

[Maggie Q]

Okay, yeah.

[Nick Viall]

But, you know, like, I. You know what? I. She's too young to understand, like a.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Timeout, you know, I don't know that kind of stuff. I don't have children, so I can only say what worked on me when I was a child, which was.

[Nick Viall]

Well, I doubt you remember how I was.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Well, I. Yeah, I guess I remember that by the time I was old enough, I know, I was like a terror.

[Sierra]

Yeah, I know. I hated a timeout.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah, yeah, but you were like three or four by the time you remembered that.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Yeah, yeah, I know, because my siblings all just told me. I was, like, terrible and awful. Is. Is my. What? I know.

[Nick Viall]

You're the youngest, right?

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Yes. By far. By a lot, too, so.

[Nick Viall]

So they all play tricks on you.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Yeah, kind of. But I also, like, I just terrorize them.

[Nick Viall]

Did your siblings ever convince you you were adopted?

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

No, but also, like, I'm. They're all my half siblings, so it was kind of like I was, weirdly, an only child, but then also had a bunch of siblings. But there were a lot of people that didn't think I was my mom's kid growing up. They thought I was one of her step kids because, I mean, my hair is dyed blonde now, but I was bleach blonde when I was little, and my dad's blonde and his kids are blonde. And then my mom has, like, dark, dark brown hair, so they all thought that I was her stepchild.

[Nick Viall]

My dad and his siblings convinced their youngest sister that she was adopted. For a while.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

That's pretty cool.

[Nick Viall]

When their parents were on a cruise and they were so bad that they had to call their parents from the cruise and get him to come home early.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

You had a. How. How does one come home from a cruise?

[Nick Viall]

I don't know. This is like, you know, back in.

[Sierra]

You literally have to get off the ship. You have to get off the boat.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah.

[Sierra]

A plane ticket from where you.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah, because you. Yeah, probably right.

[Sierra]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Like that episode of Below Deck that just came out. I. I watched one episode of Below Deck last night because my friend was like, you have to watch it. And I do have to say it was one of. It was an incredible reality TV episode.

[Sierra]

I do love Below Deck. I haven't seen the new season.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

A drunk woman gets, like, so aggressive and has to get taken off the boat by French police.

[Nick Viall]

Is this your first time watching Below Deck?

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Yeah.

[Nick Viall]

Okay.

[Sierra]

It's a good show.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

It is good.

[Sierra]

Good series.

[Nick Viall]

I haven't really got into it, but it's. It's the most watched show on Bravo.

[Sierra]

By men, which makes sense.

[Nick Viall]

The boys. The boys like it.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

My boy roommate only knows about Below.

[Nick Viall]

Deck and what does he say he likes about it?

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

I think he just watches it with his family.

[Nick Viall]

Like, why are the boys into it?

[Sierra]

Like, Connor will watch it too. He's from Florida and so grew up on boats and whatnot. So, like, watching the whole Below Deck lifestyle and like, working on boats, it reminds him of growing up. But also, it's like, there's a lot of, like, guy stuff in it.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Yeah. I think what's interesting about Below Deck is it is, for me, the reason I haven't watched it is because I know it will become all consuming for me, and I don't have time for that right now. Like, I, you know, I have to do my job. So if I start watching Below Deck and I'm even doing it right now, see, we're talking about Below Deck after I've just watched one episode, so I know I can't really, really get into it because it will come badly.

[Sierra]

Corinne was on your season, right? From Bachelor.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah, that's.

[Sierra]

She was. She was on an episode of this previous season. Yeah. Like, they always have yachting guests, and some of them are, like, recognizable. So, like, Jill Zarin from New York was on the same season as Corinne.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Yeah.

[Nick Viall]

So he's gonna do a cross that. I think I've told this story before, but Corinne was on a group date with me in the Bahamas, and we were on a boat swimming with sharks. And for some Reason we were talking about cruises of what she was a big fan. I've only been on one cruise. It was with my father. The bonding experience was wonderful, but the cruise itself, I fucking hated. And I was like, I will never go in a sardine can full of a bunch of people I honestly do not want to be next to in a bathing suit. Yeah. And then it's just like, again, like, it's just like, themed nights. It's like, it's not vacation, it's work. It's, you know, by the way, like, there are, like, literally, you're on the sea. It's like international waters. Like, you can get murdered and no one can do anything about it. But that aside, I. I said to Corinne, I hate cruises. And she goes, well, that just means you haven't cruised, right?

[Sierra]

Sounds like Corinne. She meant yacht. No, apparently.

[Nick Viall]

All right, well, we do have a great episode lined up for you today. Joining us shortly, returning to the show, Elizabeth Wagmeister will be covering some pop culture news with us. Also getting into the Valley as well, we also have Maggie Q, who's a lead in the new hit show Ballard that's streaming now on Prime Video. If you love a cold case TV show, a procedural, you'll absolutely love this one. You've definitely seen Maggie Q on your screen before. She's been in incredible movies like Mission Impossible 3, Divergent, Live Free, Die Hard, Designated Survivor. She's always playing a badass, and she joins us later this episode. But before we do, we absolutely have to dive into the breakup of Jena and Kenny. More information is getting out. It's getting wild. Sierra, you got to break it all down for us. It broke on Tuesday. Janae and Kenny broke up over the weekend. No one knew what was going on. They went to a party. They went to David Dobrik's party over the weekend as a couple. They were videos and pictures of them seemingly being in love as a couple on Saturday night. By Sunday evening, word was getting out they were no longer in a relationship. Janae had wiped Kenny clean from her Instagram. The rest of the cast of beyond the Villa in season six have unfollowed Kenny. He's his bleeding followers. And then last night, more just. It just seemed like things really came into a head. I don't think we know the full scope of what happened, but more information is getting out there. Sir, can you take it away and bring our audience up to speed with some of the stuff that's being posted on the Internet, starting with Janae's kind Of like, hey, thanks for the support, here's what's going on type of stuff.

[Sierra]

I got you. Okay, so yesterday, Janae had posted. Hi, my loves. Thank you for all of your love and support. It means the world to me. As you know, Kenny and I are no longer together. Please know that I have seen all the breakup theories and none have matched up to how terrible, disgusting, and disappointing it truly is. Discovering that someone you loved isn't who you thought they were and that the relationship you thought you were building hasn't genuine since day one has been truly devastating. Thank you for respecting my privacy. And please know, as a child of God, I will be okay.

[Nick Viall]

Moments later. Moments later posted his own Instagram story. Janae's is a story, correct?

[Sierra]

Yes. Story post black background.

[Nick Viall]

I really wish Shanae would have gone to the grid. I. You know. Yeah, I feel like that deserves to be cemented on the Internet.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

I mean, it is screenshots.

[Nick Viall]

No, I know, but anyway, I digress. Kenny responded also in Instagram stories, he.

[Sierra]

Says the past few days have been incredibly difficult. I've been quietly sitting with a lot of emotions and doing my best to process everything privately. Breakups are never easy, especially in the public eye. Sometimes, despite how deeply you care for someone, you come to the hard truth that the relationship is not something that you could last long term. I'll always be grateful for the time we shared and the memories we created. I released this chapter with no ill will, only a hope that Janae's path forward brings her nothing but happiness.

[Nick Viall]

This was giving Shaggy It Wasn't Me energy.

[Justin Long]

Yeah.

[Nick Viall]

You know, truly. You guys are familiar with the song or am I dating myself?

[Justin Long]

No, no, no, no.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Very familiar.

[Sierra]

Classic.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

It wasn't me.

[Nick Viall]

And it was just like, no matter what, deny, deny, deny that. This is, like, this is a crazy response for some of the things that Jana was floating out there, right?

[Sierra]

Just like, no accountability, no acknowledge.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah, we. We dated. It was cool. We're no longer dating. Wishing her nothing but the best, you know? Follow subscribe, like, for more.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Yeah, how did Jenna react to that one, Sarah?

[Sierra]

She threw an at Kenny Rodriguez. Shut the fuck up, you manipulative liar.

[Justin Long]

Let's go.

[Sierra]

You not taking accountability and telling people the type of person you really are is insane to me. My first statement was me being nice. Do not piss me off.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Incredible. Iconic. No, no. She once again bodies this man.

[Sierra]

And then the PPG steps into the chat. Leah's comment. First, she commented on a post that has Kenny and Miguel.

[Nick Viall]

This is unbelievable.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

That was awesome.

[Sierra]

And so she comments on his last post with Miguel and says, delete my man off your page, you clout demon.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Clout demon is something that is immediately entering my vernacular.

[Nick Viall]

Oh, 100%. I was like, oh, my God, did she make that up? I feel like she made that up.

[Sierra]

She coined a term.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

She had.

[Nick Viall]

Clout demon.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Clout demon.

[Sierra]

And, like, this is, like, where we're all starting to get the little bits and pieces, because it's just like, okay. Kenny proceeds to delete said comment. So then.

[Nick Viall]

Wait, Kenny deleted. He did. Oh, he deleted the comment.

[Sierra]

He deletes the clout demon comment. Oh, after it got 40,000 likes in 13 seconds. Yes. And then she commented again, how about you delete my man off your page instead of deleting my comments? And also, Leah's now being like, clout demon. We're like, okay, so it has to do with him needing attention. Like, what? What could he have done? Is he sliding into dms? What's happening? Serena also comments underneath somebody's post about him saying that he's a narcissist and a racist.

[Nick Viall]

Serena called him a narcissist and a racist?

[Sierra]

Yes. Yes. So then Leah takes a screenshot of Kenny's post and then writes her message. Enny Rodriguez, put a sock in it. Chatgpt Head ass. Tell the truth for once. Racist clout. Money hungry and a scammer since day one. Trying to make it seem like it's something it's not. Don't worry. Our nay is blessed and highly favored. Let's go then, Liv. Enter Olivia Walker. Liv enters a chat. Your pathetic excuse for a story is laughable. I can't even put into words how good of a person Nene is and how hard it is to watch her go through something like this. Ennyrodriguez. Hope this gives you the clout you always wanted, you fucking loser. Janae's BFF also enters the chat. My advice for women in relationships, if you have access, go through your man's phone today. Search keywords like, I don't like black women. I thought I would get more money from this. I'm faking this relationship. Going on the show would be for clout. I can't wait to be done with this so I can fuck hella bitches. You'll thank me later. P.S. never spare a man. Dog them out, baby girl with a heart.

[Nick Viall]

So I'm assuming this means that for whatever reason, Janae went through Kenny's phone or had a reason to go through his phone, or was told to go.

[Sierra]

Through his phone and Allegedly, Kenny had just gotten back from a trip before they went to this party, and an influencer posted a video of the two of them slow dancing. And Kenny's, like, religiously on his phone while he's, like, slow dancing. Like, he's barely paying any attention to Janae. So I'm like. And then at one point, Janae has his ph. Hurting him. We don't know when, but there's a block of time to which they stopped posting. And then the next thing we know. So she might have had the phone. Maybe a text came in. Maybe she just got the inkling to look through it. But she found some things on his phone that very much proved he was not who she thought he was throughout the entirety of their relationship.

[Nick Viall]

You know, I don't want to speculate too much, but I'm assuming, like, she found messages of Kenny saying these types of things to someone or many people.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Which is, like, it's crazy.

[Nick Viall]

It's.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

It's so deeply disgusting and disturbing to be, like, to be dating a black woman and be saying these things about her.

[Sierra]

Yep.

[Nick Viall]

Like, which is awesome as anyone, too, just to, like, fake an entire relationship and make someone believe in love with them.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

And, like, she slept next to this man.

[Sierra]

Right.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Like, that is so. Like, it's so evil and diabolical. Diabolical.

[Nick Viall]

I, like, just. Why didn't you break up?

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Literally.

[Sierra]

But that's the thing. It's like, I think he knew that, like, she is the star quality of their relationship, so he was going to ride that. Those coattails.

[Nick Viall]

Well, according to Janae's friend, he was even acknowledging he wasn't making what he thought he was making.

[Sierra]

Yeah. Yeah, he's disappointed. Thought he'd be making more money than this.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Like, it's so sick and twisted. And that is, like.

[Nick Viall]

No, it's really sad. I mean, like, again, we had the pleasure of interviewing Janae. We thought we had the pleasure of interviewing Kenny as well, and they really seemed, again, like, just like two good, nice people to. To realize that. I hate to say that I'm not, you know, just that you're gonna see more stuff like this. You know, just the way the. These shows work and the pressures. This is not, like, what Kenny does. Horrible. Horribly wrong. But I'm honestly shocked that you don't see more stuff like this come out in terms of people, like, faking relationships or not being true with their feelings and staying in relationships for money.

[Sierra]

That's what's so crazy is that it's just like. That's, like, that's a real con. Like, I'm like, for a year after the fact to, like, I just. I don't even. I don't. You know what I mean? Like, how diabolical to be able to.

