Bad Dates with Jameela Jamil - Speed Dates: Mrs Mushnik (w/ Shea Couleé)

Episode Date: January 9, 2025

On this Speed Dates bonus episode, host Joel Kim Booster welcomes his old friend and LEGENDARY drag queen Shea Couleé to talk about their upcoming one-night-only performance of Little Shop Of Horrors, where they will reprise their roles from a 2006 high school production they did together! They also talk about Shea’s favorite love story from the movies, finding the person you love over and over again, and how community can really heal you. Tickets to Little Shop Of Horrors at Catch One in Los Angeles, 01/17/25 available HERE. If you’ve had a bad date you’d like to tell us about, our number is 984-265-3283, and our email is [e-mail], we can’t wait to hear all about it!  Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video clips. Merch available at SiriusXMStore.com/BadDates.Tickets for our live show 1/25/25 at SF Sketchfest HERE: https://sched.co/1rbPt Joel Kim Booster: Psychosexual, Fire Island, Loot Season 2Shea Couleé: @sheacoulee on Insta, stream their album 8, new Marvel series Ironheart coming out June 24, 2025 Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to ad-free new episodes.

Bad Dates! Speed Dates. Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to another episode of Bad Dates Speed Dates Edition. This is our shorter version of the regular pod where I sit down one-on-one with a very special guest and we talk about pretty much anything we want to talk about. But today, I have an extremely special guest, an iconic guest, a legendary drag queen actor, podcaster, and musician. You can stream their new album, 8, now, and together, oh, you guys are in for a treat.

We are doing a benefit performance of Little Shop of Horrors on January 17th at Catch One in Los Angeles. You can get tickets for that at bensondriveprods.com. It's the incomparable Shea Couleé. Hello, Shea. Pew pew pew pew pew pew. What's up, Joel? How's it going? Oh, it's so good to see you.

I want to give a little context for what I just brought up, which is our Little Shop performance that's coming up. The reason this is so randomly happening is because Shay and I, in high school, my senior year, your junior year, did a community theater production of Little Shop of Horrors where I was Seymour, you were Audrey too, and we have been talking, I think, ever since both of us got a little famous.

We were like, the first thing we have to do is leverage our gay fame to do a vanity project where we reprise our roles from Little Shufflefours. And it's all going to charity. It's all going to the Ally Forney Center. So please, please, please come and check that out. I do think, Shay, you are one of two people I still talk to from high school. Yeah, no, seriously.

I would say you are one of three. And you know what? One of them still being voices, Olivo, who was in the shop with us as Mr. Mushnik. So you know, it's really- A really special thing about our production of Little Shop is there was actually a Mrs. Mushnik as well that they added in. Do you remember this?

I forgot about this. And they split all the lines and they split all the songs and stuff like that because there were too many people and they- There was just so many girls. Like the constant, constant trope of theater with middle schoolers and high schoolers where there are so many girls that are willing to come out and do these musicals and not enough boys.

And that's literally what led us into doing that project in the first place. Oh, it's so true. And do you remember also that our director quit like a week or two before we were going to open? I forgot. Do you remember that that white gay man who that who left us high and dry? Yes, yes. And yeah, that was that.

And we pulled it off the back of his neck. Yeah. And how the hair from the head blended so nicely into the back. But anyway, that's that. What a memory. I think that was just like the last image I had of him walking out. Yeah, because of him walking out the door

and leaving us. Yeah. On the back of his head. It just like etched into my memory here. Oh my God. But it's so exciting to sit down and talk to you. I'm so proud of you, obviously. I remember the very beginning of Shekulé.

For me, you are still in my head, Jaren. We can believe that. We can believe out the government name. No. No, and we can leave the government name because also it's just like I've lived so many lives. And so for so many people, you know, they're like, oh, well, you are Jaren to me. And I'm like, yes. And there are people that when they call me Jaren, it really, there's something really

grounding about it. It brings me back to specific periods of my life. The one thing that I do not like is somebody who does not know me as like Jaren, who like, uh, did like a little Google search and they come up to me and they say like, mmm, Jaren, like they know me like that. And I'm like, you don't know me like that. No, no, no, no. You didn't know Jaren. Don't use my government name. Yeah. You did know that person. You did not know Jaren. You did not know Jaren when he was bisexual.

You did not know Jaren when he was bisexual. You did not know Jaren. How low? For that, like two and a half months of being bisexual. It was a really interesting time. I wasn't ready to take the full leap yet. No, no. But you did go on a date with a guy that I had a huge crush on and I remember forever being jealous and I was like, it's because they're bisexual. That was the tipping point. crush on and I remember forever being jealous and I was like it's because they're bisexual.

