Are You A Charlotte? - Waithe For It... Lena Waithe Continues

Episode Date: May 29, 2025

Lena Waithe continues to enlighten us by sharing a very hot take about Miranda and Carrie.  Then, Lena takes us inside Sex and the City from the perspective of a writer.  Lena shares with Kristin how much she learned by watching Sex and the City and admiring Michael Patrick King’s abilities as a writer.  (And, why the voiceover can tell so much of the story.)  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart podcast. Being able to say, I feel like crying, so I will cry. Today, I'm a little depressed. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Deeply Well is a sanctuary for your healing. I'm Debbie Brown, healer, well-being expert, teacher, and fellow seeker. And each week we explore what it means to become whole through soul expanding conversations and practices. Today, wow, I feel really powerful and ready to serve and use my skills. And it's like, that's the heart of what it is to be an authentic woman. To hear this and more ways to prioritize your piece. Listen

to deeply well from the black effect podcast network on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. AT&T, connecting changes everything. Why is a soap opera western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the MeatEater Podcast Network.

So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? podcasts. It's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What happens when we come face to face with death? My truck was blown up by a 20-pound anti-tank mine. My parachute did not deploy. I was kidnapped by a drug cartel. When we step beyond the edge of what we know... I clinically died. The heart stopped beating. Which I was dead for of what we know. I clinically died. The heart stopped beating. Which I was dead for 11.5 minutes.

And returned. It's a miracle I was brought back. Alive Again, a podcast about the strength of the human spirit. Listen to Alive Again on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. And it's gonna take us to heal us.

It's Mental Health Awareness Month, and on a recent episode of Just Heal with Dr. J, the incomparable Taraji P. Henson stopped by to discuss how she's discovered peace on her journey. I never let that little girl inside of me die. To hear this and more things on the journey of healing, you can listen to Just Heal with Dr. J from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. AT&T, connecting changes everything. Hi, I'm Kristen Davis, and I want to know, are you a Charlotte? Hi, everyone. Thanks for joining us. I am back today with the incredible Lena Waithe. Are you a Charlotte? Hi everyone, thanks for joining us. I am back today with the incredible Lena Waif. Lena, let's just jump right back in. I think I talked about this in the podcast,

so forgive me everyone listening if I did, but when we first shot, I wanna say the first episode back from the pilot. Oh, love that. You guys in the cab. So embarrassing, the cab scene was great. But the scene with the guy. So I basically, we're setting up Charlotte

to be the one who wants to get married. So I've said that, you haven't seen a lot of it, but it's the beginning, right? And so I have the scene with him where I'm like, you know, no one's gonna marry, Mrs. Up the Butt. Do you remember this scene? It's like, this is embarrassing. So I had done it once and I had cried.

And we had to re-film it, which is the only time in my career I've had to reshoot a scene based on my performance. No! I remember Darren coming to me and saying, you don't be so upset. And I'm like, what? What do you mean? I've been acting class forever where you had to put the stakes high for everything. Do you know what I'm saying?

So they thought it was too dramatic? Yeah, they thought I was too upset. He was like, there's another guy around the corner. And I was like, what? There is because it for me as a person me Kristen I don't really operate that way and I certainly didn't then I remember Jeremy like yeah You don't care that much. You don't care that much. I'm like, oh, I thought you know, my lines are like I want to get married and now it's not gonna work out because he wants to do this thing I don't want to do it. He was like, yeah ah, you know, another guy around the corner, just be, just careless.

I was like, okay, bizarre. Careless. I know, but I didn't really understand that the show was really gonna be like a lot of dating. Yes. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, it took your character a while to get to the wedding. And rightly so. Yes. You know, rightly so.

Here's the deal. I think ultimately it does depend on what you want or how you want to live. But I think it's something that people are afraid to talk about when they're dating. True. Because a lot of women are taught from birth to want to get married and have kids.

This is true. And so I think that's why Charlotte is such a beautiful representation of a woman wanting to be in, you know, was it Architectural Digest, was it? Or which magazine? I think it was, right? Yeah, when they posed.

Oh my God, I forgot about that. Yeah, and what I love about, you know, that it's a beautiful episode, you know, when it's the end of the marriage really, and he comes in to take the photo as sort of this last kindness to you. But what I loved about it, even as a young person watching that,

it was Michael Patrick King or the writers saying, these images you see in these magazines are just that. They're an image. And I thought it was so special that we the audience know what's happening with you. You know, and Trey. But we know that the public will get that magazine and think, I want that.

Totally. Not knowing what she's asking. People still look at that hairdo and say like, oh, that headband, I want that headband. I want that. Yeah, I want what she has. Powerful those images. Absolutely.

