Unhinged & Immoral | Episode 54: "Let's Make Wicked BLACK"
Hosts: Jamila Bell & Mecca Evans
Release Date: January 8, 2026
Episode Overview
In this episode, Jamila and Mecca ring in the new year with their signature chaotic humor and deep dives into pop culture, internet gossip, and their personal lives. The show explores their successes in 2025, their evolving creative pursuits, the realities of parenting and co-parenting as zillennials, and culminates in a hilarious, in-depth fantasy casting of a “Black Wicked” (a reimagining of the musical Wicked through a Black cultural lens). They also tackle an extra-messy listener’s letter in their Spin It segment, and roast Nicki Minaj’s recent controversies in the Screwball segment. The whole show is peppered with fast banter, memorable quips, and zillenial Black internet culture references.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Catching Up – Daily Life & Internet Antics
[01:15–04:51]
- Mecca comes in recovering from a late night, sharing about “mouth harassing a Jack in the Box burger” on TikTok. Jamila teases her about her wild TikTok energy.
- Conversation veers into co-parenting realities: Jamila discusses her routine with her son Noah and co-parenting with Noah’s father, highlighting how common children are in their friend group now (“That’s how I know we grown as fuck!” – Mecca, 05:28).
- Both praise work environments that welcome parents/kids and reminisce about being brought to work and hustles with their own mothers.
“Kids, it’s also just not that deep to me. Like, yeah, obviously, kids can be annoying, but the way some people talk about kids is just icky.”
— Jamila, 06:01
2. On Parenting, Work, & Growing Up
[04:52–12:47]
- Further reflection on how normalized parenthood has become in their circles.
- Talks of bringing kids to creative jobs, personal anecdote about Noah’s internet savvy (“Mommy, you better make a video.” – Noah, via Jamila, 11:27).
- They joke about showing up to career day as full-fledged content creators.
3. New Year Reflections & Highlights of 2025
[12:59–19:08]
- The hosts reflect on 2025, citing major career moments—attending and speaking at Essence Festival, “red carpet” influencer experiences, and their meteoric rise.
- Transformation from sharing paid hotel rooms to being comped separate rooms showcases their upward trajectory.
- They touch on the double-edged sword of internet notoriety: pettiness, internet “beefs” they chose not to respond to, and building thicker skin.
“At the end of the day, I’m working. She's booked, and she's busy. Nothing that y'all said stick! I never did give a fuck.”
— Jamila, 19:08
4. Social Media, Fame, & Personal Growth
[19:41–22:05]
- The cultural divide between Twitter and TikTok: Mecca finds Twitter exhausting now that she’s more visible, both lament how their tweets can quickly go viral or end up on blogs.
- The growth in social media reach leads to being more cautious about what they post; nostalgia for when they could post “off the wall” without consequence.
“Once you hit over 20,000 followers, your tweets travel at a faster rate... now you on the blogs.”
— Mecca, 21:16
5. Performance, Stand-up, and Acting Ambitions
[22:05–30:46]
- Jamila’s highlight of her year: meeting Tisha Campbell (“I’m never gonna let that fuckin’… down!” – Jamila, 22:05).
- Both share their creative experiments:
- Jamila is venturing into stand-up, recounting open mic nights and trying stand-up-comedy-infused hosting.
- Mecca is taking comedic acting classes, inspired by their work on “Safe Space.”
- They discuss rejection in creative fields, referencing a TikTok about aiming for “1,000 ‘no’s” as a way to normalize rejection and grow from it.
“One thousand ‘no’s—on your way to that, how many yeses do you get?”
— Mecca, 27:24
- Surprising “lore” revealed: both auditioned for big roles—Jamila for “Empire,” Mecca for “Sonny With a Chance.”
6. Set Life & The Entertainment Bubble
[30:46–34:29]
- The unique, close-knit dynamic that arises from working on TV/movie sets, compared to the “bubble” that can form during such projects (“You gotta be a little psychotic to be in entertainment.” – Jamila, 30:46).
- Discussion of the “Wicked” movie, contrasting it and “The Wiz” with a Black cultural lens.
7. The “Let’s Make Wicked BLACK” Fantasy Casting
[34:29–44:55]
- Main event: Jamila and Mecca go wild with a speculative, all-Black reimagining and cast of Wicked/The Wiz, complete with plot rewrites to maximize Black drama and musical excellence.
- Emphasis on needing a real Black diva for Evillene’s backstory (“We need all the trauma to make Evillene sympathetic. Where’s Tyler Perry?” – Mecca, 36:04).
- Suggestions for musical direction (Jon Batiste), lead cast (Lynn Whitfield, Marlon Wayans, Miles from "Sinners," Halle Bailey, Samara Joy, Jacquees), and mandatory “brand integrity” (Older Dorothy, short fro!):
“It has to be a 40-year-old woman playing Dorothy. Short fro, clearly over 35!”