That was the tipping point. I was like if only I was bi maybe Anthony would be interested in me as well but no such love. You're like oh my god so spicy you're like oh I really should have gone that route. Now I have to ask you like we the last time we did little shop was in 2006 Which is insane to think about almost 20 years ago Yes, I hate that. I hate that. I had to just say that my mom sent me that program. Oh my god girl Oh, yes, like literally just today. My mom sent me she's like, hey, I found the program From little shop because I was talking to her about it. And I was just like, oh, my gosh. Like that, like, literally just seeing that.

It's crazy. It's so crazy. Yeah, our drama teacher, God bless her, Mrs. McCarthy, being no less than 100 years old. And so, do you remember? This is, I don't know if you remember this, the one piece of acting advice that she ever gave me and that she gave all the boys in our theater program was never let your hands be at your sides. Your hands should always be dropped in below your waist. Yeah. Yeah. And I don't I still to this day don't really understand it,

but do I do it a lot? Because she said it drops your energy. Like dropping your hands below your waist drops your energy. So always pick your hands above your waist. And look, like, and I think about that, like even when like watching like RuPaul, when she's on the runway, like presenting,

she's always kind of soft knitting, like with her hands, they're always above her waist. She's always being, you know, keeping that energy up. And I was like, you know, it's true. There are various mistakes. Mrs. McCarthy taught us. Yes, she was on. She was old school. She was with it. So it has been 20 years since we've done this. How are you feeling? Are you like, are you nervous to do this? I mean, this is more sort of in your wheelhouse as a performer. You're much more of a musician now than I am, certainly.

But are you excited? Are you nervous? What are your thoughts and feelings about it? I'm excited. The thing that I'm excited about is to have the ability to add physicality into the role because prior it was just me off stage with like, you know, the mic. Yeah. Yeah.

And watching a puppet go to work. So it'll be fun for me to kind of like now bring a sense of like physicality into it and see how that like affects and changes the role. But honestly, too, being older, I understand this shit more than I did when I was like 16. Yeah, you relate to a killer from outer space on a deeper level than you did. I understand what she's going through. Also, just like this past is really sickening. Alex Newell, I mean, Alex Newell alone, I cannot believe we got Alex Newell to do this. Yeah, no, she really changed the game when she agreed.

I know. I know that felt like a pipe dream for me. Right. No, and I'm like terrified of like, I have to sing with her. Like I have to. That part, I'm so glad that's your sound. Yeah, I actually did breathe a sigh of relief. I was like, at least I don't have to sing with her. It's going to be humiliating.

I know it, but it's going to be fun. And I can't wait for people to see this. Yeah. I can't wait for people to see this. Oh, it's gonna be so great. Sweet days. Sweet days. But enough about Little Shop, enough about our high school adventures. Let's talk about, a little bit about love. Now, I know you're deeply in love. You've been in love for a minute, correct? Yes. Yes, I've been with my partner, Dan, going on eight years.

We'll be celebrating our eight year anniversary this month. That is huge. That's like officially being a couple. You know, we danced around each other and dated for a while. Because you know how gays are. They can't just outwardly admit their feelings, you know, right away. They have to, you know, kind of play a little cat and mouse for us. So it's a lot of like, we're not dating.

We're not dating. We're not dating. But we are. We are hanging out five days a week, but we're not. Yeah, but we're not dating. But when you were growing up, this is a question we ask everybody on speed dates, is what was a love story in a movie or a television show or any piece of media that sort of built the framework for what you wanted in a partner or felt like just really inspired you to want

to be in love? Is there a piece of media or a couple that you remember being like, that's what I want, that is what I need? That is a really good question. I would say one movie in particular that I just really enjoyed, especially when I was coming into my queer identity

and also just thinking about love and imagining like what that could look like. I really enjoyed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Oh my god. To be one of those girls. But I loved it because it, not only is it just really fanciful and you're looking at this story of Joel and Clementine, but there's just this really lovely story that is like, regardless of how things go, whether relationships are good or turn tumultuous, what is ultimately most important is the impact that that person gives you,

regardless of however long they're in your life. And, you know, you have these characters that are feeling this immense pain and are kind of taking these rash measures to try and erase one another from their memories. But once they start, you know, hitting and touching upon the really good memories, then, you know, they're trying to