Because that's being fed. Right, but I think that is the trap, right? Like that's the trap of getting, and that was Charlotte's trap, which I think was of course great on Michael Patrick's, that was his big point. Oh my gosh, yeah, so beautifully done, expertly done. Right, you're gonna want this thing,

and you're gonna make it look perfect, and it's gonna look perfect, but it's not gonna actually be it. Yeah, which is a lesson. He sort of, all these breadcrumbs that you guys were leaving us, is saying that he may look great, he may all seem wonderful,

but when you really look underneath the rug, what's there? And also what's so interesting too is because obviously Mario Cantone's character is saying, all right, we'll do it solo. We're not gonna, he's not coming, don't worry about it. She can take the photo by herself, it's great. And just the idea of what if you did do it by yourself and so many young girls look at that image and go huh there's no guy in the frame. That would have been awesome. That would

have been powerful. It would have been very powerful. But he's saying you wanted me here, you wanted to do this, you wanted this picture, I'm gonna give it to you. Which is nice. Yeah but all you have is that. Right. It's just a picture. Exactly. But it is I you know it let's talk about Michael Patrick for a second. Yes. You know him. I love Michael Patrick King so much. I know.

So tell me about, you got the DVDs that had the... The commentary. Yes. Tell me about that. Well, I was working at Blockbuster, which tells you how long ago this was. Love it. And I would rent those seasons, you know, television. And because that's how you watch things again.

You get to get DVDs. And so I was really... So that's how I kind of got to figure out which seasons I really liked, you know? And so I was like, oh, I like three, I like four, you know, those two seasons in particular really spoke to me. And so there were certain episodes, he would like cover an arc, you know? And what was really helpful for me was hearing him talk about Carrie's, like, descent. You know, he's like, okay, she's got this great guy.

Aiden is amazing, wonderful, they're great. And then what rears its ugly head? That past, that guy that she couldn't have, that didn't give her what she wanted. That is that temptation. And he sort of talks about like, she does the wrong thing. And he's using smoking and cigarettes too as a metaphor. Like she sort of gives up smoking.

Like Aiden's like, that's not healthy. And also what is he saying? I want to have a place for us. All the things that Mr. Big didn't give her. And so I think just him talking about that and running through it, I'm thinking, oh wow, that's such an interesting character thing. Or oh, she has the thing she wants,

but she's sabotaging it for some reason. And I can't even think about that as an adult, but I'm thinking about it story-wise, how smart it was. And also in the adding, you know, when she's like, she goes to the other side of the other apartment that they're trying to break into. Yeah, yeah, but it's at the end. And so Michael Patrick King says,

we had to make sure people knew that her and Aidan were broken up, but we have to figure that out because they're laying together. And then he says, so we to make sure people knew that her and Aiden were broken up, but we have to figure that out because they're laying together. And then he says, so we added the voiceover the next day, Aiden moves out, moved out. And he, but him just giving me that because I wouldn't have known that I was thinking, oh, that's so powerful. I'm punching the gut like, oh, he's gone. He's not going to be there.

And Michael Patrick has, we added that in the last moment. Right. He's also showing me this is how we can use voiceover. It's not a lazy thing at all. It's a way for you to understand what's happening and the weight of it, you know, to see these two people holding each other. And then you hear, and the next day he moved out.

And you're like, oh man. And that, those are the moments that I think I really learned about writing for an audience where you make them care so much about this relationship, this marriage, this couple. And so the end of it feels like a breakup for you. You feel like you're going through it. You feel like we're going through your divorce.

We feel like we're watching you struggle to get pregnant. All these different things, even when you follow behind Miranda, you know what I'm saying? Even though she didn't turn back, she knew she was there. So he's reminding us of, look, they are in relationships with each other. The only thing is they're not having sex.

The other relationships they have, they're learning how to be in those relationships by how they show up for each other. Absolutely. That's really well put. Really well put. And I love that in this episode. Do you remember in this episode? Miranda, she makes the call.

Yes, it's so good. They don't tell us who she's calling. You think she might be calling Big? Of course. I literally thought that. And I should know. I mean, it's beautiful writing. That's the thing.

He's hiding it. And then she's there, and that cut of the image of Miranda like sort of saying like, I'm sorry. Like that was my stuff. I shouldn't have done it. And that's why I really think he's teaching women how to be good friends to each other. All the writers are.

The actors are showing us, hey, sometimes you got to say I'm in the wrong. There's iconic fights between Carrie and Miranda. Like those fights. I mean, they have an incredible relationship. Yeah. I also did not really realize until I'm re-watching.

