Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang - "The Life of a ShowgirlS" (w/ Matt + Bowen)

Episode Date: August 13, 2025

Matt + Bow hop on the mic to say they love, say they love, say they love YOU for streaming The Las Culturistas Culture Awards! Our hosts recap the experience, give some BTS, and share cut jokes and content from the show. Also, TS12 is upon us! The Life of a Showgirl is coming very soon, and Matt + Bowen are discussing the numerology of it all, the podcasting of it all, the "circus" of it all, and the ORANGE of it all. All this, love for Ben Platt in his viral "Diet Pepsi" moment, Weapons in theaters, Gracie Abrams in concert, and Law Roach on Project Runway. And that's show business, baby. 🧡See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Summer's here, and with the kids home and off to camp, it's easy for moms to get lost in the shuffle. On good mom's bad choices, we're making space to center ourselves with joy, rest, and pleasure. Take the kids to camp. You know what? It was expensive. But I was also thinking, if you have my kid, this is kind of priceless. Take her, feed her, make core memories.

I don't have to do anything. Main thing, I don't have to do anything. To hear this and more, listen to Good Mom's Bad Choices from Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. When I became a journalist, I was the first Latina in the newsrooms where I worked. I'm Maria Inojosa. I spent my career creating journalism that centers voices who have been historically sidelined. From the most pressing news stories to deep cultural explorations, Latino USA is journalism with heart. Listen to Latino USA.

the longest running Latino news and culture show in the United States. Hear it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's Black Business Month and Black Tech Green Money is tapping in. I'm Will Lucas spotlighting black founders, investors, and innovators, building the future, one idea at a time. Let's talk legacy, tech, and generational wealth. I had the skill and I had the talent. I didn't have the opportunity.

Yeah. We all know, right? Genius is evenly distributed. Opportunity is not. To hear this and more on the power of black innovation and ownership, listen to Black Tech Green Money from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey guys, it's Janae, aka Cheeky's from Cheeky's and Chill Podcasts.

And I'm bringing you an all new mini podcast series called Sincerely Jeanne. Sure, I'm a singer, author, businesswoman, and podcaster. But at the end of the day, I am. human, and that's why I'm sharing my ups and downs with you in real time and on the go. Listen to Jikis and Chill on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or

wherever you get your podcasts. Look, man. Oh, I see. Wow. Bowen, look over there. Wow, is that culture, yes. Oh, goodness. Wow. Las Culturistas Ding, dong. The Las Culturistas calling.

Ooh, you're a little hot on the Mike. Am I a little hot on the mic? First of all, you just got dressed down by Doug, so you can't talk to me about the mic. No, I am, this is not out of my own bruised ego. I am just telling you, I hear you spiking. Doug, Doug, get in here. Doug, am I too hot on the mic? It doesn't sound like it's distorting. It is a little bit louder than Bowen. Okay, well, maybe that could just be my excitement. Are you using the MV7? No, we're not, Doug, we're not doing this. Like, this is supposed to be a fun thing. You're going to come in, with all the terminology, the MV. Doug, you gotta go. Go pet that dog. We have a lot to talk about today, okay? We really do.

He's gone. He's gone. Oh, no, it's just us, girls. We love Doug. Doug is our king, as we all know. Doug is our king. Lots to talk about. Ooh, wee. The life of a podcaster.

The life of a podcaster. Remember when we thought, I literally, as of like, yesterday morning, was like, oh, how great. Like, not a lot happened. we're going to be able to recap the culture awards, like, and then. No. And then. It's horror movie logic.

And we'll more on that later, but it's, you know, just when you think you're safe. Ooh, no, killer is right behind you. Well, the Wendy Williams killer. Oh, the Wendy, the killer. The killer. But in this case, I'm so happy that the killer has arrived. You know what? Actually bummed me out, though.

I went to my closet to sort of have like a fun experience for me and you on the Zoom. I was going to wear orange. Mm-hmm. I don't have an orange thing. And that's probably for the best. I don't think so. Orange is just tough. It's just tough on human skin.

Until we have blue skin, until we're Navi, until Avatar fire comes out. And the New York Mets coded. It's New York Mets, but it looks good on the Mets, on Mr. Met and Miss Met. Yeah. Yeah, I actually, there was one time in my life, I think I was in elementary school. I might have been like fifth grade. And someone told me, you look good in orange. And I remember I was like, huh, never thought about that.

It's your neutral tone. It's the olive tone. And so maybe that's it. It's your Hellenic, sorry, Mediterranean lineage. But, you know, blue and orange is a classic combo. Denver Broncos, that was big. You know, blue and orange, blue and orange, there are other examples, I'm sure. Didn't you wear orange for something we did once?