[Nick Viall]

Keep that up before all these messages came out. It was giving. Like, he. He has another girlfriend in a different city. Because when we interviewed him, he was like, wasn't he living in Texas and she was living in L. A or vice versa? Or they were.

[Sierra]

They weren't in the same place.

[Nick Viall]

They were not in the same state.

[Sierra]

She was in Vegas, I think, and he was in Houston or Texas or something like that.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah, yeah. Because I don't has that change. I mean, I know obviously they relocated when they filmed beyond the Villa.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Well, even in beyond the Villa, he wanted a separate apartment right next there.

[Sierra]

Yeah. He didn't want to live with her, which was a very big red flag.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Yeah.

[Sierra]

Also, I have to add that Caylor entered the chat as well, saying that Eny Rodriguez is a poor excuse of a man. You lost the most beautiful, genuine soul. Shame on you and Serena to wrap out the PPG post. She said, let's all remember this is not a show and someone's actual feelings. It may just be tea for y', all, but that's not the case for us. Y' all already know how I'm coming behind Janae and trust.

[Nick Viall]

So does he have any of the men spoken up?

[Sierra]

None of the men, as far as I know.

[Nick Viall]

Let me a little disappointing. Why? Why are only women coming for?

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Do we really need to hear from these men right now? I think they. Which, like, not saying that they're similar to Kenny group.

[Nick Viall]

They've all unfollowed them. I mean, yeah, I honestly think that, like. Yeah, I. I actually do. Yeah. I think it's one thing for the girls to, like, back up their girlfriends and, like, call a man. You know, it's like we live in a time where it's just like what Kenny did. Yeah, that's a good point. Or it sounds like what Kenny did was horrific. Right. But it's like, yeah, you're always gon girls back. But, like, these men are seemingly or were friends with Kenny. So, yeah, unlike we often see on Bravo where, like, the men are silent while some other guy on the show is, you know, displaying some kind of bad character or bad behavior. I would like to see the men stand up and say something about, you know, Kenny's actions and how it's not okay to do what he allegedly has been doing. And so, yeah, I would Absolutely. I think you need good men to stand up and, like, take a stance against, like, bad actors or men who are acting like, you know, like Kenny right now. His response is acting like. His response is gaslighting in the sense that, like, he's downplaying whatever it is he did.

[Sierra]

Kendall Posted 10 hours ago A video of him and Janae dancing in on a sidewalk and says, love you forever, Nae Nae. So I don't.

[Nick Viall]

That's not what I'm.

[Sierra]

Yeah, there's. Yeah, no, I know exactly what you're saying. I'm like this, but that's the only post from the men that I've seen.

[Nick Viall]

But, like, yeah. Why are the men so quiet? You know, like.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Yeah, that's a fair point. Yeah. I mean, overall, Jena deserves the entire world. This is such, like, an awful thing to have to go through, and especially publicly, and it's just like, you know, that shouldn't happen. Like, no one should have to experience that. And I. Yeah, I just.

[Sierra]

I think that's the most terrifying thing you could go through.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Yeah. To have someone just lie to you like that.

[Nick Viall]

No, it's terrible, because I don't know who pointed it out, but, like, to Janae, obviously, this is her real life. And coming from the reality TV world, the struggle is like, yeah, it is your life that you have. Sure, you sign up for it. You. You choose to be a part of this very bizarre universe that is only getting more and more bizarre and more and more popular. It's, you know, honestly, the reality TV space is taking over. Like, you know, your traditional entertainment, It's. It's cheaper to make. More and more people are watching it. You have, you know, season seven of Love island breaking streaming records, and reality TV stars are becoming real stars. Right. But they are stars because they are willing to show their lives on camera or at least a glimpse of it or some part of it. And when these type of things happen, it's devastating because, like, yes, like, Janae didn't get to choose this. Right. She, you know, if. What. If. What we're hearing and the story, you know, the things that are getting leaked out, this is not something Janae chose anything that she wanted to be a part of, but she is forced to now deal with this. And I hope Bronnie comes. Comes to call in, and I hope that obviously she is better for it in the future, but right now, she's just dealing with the heartbreak she's dealing with with so many, you know, women and people who go through these, like, you know, these Scamming relationships where someone. They find out someone lied or duped them and they don't know who they can trust in their next relationship, and it really affects them long term. It's a really shitty situation. But the problem with this world right now is it's like, people look, I mean, again, this. And I don't want to, like, throw Bachelor in Paradise into this drama, but, like, you know, when you start introducing things like money, think people get weird. I mean, literally, Bachelor in Paradise is banking on the fact that when they're like, hey, half a million dollars is online, it's going to change the dynamic of people's behavior. Because it does. I hate to say it's not shocking. I mean, it's shocking that it's Kenny and Janae. It's not shocking that stories like this where you find out people who are famous for being in a relationship and are monetizing their relationship, you find out that one of these people are just completely full of shit, and it's devastating. It's terrible.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Well, much love to Janae.

[Sierra]

Hope you're Jenna. You're a queen. Okay.

[Nick Viall]

I mean, well, I'm sure more is going to come out. I. Yeah. At this point, we're accusing this man of being a narcissist and a racist.

[Sierra]

It's serious.

[Nick Viall]

It's serious.

[Sierra]

Like, this is he also. He also got dropped from Gersh Agency. So, like, they're aware of what happened as well.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Yeah, yeah. The fact that every single cast member has unfollowed him. Love island, unfollowed him. He gets dropped by Gersh, like, Love island.

[Nick Viall]

Unfollowed him.

[Sierra]

Love island and unfollowed him.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Love Island.

[Sierra]

Ariana unfollowed him.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Ariana unfollowed him.

[Justin Long]

I'm sorry.

[Nick Viall]

But, yes, it seems like obviously Janae and Leah and Serena and the Liv and Kayla, they've all seen. It sounds like they've all seen whatever evidence exists out there that they need to see to have this point of view about Kenny that they do. So, yeah, it's a. It's a terrible situation. I mean, it's just so sad.

[Sierra]

It really is.

[Nick Viall]

Well, I'm hoping. I'm just wishing every. The best for Janae. I mean, it's just, you know, I just. I don't, you know, people are going to start doing. So go back and looking at old clips of them.

[Sierra]

And I already saw something behind the Villas airing as we speak, and we're only on episode three, and this third episode did not do him any favors.

[Nick Viall]

Well, how So I didn't watch it.

[Sierra]

Well, a watching him flex in the mirror before she showed up for the cameras was weird, but they did a whole ask us anything or, like, see how well Kenny knows me. And, like, he got every answer wrong. It's just like, very much like it's giving, like, hater boyfriend. It's not giving, like, loving relationship. It's like Janae is really trying to be like, he's my everything, he knows me well. Like, da, da, da. And he's just like, I don't know, you like strawberries? And she's like, no, like, my favorite fruit is cherry. Is like, like, why am I getting pissed that, like, I feel like you don't know me right now.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Yeah.

[Sierra]

So I think it's just going to be a downward spiral watching him.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Yeah.

[Nick Viall]

All right, well, I'm sure we will hear more about this story as it unfolds, and I guess we'll just see where it goes. We're hoping for the best. We're expecting the worst, but certainly, if nothing else, we are thinking of Janae because obviously, whatever she's going through, it sounds horrific and we don't wish it on anyone. Let's transition to something a little bit more exciting. Obviously, we're always sharing our hot takes, but now it's time we get to hear from you, our audience, with a new segment called the Mint Mobile Hot Take Hotline, brought to you by Mint Mobile, where we get to hear your scorching hot takes. For those of you who aren't aware, there is a number out there for you to call to show share your hot takes in the future. So if you want to get your hot takes onto the show, we'll be picking some of our favorites to discuss. All you have to do is call 1-855-MINT TLK. That's 1-855-64-6-8855, and leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the air. Well, we got a lot of good ones, but we picked two to start off with that we really enjoy. Now, the first one, I just want to say I don't agree with it, but it is a hot take. And while I don't agree with it, other people may, but we will certainly discuss coming out of the voice note.

[Mary]

Hi, Nick, I'm your biggest fan. My hot take is Shannon Beador has to go. I may not be on Alexis's side, but Shannon Beador, you've done enough on television and now you just may me dad, you're signed up for a television show in which you get killed to behave as yourself.

[Justin Long]

It's really not the Watergate you think.

[Mary]

It is to be recorded by Katie when you're on set for something that has to do with a show.

[Maggie Q]

Shannon, first off, I just want to.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Say this person is hilarious, a star.

[Nick Viall]

I kind of disagree with her more. First of all, I love when we watch Shannon Beador. We know that we're getting her authentic responses. And, you know, like when we talk about, like the Valley and we talk about, which we will coming up shortly, talk about Jax and we talk about Jesse and we talk about some of, you know, Janet, like, I don't know if those people are well intentioned, you know, I don't know if they have a good heart. But Jax, I can confidently say he doesn't. Jesse, I've never met him, so I'll reserve the right to have an opinion. But I'm just not sure Shannon, like many of us, has her flaws. But I think she's a good person and I think she means well. And I think why do we watch these shows is to see people being their authentic selves and being vulnerable and being messy for us to critique and criticize. And I don't know, I think she's great. Also, the whole recording thing, I don't think she's going out of proportion. It's not the same. I get it's a TV show, but like she signed a contract with Bravo or whatever production company. She didn't sign a contract with Katie or the eventual bloggers that will certainly be given these voice notes in these recorders for them to do what God knows with. And it's just not the same like Shannon signed up for to be recorded by Bravo. She didn't sign up to be recorded by Katie. I just don't think it's the same.

[Sierra]

And the Watergate of it all, though, is the fact that she was in litigation with the person that Katie did show it to. So I'm like, it is one of the ultimate betrayals because if Alexis had used that to her advantage or if they've proceeded with court or with the suing, I guess.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

But I think it's, I think my issue with this thing about Shannon and where I do agree with this voicemail, is that Shannon is acting as if Katie has committed cardinal sin. That Katie is on the level, she said verbatim, you are on the level of Alexis Bellino and John Jansen. And I just think that that is being a bit dramatic because you're saying, and I don't disagree I know, I know.

[Maggie Q]

And I.

[Nick Viall]

Her job.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

I know.

[Nick Viall]

But also, I don't want her to be, like, rational. I'm not looking for Shannon to be like.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

And I'm not looking for. About this Katie to be rational or mature about anything either. I don't understand why Katie is not also allowed. I think it's like, when we talk about Shannon and we talk about how she has a good heart, I think Katie also has a good heart. And I don't think Katie is like some evil villain in the way that Shannon is, like, kind of portraying about.

[Nick Viall]

Katie versus this is just about whether Shannon's time has run its course and whether she deserves a platform that is being on Bravo.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

For the record, I want to keep seeing Shannon on tv, but I just think that Shannon has a misconceived notion that because she had such a hard season last season because of what she went through, which she deserved, like, the love and support, like, it was a very justified hero moment that she got last season. And I think that she is operating as if the same level of threat is happening to her again and that she's also getting the hero edit again. And it's beautiful. But I'm not on Shannon's sidenote.

[Nick Viall]

That's okay. All right, well, we have one more to play before we wrap up our Mint Mobile hot take hotline. Take it away.

[Mary]

Hi. My hot take is that everybody complains about Jack Taylor being on their screens and that he's toxic and a terrible person, but you all talk about him. So you all give him a platform, and it's terrible. And it's just her, like, making it go on and on and on even longer and getting him more of a platform. So stop talking about him if you don't like him. All right?

[Nick Viall]

Okay, Diva, I appreciate this now. Thank you for bringing this question to our audience's attention. I fucking hate that we have to talk about it, but we do talk about the TV shows that they're on. There are a ton of people in the pop culture reality TV space that are not currently on tv that times. I want to talk about. Because some of the dumb shit they do and the way they, like, sell their souls. It's like, it would make great content for our show, but we don't fuck with it, and we don't talk about it because we choose not to. Platform people who are just, like, messy, not great people. But there's nothing we can do when it comes to a show that we cover. And if Bravo wants to cast these characters, we're Kind of stuck having to talk about them. Like, if Jax Taylor wasn't on this show, we, I wouldn't be covering his downfall. I wouldn't give a fuck. You know, I wouldn't care. And again, like, there are other people out there who are out there doing messy things that I don't deserve. I don't think, like, deserve our attention. Even though, like, sometimes the things they do would be fun to talk about, but we just, like, don't because we don't want to platform them or we don't want to, like, give them the attention they so desperately want. But we're at the mercy of the shows that we cover sometimes. You know, what do you, what do you want us to do? So I, for one, am glad that the Valley finally made the right decision, or Bravo, whoever it was, to act Jacks off the show. And I hope they give us people that again. That's why we've been, like, clamoring for, like, give us people who have at least some redeeming characteristics, like, who are making, like, some attempt at, like, not being, you know, terrible people. At least Tom Sandoval is winning America's Got Talent. And by not winning, I mean, you know, performing and not getting booed off stage. But it was something, you know, also.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Not for nothing, and I wholeheartedly agree with this caller. I, I, I stand by what they said. However, they did make their call about Jax Taylor, you know, so it kind.