Like the through line of their relationship from the beginning is incredible. Insane. And sometimes on- I will not be single for you, Miranda. Totally, I mean, so many moments. So many. So many, when they're at the thrift shop, she's like,

the thrift shop, incredible. Also I love y'all's argument though, like to like before you give her the ring, it's so beautiful. That one's good, that one's good. I mean, yeah, I don't mean to diminish my own part, but like I always feel jealous when we're doing it just like that.

If I see on the call sheet that the two of them have a walk-talk, I'm like, why am I not there? Why am I not there? But now I understand more why I'm not there. Like they have a thing. It's a big and interesting thing. And they're so different, but they're also so similar.

Miranda is kind of the only one who really tells Carrie. The truth. Like the truth and the only one that she might listen to. You know? Yes. It's interesting. But also it's a showing of like, if Carrie is all of us, we know there are certain friends you go to

for certain things. And there are other friends that you don't go to for certain things. Most definitely. You that you don't go to for certain things You know and so it's like she tells Samantha that she cheated right that's who she's that makes perfect sense Yes, absolutely, and you know and she's like don't you want to judge me and she's like not my style You know and gives her the wink right you know and the wink comes back in the movie. You know You know and so You know but also but the thing with the money You know when she's about to literally get kicked out of her house,

you know, and she's looking at the fact that Charlotte is fine, you know, and doing well. I know. But I love that when, you know, Carrie's like, you got this apartment for free, like, you don't have to do work for this. And you're like, I earned this, girl. Like, don't blame me. I went through a lot to get this, to get here. I know. And also, but you saying, like, you know, you bring up your parent there a little bit, you talk about your dad, my dad,

never talk about money with friends, and that's a real thing. Oh, it's a real thing. It's a real thing. It's a real thing. You know, but then for you to give her the ring, it's almost like we are married. I know.

We are in a marriage. We are a union. For each other's soulmates. Exactly, you know? I know. And so, and she's like, you know, because she didn't ruin your wedding that day. No.

You know what I mean? When she was going through what she was going through. Right. And then when you no longer are married, it's like, cause she didn't ruin your wedding that day. No. You know what I mean? When she was going through what she was going through. Right, right. And then when you no longer are married, you're like, here, take this. So you got somewhere to live. And I think that to me is such a beautiful for a second moment too.

Such a beautiful, I mean, there's so much to talk to you about. I've barely recapped it. It's okay, I know, I know. We're just going through the whole season. The whole series. All of them, I know, I love it, I love it. I know. I know.

I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I love it. What happens when we come face to face with death? My truck was blown up by a 20 pound anti-tank mine. My parachute did not deploy. I was kidnapped by a drug cartel. I just remember everything getting dark.

I'm dying. When we step beyond the edge of what we know. To open our consciousness to something more than just what's in that Western box. And return. I clinically died. The heart stopped beating. Which I was dead for 11.5 minutes. My name is Dan Bush. My mission is simple. To find, explore, and share these stories.

I'm not a victim, I'm a survivor. You're strongest when you're the most vulnerable. To remind us what it means to be alive. Not just that I was the guy that cut his arm off, but I'm the guy who is smiling when he cut his arm off. Alive Again, a podcast about the fragility of life, the strength of the human spirit, and what it means to truly live. Listen to Alive Again on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network, hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores, and brought to you by Velvet Buck. This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian, Dr. Randall Williams,

and bestselling author and meat eater founder, Stephen Ronella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say, it seems like the ice age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen

to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this Taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.

Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes one, two, and three on May 21st and episodes four, five, and six on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple podcasts.

In 2020, a group of young women in a tidy suburb of New York City found themselves in an AI-fuellled nightmare. Someone was posting photos. It was just me naked. Well, not me, but me with someone else's body parts on my body parts that looked exactly like my own. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to scream. It happened in Levittown, New York.

But reporting the series took us through the darkest corners of the internet and to the darkest corners of the internet, and to the front lines of a global battle against deepfake pornography. This should be illegal, but what is this? This is a story about a technology that's moving faster than the law, and about vigilantes trying to stem the tide. I'm Margie Murphy. And I'm Olivia Carville.

This is Levertown, a new podcast from iHeart Podcasts, Bloomberg, and Kaleidoscope. Listen to Levertown on Bloomberg's Big Take podcast. Find it on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And it's going to take us to heal us. It's Mental Health Awareness Month, and on a recent episode of Just Healed with Dr. J, the incomparable Taraji P. Henson stopped by to discuss how she's discovered peace on her journey. So what I'm hearing you saying is healing is a part of us also reconnecting

to our childhood in some sort. You said I look how youthful I look because I never let that little girl inside of me die. I go outside and run outside with the dogs. I still play like a kid. I laugh, you know, I love jokes. I love funny. I love laughing. I laugh at myself. I don't take myself too seriously. That's the stuff that keeps you young and stops you from being so hard. To hear this and more things on the journey of healing, you can listen to Just Heal with Dr. J

from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. AT&T, connecting changes everything. MUSIC MUSIC One thing I love, I mean, and I mean, some of it is just like memories, you know I love the memories. And also can I say I don't know if you've ever met the director Alan Coulter.