Were you in orange in pop roulette way back in the day? I remember you wearing orange. I was golden rod. you were golden rod that was your color slight difference I think none of us were brave enough to do orange well who is brave enough to sort of do orange is Taylor Swift

who has announced the life of a showgirl her 12th album TS12 as it were and orange is all over it and also some mint green which we can also which we can only describe as tick-tac-coded it's tick-tac-coded I would say that it is more green I think the orange was a mislead and because she didn't want to double up on green with debut with and so maybe

that was the era color but I think the overall story is mostly meant green touches of orange because even she is not is not is not no no is that it is not the color it would just be a lot to be exclusively orange but then again I don't put anything past her I mean during eras and she looked good in the color she did and you know what should we look at the era's tour book just to see if she dropped any easter eggs in that and in that note is it is it is it by you funny oh you're talking about the the the official oh wow the hard cover book so i don't think i have this the note inside when she said see you next era okay what does it say uh you know her talking about eras tour eras tour we can do it with the broken heart uh we do it be the live comes in phases

waves brilliant flurries of magical moments all these things come to get the great errors okay there There was some just like orange emphasis, I remember. The last line is Orange You Glad you came to the Eres Tour. Oh my God, you're right. She did an orange pun right there. She did it. Oh, wow. Anyway, um, okay, maybe, maybe I was misremembering things.

Maybe it was a Mandela effect situation. I'm blaming a lot of things on the Mandela effect lately. That's my, that's my toxic trait. Define the Mandela effect? Bear, Barestain, bear, stain bears. Oh, sure, sure, sure. You know, if, uh, you know, the countless examples, like, Like, if, you know, Popeye had a green shirt instead of a black one or whatever.

Like, that's, I'm making that one up. No, yeah. No, I immediately remember what it is. So we could be doing that. But the thing is, like, life of a showgirl, orange and mint green, like, all these things, like, I can't say that on the face value, they go together. but I am more excited than I've been in a while. Like, it was like three days ago I wasn't even thinking about this. I was kind of obviously we were thinking about other things.

And then all of a sudden I was like, okay, yes, I'm ready. I'm really ready. And, you know, the showgirl imagery, it's just, it just goes to show. No pop girlie is safe from a circus-esque, showgirl-esque, masquerade-esque era. Well, and this is true. of everyone, including Taylor, at some point, these girls, I'm sorry, these women,

reckon with the fact that they are, that the most legible metaphor on their journey through performance and being an object of whatever, is like, you know, being on display is the circus, which actually, like, I don't, I don't totally poo-poo it. I don't, I like the circus eras.

I think it's going to be great. I think that she clearly got something from the I can do it with a broken heart type of performance she was doing at Arrow's Tour that's so clearly like tips to this. But my whole thing is, so there's been some, and I hesitate to really go here because leaks are leaks, but there is some imagery floating online. We don't know yet if it's real or not. But it actually points to her having a kind of era, which I have seen for her in the past.

And I can't remember if I've said it on this podcast, but the imagery that the life of a showgirl thing and even the colors is sort of pointing to is sort of like an Annie Lennox diva type, grandiose energy. And she's also like, the rumor is that she worked with Max Martin on a lot of this, which to me makes it feel like we're going into a big pop era.

Like if, you know, 1989 reputation lover type thing, as opposed to, we're clearly not in a, in a depressive moment. No, I mean, I'm sure it will be a little bit... Travis. Modlin. Oh, yeah. But I'm just saying, like, there will be elements of, like, sadness there. There's dimension to all our work.

I think, I remember, I also recall you saying, I think after reputation you were predicting a Pat Benatar adjacent thing, I feel like maybe it's not quite that. It's not this. I feel like, I feel like my thing is, like, so, One of the pop girlies was going to try to do like a Pat Benatar type thing. And I think some of them have hinted at it. I feel like the person that's been closest to really kind of giving that has been

Miley. Yeah. But I don't know. It's not really, I guess that was the Plastic Hearts era. And it didn't really pop off. Yeah. I think we are floating with. I mean, there's a lot to work with here, right?

because I went to you and Jared, I said, Vegas presidency, and I said, what better venue than the spear? What better, you know, like, it can hold a lot of people on a given night. My new thought is just, I hope she incorporates Elizabeth Berkeley, Gina Gershahn in some capacity. Oh, absolutely. Bring them back together.

Bring it back together. Have a moment where it's like, you know, torture post department, dead poet society. Connect the dots to cinema. Lead single, her and Kyle McCormick. Lachlan thrashing around in the pool. I mean, why not? Her getting a lap dance,

her getting a pussy-out lap dance from Elizabeth Berkeley. I feel as though it's the only move. It's the only move. But you know what, though, in a real way, the life of a showgirl thing kind of give Super Bowl more than anything else she's done. You know what I mean?

And that, when we think that's the terminus. That's like the end point for this. I don't necessarily know about endpoint, but I'm just thinking, like, in terms of aesthetics that go with something in culture that she hasn't yet impacted. That being the Super Bowl halftime show, obviously the Travis of it all.

You know what I mean? Like, in a world where it feels like these people can predict the future somehow or just are able to manifest this shit, like him going to the Super Bowl feels real during the life of a showgirl era. Totally. I do think it's interesting that Taylor Swift has now done a podcast. I'm just saying it's interesting.

She's done a podcast. with men who have been in the straight male friend sketch. Wow. There's avenues. There's avenues. But my opinion is she should be the second to last episode of this podcast whenever that happens. Oh my God. And then the last would just be us?