[Nick Viall]

Of, like, they did negates their argument. Yeah, that's true, Mary.

[Maggie Q]

You know, like, not wrong.

[Sierra]

I was gonna say I would love to not talk about Jax Taylor.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

You actively got us to talk about him more.

[Nick Viall]

See, we were, we were gonna only talk about Jax Taylor when we get to the Valley, but now we're talking about Jax Taylor again. Exactly. Because of the person who told us we shouldn't be talking about Jack Taylor.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Use your logic, mama. If you don't want to hear about.

[Justin Long]

Him, don't call in about him.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Like, but I agree, I agree.

[Nick Viall]

But the whole, like, platforming people like other people, everyone's deciding who should be platforming. You know what? When you create a show that's yours and everyone listens to it, you can decide.

[Sierra]

Until then, this is reality recap.

[Nick Viall]

This is reality recap.

[Maggie Q]

Recap. Reality TV shows, we can only do so much.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

We just, we just work here, girl.

[Nick Viall]

All right, well, that will wrap up the premiere of the Mint Mobile hot take hotline, a segment brought to you by Mint Mobile. And don't forget, we want to hear your scorching hot takes, too. That's why we've partnered with Mint Mobile to open a hot take hotline where you can leave us a voicemail message and give us your reality TV hot takes. Give us your hot takes, thoughts and theories and we will read and react to the best ones on an upcoming episode of Reality Recap. All you have to do is call 1-855-MINT TLK or if you prefer the numbers that's 855-646-8855 and leave us a voicemail. Again. Just call 855-MINT TLK or 855-646-8855, and leave us a message. This summer, don't get burned by your old wireless bill. Make the switch to mint mobile. Get three months of unlimited premium wireless service for 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com vi I a l l that's mint mobile.com v I a l l upfront payment of $45 required equivalent to $15 a month limited new customer offer for first three months only. Speeds may slow above 35 gigabytes on unlimited plan taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. All right, well, we have a great episode lined up for you today. Momentarily, we have Elizabeth Wagmeister joining the show, returning to the show to talk about some pop culture news. Also, she'll be getting into the Valley with us. Well, it's always important to take care of your skin all over your body. And many of us are making sure that our skin is glowing on our face. But don't forget that neck. It's the part of your body that shows the first signs of aging. And Go Pure can help you look younger than ever. We spend so much time caring for the skin on our face, but what about our neck? And with summer in full swing, your neck and chest are more exposed than ever. Whether you are rocking sundresses, swimsuits or or strappy tops, your neck is out there for the world to see. And it's one of the first places that show signs of aging. That's why Go Pure Beauty created the revolutionary Titan and Lift Neck Cream, perfect for your summer skincare routine. Powered by clinically proven active ingredients, this advanced formula is designed to visibly firm, smooth and rejuvenate the delicate skin on your neck and chest in as little as four to eight weeks. Here's the thing. The skin on your neck is thinner, more delicate and less oily than the skin on your face, which means it needs extra love and attention, especially in the sun and heat. GoPure's firming complex targets the unique concerns of the neck while nourishing and strengthening your skin for a more lifted and youthful look. For a limited time, our listeners get 25% off GoPure with code V I A L L at checkout. Just head to GoPureBeauty.com and use code V I A L L and you'll be all set. And after you buy do us a fav they ask you where you heard about GoPure. Tell them it was from our show. With over 1 million jar sold, this beauty secret is no longer a secret. For a limit time offer, our listeners get 25% off go pure with code V I A L L at checkout. Just head to go pure beauty.com and after you buy do us a favor. When they ask about how you heard about Go Pure, tell them it was from our show. If you're running a business, every missed call is money left on the table. Think about the last time you had a plumbing emergency and if the first plumber didn't answer, did you wait or did you call the next one on the list? Chances are you moved on. And with OpenPhone you'll never miss an opportunity to connect with your customers. OpenPhone is the number one business phone system that streamlines and scales your customer communications. It works through an app on your phone or computer, so no more carrying two phones or using a landline. With OpenPhone your team can share one number and collaborate on customer calls and texts like a shared inbox. That way any teammate can pick up right where the last person left off, keeping response times faster than ever. Plus say goodbye to voicemail. Their AI agent can be set up in minutes to handle calls after hours, answer questions and capture leads so you never miss a customer. So whether you're a one person operations running in calls and text or have a large team that needs better collaboration tools, Open Phone is a no brainer. See why over 60,000 businesses trust Open Phone. OpenPhone is offering my listeners 20 off your first six months at openphone.com v I a l l that's o p e n P-O-N-E.com v I a l l and if you have existing numbers with another service, Open Phone will port them over at no extra charge. Open Phone no missed calls. No missed customers welcome back Elizabeth. How you doing?

[Justin Long]

I am well. I miss you. How are you?

[Nick Viall]

Likewise. I'm doing well. You may notice Natalie's not with us. She is doing less well today. She is under the weather. She says hello. She misses you as well. She's sorry she cannot be with us today, but overall we're doing well. We're just in the heat of summer. You know, we just survived Love island season seven. I don't know. I'm guessing you don't have time being the busy news correspondent that you are to watch 103 episodes of Love Island.

[Justin Long]

Yeah. Well, first, Natalie, I miss you. Get well soon. I hope you're feeling okay. And it's funny that you say that because I don't know if you saw Lindsay Lohan was on one of the late night shows, I think, and she was asked about love island and she was like, no, I don't have that time. So I just stick to the housewives and that's how I feel, which is I dip in and out of love island, but it's just, it's so many hours. I can't do it.

[Nick Viall]

Well, we obviously want to get into some valley and some bachelor in paradise as well. With you, Elizabeth, we also have some headlines we want to cover with you. So, Sierra, why don't you go through some of our household headlines and we'll. We'll run through them with Elizabeth.

[Sierra]

Are you familiar with the T app?

[Nick Viall]

Of course you are familiar.

[Justin Long]

Well, I mean familiar because of this data leak.

[Sierra]

Data break.

[Justin Long]

I'm married, so let me clear that up. Familiar and like, you know, I wish the t app was around when I was dating, but.

[Nick Viall]

You do?

[Justin Long]

Yeah, I think it's an. In fact, I. I should let you get to the headline. I promise I will. But when I and I did, I met my husband on hinge. So I am a dating app success story. But it was so terrible dating on the apps that when I was on them, my friends and I used to always say there should be a feature on hand or on these dating apps where women can give, you know, their past experience with every man because certainly in l. A there were so many people that you would swipe on. And five of my friends had been on a date with that. You know, like, it would be really helpful. So I like the idea of the t app, but now, yeah, get into the headline of what's going on.

[Sierra]

Okay. For those who are not familiar, the t app lets women post anonymous dating reviews. And it was hit by a data break that exposed 72,000 images. The app, t dating advice, allows women worried about their safety to share information about men they might date. Its premise was immediately polarizing. Some praised it as a useful way to warn women about dangerous men, while others called it divisive and a violation of Men's privacy. Last Friday, T Said said that the hackers had breached a data storage system, exposing about 72,000 images, including selfies and photo identifications of its users.

[Nick Viall]

I mean, the security break obviously is like, not cool. And you can't help but wonder, like, is, is the polarization of like this app what led to people wanting to have a security breach or hackers, you know, as a retaliation for what the app is meant to do. Like, I, you know, I'm torn on, on the efficacy of this app, like, in terms of like, safety for all daters, especially women on these app. I think obviously who wouldn't want that and who isn't an advocate of that? But where do you, I guess my question, Elizabeth, like, where do you draw the line? Right? Because like, it makes a lot of sense. Okay, like, who did you date? Like, you know, like you mentioned, like you'd go on a nap, you'd match with a guy and you realize five of your friends dated him. It's like, well, you know what, I'd rather save myself the time and just not go on the date that, you know, a handful of my friends have already dated and didn't like. And unless there's a reason I want to go on, maybe I'll just save myself the time. But like I always say, like, everyone is someone's bad date. You know what I'm saying? Like, everyone has showed up to a date and just like realize pretty quickly like, this isn't my person. And then once you realize that you're not as excited as you thought you might be, you're probably not going to be like the most dynamic and engaging person. You might not ask the best follow up questions, you might not look like you give a shit, and you might just be going through the motions to get through the day. Like, you know, how. Where do you draw the line between like, it being a place that, you know, informs its daters and users to keep them safe of people who have demonstrated maybe bad behavior versus just like a, a bashing app where, you know, you have a bunch of people like, describing icks and, and mocking the people on dates because of they didn't feel, you know, validated enough.

[Justin Long]

Totally. And I agree with that. You know, like, it's so well said, Nick, that everyone has had a bad date with someone and that may not be the experience for someone else. So I think in that sense, if you are on the T app, you have to be able to. And by the way, data breach aside, because that's obviously awful, but just Talking about the app and what its intended purpose is, I think that you have to go in with an open mind and you have to be able to evaluate does this person, you know, just have an ax to grind or does this sound not so bad? But where I love it is obviously for dangerous people, great, like, safety is the most important. But I wasn't even thinking that. I was just thinking the amount of time that I wasted and so many friends wasted. And I know that's part of dating, but in this current dating age where, you know, I wish we were back in the days where you could just meet people out, but I think, you know, the apps, there's again, like, I met my husband on the app, so I'm so grateful for them. But I also think that it's really tough. And if I had the information that, you know, this person was a cheater, let's say I'm not then going to go on the first date because to me that's an absolute red flag. Like, once a cheater, always a cheater. Now if it's something that's just, oh, this guy gave me the ick, you know, then maybe you have to evaluate that for yourself. Like, is it worth it?

[Nick Viall]

So, but even the cheating one, because it's like a gray area. Like, I, I tend to agree with you, but like, there are people who, you know, have done the work, so to speak. And, and maybe there's nuances where it's just like, you know, someone texts someone they shouldn't have. You know, I just like, how do you police this? Where it's just like, because if, if it's not policed, it inevitably be just becomes a bat. It just becomes Reddit, you know?

[Justin Long]

Yeah, 100%. And someone's opinion is not fact. So I, I do hear you. Like, there's a lot of gray area that can be dangerous, like not fair to the guy if he's being dragged by someone who just didn't like him. But I just know that when I was dating, I would always say to my girlfriends, like, there should be a tab on app that is a forum so that you are aware of the red flags because it would have saved so much time. I mean, there's also just like silly things that obviously don't rise to the level of cheating or of being in danger, but like immaturity or, you know, this guy is just going to ghost you and all the things like that would have been so helpful to know. But again, it's all part of the dating process. So I. Here's what I'll say to all the single ladies out there who are looking to meet someone, like, keep doing it. Keep doing. You maybe don't, you know, take opinions on T as fact. But I just, I'm. Look, I'm a journalist, so for me, like, more information is better information and knowledge is power. But I also as a journalist can evaluate that. So I would be able to say like, you know, that person's opinion sounds a little far fetched. Maybe that was just their experience. So for me, I would have loved it in my single days. But I do understand, obviously I understand why this is polarizing. But you know, girl code and like the girl group chat, there's nothing like it. So this to me was essentially just the girl group chat brought to life. And girls warn other women about, you know, things that they should know about.

[Sierra]

And I'm also assuming that a lot of these inputs were like time stamped and dated and whatnot too. So I'm like, those, that type of information is valuable. And like, if you went on a date with this person last week and somebody else wrote, had a bad day with them two weeks prior, that I'm like, okay, let's see. Compare and contrast what they're saying. And it's like some consistencies would be like, pass.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Well, it's also like, if you think about rate my professor, for example, I remember going on rape my professor and you could obviously see some people were just kind of dumb and didn't like to have to do work.

[Sierra]

Yep.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

And you can kind of use context clues. And I would also argue that, like, if you're someone going on the T app and you're taking everything at face value and not actually like thinking about, oh, like, this is someone else's opinion, not talking about, like, this man is dangerous because I would like, trust that. But also like just kind of personality quirks or like, whatever or like ghosting whatever. If you're taking something you're reading on a tapp at face value, you maybe aren't ready to like, meet your like, person in general too, you know, so at the same time, maybe it's kind of like a good thing in that way. I don't know.

[Justin Long]

When you just said rate my professor, it actually made me think like, it's essentially Yelp. It's essentially TripAdvisor. Right. Like, if I look at Yelp for a restaurant and most of like, the restaurant has a 4.7 rating, but then there's 10 people who say this was the worst meal of my life, like, the service Was bad. Like, I'm still. Me personally, I am still going restaurant because, Right. Like, I'm realizing, like, okay, this person just had a bad night, or this person, you know, they are just a difficult customer. So it's kind of the same thing. Right? Like, if most of the comments about one guy and I haven't actually looked at the T ops, I don't know the format. If most of the comments are good and then one person has an opinion that's an outlier, then I personally would be able to say that person has an ax to grind. They had a bad day. So if you think about it in that way, it's not so different from really how we live the rest of our lives in this online culture, which is like, I never go to a restaurant without looking at y'.