I have not. Oh my god, so incredible. But I saw that name. I want to have him on because he is also, Carrie runs into him on the street. He is on the street. Oh. I don't know why. He's such a character and he really, you know when you have those directors

who inject like a new element that then changes forever the show? He was one of those. Like he came in and he's very, I mean, he's intense and almost every time he would threaten to quit. You know what I mean? He was one of those. Just because like we are always and still are very over ambitious in our desires of what we want to film in the time and money that we have.

Oh yeah. So it's always a stress. For sure. And we used to film all night, you know, many times a week. Yeah, it was hard, it was hard. But we loved it, right? But I mean for the director, he had high, high hopes. You know what I'm trying to say?

He set the bar high. And he used to say to us, one of the best things he ever said to me at least was walk slow, talk fast. Because we have so many walk-and-talks, right? Yes. But you have to make it seem like you're walking fast, but you can't really walk fast

because we can't cover that much territory with the camera. Do you know what I mean? So you had to separate your voice, your vocals from your feet. Which is hard because usually you walk fast and you talk fast together. But you had to separate like padding. That's crazy because you guys are walking so much. Exactly. Exactly. But he had a great...

His rhythms really affected me and I think all of us. Like when I look at that episode, it's really good. Pacing is great. His pacing is great. I'm not gonna say new trick too, because like, you guys are still doing the thing of breaking the fourth wall, but what was interesting about that episode

is that it's like people on the street. And they were good! They were fantastic. They were so good! Yeah. Like for me, I, because in the first season, I'm like, oh God, not again. Cause you guys try and figure it out.

Totally, and Sarah Jessica never wanted to do that. Oh, never wanted to do that. She did not like it. Well, it went away by three. Yes. And maybe that's interesting, because that's where it's kind of like, guys, this is not a TV show. Because it's so strange for the main character to break.

For the main character. Yeah, but that's what I like in this episode, that it was not the main character. It was the people at the baseball game. Which was nice. It was great. And they were funny and interesting. And I liked it a lot, too. I liked it. And I was not The baseball game which is nice. It was great and they were funny and interesting I liked it a lot too. I liked it and I loved that whole baseball thing. I remember going there. It was freezing

It was February. Oh, we went to Where they used to play the US Open in like Flushing Wow, it was empty You know, we needed an empty stadium Wow, and I got lost which is really common It was back before we had security. So you could just be wandering around, you know. So you got lost on set. Like, wandering around, yeah. Like trying to find the way in or whatever.

Cause it was like a big empty stadium. And there was no PA with me or anything. I was like, where's the PA's? Where's the AD? This is back in the early days. There's no walkie talkie. Kristen, who's got Kristen? Who's got her?

No, no, they just lost track of me. I was missing. And I was just walking and walking. And I think I had my cell phone, you know, the big old cell phones. And I think I called Cynthia like, where are you guys? Wow.

I know. And then we were up in those stands for like a long time and it was cold. Wow. Because we would go back in February, the show wouldn't come on until June. So we had to pretend like it was. This one I'm dealing with with the shot.

Like we're like, okay, we're gonna, that's what we're gonna make it real. We're gonna make the weather real. You know, I'm kind of like, I don't want to be outside with everybody They're like Lena just deal with it. I mean, that's hard Yeah, we're gonna play it for winter though, because we're not trying to be close but it didn't look cold. You guys tricked me Thank you. I mean gee, I mean she had the fur coat on though, but yes She has she has that vintage fur. She still has it of course. She has everything in her storage. Oh, she got all of it

That coat is I know that coat is good. I know that code is good They had to retire it because people got upset with us about sure I get it. I get it too obviously, but it's still iconic. Yes All right, I have to look at the notes because I'm sure there's something really important that we're not covering Oh, I have that man who wants to adjust himself Which is so interesting as a woman who doesn't date men, it's that thing of going, I'm glad these are things that one doesn't have to deal with. Totally, totally, totally. I also think it's funny because Charlotte is so into manners,

right? Of course it would really bug her. Of course. But also it's funny that it also bugs Samantha. It seems to bug everybody, which I think is interesting. It's interesting. It's interesting. Also Samantha's dealing with her own issue with the guy with the small penis