The last would just be us. I feel like the last episode can't be Taylor because we're going to want to talk to each other. But this is not in the plans anyway, everyone. Drew, just saying holistically, we could be 60 years old and Taylor Swift brings her talented ass in. But yeah, I mean, there's not much to know yet, but I am excited. I will say, maybe we'll cut this out. But there was an ask, we did, there was outreach to her for something in the culture awards, especially in the end up sent show, which we'll get to.

What we got back was, now is not a good time. Yeah. And I, you know, obviously it made sense then. It makes even more sense now. It's like she's going to wait for her first quote unquote, like, appearance on something, be very intentional because, of course, the album is coming out. This was what I was going to say. Didn't we also hear rumblings of Abba-infused Swedish pop?

Max Martin. The scuttlebutt was that it was Ace of Bass, Abba, Swedish pop, like you were just saying. Like, that kind of stuff you, like, Eurovision, Happy Pop, in love. that kind of reads the color orange like orange and the mint green of it all they feel like upper colors crimsical also her sitting on her boyfriend's podcast

and giggling and laughing it's just it's you know she's she's gonna just gonna attempt to make the world happy and we need it certainly do we certainly do and for now we are waiting with bated breath I think by the time this comes out so I think the new heights episode comes out on the same day this episode does

I think they will unblur the album cover. So at this point, we do not know what that looks like. Yeah. So, you know, exciting times. It will have more to say next week. Well, more to say next week. And then our, and Jera did point out that she liked a tweet where someone pointed out that this is the 12-year anniversary of applause.

T.S.12, 12 years, this rollout. You know, like, is, and then she liked the tweet, which is I don't. an acknowledgement of the coincidence which is purely coincidence or it is the intentional thing 12 weeks since she announced that she bought her master's back. Whoa. And so that's also, you know,

let's just keep digging through the numerology here. The Easter acts are usually just numerical. Which is not to say just. It's like let's focus on numbers exclusively, our Swifties loose. You know, like let's go in that direction, but keep going. Do you remember her

walking out in the with the cat, and she was in Section A12, August 12, yeah. So basically, like, there are so many examples of this that it's either completely insane how accurate and, like, how methodical they are with this numerical stuff in the Easter eggs of it all, or at least some of these things are coincidences in a way that it's like, if people worked hard enough on anything they could find a line to draw to any of these things if you really worked hard enough. Of course.

Like, it just feels crazy to me that she would be like, okay, well, it has to be this day because it's 12 years since applause and we, we months prior, like, walked out at 812, like, I have no idea what it's like to be someone at that level. And I wonder if every single day is planned out. She has, I mean, it's certainly possible that she, outsources the planning to a team of people. Yeah, a team of scientists. A team of scientists, a calendar scientists.

Astronomers and astrologers. Yes. She has six astronomers and six astrologers, and she puts them all in a room. 12, by the way. And that was my Easter. Astrology, 12. 12 months of the year.

Holy shit, Bo. Oh, my God. There might be something to this number. She let us have a week, you know what I mean? The thing about Taylor Swift is she saw Lost Culturacist's Cultural Awards were coming out. I don't know if she watched them. I might not even see them they were coming out. She said, oh, give them a week.

I'll give him a week. Oh, what's next week? Diet Pepsi cover. Right. And be the viral thing for a week. Totally. And next week is the 12-year anniversary of applause. Okay, I'll do it then.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That feels right. Speaking of Di Pepsi, Ben Platt, Thank you so much, Matt Rogers, for bringing that into the world. You can attest to this. It was one of the things we knew was happening in the show for the longest period of time. Like, that was truly like a blue, that was part of the blue sky, was like, Ben Platt is going to sing Diet Pepsi, which was a record of the year nominee before we knew he was going to be performing.

And then I was like, oh, he should do that. That would be good. It was a nominee that we had established early on. And then Ben was booked, and we were so excited that Ben was on, of course. And that was, it was the blue sky on top of a blue sky because it's like, well, Ben Platt can sing anything and sing it beautifully. It was not, I mean, it's a beautiful cosmic alignment that he sang that song. But for a minute there, it was this like open question as to what he would sing.

Yeah. And it was absolutely intended as a joke. I was like, oh, he should sing Diet Pepsi. That would be funny. And I bet in the, I remember. I was like, I think I bet it's going to be gorgeous, too. Of course it is. And then, you know, Leland and Gabe Lopez, who are the producers on it

and did our whole, all of our music for the show, Bowen and I actually went to the studio the day that Ben was there. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I hadn't even really, we had been so busy with so many other parts of the show that him doing that song just kind of became like a given. And so we go there, and I remember being so excited. because he was coming. We were going to see him in the booth, and I was like,

oh, this is going to be so fun. And then he started doing it. And I remember I looked at you and I was just like, wait. Is this like the moment of the show? I don't take videos of a lot of stuff, but I took, I recorded one of the takes while we were there.

I was like, ooh, this is something. Brett was like, you're going to want this. Brett, Brett, he's always like that. Whenever I'm in the studio with him, he's like, take a video of this, you're going to want this. And he was right about this because Ben is just in the booth just shredding and like meaning it. And so many people are now saying they're listening to the words for the first time.

Like it's stunning. Oh, no, Addison Tor. By the way, I think there's a place, there's some discourse about like them being deleterious, like one song sort of eating up another. No, it's not that. Oh, Ben having Kelly Clarkson the song of the TikTok. The virality on. Here's the thing. Like, I get what people are saying.