— Mecca, 38:49
- Hilarious bickering over casting, with special care to stereotypes, musical quality, and “brand integrity” (44:10–44:55).
- Discussion about possible directors (Lee Daniels vs. Ryan Coogler); consensus: Ryan Coogler’s attention to detail would nail it (48:00).
8. Spin It: Listener Mess & PR Advice
[49:43–61:14]
- [50:42–61:14] — Must Listen Segment
- A listener from North Carolina writes in about an ongoing affair with a married coworker; wants PR advice on joining his family as a ‘sister wife.’
- Hosts are both appalled and entertained, offering devilishly pragmatic advice (“You’re gonna be in the lineup with two others that are not as cute as you, to give the illusion of choice…” – Jamila, 56:12).
- They hold nothing back in the read, roasting both the listener’s choices and the demographic context (“There’s only eight niggas in North Carolina!” – Mecca, 59:26).
“Let me just read you… once you stop being dickmatized and get some self-esteem, you're gonna realize how fucking insane this sounds.”
— Mecca, 62:28
9. Screwball Segment: Nicki Minaj Roast
[66:45–80:22]
- They crown Nicki Minaj the “screwball” of the week, unpacking her latest stunt performing at a Turning Point USA event.
- They clown both Minaj and her fans (Barbs), especially those hurt by her political antics.
- Roast the cycle of celebrity controversy, how Minaj “feeds off attention,” and predict her next album will flop or be cynically supported by right-wingers.
- Shout out Joe Budden for finally giving up on Nicki (“You lost Joe Budden, guess you’ve lost it all!” – Mecca, 80:25).
- Classic Twitter humor throughout, culminating in more shout-outs to Raymonte.
10. Outro & Patreon Updates
[82:06–84:58]
- Updates for Patreon subscribers: exclusive “sidebar” episodes, more “screwball” content, “Slumber Party” mini-series.
- Plans for improving content scheduling and listener engagement in the new year.
Notable Quotes & Moments
On Parenting Glow-Up:
- “That’s how I know we grown… It used to be, ‘Oh, you have a kid?’ Now it’s, ‘Oh, you don’t have a kid?’”
– Mecca, 05:28
On Social Media Beef:
- “At the end of the day, I’m working… nothing that y’all said stick, I never did give a fuck!”
– Jamila, 19:08
On Creative Growth:
- “One thousand no’s—on your way to that, how many yeses do you get?”
– Mecca, 27:24
On The ‘Wicked’ Reimagining:
- “We could have a Wicked version of The Wiz. Go ahead and blackify that too.”
– Jamila, 35:23
Iconic Casting Notes:
- “It has to be a 40-year-old woman playing Dorothy. We have to maintain the continuity and brand integrity!”
– Mecca, 38:49
Listener Letter Reaction:
- “You’re greedy. You’re a greedy-ass bitch…get your bitch quota up, go do some work!”
– Mecca [in response to the side-piece-turned-sister-wife letter], 66:01
On Nicki Minaj:
- “You got your black ass up on that Turning Point USA stage and made a complete fool out of yourself… for some white folks who don’t give a fuck about your black ass!”
– Jamila, 68:14
Timestamps for Important Segments
- Co-Parenting, Work/Life Balance: 01:15–06:00
- Parenting in Creative Work: 08:56–12:47
- 2025 Career Highlights: 13:49–19:08
- Social Media Fame/Backlash: 19:41–22:05
- Creative Ambitions (Stand-Up/Acting): 22:21–30:46
- Set Life Discussion & Black Wicked Pitch Start: 34:29
- Full Black Wicked Re-Imagined Cast: 35:23–44:55
- Directors for Black Wicked: 47:42–48:37
- Spin It (Listener Letter/PR Advice): 50:42–61:14
- Screwball (Nicki Minaj/Barbs): 66:45–80:22
- Outro/Patreon/Announcements: 82:06–84:58
Episode Tone & Style
The tone is wild, irreverent, and unfiltered—equal parts group chat, Twitter thread, and best-friend banter. Both hosts slide between introspection, drag, and high-key stanning, aiming true at the heart of the culture they cover. Their humor is sharp, their references deeply internet- and Black culture-inflected, and their rapport effortless.
For First-Time Listeners
This episode is a crash course in zillenial Black pop culture commentary and digital-era mess. From candid stories about co-parenting and influencer life to speculative musicals and scathing hot takes on celebrity controversies, Jamila & Mecca are at their most entertaining, insightful, and unfiltered. Whether you’re here for the PR spins, the career glow-up stories, or the sheer chaos of envisioning “Wicked” with a bust-down middle part, you’ll leave with plenty to laugh about—and maybe a few new Twitter follows.