Oh my god, I feel so bad for her in this one and I had forgotten about that I feel really bad for that actor and he's so so sweet to her. Y'all do the guy so dirty on I mean, it's so bad. Let me tell you. Jeez Louise. I mean, I mean, once y'all get the husbands, you know, you got your Yeah, you got speed. guys don't like they feel sometimes Lesser you don't I'm saying well Harry. I mean look he was Harry literally and You know his name giving Beauty and the Beast. It's true, but he was great and he still and he still is around I know he's still around. I know I love it. I love it, too I mean, I do remember a lot of those guys in the beginning would just be like

Thrown off like I have to be like the Girlfriend, you know, yeah That's why guys get so mad about the show because it's like, you know, I mean you guys even made it into a jay-z song He's like, you know, I have to wait till sex in the city is over I love it. I mean hello, cuz yeah, like yeah, we're it's a it's a matriarchy versus a patriarchy in the show I know and thank God but that's like, think about how long it stuck with us, you know? But then you think about it, sometimes women

get a little frustrated with it, and just like that, because what it's showing is sort of, this is what it is to age, you know? This is what it is to have children that are not babies, so we have a husband that has now died, or to explore your sexuality after 50, you know? Then it's sort of like, oh, I'm being confronted with your sexuality after 50, you know, then it's sort of like, oh, I'm being confronted with like, what?

I know we're still doing it. We're still doing it. Like, well, I'm just married over here with kids. I don't want to be thinking about, you know, what could also be happening. Right. And what I think you guys are saying is that life isn't done. That is exactly what we're saying. Yeah.

I know the thing that's funny to me is that, I mean, it's very hard to be objective when you're making something. Right. And luckily Michael Patrick's in charge and I don't have to worry about the big issues. But we did all discuss at length about coming back and why we would wanna come back and what we wanted to do. And what we wanted to do was say, life is not over.

It never ends. Like fascinating and unexpected things happen all the time as you continue. And why shouldn't those stories be told? Yeah. Well, again, it's like, it's, you guys are really are a fairy tale for people. So it's almost like somebody saying, let's go see how Cinderella is doing. It's like, I don't want to know how Cinderella is doing. I don't want to know what Cinderella is doing.

I want to just think she's happy and living her life in the castle. I know, see, I didn't realize that part. No, y'all are, it's fairy tale. If you think about because how long people have lived with the reruns, obviously, and obviously think it's to watch it on Netflix, but for me, it's about evolution. And I think sometimes for people, that is scary.

To evolve, to grow, to not stay the same. And I think for a lot of people, it's like, well no, I want to live with them here. And it's saying, well then that means- They want it to stay there. They want to keep that kind of glorious bubble. True, but it's like, yeah, but I like somewhere over the rainbow, but also like, come on, get happy.

Totally. I mean, look, I'm thrilled to be doing it just like that because I do feel like maybe someday more people will embrace it or maybe they won't. And it's fine. No, I think to me, whenever, I think sometimes if audiences are frustrated by something, it means you're drawing blood, as Baldwin would say.

And so, but also I think it becomes a part of the art. So that way 20 years from now, we look back, people say, well, what were people saying at the time? And that is also a time stamp. It's the audience's reaction to something. Because in 20 years, somebody will watch this and go, oh, how forward thinking or how amazing. And we can say, yes, but at the time,

some people got frustrated with the non-binary character, with the fact that Miranda's now queer, or the fact that Big is passed away, and people are gonna go look back, why were they upset about that? You know what I mean? And I think that's why whatever people are doing or talking about, it's more of an education for us.

Because that's what I'm saying, if someone's upset, I'm saying, oh, y'all just don't want to come into this new space. And what it's saying is, oh, y'all wanna stay in this little box in the same period. And it means like, oh, so that's not evolution. That's not growing up. That's wanting to stay in the past.

And the past cannot, if you live in, you know anybody that lives in the past? They always talk about what they've done and where they've been. And it's like, what are you doing now? Yeah, where are you at now? And so I think that's why I just like that it's so special because now we get to see,

oh, this is after the happy ending. This is after the credits have rolled. Where are you now? And that sometimes can be scary for people. I agree, I agree. I mean, it's scary for us sometimes too, you know? Just to do it, you know? You know what I'm saying?

Like it's still risky. I mean, look, there was a beautiful television movie called Mary and Rhoda, you know, that they decided to try to come back. It would be a TV special, they were thinking about making a TV show, but I think this is no different than that. It's sort of those actresses saying,

these characters still resonate with people and we want to see what they look like. And I remember they were dealing with like in the workforce and working for like younger people and all these different things. I don't like it. If you go back and look at Mary and Rhoda, it's like, it's a little bit of an just like that.