Of course, me too. He did Kelly Clarkson the song. He covered the song in a way that, like, a legit singer would do it. And, but for me, it's just like, what it does is it actually shines a light on the fact that that song is really fucking good. Stunning. Really good. And, like, it has a completely different valence when Addison Ray herself sings about losing her innocence in the backseat, you know? Like, there's, like, an irony.

and a different kind of sweetness, a different kind of emotion behind Ben Platt singing it. Not even irony. Like, he fucking earnestly sang the shit out of that song. I just love the journey of it. And I was talking to him afterwards because he was completely blown away by the response to it. Like, I remember when we were in the boot that day,

I turned to him and I was like, you're going to have to release this. And he goes, I mean, if there's demand, like we can talk about it, but I don't know. Well, there you go. And then it became this thing of, you know, it going sort of totally off on TikTok and my whole thing was like it was really the journey of the audience that that made it because we were talking and he was like I feel like to go into

the studio and now put out like a canned version of it like we would have to rush that et cetera let's just put out the live version and I was like that's my favorite thing about it is people discovering the fact that they're moved while it's how it's how it's how to happening. The laughs at the beginning of the song from the audience are actually a really important coordinate for the journey of the song, I think. Well, that, like, is the culture. I remember, like, we were putting the show together and I kept being, like, the sentence I feel like we were saying to, like, validate that something should move forward was that's the cultural awards. You know what I mean? Like, Ben Platt singing Diet Pepsi, which on its face value was funny to me,

which is the reason why it came up during our blue sky. But then what makes it, the culture awards, is it actually sort of worked. And that's like the case for so many things in the show. And we were just, I feel like I can speak for myself, but after abracadabra, I could relax because we had done it. And then we were just watching it and it's, it was working. The track had been laid. Yeah. To your point, it was a Mad Libs vibe check.

It was, okay, blank is presenting blank to blank. Sasha Colby is presenting best new artist to Gabby. Yes. the culture awards. Yes. Like, you know, that is, that is sort of the DNA behind the whole thing. I think Matt and I did mention last episode that we had watched the final cut together. And it was a very wonderful experience just to like have our moment with it before it got

released because I can't, I mean, there were moments where I felt to my knees. It just like, I can't believe what I'm watching. And that sounds a little bit masturbatory for me to say about my own thing. But like, I had gotten back from China. I was not in the edit. Matt really took point there with Jane Munn and Lorne Mandel. And, I mean, watching it, I was like, holy moly. Just like the, I mean, the thing that took me out,

the two things that took me out were Angie Katzenavis doing the full victory pose, hands fanned out completely while the Parthenon was behind her. And then the second thing was stiptos pronouns, which we could not post to socials for various reasons. We'll let you guess why we can post them based on, like, the IP. But we're three. thrilled it's in the show because you guys have to know the whole time we were like pushing so hard to get this in and it was the one thing where we were literally going back and forth like okay like are you guys going to take this away from us at the last second like please please please and it was in jill can booster and darcy cordon nailed that like just exactly the energy we wanted to be we were watching it literally bowen was on multiple times we had to rewind it because it's just so fucking We love it.

And congratulations to Stitch, by the way. E, ah, E! E is so happy that E's pronouns are known to the world. I love ah. And I hope that wherever E is, they're having an amazing day. E is having an amazing day. I'm sorry to, I'm sorry to correct. E is having an amazing day.

Yes, yes. you've heard that Stonewall was a riot where queer people fought back against police, or that it's the reason pride is celebrated this time of year. It was one of the most liberating things that I have ever done. But did you know that before it went down in history, the Stonewall was a queer hangout run by the mafia? The Vogueing at Stonewall was unbelievable. In the summer of 1969, it became the site that set off the modern movement for LGBTQ plus riots. Start banging on the door of the stonewall like one, boom, boom, boom.

Legend says Marsha P. Johnson, a mother in the fight for trans rights, through the very first brick. She was really, like, scrubbed out of that history. This week on Afterlives, we'll separate the truth from the myth in the life of Marcia P. Johnson. Listen to Afterlives on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. So what happened to Chappaquitt? Well, it really depends on who you talk to. There are many versions of what happened in 1969 when a young Ted Kennedy drove a car into a pond.

And left a woman behind to drown. There's a famous headline, I think, in the New York Daily News, it's Teddy escapes, blonde drowns. And in a strange way, right, that sort of tells you. The story really became about Ted's political future, Ted's political hopes. Will Ted become president? Chappaquitic is a story of a tragic death

and how the Kennedy machine took, control. And he's not the only Kennedy to survive a scandal. The Kennedys have lived through disgrace, affairs, violence, you name it. So is there a curse? Every week we go behind the headlines and beyond the drama of America's royal family. Listen to United States of Kennedy on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, and in session 421 of Therapy for Black Girls, I sit down with Dr. Afea and Billy Shaka to explore how our hair connects to our identity, mental health, and the ways we heal.