[Mary]

All.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah. I just don't know if that's good for our. You know, for anyone.

[Justin Long]

Nick, I am. I told you, I am in favor of. I wish we could go back to just, like, you meet someone in an elevator or you meet someone at a wedding. Like, I'm a traditional. So I. I'm with you, you know.

[Nick Viall]

Because I used to always be, like, so pro dating app. Because, like, you know, like you said, Elizabeth, you met your husband on there. You know, like, I. You know, I met my wife on Instagram. You know, it's not a dating app, but certainly it's a social media platform. And so it's like, that's how people are meeting each other. So, like, you kind of have to go on there. But, yeah, it. It just seems like it's. It's a setup for people to fail. Right. It just seems like all the six two guys are getting all the attention, and it's just, you know, maybe that's it. Like, instead of, you know, if you're 6:2, it's like, maybe a fuck boy.

[Maggie Q]

Right?

[Nick Viall]

Proceed with caution.

[Justin Long]

I don't know, like, justice for nice, short men.

[Maggie Q]

Nick.

[Justin Long]

Okay.

[Nick Viall]

Right.

[Justin Long]

But no, I'm with you. Like so many things in life, I think the simpler times could have been better in so many ways than the crazy social media. Like, you know, persistently online world that we live in, but it's the world that we live in.

[Nick Viall]

All right, moving on.

[Sierra]

We're curious to know how you feel about this, but E News has been canceled after 32 years on the air. What do you think that that means for media today?

[Justin Long]

So this makes me. I mean, I. I'm not surprised. Like, it's the way that everything is going. It's the world in which we live. But it makes me really sad because it's a reality that we're facing. And I have so many friends at E. News. I. You know, their team is incredible. I. E News is what made me want to become an entertainment. You know, I am a, like, millennial kid of the 90s. Grew up on watching E. News every night. Grew up on watching Joan Rivers and Giuliana Rancic on the carpet. Like, that is what Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer made me want to become a journalist. But E. News is what piqued my interest in entertainment. So for me, on a personal level, it was just. We knew that this was happening, right? Like, the nightly entertainment news shows are just not what they used to be because everybody gets their news on here. You know, like, we're all on our phones all day long. So it's just the reality that people are not coming home at 7pm you know, to watch these shows. Now, that's not the case for all of them. Like, the nationally syndicated shows, some of them are doing exceptionally well, still get millions of viewers per night. Most of their viewers are older. But, you know, I'm on those shows regularly as a guest to bring my CNN reporting, you know, shows like Extra and ET And Access and all of those. So for me, it's just. It's really sad because that was such a fun, great era. Like, everybody wanted to watch it at 7pm it was a different era of celebrity culture. There's actually. There's a great piece right now out in the Hollywood Reporter, which I actually meant to reach out to the writer, and I will do that. But it was all about how this E. News signals the end of this kind of golden era in celebrity culture. It's a really, really good read. So I think that, look, as an entertainment journalist, this is what. This is what I wrestle with and what I do. You know, at cnn, I'm never just on air. You know, if there's a story, I go into the studio right down there and I'm on air. And then I film something else on a phone with my digital mic, which goes on TikTok and Instagram. And my, you know, same thing with my interviews. Like, my interviews, sit down, interviews will go on YouTube, TikTok, CNN.com Instagram and TV. So TV is just one piece of that puzzle. And that's why I say that I'm not surprised. You know, the writing was kind of on the wall. That is not me saying that in any negative way at all, at all. It's just the way of the Industry, we're seeing a lot of consolidation, but E News will live on just in a digital format. I mean, if you look at E, all of their social media platforms, their engagement is insane. Like they have tens of millions of followers. So E News is just going to continue to adapt and evolve into this social media digital world. But yeah, like, it's, it's sad. You know, this is the way of our industry. And you know, as someone who grew up on those shows, you, you know, I. It gets you kind of nostalgic for those days.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Yeah.

[Nick Viall]

Wasn't it Juliana Rancic? Is that when she used to be a host of. Yeah, she married the guy from the Apprentice.

[Justin Long]

Yes, she. When I was, I was like 19 years old, I was in college and I was a student journalist and I had the opportunity to. I don't even remember how this came about, but I saw that she was doing this event and I reached out to her to interview her. And I remember my mom and I drove down to San Diego and I interviewed her because she was currently the host of E News. And you know, I told her I was 19 and I was a student journalist and this is what I wanted to do. Like, that was the first like celebrity interview that I did at the time. So, you know, to all of our, like Gen Z listeners right now, I've seen a lot of comments that people are like, well, of course this was canceled. No one watches this. And yes, like, that's true. But like, you don't even understand what a part of pop culture E News was. I mean, truly, like you came home from school, you had dinner and you turned it on. Like you lived and breathed this. This was the days where there was no Netflix. And, and like I'm in my early 30s. I'm not that old. This was not like ancient history. I know, like all of the 25 year olds listening are like, how old is she? But it was just like things have changed so rapidly with Netflix and with TikTok and with everything. And I think it's. There was something to be said about everybody turning on their TVs and watching the same thing at the same time. And that just doesn't exist anymore. Unless you're in, you know, a big breaking news event, right? Which then I'm not just saying this is a company person, but like there's breaking news, I turn on cnn. Like that's what I want to be watching. Other than that, it is multi platform, you know, like you have to consume your news however you choose to consume it, and it's not at 7pm watching cable TV anymore. It just isn't.

[Nick Viall]

What do you make of Katy Perry being seen with former Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau?

[Justin Long]

Let me tell you, my phone was blowing up. Cnn. And all of a sudden all of your colleagues in D.C. are like, what do you know about this? I mean, I think it's fun. I think anytime that a celebrity is dating someone not in the celebrity world, it's really fun. Also, like, we don't know if it's a date. It looks like a date, but we don't know.

[Nick Viall]

They haven't looks like a date. Looks like a date.

[Justin Long]

Looks like a date. Looks like a date. Our official line here is, it's cnn. We do not report on paparazzi photos, which is the truth. But as a. Because, you know, if there's a unfounded paparazzi photo taken that they have not given their consent to, like, we are not a tabloid. That said, as a friend of yours, Nick, and as a consumer of pop culture, I am kind of loving this. Like, I want to know what's coming next. They're both super hot. So. Yeah, right.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Not as a journalist, as a. As a fan of pop culture. What would you say to people who maybe were like, this is. This seems like a PR couple.

[Nick Viall]

What does he need? I mean, I don't know, like, he's a former Prime Minister of a country. Does he need Katie?

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

I know, but it's transit. It's almost transitioning in the way that, like, I feel like a lot of former politicians, once they exit politics, then go to media. And so what better way? And then obviously Katy Perry with the whole space thing. I feel like they both are in an interesting space of like, I don't know, a PR relation. It would make sense to bring Justin Trudeau, like, almost into like a different pop culture space and give Katy Perry a win.

[Nick Viall]

Well, Katy Perry clearly has a type, you know, good looking, handsome, brunette man.

[Justin Long]

I. That's so. I didn't even think about that. And I, for me, I wouldn't think that this is a PR stunt. Like, I don't think either of them. I don't see how this benefits either of them if it's just for a PR stunt. I'm curious how they met, right? Like, it's not like once you are in this world of being rich and famous, like, at a certain echelon, like, you just meet, right? Like, it could have been through. I don't want to throw names out there because I have no idea. But they're obviously in this world. So I don't think it's surprising that they would meet. You know, I think people forget that you. Katy Perry, obviously, she's a very famous celebrity. She is an international superstar in ways that people in America do not understand, like overseas. Her music, her tours. I mean, it's gangbusters. Like, she may be a bigger celebrity overseas than here, and you can't say that for every celebrity. So I'm sure that they, you know, travel in some of the same circles and have mutual friends. And I, like, I could see them just being introduced to someone, so I didn't think it was a piece. Yeah, that didn't even cross my mind. But I have no idea, you know.

[Nick Viall]

What I just thought of? That's kind of crazy, because didn't. Didn't Orlando Bloom go? Wasn't he invited and then go to Jeff Bezos's wedding?

[Maggie Q]

Yes, he did.

[Nick Viall]

And then no one. None of us talked about the fact that, like, not too recently, Katy Perry was flamed almost universally across the Internet for being a part of the rocket ship to nowhere going up to space for 11 seconds.

[Maggie Q]

Yeah.

[Nick Viall]

That was paid for by Jeff Bezos. How did Orlando Rondo get the invite and not Katie?

[Justin Long]

Well, so I don't know, but that was a big discussion because I don't know if it's that she didn't get.

[Nick Viall]

The invite or maybe she just didn't go.

[Justin Long]

Yeah, it could have been as. She didn't go. Like, we just split up. But I, like, I. I'm. She's. She's good friends with them. So I don't think that there's anything to read into there other than someone didn't go. It could have been a scheduling thing. They. That's actually when I said a few minutes ago, I don't want to say names because I really have no idea. And I don't want to speculate. The first thing when I saw those pictures that popped up in my mind was, were they somehow introduced from the Bezos world? Because they're all friends.

[Nick Viall]

So, man, Katie's really hanging out with some powerful people.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

She is crazy.

[Justin Long]

Absolutely is. So we'll see. But I just think it's fun anytime there's a story that you have, like, the pop culture world and then the political world invested in, I just think is really fun. And I'm telling you, it was like 8am and my phone was blowing up from producers in D.C. like, what do you know about this? So people are into it. I think we all want to know the origin story.

[Nick Viall]

One more Question before they jump into the Valley. We haven't talked about it too much recently just because it just seemed like it was kind of a. A toxic case that kind of like, you know, isn't happening until, I think, March of 2026. But do you have any updates on, you know, like, a state of the union of the Blake Lively versus Justin Baldoni case? Recently, it seemed like she issued subpoenas to some creators, which, you know, Justin Beltone's team seemed to jump all over in terms of, like, the court of public opinion. And they certainly had their things to say about what they've accused Blake of trying to do. But obviously, again, I've always had the stance that this is. This is more about the retaliation of a woman coming forward in the workplace and less about the actual, like, sexual harassment, but the retaliation of her coming forward and then the use of online bots and trolls and yada yada and things like that. But it seems like they're kind of in the middle of. Of that, and it. Yeah, it seems like Blake's team is kind of like getting their ducks in a row, and they very much seem intent on taking this to court as opposed to. A lot of people, I think, you know, over the. Over the past year have speculated, you know, they're going to settle and eventually there's going to be too much, like, fatigue and bad press. But they seem very committed this thing through. But do you have any updates or insights on what's the latest with this case?

[Justin Long]

I think that the biggest takeaway. You're super keen to spot this out, Nick. The biggest takeaway right now is for all purposes, like, this thing is moving full steam ahead and is going to court as of now. When this all started in December, I said. I said this on air. I said this to anyone I spoke to. I said, this is never going to court court ever. Now, I don't think that they intended for this to go to court. I think that when Blake Lively filed her crd, I. I don't believe that she anticipated that this was something that would blow up in the way that it did and would actually go to trial. But now that we are here, you know, for this to not go to court, they have to settle. And for this to settle, that means that somebody essentially has to admit wrongdoing. And I don't see that happening with the egos involved. I also don't think that the Blake Lively side wants to sit in court for this. You know, you're talking about Ryan Reynolds. You know, one of the biggest Stars in the world. Like, does he want to testify in a very public thing? No. They probably want this to be over, but as of now, this is moving full steam ahead. You know, whether that is March of 2026. You know, court dates get moved all the time for different reasons. So I think it's very possible that this is still settled. But I'm like in a 50, 50 now. Where before, just based on my past reporting on celebrity cases, I was in a 100%. There is no way this is going to court.

[Nick Viall]

Is that. I mean, I. I was under a different impression that, like, sometimes when you settle, like the. The settlement includes like some kind of non disclosure, and no one really knows the details of the settlement or what was admitted or what wasn't admitted or who owed what, but. Yeah. Why. Why is that? Why are you under the impression that someone has to, I mean, publicly admit fault?

[Justin Long]

Because this has been an incredibly public spectacle, and I think it's very clear that they hate each other's guts. And I don't think they're playing nice behind the scenes.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah, I can't imagine Blake's team would settle without demanding some kind of public apology from Justin's camp.