And I remember people really, I was really excited about them coming back and doing that. But it was saying these characters are still relevant, even though they are not in their 30s or 40s anymore. And the thing is too, the thing that I have to remember and that you know so well obviously is you don't really need the invitation to do it, you just need to do it.

Absolutely, yeah. And that's so hard to remember sometimes. Yeah, yeah. You just gotta push through. And what's also interesting is like, look, you guys are like rolling stones, like people don't show up. They're gonna buy tickets.

They're gonna come. You're sweet. I don't know, I don't know about that. I mean, I'm just so happy to still be functioning. You guys are like a rock band that people still wanna come and hear the concert. Difference is you guys are playing new songs now. And so it's like, oh, okay.

We do, we do, we do. And I think that's the part where, I mean, it's exciting that it's still scary, you know? That's what you want, right? You don't wanna be posting. We're definitely not posting. I watched that first episode, I was like, I'm like, what?

What is happening? I'm so like, Susan Fales-Hill, gotta give her a shout. Susan Fales-Hill. Oh my God, Susan! Who was like, showrunning a different world back in the day. She show ran my show Twenties. And I'm so happy she's over there. And I know she's iconic. And I'm sure she's bringing so much.

She does. She's just amazing. She's so sharp. And she's a New York lady. I mean, she's the perfect person to be in that room. I mean, she lived that life as well as knowing how to run a television show. Oh, she's insane. Yeah, yeah. She's so happy over there. I mean, she lived that life as well as knowing how to run a television show. Oh, she's- It's insane.

Yeah, yeah, she's so happy over there. I mean, we love her so much. We love her so much. I'm so excited. She won't tell me anything. I'm like, come on. What's up? What's up? She's like, nah, you gotta watch, it's crazy.

I'm like, all right. It is some craziness. It is some craziness still. I'm excited. It's interesting. Like, I forget. But I also love that everybody is gonna be there and show up and be talking. And that's the thing, there's so much disc-

There's so much place to go now. That's true. Before it was like water cooler talk at work. And now's the thing, there's so much disc, there's so much place to go now. Before it was like water cooler talk at work, and now it's like everybody's like, oh, did you see that, da, da, da, da, da, da. Right, which is a little scary sometimes. Don't be detached. Do you have any comments? You know, I, here's the deal.

When you put work into the world, it no longer belongs to you. And what people respond to or how they react to it is education about where we are as a society. None of it is personal. So someone is like, bug about something, frustrated about something, run toward it, have that conversation.

Why does that bug you? What about that makes you uncomfortable? Why don't you like this character? I think it's more about asking people, like say, hey, why? And opinion is fair. Yeah, because everybody's right. If somebody says, I love this season, I hate this season,

both of y'all are right. What I always want to say is like, give me a why. Why is it not working for you? Why do you love it? Because I remember watching that first season, I was just sort of like, oh, whoa, I'm really affected emotionally by what's happening in their lives right now.

And it was challenging me, it was confronting me in a way, but that's what your characters have always done. So this isn't new. It just looks a little different now. It looks a little different, but it's a continuation of what the show has always been about. That's how we feel.

That's definitely how we feel. But it is interesting because the world is changing so rapidly, kind of in a back and forth, almost kind of way. Yeah, and you gotta be careful, because you don't wanna get like, can we say that? I love your character, this is always like, is this politically correct?

Is this gonna say this and that? You gotta have that voice there. But at like, so always like, you know, is this politically correct? Is this going to say this and that? You got to have that voice there. Yeah. But, you know, at the end of the day, people are going to say what they're going to say anyway. So you just want to just make something interesting. You're absolutely right. You're absolutely right.

Yeah. What happens when we come face to face with death? My truck was blown up by a 20 pound anti-tank mine. My parachute did not deploy. I was kidnapped by a drug cartel. I just remember everything getting dark. I'm dying. When we step beyond the edge of what we know.

To open our consciousness to something more than just what's in that western box. And return. I clinically died. The heart stopped beating. Which I was dead for 11.5 minutes. My name is Dan Bush. My mission is simple. To find, explore, and share these stories.

I'm not a victim, I'm a survivor. You're strongest when you're the most vulnerable. To remind us what it means to be alive. Not just that I was the guy that cut his arm off, but I'm the guy who is smiling when he cut his arm off, but I'm the guy who is smiling when he cut his arm off. Alive Again, a podcast about the fragility of life, the strength of the human spirit, and what it means to truly live. Listen to Alive Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to

your favorite shows. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this Taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.

Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.

Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes one, two, and three on May 21st, and episodes four, five, and six on June 4th. Ad free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple podcasts. The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network, hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores and brought to you by Velvet Buck.