Because I think hair is a complex language system, right? In terms of it can tell how old you are, your marital status, where you're from, you're a spiritual belief. But I think with social media, there's like a hyperfixation and observation of our hair, right? That this is sometimes the first thing someone sees when we make a post or a real. It's how our hair is styled. We talk about the important role

hairstylists play in our community, the pressure to always look put together, and how breaking up with perfection can actually free us. Plus, if you're someone who gets anxious about flying, don't miss session 418 with Dr. Angela Neil Barnett, where we dive into managing flight anxiety. Listen to therapy for black girls

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Get fired up, y'all. Season two of Good Game with Sarah Spain is underway. We just welcomed one of my favorite people and an incomparable soccer icon, Megan Rapino, to the show, and we had a blast. We talked about her recent 40th birthday celebrations, co-hosting a podcast with her fiancé Sue Bird, watching former teammates retire and more. Never a dull moment with Pino. Take a listen. What do you miss the most about being a pro athlete?

The final. The final. And the locker room. I really, really, like, you just, you can't replicate, You can't get back. Showing up to locker room every morning just to shit talk. We've got more incredible guests like the legendary Candace Parker and college superstar AZ Fudd. I mean, seriously, y'all. The guest list is absolutely stacked for season two. And, you know, we're always going to keep you up to speed

on all the news and happenings around the women's sports world as well. So make sure you listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. When you look at it all collectively, it's like you're talking about like it sounds masturbatory, like, no, you should, here's the thing, we should love the things that we create. And like, I'm looking at that and I'm being like, I love this. And the only thing I ever want is to walk away from something that we create, I create, anyone creates. I feel like you just want to leave being like, I create.

not have done it better. At this stage in my life, like I'm walking away from that. Yeah. I'm sure it's like when I watch my special, it's like now it's been a few years and I look at it and I'm like, I could do it better now. But at the time, I could not have done it better. And I feel like I know it looks like it's big budget because we had an incredible team of people working on it. We do not have a big budget. We did not actually have the infrastructure to do that show, but we still did it.

did it because we were surrounded by people that, like, believed in it and wanted to make it happen. And to talk about the talent that came to do the show, like, they all wanted to be a part of it. No one was getting much out of doing it, just out of, you know, it would just felt like a real team effort that, yes, we spearheaded. And so I can look at it and be like, yeah, extremely proud of how fucking dumb and fun that is. The thing that I think is, is, the thing that I think is, pulling with the budgetary restrictions of it. But it was people who work at a lower rate than they usually would. And it's just because they had this shared love of and belief in what we were doing,

which to me was the thing that kind of like gave me the drive to keep going. It was not easy. At many stages, it was challenging, just on the body, on the mind, on the creative sort of like wheels that were spinning. Like we had to make a lot of, we had to move a lot of puzzle pieces. And the puzzle pieces were tenfold upon tenfold, tenfold upon tenfold, because it was, okay, who is the available talent? And that was changing all the time day by day. What are the categories that are in play?

Because those were changing day by day based on the talent that was available. And then there were sponsorship things that we had to, you know, take care of in terms of obligations and all these other things. On top of that, the jokes, on top of that, just the movements and the writing. and we had to plug this in Cann, which kind of knocked us on our asses. That was exhausting. Like, we went going to Cannes and coming back and not being able to get equilibrium again for like a week and still running the show. Big shout out, our teachers in these experiences, Liz Patrick, our director,

Jane Munner, showrunner, Lauren Mandel, our co-producer, Olivia Gurkie, our manager EP friend, everyone at Lionsgate, Lauren Lemieux, Jonah McMichael, Matt Caddy, our choreographer. All the dancers. All the dancers, phenomenal. Matt Steinbrenner, our production designer. Everyone at Pentagram. I feel like I'm giving an award speech.

But everyone at Pentagram, Emily Oberman. And he's called them Pentagon when Josh and Aaron were on the show because brain fart. But just incredible, incredible people. And also, I want to say one thing about one of the dancers. So basically, we're running avocadabra. We're learning it. And behind me are two of the dancers, Taylor and Hannah. And I say to them, I'm like, so who's your favorite?

Because I had heard that a lot of the, you know, a lot of the dancers, like these are like working dancers. They dance for a lot of the girls. So I'm like, who's your favorite person that you've danced for? And all the dancers kind of look at Taylor. And she goes, I mean, Taylor Swift. And that's when I realized. I was like, you.

are from the heiress tour. Yeah. She went by banks in the heiress tour. She had the long braids. And I'm like, you, I hit the floor. I was like, are you kidding me that you're here doing this? You're a celebrity to me. Like, and she was like, I was, of course,

I had a million questions. I was just like, what was the best? Yeah, that, that, that, that, that. But literally, she was from the heirs store. And that gave me strength. And my thing that I pointed out, that I was like, Taylor Swift, you legend. I said she let at least one other Taylor in that in that space well she went by banks well

of course she went by banks but it's like whatever you know you know like there's it's not like it wouldn't it would be somewhat reasonable to be like okay you know what it's actually kind of confusing we can't have another tailor we can't have another tailor like no have another tailor no this she was great and by the way those dancers were epic did you see um baden I thought Baden did a TikTok about how he, because I remember when my mic Puff fell to the ground. Yep.