[Justin Long]

Ding, ding, ding. That's exactly. So, you know, they don't need money. Like, this is not. And by the way, I'm sure they will ask for attorneys fees, but they don't need the money. This is about, you know, exonerating yourself in the court of public opinion at this point. And I could very much see that either side, part of the settlement would be, you have to issue a public apology. So, look, maybe they do get to the point where they just say, let's make this go away. No one wants to go to court. Let's settle this behind the scenes. And we don't know anything that's very possible. But I just, you know, this thing keeps on going and going and going because both sides are relentlessly fighting this, which is, of course, their right to do. I don't think that anyone thought that it would get to this point. And you never know what is going to just become like a pop culture thing. Right. Like this became a thing, Nick. Like, we've been talking about this from the beginning. The day that this CRD was reported on in the New York Times, it was a thing. People are obsessed with it, and I don't think that either side would have anticipated that. So.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah.

[Justin Long]

So the latest update in terms of what's playing out in the courts is what you said, Nick, is that Blake Lively had issued subpoenas on three different, we'll call them content creators. Now, those subpoenas have been withdrawn. That their latest filing, the reason why they were subpoenaed was part of their discovery process, which is their right to do. If you are prepping for a trial, if you are prepping for a deposition, you can issue a subpoena on anyone. It is a information finding mission. It's a fact finding mission. That's what attorneys do. They issue subpoenas on people, on phone companies, whatever it is, to get all information, all records. I think the reason why there was so much backlash with issuing subpoenas on content creators is because this thing is playing out in the public. And if you are a content creator, that your job is literally to get on your own platform and speak your mind, and all of a sudden in your inbox you receive a subpoena from a huge star, you're gonna talk about it. So, you know, all of these content creators have spoken out very harshly against this, you know, saying that it's a breach of privacy and, you know, it's against their rights. As you know know, I think they've called themselves journalists, they're, you know, content creators, but whatever it is, but, you know, it's. It's just messy.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah. Aren't there, there, there's other content creators that are still being subpoenaed.

[Justin Long]

Correct, though, that it, that is what the lawyers have said, that just because these three weren't, doesn't mean that others won't be. So that's why I say this is moving full steam ahead because they still are very much in the, in the.

[Nick Viall]

Like wasn't like there's other, like, you know, big, bigger, bigger public profile names that have also been subpoenaed, not just like these micro influencers.

[Maggie Q]

Right? Yeah.

[Justin Long]

No, this is, this is the discovery process. And, you know, whether you like it or not, whether you think it's fair or not, this is quite literally the lawyer's jobs is to find all the information that they can. And if Blake Lively's lawyers believe that Justin Baldoni's team had leaked unsavory pieces of information or lies or whatever it is about her two content creators, which Justin Baldoni's team denies, denies, denies. But if that's what Blake Lively's team is alleging, which they have, that's what this whole thing is about. Like you said, Nick, it's the sexual harassment claims, but it's really the retaliation claims, if that's what they believe, then they are going to do their job. Which is to say, if I believe information was leaked to this person, I am going to subpoena that person. So it's pretty like, if you're just talking about the legal process, it's pretty standard. The reason why we care is because it's a mess and it's juicy and like, it's a train wreck. Like, this thing is, like, not good for anyone. Like, it is a mess. It's good for the lawyers who are being paid, you know, $2,000 an hour. That's who it's good for.

[Nick Viall]

Well, I mean, I, maybe, maybe I'm naive or altruistic or whatever it's called, but, like, I absolutely believe that maybe regardless of what's playing out in this case, that I do think there is social media manipulation. It's. It's obvious that that exists, right? It's obvious that you can boost posts and you can influence discourse. You have all these anonymous accounts. I, I feel like, I feel like this happens in the political landscape all the way through, like, just like trolls from fan accounts and things like that. And, and I think it, there's some damaging ramifications for the ways people are able to manipulate discourse and things like that. And I'm, I'm hoping that this case sheds a light on that because I, I firmly believe it exists. Whether it actually existed in this case, I believe it did. We'll see if that actually comes to light. But I'm, I'm convinced, like, I don't think, you know, these. So, you know, these, the Jed Wallaces in this case, and these companies that are like crisis management PR teams that, that, you know, are known for, like, dictating or influencing, you know, messaging about celebrities and, and, or their adversaries. I just. That does exist, I think.

[Maggie Q]

To what exists?

[Nick Viall]

Yeah. To what context, how it's used? Is it weaponized? I think that's what this case is really about. And I'm really curious if they're able to actually get actually, you know, any hard evidence to, to show what they are claiming against Justin. Because I wonder if it'll actually have an impact on how we see social media and Internet manipulation and things like that, and if it does actually have ramifications or even a positive impact outside of just being a pop culture spectacle.

[Justin Long]

It's so funny that you say that, because right when this case began, I was not really surprised by anything. And so many of my colleagues at cnn, of course, we cover everything. We run the gamut, so we have an entertainment team, but many people are not part of that. Team, they were horrified by the allegations. And I remember telling them, and I just said, I guess I'm jaded because my entire career is dealing with publicists and crisis managers. So I know that this all happens behind the scenes. So of course this stuff happens. But I think, you know, the reason why this story has really struck a chord. That's one piece of it, right? Like, is there truth to a smear campaign? Whether or not there is, you're absolutely right, Nick. This is what happens in today's modern day society and it's really dangerous. But I also think that's just one piece. You know, there's also. We're in a very different moment right now, culturally, socially, politically. You know, the MeToo pendulum has swung from where it was in 2020. So there's just, there's so many factors here, which is why this has struck a chord. But also at the core of it is just people love to watch a celebrity train wreck. And that's, that's what this is like. Trust me, neither side wishes that this was happening right now. They can say whatever they want to say. And there have definitely been some big wins in the court of public opinion for some in this, involved in this and some big losses. But trust me, neither side wants to be dealing with this like it is a hot mess.

[Nick Viall]

Speaking of hot mess, we're going to get into the Valley, but before we do, Mary's got your rapid recap of the Valley and then we'll talk with Elizabeth a little bit about it.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

All right, the Valley reunion, part one has aired. It is time for Divorce Court. Kristin has apologized to Janet for threatening to knock her teeth out and calling her a. Which is growth for Kristin, and I'm really proud of her. And then we have Jax wanting to get a vasectomy, Brittany saying she would not touch that dirty dick with a 10 foot pole, which is very. You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch coded of her. Jesse and Michelle are in a custody battle with Jesse representing himself because apparently he's watched suits. So congrats to Michelle, honestly. And Jesse is broke, so Michelle just stays winning. Jax is in therapy off camera this time, but he's still like that. So cool. Danny and Nia moved to Santa Clarita and hopefully have not changed their diet. If you know, you know, shout out to Santa Clarita diet. I missed that show. Also, just a general note, if your man has a boys chat, you should probably dump him like right now. And then the Brittany and Jack stuff, like, I don't have anything to funny to say about that. It's just really dark. And I hope the best for Britney. But Jax is passing his drug tests, but he might still be on steroids.

[Nick Viall]

Who's giving him these drug tests? Is my question. Exactly the same person he's going to.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Well, Britney is also giving him the drug test. Yeah, but overall, do people actually watch suits? That's my big question. And find out next week on the Valley Reunion Part two.

[Nick Viall]

Okay, we talk about this every week, saying about this show, but like Bachelor in Paradise or like some other shows, there's some, you know, they give you hope, they give you something to root for. They give you some excitement. This is just talk about a train wreck. Just like devastating people making devastating choices and real, real life implications. I don't know. Have you. Have you been. Have you been enjoying the Valley this past season?

[Justin Long]

It. I'm with you. Like it. Me, yes. Enjoying, for sure. But it. It does make me really sad. And watching the reunion, I just constantly felt sad. Like, am I entertained and am I gonna keep watching? And am I, you know, kind of obsessively, you know, into the train wreck? Yes. But I just keep thinking, like, there are young children involved in this, and you're, you know, the whole purpose of this show was to be like, here's the aftermath of Vanderpump rules. Here's what happens when you grow up and you get married and you move into a home in the suburbs. And it was supposed to be that. I know that the producers were actually worried, like, is it going to be too boring? Obviously not. But it makes me sad, you know, like, this is a reality that happens in our society. But these are all young couples with young kids. And, you know, they're just. They're dragging each other, like, in a public forum. And that's why we're watching. That's what reality TV is. But it just makes me really, really sad. And I also, I want to give a shout out to one of our mutual friends. I know she's been on this show, but Kate Arthur at Variety, my former colleague, good friend, she has done like. There is no entertainment journalist covering the Valley as well as she is. She did the same with Scandival. She is the journalist of the Bravo verse who basically sees, like, this is not just a pop culture thing. Like, this is a serious matter that we're going to talk about. So she did really great interviews with the entire cast and the executives basically talking about this, like, is it just sad? And how do we lighten up season three? Obviously, Jax Isn't returning for season three, which I think is definitely for good. Like, he should not be on TV right now. What? Like, something he said. I'm curious what you think, Nick, but during the reunion he was at. I forget exactly what the question was, but it was during when him and Brittany were going back and forth, and he was saying that, like, the reason why he was so upset was because the things that she said took. Took his job away. And then he said their kid. Then he said, Cruz, but he said his job first. And he said it numerous times, like, he's ranking the job here and the kid here. And to me, I'm just like, that is just so sad to me, you know, like, your kid should always come first. And the fact that he said, you know, like, I need to go to rehab because my job. Like, I realized my job was on the line. And then, in all fairness, he did say, and my kid. And those are the two most important things. But I just think it is a really sad reality for these reality stars that their lives, you know, for us, it's entertainment, but this is their real lives. And it becomes so consuming that, yes, it's their livelihood and it's their paycheck, and it's how they're putting food on the table. But they become so obsessed with, like, being the stars of these shows that that takes over. So that made me sad just watching as a fan of the show.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah, my. My big. I thought the funniest part was when they were talking about the divorce between Jesse and Mich. And then he was like. Jesse was like, I'm waiting on my lawyers, and they were asking me if he's representing himself. And then he's like, he has a team of consultants. And the first. Immediately, the first person I thought about who must be a part of his team of consultants is his bald friend, slash fake therapist, slash life coach. And, like, that he must be part.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Of that Team 100 to have him.

[Nick Viall]

Scream into the pillow, what are you doing representing yourself?

[Justin Long]

Not gonna end well, I can tell you that.

[Nick Viall]

No, I mean, Michelle must be loving.

[Sierra]

That she outed it in the beginning. And then he was like. And then the fact that he brought it back up being like, I'm just, you know, waiting for my lawyers. And it's just like, you're. You're representing yourself. Why would that ever be the choice in divorce court?

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Hey, we're ignoring the lawyers. Could be all the voices in his head.

[Nick Viall]

Elizabeth, if your husband walked out of the bedroom wearing the pants, the floral pants that Jesse Was wearing. Would you, would you go out in public with him?

[Justin Long]

Great question.

[Nick Viall]

No, he thinks that looks good. You know, like, that's what's crazy about Jesse is he tries so hard. He's the hardest trying man on that show who accomplishes nothing.

[Justin Long]

Can I tell you something really funny, actually? So I was in the market house hunting, and there was a house that, like online on Zillow. I was like, oh, I kind of want to check this one out. And I saw that he was the, the listing agent.

[Nick Viall]

Oh, really?

[Justin Long]

I was like, I just can't do it. But that's a weird thing though, with LA real estate. You show up to an open house and you're like, wait, weren't you on the Bachelor? Like, aren't you on Broad? Like, that actually happened to me numerous times. Yeah, no, I thought that Michelle really dominated him in the conversation on the reunion. Like, obviously those daggers being thrown and, you know, they're not being kind to each other. But talk about the receipts, right? Like, she did not have physical evidence of anything. But she, Everything he said, she was just like, no, that's not true. And X, Y and Z. And here's what we're talking about. And I really, I keep going back to the kids, but again, I know this is a show and it's entertainment, but. But it is dark and it's real life. And I really don't like how he said that she's weaponizing their daughter. Like, I just thought that was so cruel. And you saw, even Andy, Andy Cohen was like, yeah, no, like, don't go there, bro. You know, this is not going to end well for you. And it didn't, because that is something that you don't do. I don't care if you're on reality TV or not. To say that you're weaponizing our young daughter, it's just, it's really cruel.

[Nick Viall]

So, no, he's a, he's a, he's an icky guy. I want to spend the last few minutes you have with us, Elizabeth, debating. Well, rumors have been circulating that Tom Sandoval and his girlfriend Victoria have been speaking with producers of the Valley in our screen testing or whatever about the possibility of joining the cast. I don't think this is the worst idea ever. Now, granite, the best idea. Okay, well, you know, we as a, you know, as a household, we've. We have expressed our frustrations in general with Bravo for their lack of quality. Men, you know, they, they seem to really love low character men. Men who just don't really. They're not aspirational. You don't look up to them. They're. They're not someone. They just don't seem like the best guys. But if you have to, you know, cast someone. The last time we spoke to Tom Sandoval, he was in. And he seemed to be in real. Emphasis on real. Because with Bravo, you know, we had that montage of Jackson's therapy, and it was just like the. You know, none of that seemed actually like real therapy. But last time we spoke with Tom, he was in couples and individual therapy going multiple times a week. It seemed legit. I don't know. No kids involved. We don't have to worry about that. It seems messy, you know, like. Like he seems like maybe Tom has even turned a corner. But if you. A question for the. For everyone, who would you rather have, Tom Sandoval or Jesse Lolly?