This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian, Dr. Randall Williams, and bestselling author and meat eater founder, Steven Ronella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say, it seems like the ice age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves.

So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In 2020, a group of young women in a tidy suburb of New York City found themselves in an AI-fueled nightmare. Someone was posting photos. It was just me naked. Well, not me, but me with someone else's body parts on my body parts that looked exactly like my own. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to scream.

It happened in Levittown, New York. But reporting the series took us through the darkest corners of the internet and to the front lines of a global battle against deepfake pornography. This should be illegal, but what is this? This is a story about technology that's moving faster than the law and about vigilantes trying to stem the tide. I'm Margie Murphy. And I'm Olivia Carville.

This is Levertown, a new podcast from iHeart Podcasts, Bloomberg and Kaleidoscope. Listen to Levertown on Bloomberg's Big Take podcast. Find it on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And it's gonna take us to heal us. It's Mental Health Awareness Month, and on a recent episode of Just Heal with Dr. J, the incomparable Taraji P. Henson stopped by

to discuss how she's discovered peace on her journey. So what I'm hearing you saying is healing is a part of us also reconnecting to our childhood. You said, I look how youthful I look because I never let that little girl inside of me die. I go outside and run outside with the dogs. I still play like a kid. I laugh, you know, I love jokes.

I love funny. I love funny. I love laughing. I laugh at myself. I don't take myself too seriously. That's the stuff that keeps you young and stops you from being so hard. To hear this and more things on the journey of healing, you can listen to Just Heal with Dr. J

from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. AT&T, connecting changes everything. MUSIC Alina. Yes. Are you a Charlotte?

Why Charlotte? You know what? What? I'm pretty, I think of Charlotte as old fashioned, traditional, and very picky when it comes to who she's going to date because she is thinking about the future always. So I actually have found that I am a little bit like Charlotte

because I'm also a romantic. She believes in love. She does. Yes, yes. Am I as optimistic as her? I don't think so. Me neither, okay. But I'm not a pessimist,

because as Baldwin says, I can't be a pessimist because I'm alive. Good point. But I always thought of myself as a little bit more like Miranda, because she's such a realist, she's so grounded and she's so Disturbing just like clear. Yeah, but I think the reason I've always loved Charlotte And I think why so many people do is because she is almost a fairy tale

In a human she believes in it. Yeah And she's willing to do whatever she has to to have it. And so I think- She's very tenacious. Yes, she is. And she's also just really loving and sweet and wants to do the right thing. Loyal. Yes, very loyal.

You're very loyal. I am, I'm a very loyal person. And so I think I relate a lot to Charlotte, especially now as I watch the show. It changes, doesn't it? It really changes. It does for all of us. You know, it depends on where you are in your life.

But I think with Charlotte, she's such such a she's someone you can count on Yeah, and she's someone that you know if you go to her you're gonna get love So I hope I get to be a charlotte. I'm so lucky that I get to play her but you're very Charlotte. You're very Charlotte I don't know if people necessarily know that but I I know that yeah you do you're super supportive Yes, you're a big support system for but I know that. Yeah, you do. You're super supportive. Yes. You're a big support system for a lot of people. Oh, thank you.

Yeah, if I'm like stressing, I'm like, I'm going to leave Lena voicemail. Please. Yes, text me. I'm on a social media break. Remember that time I was like panicked? I was like, come to my house. Do you remember that? I think so.

Not going to bring up why. Don't worry about it, yeah. The thing about that show is the casting is obviously divine and amazing. I mean, come on, you guys are giving Beatles for television. But each element is important. And I think, you know, whoever, when you walked in and they said, OK, Charlotte. Not so much. Not so much. They were like, yes, Charlotte, but we don't know how important Charlotte's voice is.

Until we got going and they were like, oh, yes, we actually need that voice. But you're so good and you bring such and also like getting to know you that energy that you have you bring to her and it's just such a needed note in that on those songs so it's so lovely to see you. I mean we didn't even talk about you're going to class with Michael Patrick. Well please he had you know he he schooled me he you know he definitely showed me the ropes before I even met him. Love it. And then when I got to meet him, you know, he really kind of let me know how it is and is not afraid to, you know, keep me in line a little bit.

But I love him. You know, he, you know, it's like he can pull rank whenever he wants. You know, it's true. I respect. I respect. I respect. Well, that's important, I think it is important to respect, but I also feel like the thing that I love is when you find out about how people learn to become a creator and a showrunner.

Yeah. It is not easy. Yeah, there's this thing called the Showrunner Training Program that the WGA does, which I got to be a part of, which he always gives the last sort of class speech. And he gave a memorable one, and something I always remember. And he said the thing about the circus,

like, I don't know, he's like, yeah, you're the MC, you're the one, and there's all these things going on, and you have to make sure. And not very many people can do that. It's tough, and I don't do it, by the way, I have showrunners who do it for me. Right, but I mean you're the creator. And I'm the creator.