Baden went in and saved. There's a TikTok of this, and he is a true professional. And then what resulted was an iconic shot of Baden lunging across the floor. And while I was doing the abracadabra arms and iconic. And thank you during

that TikTok in one of, like, just like showing exactly how, like, it just like, he, incredibly remained in character while also taking that thing. It was really, really good. Foof, remarkable, remarkable. Those performances, highlights of my life doing those with you.

Especially, I don't want to miss a thing with Lucy. Especially, I don't want to miss a thing with Lucy who blessed her to the heavens on high. Just so good, so accommodating, like took the lower harmony. Not because we asked, but because she, you know, felt like it was the right, thing. And I mean, it was so special as I get to sing with her. That song. She sounded amazing. She sounded great on that. I was like that running that the three of us are the Drowse her and two will be a life memory. So many of those. So many of those. So many of those. As you revealed on the Today Show, which by the way, congratulations on another fantastic week

with Jenna. Always fun. Thank you. Always fun. Um, yeah, as you revealed, Gaga, the night of the night of the special reached out, was very proud of us. And that is very, That is a life memory for both of us. Yeah, that was amazing. She was like, you guys incredible. And also, you know, who else loved the performance? Oh, I don't want to miss a thing. Diane Warren.

We heard that Diane Warren loved the performance. So we're very pleased. We think Diane, certainly, if she's available next year. It might be a contention for a culture award. By the way, shout out to, I got my vocal coach in there, Doug Peck to work with us on the songs. That's the number one man. That's the number one man.

Doug Peck, you legend. Thank you so much for working with us, for putting us in your schedule. You are very in demand. I think he really, he just quantum leaped me into something that I didn't know I was able to do. Can I just say putting this out there,

yes, Leland and Gabe Lopez, Brett and Gabe did mix me a little bit. I don't know about how much they did for you. Your sounded very raw and clean. Everyone gets a little mixed. Everyone. Everyone gets mixed. I will say people who maybe not were incredulous that I hit those high harmonies and don't want to miss a thing, that was me.

And that was me. That was absolutely him. We sang those songs live. I'm sorry. Listen, you might not want it to be true, but it is true. We did sing them live. Well-known fact, well-established and documented that Matt Rogers is a professional vocalist. I think I have an ear for harmony that I'm very proud of.

I told Doug when we were rehearsing, I was like, Like, Bowen has one of the best ears, which is why I'm confident he should be on the harmony because it's high. Your voice is higher than you think. And I was excited for you to learn about like, because it blew me away when I started working with the vocal coach about how you really can just allow the mic to do a lot of work. You don't have to push just because something sounds big. Right. A lot of times that's just like technique and good, good mic technique. But I was in my mix, like between my falsetto and my, like, my, like, my, like, my.

my quote, quote, chest voice, which I guess is a gender term, whatever. That's why I'm putting quotes on it. Oh, God, who cares? But I was in my mix and I was like, I don't, I think this doesn't sound as strong as if I, like, gave it full chest. And Doug was like, and both of you were like, no, keep it there. Keep it right there on the cusp. And then you're right.

Like, I'm listening to it back. I'm like, oh, wait. It sounds the same, right? It's a game changer. Yeah. Yeah. Like, like, for anyone out there that's, you know, has an interest in taking voice lesson, I love it.

It's like therapy. It makes you feel confident. My highlight in college, I took one through Steinhardt to this wonderful, wonderful teacher, and she was a sleigh. And it was only, it was like a half a credit. But still, it was like half an hour each week. I sang, I sang Jesus Incorporated by Wilco. And she really, like, you know, she like didn't care about Wilco, but she like really, like sat down with me. She's like, what do you think this song is about?

I was like, oh, God. See, that's when it's the best, though. See, I also did at NYU Steinherd, I did the same type of vocal credit as you. And my vocal coach was like a younger guy, and he was a big snob at the time. I don't know what his deal is now, but he was very, very, he was sort of like very superior with me. And like, it wasn't a great mix. We actually got into a fight one time. Just like me in a fight with my voice teacher, who was probably, I don't know, 18 ones older than me.

And I think he was insecure about that. Sounds like you got the better teacher for you. For me. And I brain farted. It's not Jesus Incorporated. Jesus, et cetera. Jesus incorporated. His LLC.

When he comes back one of these days, he's going to immediately start influencing, build a brand on TikTok, and then he's going to have to incorporate. And Jesus Incorporated LLC is kind of true. Yeah. Just make it his name. I have some statistics about the winners.

So just to sort of go through. Okay. The big winner of the Lost Culturias Cultural Awards was Lady Gaga with three wins. Lady Gaga's a poem of the year for Mayhem, record of the year for Abercadabra and Social Change Moment of the Year for Gaga Chella. Congrats Gaga. Dylan Efron won two cultural awards. These are his first two culture awards. Best Picture, literal picture for having his butt in the air as well as People magazine Sexiest Man Alive.

Welcome to the culture, Dylan. Welcome. The word never won best word to whisper and best word to scream performed by Greta. the titleman in an exemplary display of how you say those words, both screamed and whispered, but both equally impactful. Absolutely. Congrats to Charlie X-E-X. She continues to have a great time in her career.