[Maggie Q]

Oh, yeah.

[Nick Viall]

Okay. So not even a debate.

[Justin Long]

Here's also the thing. I mean, I was an OG in real time. Vanderpump Rules fan. I love the Valley, but it's no early Vanderpump Rules, like, let's just, like, call it for what it is, right? Like, there are reality TV stars that have secured their place in reality TV perpetuity for a reason. Jax being one of them. Like, you can think he's a terrible person and hate him, which seems to be where everything's going out. And I really hope that he is doing well and betters himself. And I was happy to hear, you know, how long he's been sober and all the things. But there's a reason why some of these people have been on TV for 15 years, and Tom Sandoval is one of them. Like, Jesse Lally is not that. You know, like, if he was not on the show, no one's gonna be like, where is he? So. And that's not even me being mean to him. It's just me kind of talking about there's different. Like, there's A list celebrities and there's C list celebrities, and Tom Sandoval is an A list. Bravo, Liberty. That doesn't mean you like him. But I also think that the scandal really. I mean, when I say boosted him, I don't mean in a good way, but it boosted people wanting to see him. I mean, like on Traders, he was really good on Traders and people really liked him on there. And I think if the purpose of reality TV is to be entertained and to watch the continuous train wreck, then Tom Sandoval is a great idea, especially because Jax isn't going to be There. And remember, the reason why the Valley started was with Jax. Like, the show would not have been greenlit probably without Jax. Now it is fully persisted and they don't need him at this point with the other characters. But, like, bringing in a big Bravo name, whether people love or hate them is never a bad idea.

[Nick Viall]

Would you rather have Tom, Sandoval, Sheena or Lala if you had one and if you could have two, who would you have?

[Justin Long]

I mean, right now in this moment, Tom and Sheena, just given what's going on with both of them, them, like, I would want to see that all kind of play out. But I. My answer would be all of them. But if you're making me you.

[Nick Viall]

So you want them all. You're, You're, You're. You want to bring them all back.

[Justin Long]

It, like, I mean, maybe not as permanent cast members, but I think bringing them in and out is. Is good. And I think. I think people are really invested in their stories. And maybe you're invested because, you know, you hate them, but they're still invested in a way that I think we are not of someone who would come in and be new. Right? Like, anytime you bring in a new person that you don't know, you run the risk of does this person land or do they not? Are they boring? And we know that, like, Sheena and Tom are not going to be boring.

[Nick Viall]

We were talking about this the other day, you know, like, I think that's why we like Summer House so much and its cast because despite whatever flaws they may have, like, you look at like, like west, he's like a journalist who works for, like, complex and like, he's hustling out there and he seems to also be building a career that he's proud of. And that is cool. And you have Kyle who, like, you know, despite some of his behavior as a husband, like, really clearly is working hard on his company. You have Craig at Southern Charm building his pillow company. And you have these other characters who give you good drama, but they're like, they're doing something with this opportunity that is to be a Bravo celebrity. And they're actually like, you know, not just like selling their souls for clicks in clout or selling out their spouses or just being messy, messy, messy. And it really feels like the Vanderpump slash Valley group of friends, they just really kind of have nothing going for them. They. They only know how to, like, sell out each other, throw each other under the bus. You know, it's like for me to climb, you have to fall it's kind of icky and I wish they would find people for this show where you could get a little drama and then also root, have a reason to root for them again. I feel like Kristen and Luke are the only people, maybe Danny and Nia, because other than like Danny and Nia having to like are being under fire from the rest of the cast and just kind of defend themselves. So you didn't really get to see their at home dynamic or how they make ends work with four kids under four years. But you obviously have Kristen that was obviously see a beautiful story with her and Luke getting engaged and like having her first baby. But the rest of the cast, it's just like there's you. You don't really learn about these people's lives. You only learn about like how they hate each other or how they sell each other out. And I feel like that's just the part of the show that like I wish they would change. Which is why I like you know, Southern charm or summer house. Because like you look at Paige desorbo who obviously has less left Bravo and has moved on, but she's been able to do that because she was an iconic Bravo celebrity. We enjoyed her on our screens. She was a part of drama at times. She had great, great one liners. But she's also built this amazing business and amazing career which I think for a lot of women is very aspirational and very or just people in general. And you just, you don't see that from anyone in the Valley Vanderpump universe.

[Justin Long]

Yeah, no, I, I can't disagree with you like 100% but I also think you watch different shows for different reasons. Like talking about Paige being able to build this great career away from Bravo. That's why Jax hasn't been able to. Right. Like Jax's career is being on Bravo by the way. On that note, like Jackson needed to go like that, like that crossed the line, right? Like there's reality TV drama and then there is substance abuse, domestic issues, kids involved. Like Bravo. This was the right. However it went down, that was the right decision. Like he, like that was at the point where it was dangerous and behavior that should not be enabled on TV and quite frankly not good for anyone, including Jax. And that's why I said I hope he's, you know, getting the help that he needs. And it sounds like he is, but he clearly was still struggling on, on the reunion. But like, say what you want about these people, there may be no redeeming qualities but like here's a Question for you, which is a yes or no answer. Like if Tom Sandoval joins the Valley season three, are people going to watch?

[Nick Viall]

Yeah, yeah, I know I am.

[Justin Long]

Yeah. So that's also before I go because I have to be live on air in a minute, but since we are talking about Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry, I have like a non update, but an update. You know, I told you that our reporting standard here is we're not a tabloid. We do not report on paparazzi photos. But we are now reporting on it because there has been some outreach and neither spokesperson for Trudeau or Katy Perry has commented from our outreach. But there was somebody who worked at the restaurant. Who is this person? Someone at the restaurant said, and this is an on the record quote, that we kind of got the vibe that they were a little more chill and went on to say there was no indication of romance quote, no visual signs of PDA or anything. So that's why, okay, it looks like a date. But that's why I said it may not be a date. Like this could be a business meeting. So we'll.

[Nick Viall]

Or just a friend, a friendly outing.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Among Katy Perry will be the new prime Minister of Canada.

[Sierra]

You were discussing foreign policy.

[Nick Viall]

Yes, yes.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

What else would Katy Perry talk about?

[Justin Long]

Not that.

[Nick Viall]

Elizabeth, appreciate taking the time. Always great to catch up with you before we let you go. Bachelor in Paradise. You like the new format? You into it or do you miss like the old intro? What, what's your 22nd Bachelor in Paradise thoughts?

[Justin Long]

Okay, so I love it. I loved the old version and I also like the new version and I actually love the intro. I love like the remix, the new song. I think it's really smart what they are doing because obviously you watch it and it just, it looks different. It doesn't look like Capture anymore. It. It looks like Love island or one of the Netflix shows. And that is very intentional, in fact, to the point that there's a new showrunner this season who came from the production company that is behind Love is Blind and Perfect Match. Another shout out because I love shouting out my journalist friends, Emily Longeretta of Variety, who you know, Nick, friend of show. Yeah, friend of show. Go to variety.com and read her piece because she did an interview with the new showrunner where they talk about these format changes. But I think it's really smart because let's just call it out for what it is. The Bachelor franchise is in was, you know, falling like it was all about Love is Blind and the Netflix shows and those were really becoming dominant in pop culture after nothing could touch the Bachelor for 20 years. So, like, everything, they have to evolve. And I think Bachelor in Paradise is the franchise's most fun show, and it's where they can make changes. And I think it's working. Like, this season is very much back in the pop culture zeitgeist. And, you know, I think that the executives there probably notice by ratings and by pop culture conversation that we have to make some changes. And they did. And look, at the end of the day, like, none of these other shows, Love is Blind, Perfect Match, Love island, none of them would exist without the Bachelor. So it is like, like, you know, the leader in reality TV dating shows, and now they're just adapting to new generation. So I think it's fun. And, you know, the last point I'll make is they can never do what a Love island or a Too Hot to Handle can do because they're held to broadcast standards. You know, like, that is the reality. Like, they can't be as raunchy. They can't cuss. They can't do anything that Love island does. But I think in by bringing in the Goldens, it kind of just makes it like it's silly, but it's fun. And, you know, they can't be raunchy, but they can be silly. And I think that they're doing it, and, like, people are talking about this season. They like it, and I like it.

[Nick Viall]

All right. Always good talking with Elizabeth. We also have Maggie Q coming up momentarily. But before we do, we have a Real Housewives of Atlanta rapid recap from Mary to get into. So take it away, Mary.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

All right, it is the reunion, part three, the final episode. And, you guys, it really looks like Kenya's not coming back this season. So apparently Portia and Shamia's moms even have beef. So unless they take a page out of Riley and Ariana from Next Gen's book, it is not looking good for these girls. RIP I really enjoyed their friendship up front. But then we've got Drew, who still has one of the scariest things in the world living in her basement. A man. And Drew still denies that she's dating black back, but she does have his hookah to give to everyone. And apparently this means that they must be together. And I am confused because I don't know the significance of hookah as a gift.

[Justin Long]

So we'll see on that.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

But anyway, the men finally enter the chat, and here is what they had to say. Dennis said he never was trying to sleep with Drew. He just wanted to make some money. And that's real. I get it. Ralph is, as always, an agent of chaos, but is very charming about it. So it's kind of hard to, like, stay mad at him officially, even though.

[Justin Long]

He'S living in that basement.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

And Charles Oakley, Give that girl a peach. Apparently, he went on. On a date with Wendy Williams. He just dropped that bomb. We need more of him, and we need it now. In the end, the girls fight with love. And I can't wait to see what happens next season. Overall, will Kenya return? Would we be surprised if we never heard from Brett Edie again? Will Charles Oakley become an official housewife?

[Nick Viall]

I don't think Kenya is going to resign next week.

[Sierra]

I don't think so, ever. I just need to clarify that Charles did not go on a date with Wendy Williams. Wendy had offered to have him over for a glass of wine. Circumstances came up. He said no, but the whole contention was, well, would you go on a date with Wendy Williams?

[Maggie Q]

He said, I would have a glass.

[Sierra]

Of wine with her.

[Nick Viall]

That's a date.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

I love that man.

[Sierra]

Which is a date.

[Maggie Q]

Exactly.

[Justin Long]

He's like.

[Sierra]

You could call it what you want. Was his response to it to his wife. I think we might see Kenya come back next season.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Well, the thing is, Kenya is also taking shots at our girl Cynthia Bailey. Now.

[Nick Viall]

What. What does she do? Why is she doing that?

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Cynthia is just the voice of reason, you know, and has normal takes about things. And she was like, well, it was kind of bad what Kenya did. And Brit also, like, she was kind of just, like, in the middle of being like, this is a messy situation. And she was.

[Sierra]

Was.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

And Kenya kind of sent her some smoke about not, like, standing up for her. So that's why Kenya is mad at Cynthia.

[Nick Viall]

What? And what did Kenya expect Cynthia to say?

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

I probably. That Kenya was innocent.

[Nick Viall]

Well, like, Kenya's not right. Like, regardless of what you think of Brit, like, Kenya was wrong what she did, and, like, maybe she can come back, but, like, it's like. It's as if Kanga's out there, like, acting if. It's as if. If she is being wrongly and falsely accused of something. And she's, like, waiting for the DNA.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

I don't know.

[Nick Viall]

She.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

I guess Kenya said that she's not coming back, but we'll see.

[Sierra]

Yeah, Kenya confirmed she's not coming back for next season, but there are two new cast members that they're starting to film soon. So, yeah, she's not returning. She's still on pause.

[Nick Viall]

When's Real Housewife of Rhode island set to premiere.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

They're still filming on a world public.

[Sierra]

Yeah, it says late 2025. Yeah, the end of the year.

[Nick Viall]

Okay, that's still not far away.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

I can't wait to hear what, like, the die cut. Like, the deep nuances of Rhode island accents are. That's my favorite part of any Housewife franchise.

[Nick Viall]

That's why you watch for the accents.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

No, but it's just, like, an added bonus. You know what I mean?

[Nick Viall]

Well, you said it's your favorite part. It's.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

You know, I can be hyperbolic. Nick. What's so wrong with you? It's one of my favorite parts. Excuse me. I really enjoy it.

[Sierra]

I think it was actually really nice watching Drew and Portia hash out their issues with each other through all three parts for it to finally end with a nice bow. And then Cynthia gave what encouraging words being like please don't let. Or was it Kelly that was like, please don't let this ruin your friendship between Shamia and Portia. Oh, yeah, because Kelly lost her friendship with Britain. I don't know.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

I think it is nice of, like, they do all fight. It's. Atlanta, at its core, feels is so much of a sisterhood in a way that, like, other franchises don't necessarily hit, for me, of, like, you can tell they all, like, really love and care about each other.