save each other and hide each other in really far corners of their minds just so that they can at least hope that there's a piece of them still with them. And I just always really loved that about that movie. Because they still found each other, regardless. It is so... such an important lesson, too, that I think in our culture,

people believe a relationship is only quote unquote successful if you make it to the grave with the person. And there are so many relationships that do end prematurely or end before you've hit the grave, that are still, I feel like we treat them like failures, and before you've hit the grave, that are still, I feel like we treat them like failures, when in fact, that investment, it wasn't a waste of time, it's what you are taking with you, it's how you changed in the relationship

and how that person helped you grow. And then people change all the time and that's just a byproduct. And sometimes you change because of the support and the love that you're receiving from your current partner. I mean, that's the big thing. And I don't know if you feel this way about Dan, but like when I talked, when I decided to get engaged

and propose to my partner, it was because, you know, we talked for so long about how like, I thought for so long that the order of operations was I would meet someone, fall in love with that person and be with that person for the rest of my life. Three years in, we realized both of us have changed a couple of different times. We are not the same version of the person that we started dating. What we came to realize was that I'm so excited

to meet the next version of him, that the next iteration, and I'm confident that I will be in love with that iteration as well. And as soon as I realized that, that's when I was like, let's pull the trigger, let's do this. And our joke is that iteration three will be dope,

iteration four will suck, but we'll ride that out until iteration five. And that's sort of, you know, I think like again, it's beautiful. I love Eternal Sunshine and you're the first person who's brought that movie up on the pod, so thank you. Thank you for giving me a platform to talk about it.

I really, really, really, really love that one. Now to end things out a little bit, what is making you, and this can be, you can answer this in any way you want, what is making you believe in love this week? Yeah, I would say probably be community. You know, we lost my sister, the Vivian, this past weekend. I saw that and I am so sorry.

And though it's just like such devastating news to lose a friend and a sister so suddenly, the outpour of love for the Vivian that I have seen just over the past few days has, I feel like really helped to soothe the wound of losing someone so tragically and so young. And just seeing the community come together these past couple of days has really reminded me the importance of the love that we have for our fellow sisters and our friends and our community members and how important it is

to show up for one another and just tell, you know, one another, like, I love you and I appreciate you because, you know, life is very short and it's very fleeting and you should just always take every opportunity that you have to remind those that you care about that you love them. So that's definitely been my... Shekule, Shekule, the son of a pastor, a preacher, and boy does it show. Boy does it show because you just took us to church just now. And that is one of the best answers I've gotten to that question on this podcast. So it was that's that's really beautiful.

So, you know, I mentioned all of your many credits at the top of the show, but I know that you have some other projects coming out. You have your album that's out now. Anything else going on? There is. I do have a deluxe version of vinyl of my album that's coming out in February. So we're going to be pressing some really fun vinyls with like a really dope track that will only be available on the uh vinyl so you know you gotta make sure that you grab that uh and then uh i will be appearing in marvel's iron heart this june so like mark your calendars for that because like that's finally coming out we filmed that um three years ago so

i'm really excited yeah we're to finally come out. I kind of almost forgot what the hell I even did. I didn't realize it was June. I was bringing it up like it was right around the corner, but because I have known how long ago. You know June will be here. Oh no, yeah, it'll be here in a second. It will be Pride Month.

We will be getting the Pride brought to you by Pure for Men very shortly. Yeah, exactly. Right around the corner. So I'm so excited to see you act with a script that was not written by Drag Race producers. I can't wait. I can't wait to see you behind the wheel of material that is not written. Oh my God.

Yes. There are no bottoming puns in Ironheart, I imagine. Not that I can remember at this moment. We know you're great at delivering them. We know you're great at delivering them. We have some atlas in there, so we'll see what makes the final cut, so you never know. You can't make any promises.

There could be some bottom puns in there. Ah, I love it. I love it so much. Well, that has been another episode of Speed Dates. This has gone by too fast. I hate that this is just a mini episode, but I will see you in rehearsals very soon. And I can't wait. Very soon.

Yes, I cannot wait to. It's going to be incredible. Thank you so much, Shay. Check out their album eight, which is out now. Check out the vinyl that's releasing later on this year. And of course, check out Ironheart that when it comes out in June. Jaren, thank you so much for joining me. It has been an absolute goddamn delight full of wisdom and light and love. So that's another episode of Speed Dates. We will see

you next week. Bye bye. Awesome. Thank you. Bye. Bad Dates is a production of Smartless Media created by Robert Cohen. Executive producers are Richard Corson and Bernie Kaminsky. We will be back for more Bad Dates.