She has won Best Note Ever sung for Sometimes, and the Sweat Tour Award for Best Indoor Live Performance went to the Brat Tour. It actually beat out the Sweat Tour. So sorry, Troy. You should come to the awards next time instead of being on a boat in the Balearic Islands. thank you for sending in the video. Grief of the year and best thing we texted our high school friends about, both went to White Lotus,

a winner of two culture awards. Congratulations to White Lotus. Andy Cohen won the Father Award and Best Gay Guy Famous. He returns to that winner's circle for that award from two years ago. And in terms of the major awards, Miss Piggy, deservedly won artist the Millennium, Gabby Windy, Best New Artist, Audra McDonald, won the Tina Turner Legend Award.

It was Seth Meyer's second year in a row taking home Best Five Hands Down and a lot of first-time Cultural Awards winners Quinta Brunson, Lisa Rina, Page de Sorbo Dr. Orna Garelnik, Demi Moore, Rupal, Benito Skinner, Megan Fahey, Toad from Mario, Sutton Foster,

all now Culture Award winners. I mean, name after name, I said, Legends, and maybe congratulate Jenna Bush Hager on her second win for the Today's Show Excellence in the Morning Award. Second year in a row, as well as Angie Katzenevis, won her second individual culture award for a most iconic exchange of words,

as you mentioned earlier. Last year, she took home the Allison Williams Cool Girl Award, which was won by page this year, presented by a Diet Coke-clad Megan Stalter. Yes, who unfortunately was not nominated. But Angie also has a group award with the cast of the Real House

of Salt Lake City for the Best Rader with Her Bidges Award. And the Hags Award for abbreviated things to say. So while those, you can't really attribute those two Angie, but Angie was definitely in the winner's circle alongside Lady Gaga. Absolutely.

Yeah, it was a really big night. For Angie and Gaga and Dylan and Andy and countless other people. Countless other people. I mean, this, and also like, just to speak about, like, because we didn't talk too much about it, Paige DeSorbo probably turned

her best look of all time at the awards. God, that's Sophia Loren thing. Gorgeous. Wild. Lee Serena, wore Scaparelli on the carpet. Of course. Before wearing five of the outfits of the year.

This was a highlight for me. I mean, did she send you flowers? I don't know if I've gotten flowers yet because I haven't been to my apartment in New York. It's getting like fully renovated, painted, et cetera right now. But if that's lovely. She, she has been, we've been in contact. We've been in contact and look, don't hustle the hustler.

It's Lisa fucking Renner. Just a wonderful night. Thank you, sincerely, so much for watching. It means so much that you guys even tuned in at all, had people over to watch with you, went to a bar, however you watched it. And especially if you're international, we know there are a little bit, there are a little bit more roadblocks than that. And depending on where you live, it might still be hard to access. We are doing our very best to proliferate it as much as we can. hey, I was talking about this to someone earlier this week. Like, there is something delightful about, like, the searching of it, which is not to, like, make your lives harder, but it's like I just was reminiscing on, like, going to borders, flipping through CDs, slipping through books. Like, there's something about, like, the crate digging,

which is, again, not to romanticize how inaccessible the show might be in your area. It's just, that's not so bad. Is that, am I making sense? No, I also feel like a lot of the, a lot of it taking place on social media, ended up being, I just want to say one thing about Ben, which is, you know how they always say that, like, it's an overused expression, but blank, blank, you will always be famous. Like, they tend to say that about someone who, like, no matter what, like, media narrative happens, the ups and downs of really anyone's career that has longevity in this business.

Ben Platt, you will always be famous because no one can sing like that. And it's very similar to, like, Kelly Clarkson, whereas, like, lots of ups and downs in her very long career in public life. And by the way, I just want to send, and I know Bowen as well, and I'm sure all of you, all of our deepest condolences, love and support to Kelly, whose ex-husband, passed. And this has to be an incredibly difficult time, and they've asked for privacy, so we will give that. But I just want to send all my love to someone who works so hard and it's such a great mom and such a hero to me and to so many people and I just my heart breaks for everyone in the family. I hope that she feels a sense of peace in terms of the time that she did spend with him in the final months and a lot of things were moved around and I think that was hopefully that was for the best for everyone involved. and we love you Kelly we just love you so much

and yeah but just to speak about this is it's like it's like you know anytime anyone in the media gets like a hard time and then comes back because they're just that fucking good and I've been loving

seeing that narrative online of just being like some of you like had fun like ripping him up when you had the opportunity to but the fact is like listen to this song see this performance watch him on this show etc it's like He has proven it so many times.

The reasons he was like, I guess, like, quote unquote, away or down or like, like narrativeized a certain, in a certain fashion, were bullshit, you know? It's like. They always are. I mean, like, the Zionism shit, no. That wasn't, that's not even a thing. That wasn't like, and then he came out and was very vocal about the opposite. it and so whatever and then it's just like there's it just so happens it's just this is the way

allison william's cool girl says it it's just she started on third base and most other people start at home plate and so like and that's and that's and that's just how it is and it's not it's not any one person's fault for like opting in if they have the drive the interest the talent the work ethic, which, I mean, you know, a lot of these people have. Yeah, we're talking about someone who is one of the best singers on earth. Like, and it's not like he's also not an incredibly lovely and lovely person, so kind, so supportive of us, always like the best energy, best vibe ever. And there's also an incredibly talented actor.