[Sierra]

Right. And no matter how mad they are at each other and fighting. Yeah. And it was like, the real drama ends up happening between two people that really do not know each other, like.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Brit and Kenya, the alliances, whatever. But it's like, the people that know and, like, have history with each other, like, they're gonna ride, you know, they'll ride for you, Charlie.

[Sierra]

I'm excited to see them all kind of come together. And hopefully next season, it won't be like, Drew versus the group. It'll just be like, all the girls hang out. Zachary.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Yeah, I know Cat. I love Drew.

[Sierra]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Like, she's so silly.

[Sierra]

Her one liners. I need to watch them, like, be, like, a combined force versus firing at each other.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Yeah.

[Nick Viall]

All right, well, up next, we have Maggie Q joining the show. She's promoting her new show, Ballard, streaming now on Prime Video. You have certainly seen Maggie Q all over your screen, whether it's the big screen or the small screen. She's been in some amazing films like Mission Impossible 3, live free or Die Hard, the Divergent series, Nikita, Designated Survivor. She is one of the badass women that are in Hollywood kicking butt, taking names, and she is with us next. Well, if you are an employer that's struggling finding the right talent, Then you need to check out Upwork. Upwork exists to make hiring faster, easier and more affordable for businesses of all sizes. Upwork is the hiring platform designed for the modern playbook where you can find, hire and pay expert freelancers who can deliver results from day one. Perfect for businesses on tight budgets, fast timelines and zero room for error. Companies at every stage turn to Upwork to get things done and find more flexibility in the way they staff key projects and initiatives by accessing a global marketplace filled with top talent in it, web, dev, AI, design, admin, support, marketing, and more.

[Sierra]

Upwork is convenient, cost effective and transparent. No subscriptions, no upfront fees. Fees you only pay when you hire. Posting a job free. Fast, simple. So if you're trying to stretch your budget and keep things moving, Upwork's got you never tried Upwork? Well, now's the perfect time because they are giving our listeners a 200 credit. After spending $1,000 in your first 30 days, that's 200 you can put towards your next freelancer. Design help, AI, automation, admin, support, marketing, whatever your business needs.

[Nick Viall]

Visit upwork.comsave right now for a great offer that is upwork.comsave to get a 200 credit to put towards your next freelancer answer to help grow your business. That's up W-O-R-K.com s a v e upwork.com save don't wait. This offer is only valid June 24 through August 5, 2025. Okay, well if you've been following my wife Nally at all, you also know that she has been obsessed with Beyond Yoga. It's one of those brands that once you try it, you can't get enough of it. She always talks about how she looks forward to putting those clothes on. Beyond Yoga is a female founded female led activewear brand that's all about body positivity, comfort and movement.

[Sierra]

Have to back up my girl Natalie with this one. Their stuff is insanely soft and I'm talking about the famous space dye fabric. And it works. Whether I'm doing a workout, running errands or just hanging at home. You just do not want to take these sets off. And right now they're launching their new platform called Seek beyond which is all about growing with confidence, authenticity and joy, not perfection. It really spoke to me because life isn't all about looking perfect all the time. It's about feeling good in your body. And Beyond Yoga gets that.

[Nick Viall]

This launch is extra cool because Seek beyond launches with the Original anthem written and performed by writer, producer, actress and entrepreneur Issa Rae. It celebrates all kinds of movement and all kinds of people. Visit Beyond Yoga.com and access a 20 off welcome offer using code the vile files for a limited time. But let's map out this week's amazing destinations and travel tips.

[Maggie Q]

Honestly, Will, I didn't plan any trips.

[Justin Long]

But I did switch to T Mobile with their new Family Freedom offer.

[Nick Viall]

That's not the itinerary we're following.

[Justin Long]

Well, I'm departing from ATT and embarking.

[Sierra]

On a new journey with T Mobile.

[Justin Long]

They paid off my family's four phones up to $3200 and gave us four.

[Sierra]

New phones on the house.

[Justin Long]

Bon voyage.

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[Nick Viall]

Maggie, welcome to the show. Great to be with you.

[Maggie Q]

Hi. Is that the chair I'm supposed to be in?

[Nick Viall]

Well, actually, no, this is my wife's chair, who is. She's down with the flu right now, unfortunately. Otherwise. Yeah, she says hi. She was pretty bummed that she couldn't be with us today.

[Maggie Q]

Oh, that sucks. Yeah, flu in the summer is the worst.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah, I had it a few days ago. It's. It's. It's a nightmare.

[Maggie Q]

Oh, you gave it to her?

[Nick Viall]

I think so, unfortunately. Well, we were joking earlier in the week that I, you know, she wants me to wear more sweatpants, and I said, like, wearing sweatpants makes me feel like I have the flu. And then two days later, I got the flu.

[Maggie Q]

So did you put the sweatpants on?

[Nick Viall]

I did, Yeah, I did.

[Justin Long]

Oh, okay.

[Maggie Q]

So that's why you got it.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah, I think I. Sally, I manifested it. I don't know. So it was. It was brutal. But she's down for the count right now, unfortunately, so.

[Maggie Q]

Well, send my regards to her. That would have been cool. I didn't know you guys did it together.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah, well, yeah, we started doing it together after. Well, I started the show and then we got together and then it turned out I was like, oh, you're really funny and talented and do this with me.

[Maggie Q]

So very cool.

[Nick Viall]

Do you think you could ever work with your partner?

[Maggie Q]

Yes, and I do, kind of, actually. He's, you know, he's not an entertainer or in Hollywood and never has been. But funnily enough, he has better instincts than anyone I know. So if I have a project or. Or anything, he reads it, you know, at the same time, or. Or after me, if I said, hey, it's somewhat interesting. And he analyzes it and figures out whether it would be good for me or not good for me. Then we have a discussion. And then he has also another company that I help out with that I do ads for. And, you know, we. Product development. We do product development for that company as well, so. So it's fun. He's. I respect my husband. He's really smart.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah.

[Maggie Q]

And awesome. So it's a joy to work together.

[Nick Viall]

That's great. Yeah. I mean, I never anticipated working with my wife, but it's been, like, a really fun thing that we both really love. And, you know, it's like, you know, obviously, I think we still get our own quality time, whatever it is we need, but it. It helps us stay connected, like you said. Like, I think there's, like, in addition to the love that we have, like, the respect and, you know, like you, it's. I'm always. I trust her instincts, her taste. I want to run things by her. And it just.

[Maggie Q]

Yeah.

[Nick Viall]

I don't know. It. I feel like it's really helped our relationship more than anything.

[Maggie Q]

I think you're gonna stay together because. Because that's so foundational. Right. To have that connection and not lose that. And it's funny. And people always ask why Hollywood relationships don't work. It's because it's not an environment that's conducive for connection. Right. Because you get together during this intense period, people often meet on projects, and then that intense amount of time ends, and you go into your life, but then your life goes into all these different directions, and you. You essentially start to lose that connection, and it has a compounding effect That's.

[Nick Viall]

That's so well said. More about you. Congratulations on your new show, Ballard. It's streaming now on Prime Video. This, obviously is a spinoff from the very popular show Boss.

[Maggie Q]

Right.

[Nick Viall]

Which is very cool. I mean, I guess that starting with, like, what did that mean to you? To be presented with this opportunity to say, hey, we. We want to create a whole new show based off of this already successful show, but we want it to be centered around you. You know, my wife And I. We love a cold case show. We love a crime doc, a procedural. We love it. It's like, it's so. It's such an easy, fun, good watch. But like, what totally. What did that mean to you for to have this opportunity presented to you?

[Maggie Q]

It was. It was interesting because I wasn't looking to do a series again. I had been a lead on a series before or several series. And it's an enormous amount of work. And you have to really love what you're doing to. To be able to have the level of output and make it successful and stick with it and believe in it and all those things. So there. There have to. Has to be be many factors that attract you to a project like that so that you can sustain it simply, you know, as a business decision. And then obviously, personally, like I said, you have to love it because it is everything. It is. You wake up with it, you go to bed with it, your weekends are recovering from it. So you are. You are immersed. And I got. I guess my agents had gotten word of this sort of a year out from when they actually spoke to me about it, because I told them that if anybody ever calls for me and it's not dead serious and ready to go, I don't want to hear about. Can come and go without me knowing. And I'm fine with that. And so they called me a year later as I was about to get on a plane. And luckily this show, there was about seven scripts that were already written, which is never happens. And that was because they had a Covid delay and then they had the actors and the writers strike again. And so this show was supposed to go so many times without me and obviously a different actor and all these things, all these different factors, and it just didn't. For whatever reason, as fate would have it. And then they ended up in this place where Michael Connelly told me that it was this whole. The idea was, let's find someone like Maggie. Maggie. And they were on the hunt for somebody like Maggie. And then I guess they went through that year and.

[Nick Viall]

And they're like, there's no one like.

[Maggie Q]

Maggie, you know, Which I was. So I was like, you could have found someone. And they did have people lined up and just. It just didn't work. I don't know what that was. And then I don't remember whose brilliant idea it was to say, why don't we just talk to Maggie? And they did. And the gift was having those scripts ready. So I was able to read be on this flight to New Zealand I read seven episodes and when I landed, I was like, really like her. I really like this show. You know, like you said, you know, with you and your wife and you sit down, you watch something and. And it's not easy in the. In the sense of ease, but it's. It's something where the page just continues to turn. You want to know what's happening. And if I want to know what's happening, I am the person who's most disinterested. I'm the person who's going to go into a script and find. Find everything wrong with it. And so I was interested, which is very rare. And that. That was just huge. And I. The good news was that I didn't know much about Bosch. I knew that it did very well for Amazon. I knew that they had great success with it. But because it wasn't sort of in my zeitgeist that it wasn't something that I felt a little less pressure, I went into the universe going, well, I'm not married to that. This is something new. This is something we hope to elevate because it's a decade later, right, and move into the modern world of television with new storytelling, even though it's same. Same type of subject. And I just felt. I just felt excited. After I met Michael Connolly and I asked him a few questions, I knew that the people in the room that I was with, I wanted to spend. Or I could spend a lot of time with. And I think that's another huge decision you have to make when you take a series, right? Like, do I like these people? So I'm going to spend a lot of time with them, and if I don't and I don't believe in their integrity, then this is going to be a rough road. And I've been down that road. I've been down that road. I've worked with people I don't respect, and it is torture.

[Nick Viall]

I hope it's not Justin Long. I'm just kidding. He's a friend of mine.

[Maggie Q]

I cannot believe you just said that. I was on the phone with him 15 minutes ago.

[Nick Viall]

Were you tell. Oh, my God. It's so funny because Justin's a friend. You probably know him better than I do. He's been on our show more multiple times. And I was like, oh, my God, Maggie Q. And I just remember, like, the first time I was introduced to you was Live Free or Die Hard, an amazing movie. And you came on that scene. You were such a badass in that movie. You've played a Badass in so many roles. Well, actually, before I go to that. What? What? What? How's Justin? Is Justin good?

[Maggie Q]

You know, it's funny. So this is what happens with Justin and I. He'll call me, I won't answer. I'll call him back, he won't answer. Then I'll get a voice memo and then I'll send it.

[Nick Viall]

No, he loves a good voice memo. Yeah, for sure.

[Maggie Q]

Oh, he loves a good voice memo. And weirdly, so do I now. He was running into something and then I had to tell him that I was actually coming onto this and also had to go because every time I get on the phone with Justin, we're on the phone for like an hour and a half, sort of minimum, and we have a serious catch up coming. So we both decided in, in corresponding voice memos that we decided on tomorrow afternoon. Okay, so that will be our, our big catch up. Yeah, but I love him so much.

[Nick Viall]

Tell him I said so long. He's such a good dude.

[Maggie Q]

He's the best.

[Nick Viall]

Because I was gonna ask you about him and you're like, I have, I, I've worked with some people I haven't respected. I'm like, please, not just in law, Please not just in love. No, I mean, never. He's a great guy. But back to like, you know, again, like, you play so many incredible characters. You're always so often you're, you're a badass.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

You've.

[Nick Viall]

You trained with Jackie Chan, which iconic superstar, I mean, I guess is. That was something, was a goal of yours as you became an actor, like, to like be someone who I imagine like a lot of young women aspire to be and look up to. I have a young daughter myself. And looking at your characters, like you play a lot of characters that I want my daughter to look up to, like someone who, like, you know, I want her to feel like she can, you know, own any room. And like, you've played so many like, cool characters where that was in the best possible way, where like intimidating, had such a great presence. You've played this role so well in so many cool, different roles. But like, is that something you always thought you would get into and just. It was or did it just kind of happen naturally?