Yes, yes. It's big and then you have to manage all of it. Yes, yes, yes, yes. You have to hire those people and make sure they're on track. Yeah. It's hard. It is.

I don't know how you do it. Look, because I just learned, I saw the same names keep popping up on the, you know, Jenny, like you know what I'm saying? I always see all you guys' names and stuff like that. The writers and I always paid attention to it. You paid a lot of attention. Yeah.

That's super important. Yeah, kind of seeing who would come up and whose episodes I liked. writers, and I always paid attention to her. You paid a lot of attention, that's super important. Yeah, kind of seeing who would come up, and whose episodes I liked. Yeah. Yeah, and one of your writers, I think it was Cindy, who saw me after a screening of a show, and at that point she had seen the Thanksgiving episode, because the season was out,

and she was like, you're gonna win an Emmy for that episode. Like long before I was like, what? And she was like, I know these things, you're gonna win an Emmy. And I was like, okay. And yeah, I'm sure she'll be like, I remember that, I called it. Yeah, yeah. But she did, she I know these things. She's gonna win Emmy. And I was like, okay. And I'm sure she'll remember that, I called it. But she did, she said that to me. She's coming on soon, we gotta get her on.

We're trying to keep them in order of when they join. Jenny already came on. Of course, because she was there, I heard hers. Exactly, yeah. When did Cindy come in? Now, like next. Season two? Yeah, season two.

Okay, cool, cool, cool. Yeah, like couple next, couple after this. Yeah, I mean, I remember the names. I would see the names. And so, seeing so many women, you know, I just was always like oh they are in there going I know and I don't think people really realize that I try to shout it out as much as I can But there was so many women in that room like please get out of here. They were telling their stories Oh, of course, of course, of course. Hello Susan Fales Hill. Yes. Yes

Yeah, absolutely and our you know, Lisa and Julie who we had when they were like 27 They started with us and now they're you know, Lisa and Julie who we had when they were like 27 They started with us and now they're you know, co-executive producers and we love them so much and they're so great and it's so amazing Having that youth that you know to develop with people. Yes. Yeah, it's really special to get to do that Yeah, amazing. I'm excited. I'm excited about the new season. Oh, I'm excited and scared I was watching that first one and we're for some reason they're doing like this event party. I love they show it to y'all. My cast has to wait to see it. No. Yeah.

Oh, we would riot. Oh, see. Let me tell you. Y'all can probably pull it right. They don't care. They're like, we showing this cast? No. Oh no. They got to wait. They watch it with the audience. That hurts.

I know. Wow. That's not my choice. No, I get it. Thank you, baby. Thank you. So wonderful. Wow. That's not my choice. No, I get it. Thank you, baby. Thank you. So wonderful. You're gonna have to come back

I will. very often. Come on. And school us. Yes, whatever. On the history, man. Look, look. I knew you would bring that. You're like I'm bringing in the facts. I did, I love the facts.

Yes. Thank you. I should have talked about more details, but your stuff was much more interesting. No, you killed it. Thank you, baby. That's awesome. ["I Will Cry"]

Being able to say, I feel like crying, so I will cry. Today, I'm a little depressed. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Deeply Well is a sanctuary for your healing. I'm Debbie Brown, healer, wellbeing expert, teacher, and fellow seeker. And each week, we explore what it means to become whole through soul-expanding conversations and practices.

Today, wow, I feel really powerful and ready to serve and use my skills, and it's like, that's the heart of what it is to be an authentic woman. To hear this and more ways to prioritize your piece, listen to Deeply Well from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you prioritize your piece. Listen to Deeply Well from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

AT&T, connecting changes everything. Why is a soap opera western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater podcast network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.

Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. What happens when we come face to face with death? My truck was blown up by a 20 pound anti-tank mine. My parachute did not deploy. I was kidnapped by a drug curtail. When we step beyond the edge of what we know, I clinically died. The heart stopped beating. Which I was dead for 11.5 minutes. And returned. It's a miracle I was brought back. Alive Again, a podcast about the strength of the human spirit. Listen to

Alive Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. And it's gonna to take us to heal us. It's Mental Health Awareness Month, and on a recent episode of Just Heal with Dr. J, the incomparable Taraji P. Henson stopped by to discuss how she's discovered peace on her journey. I never let that little girl inside of me die. To hear this and more things on the journey of healing,

you can listen to Just Heal with Dr. J from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. AT&T, connecting changes everything. This is an iHeart Podcast.