[Maggie Q]

It totally happened naturally. And it was strange because when I started my career, you know, even as like an American girl from Hawaii, I, through a series of events, I ended up moving to Asia and ended up living there for seven years. And that's how I became represented by Jackie's management company and got into early action movies on that side of the world, in the action movie movie capital of the world, Hong Kong. And so that was interesting because I'm not Chinese. I didn't know anyone there. I don't speak the language. I mean, it was just a totally random sort of either divine or random or fish out of water sort of thing that happened, that I ended up living there. And. And they, they came to me about movie roles, and I was so confused. I mean, genuinely thought, I'm just here to make money and go back home and finish school. And that was the goal. And they were like, well, now people want to see you in movies. And I thought, why? Why do they want to see me in movies? And then as I, when I did actually eventually sign with them, you know, obviously Jackie's going to be producing action movies. What else would he be producing? Right? And so a lot of the movies that Jackie produced, these early movies that I was in, he. He's not in because Jackie's a very smart businessman, and he was looking to create a new generation of action stars for a generation that he doesn't appeal to or, you know, is. It's harder for him to appeal to. And so, you know, he picked a bunch of guys and I was like, the one girl, girl. And I, I don't know what it was. And I still remember working with a director at that time who was a friend of Jackie's, and I. And I asked him, like, why, why do people want me for this? Like, what's the deal? And he goes, he said, and also, I'm not a martial artist. That's the other thing that gets confusing for people. People are like, oh, so did you grow up doing martial arts? Not even a little bit. I was a cross country runner. I did track and field, and I was a swimmer.

[Nick Viall]

What. What event in track and field?

[Sierra]

Track and field.

[Maggie Q]

I did the 400, the 800. I did hurdles for a little bit, long jump, high jump.

[Nick Viall]

I was a 4 and 8 guy myself in college.

[Maggie Q]

Oh, where you were?

[Nick Viall]

Oh, very cool.

[Maggie Q]

So, yeah, I mean, I, you know, we're weird because we're not sprinters, but we're like, we're not totally distanced, but, you know, we fall somewhere in between. And so with that background, as you know, I mean, I couldn't even touch my toes. I wasn't flexible, you know, I wasn't. And so I asked this director, I said, why don't they just grab someone from a dojo somewhere and throw them in action movies? Like, why would you take the Time to train me and get me into a certain physical shape with a background that I don't have. When there's tons of people with martial arts backgrounds that you could just throw into movies. Like, I don't understand the difference. And I really did it. And he said, at the time he told me, I think I was like maybe 19 or 20. He said, Maggie, you can't teach strength. Strength is something that's internal. And if you don't have an internal strength, you can do really high kicks and do all this stuff and it's not going to matter to anyone. They're not going to feel anything. That was so revelatory to me for whatever reason. And then I remember looking at Jackie at the time and thinking, yeah, he's this one of the strongest people I know. One of the hardest working, mentally tough. Just, he has all of that internal. And if he didn't, even though he does comedy with his action, somehow you just wouldn't connect to him. You have to know that there's a strength there. And so, yeah, that director was the first person to tell me that. And I guess over the years after, now 25 years being in action movies, I guess I do have the mental fortitude and I do have the strength because I'll tell you, you won't get this far if you don't, because it is, it is a hard, hard road to take.

[Mary]

Yeah.

[Nick Viall]

And it's, it's, it's definitely a grind. Well, before we let you go, we have a fun game we want to play with you to celebrate your amazing 25 year career. So we came up with a little game where we're going to ask you questions about movie or movies or show plots, and you have to tell us if you were in it and the name of the character that you played.

[Maggie Q]

Oh, God, I forget everything. So this is going to be awesome.

[Nick Viall]

All right, are you ready?

[Maggie Q]

Okay. Okay.

[Nick Viall]

Number one. I feel like I have to do like a dramatic reading. In an effort to avoid paying off a massive gambling debt to a notorious mobster in England, a couple flees to Los Angeles to hatch a jewelry theft plot.

[Maggie Q]

I'm in it, and I play a Russian girl named Irina.

[Nick Viall]

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. Yeah. One for one, she is correct.

[Maggie Q]

I can't believe you brought that movie up. That's hysterical.

[Nick Viall]

2018, the cons. The con. The con is on.

[Maggie Q]

The con is on.

[Nick Viall]

Irina.

[Maggie Q]

Yeah. If you asked me your last name, I would have failed.

[Nick Viall]

No, you, you didn't fail. You nailed it. All right, number question number two or plot Number two, in a world divided by factions based on virtues and divergence are dangerous. Kind of gave it away.

[Maggie Q]

Yeah. That. We gave that giveaway. Yes, I'm in it. And I play Tori.

[Nick Viall]

Okay. Correct. All right. Number three. A loyal and dedicated Hong Kong inspector teams up with a reckless and loudmouth LAPD cop.

[Maggie Q]

Uhhuh. I am in that for a brief cameo that Jackie made me do. And my character does not have a name. I think I'm Girl. And Car.

[Nick Viall]

Okay. I. I think my producer meant to trick you on this one, because apparently that's supposed to be the one for Rush Hour one, and you were in Rush Hour two.

[Maggie Q]

Rush Hour one.

[Nick Viall]

Oh, that's okay. You're.

[Maggie Q]

But in Rush Hour two, he's still a Hong Kong cop.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah, I know. He's like that. I don't know the difference.

[Sierra]

It's the fact that you nailed Girl in Car for the name.

[Maggie Q]

It was. It was a shining moment for me.

[Nick Viall]

Number four. Teenage superheroes strive to prove themselves as members of the Justice League.

[Maggie Q]

I. I am in that. And have been the voice of Wonder Woman for a decade.

[Nick Viall]

Wow. I didn't know that you're the voice of Mother.

[Maggie Q]

Yeah.

[Nick Viall]

That's incredible.

[Maggie Q]

Yeah, we don't advertise it. It's weird. It's just something I've done for a really long time.

[Nick Viall]

That probably pays the bills really well, too. For those of you who don't know, it's the Justice League. She plays the young Princess Diane. Yeah, Diana.

[Maggie Q]

That's right, Diana.

[Nick Viall]

IMF agent Ethan Hunt comes into conflict with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer who threatens his life and his fiance in response.

[Maggie Q]

Yes, that's M i3. And I play Zen.

[Nick Viall]

Yes, you do. That's a great movie, by the way.

[Maggie Q]

Thank you. Doesn't really make bad movies.

[Nick Viall]

What was it like working on the Mission Mission Impossible franchises?

[Maggie Q]

Very, very surreal. I remember when I got the movie, Tom was on War of the Worlds promoting, and so he wanted to be there at my audition, but he wasn't.

[Mary]

And then.

[Maggie Q]

So I met him after he came back from that tour during my camera test. And he walks up behind camera, and he's like, maggie, Tom, nice to meet you. And I remember thinking, I went like this because I grew up watching this man, and now that face is talking to me, and it didn't feel like that was possible.

[Nick Viall]

Yeah, that's got to have been surreal. Did you guys have a conversation about, like, how you guys do your own stunts?

[Maggie Q]

I mean, we had a lot of conversations. The thing about Tom is that you can't say no to him. So there were stunts that JJ Took me out of in the movie. He made my double do it because he was like, maggie, it's too dangerous. You have to finish the movie. It's too dangerous. And I'm like, but you don't send it to Tom. And he gets to do everything. I was all. And then my double does this one stunt for me where she jumps off a roof onto a balcony. And she did end up getting her ankle caught in the.

[Mary]

The.

[Maggie Q]

In the railing, and it actually ended up breaking her ankle.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Whoa.

[Maggie Q]

And JJ Looks at me and goes, what did I. You understand? I'm like, okay.

[Nick Viall]

Do you still do your own stunts from time to time?

[Maggie Q]

I do. I do most of them, yeah.

[Nick Viall]

That's incredible.

[Maggie Q]

I have great doubles. But, I mean, you know, there are certain things where, like, you know, certain crashes and certain falls that are just unnecessary. You know, when I have to lead a show like Ballard, you know, I'm on the show and, you know, I've got. Got five more episodes. I can't fall through two bookcases and hit the ground because I gotta wake up at 4 the next day.

[Nick Viall]

All right, last one to win a bet. An eccentric British inventor embarks with his Chinese valet and an inspiring French artist on a trip full of adventure and dangers around the world in exactly 80 days.

[Maggie Q]

Yes, I am in that. I am in around the world in 80 days. Again, a cameo that Jackie was like, you gotta do this. And I was like, I know.

[Elizabeth Wagmeister]

Wow.

[Maggie Q]

I want to do it, but we had actually so much fun. I don't think my character has a name.

[Nick Viall]

It doesn't. It's. Female agent.

[Maggie Q]

That's right. It's a quick little thing in, like. In like the 14th century.

[Nick Viall]

I don't know. Maggie, you got a pretty. You got a pretty good memory.

[Maggie Q]

I have to say. There are other things that you could have asked me that I would have forgotten. So, you guys, thank you. You're very kind.

[Nick Viall]

Maggie, it's been so much fun talking with you. Congratulations on your amazing career. And obviously to see this new, exciting show, Ballard, that is out now on Prime Video. And everyone should watch it. It's very good. Thank you so much for joining us. Where can people find you anything you want to promote or plug or.

[Maggie Q]

I mean, not really right now. The show's doing so well. I have no clue how that happened besides just working my ass off. But we're. We're excited. We're still at the top on prime after many weeks, and so. So anybody who hasn't found it. If you're finding it now, please tune in. We're so excited about the success and the reach of the show. So thank you.

[Nick Viall]

Well, it's a great show and it's got a great lead. So it's not a surprise. It's doing so well. Thank you so much.

[Maggie Q]

Well, Justin and I will discuss you tomorrow and if I'm back on, I'll let you know what we said.

[Nick Viall]

All right, sounds good. Thanks for your time, Maggie. I appreciate it.

[Maggie Q]

All right.

[Nick Viall]

All right, sounds good.

[Maggie Q]

Bye. Bye.

[Nick Viall]

All right, that will do it for us today. Thank you to our guests Maggie Q. And Elizabeth Wagmeister for joining us. Also, thank you to our callers who called in with their hot takes. Don't forget, you can share your hot take as well with the new Mint Mobile hot take hotline. If you want to call in and share your hot take, all you have to do is call 1-855-MINT TLK Also, the number will be listed in the show notes. And just for a special, you know, like just to send you on your way, we have a three minute voice note, someone rifting about their love for Bachelor in Paradise. It is a doozy. I think you'll enjoy it it and we'll leave you with that to send you on our way. We are back next week for a jam packed week. An amazing going deeper episode, a bunch of great guests. It's going to be a great time. We will see you then. Bye bye.

[Mary]

Hi. My hot take is that I personally, I've heard you guys opinions and I personally, I love the new Paradise. I know that it's like a new change and like a new edit but like I personally like it it, I find it funny. I find it entertaining. I'm a loyal, I'm a loyal viewer. So like if you give me Bachelor in Paradise, I'm gonna watch Bachelor in Paradise because I think Bachelor in Paradise is probably the best out of all three shows. Like my favorite, I read the article that was done by Entertainment Weekly that said Scott Petty or Scott Teffy or whatever and he's the showrunner and I looked him up on IMDb and it says that he did the first three seasons of summer House which I think makes sense. Sorry, I'm, I'm a, I'm a yapper like Spencer, which by the way Spencer and Jess are my favorite couple on Bachelor in Paradise. But anyways, Scott did the first three seasons of Summer House and it honestly tracks facts because like the way that they're editing, the way that they're editing Bachelor in paradise this year is like, kind of like reminiscent to seasons one through three of Summer House. Like, it's peak comedy. It's hilarious the way that Jesse, like, finished the phone call or finished explaining the game and then he, like, laid back down and was like saying that, like, like, if we keep doing these exercises, I never have to see these people again. It's like, jesse, that's your job. You should want to see the. You should wanna. You should wanna see these people. So I thought that was really funny. Or Cat. Cat's been hilarious again. I've only seen like the first two episodes, but yeah, I just have to say that my hot take is that I personally enjoy this new paradise. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea because like people say, although the problem is that it is three hours and I feel like it never used to be this long. It used to be two hours twice a week and now it was like five hours of TV and I just couldn't get. I still haven't even seen episode three yet. But yeah, sorry, I was. Three minutes. I'm a yapper and I like to talk. And especially about Bachelor in Paradise. Don't get me started on Bachelor in Paradise because I will talk your ear off. Right. Goodbye.

[Nick Viall]

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[T-Mobile Advertiser]

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[Nick Viall]

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[Nick Viall]

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[Nick Viall]

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[Maggie Q]

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[Justin Long]

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[Maggie Q]

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[Sierra]

Busy taxes and fees.

[Maggie Q]

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[Justin Long]

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