Yeah. Like, so it's just kind of tired and boring to even like have done this in the first place. But I guess I'm glad that everyone is. You know, appreciating him for what it is because it's just so dumb. I just think it's worth calling out that like the reasons why he's being re-appreciated or are like built on like kind of silly fangs. He is a link later film away from winning from e-gotting, from e-gotting. And that's my thing is I'm like, it would be one thing to be like, yeah, sure, that person is nepo so they get work.

You don't, you're not just like nepo and then like keep getting opportunities and succeeding to literally the highest standard in your field again and again and again and again. Like, that's not how it works. Like, NEPO isn't in the industry plant shit. Like, that's not a thing because if the person keeps working, it's because people wanted to keep working with them. I don't know. It's just like the surety that people have out there that they know how things work.

It's like, and I think it's really just because we have so much access to now everyone's opinions about everything and everyone's feedback to everything. Of course. That makes it feel a little bit overwhelming, but it's just like yeah. This is exactly the way Ben Platt should be treated by audiences. Yes. Maybe you've heard that Stonewall

was a riot where queer people fought back against police or that it's the reason pride is celebrated this time of year. It was one of the most liberating things that I have ever done. But did you know that Before it went down in history, the Stonewall was a queer hangout run by the mafia. The voking at Stonewall was unbelievable.

In the summer of 1969, it became the site that set off the modern movement for LGBTQ plus rights. Start banging on the door of the Stonewall like one, boom, boom, boom. Legend says Marsha P. Johnson, a mother in the fight for trans rights, through the very first brick. She was really like scrubbed out of that history. This week on Afterlives, we'll separate the truth from the myth in the life of Marcia P. Johnson. Listen to Afterlives on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. So what happened at Chappaquittic? Well, it really depends on who you talk to.

There are many versions of what happened in 1969 when a young Ted Kennedy drove a car into a pond. And left a woman behind to drown. There's a famous headline, I think, in the New York Daily News, it's Teddy escapes, blonde drowns. And in a strange way, right, that sort of tells you. The story really became about Ted's political future, Ted's political hopes. Will Ted become president? Chappaquitic is a story of a tragic death and how the Kennedy machine took control.

And he's not the only Kennedy to survive a scandal. The Kennedys have lived through disgrace, affairs, violence, you name it. So is there a curse? Every week, we go behind the headlines and beyond the drama. of America's royal family. Listen to United States of Kennedy on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

I'm Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, and in session 421 of therapy for black girls, I sit down with Dr. Othia and Billy Shaka to explore how our hair connects to our identity, mental health, and the ways we heal. Because I think hair is a complex language system, right? In terms of it can tell how old you are, your marital status, where you're from, you're a spiritual belief.

But I think with social media, there's like a hyperfixation and observation of our hair, right? That this is sometimes the first thing someone sees when we make a post or a reel. It's how our hair is styled. You talk about the important role hairstylists play in our community, the pressure to always look put together, and how breaking up with perfection can actually free us. Plus, if you're someone who gets anxious about flying, Don't miss session 418 with Dr. Angela Neil Barnett, where we dive into managing flight anxiety. Listen to Therapy for Black Girls on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Get fired up, y'all. Season two of Good Game with Sarah Spain is underway. We just welcomed one of my favorite people and an incomparable soccer icon, Megan Rapino, to the show. And we had a blast. We talked about her recent 40th birthday celebrations, co-hosting a podcast with her fianc say Sue Bird, watching former teammates retire and more. Never a dull moment with Pino. Take a listen. What do you miss the most about being a pro athlete? The final.

The final. And the locker room. I really, really, like, you just, you can't replicate, you can't get back. Showing up to locker room every morning just to shit talk. We've got more incredible guests like the legendary Candace Parker and college superstar A.Z. Fudd. I mean, seriously, y'all. The guest list is absolutely.

We're always going to keep you up to speed on all the news and happenings around the women's sports world as well. So make sure you listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Speaking of feedback or forms of feedback, I do want to address, I posted this reel on Sunday. because this thing had been bugging me for a couple days about the way that the Times changed a headline. Yeah. And I took it down because I was like, oh, wait, because it was people kind of, for the most part, understanding it. But a lot of people were like, don't give the haters any gas.

I don't think it's that. This is something different. This is me still, I think, rightfully being a little annoyed at the way that shows, like, ours are covered. and like this is this is not a knock on the writer because it's an editor as far as I understand especially at a place like the Times who looks at the engagement on a certain article and goes let's tweak this and the tweak was from the five moments from the culture awards to can just anybody host an award show with a picture of us you have to click in so like the way this this story gets embedded in a CEO or on you know Facebook let's say or other

platforms is they just see the headline, maybe the byline, but they don't see the subhead, which was, oh, but if you're as funny as Matt and Bowen, then yes. But like, it's still, even with that compliment, I think it undercuts so many things. Chiefly, the thing that bugs me the most is that this was 100 plus people working their asses off seven days a week to make this work. Like, we were, you know, Matt and I were fielding calls, solving problems at, like, 11 p.m. on a Sunday or, like, 9 p.m. on a Saturday. Like, like, problem solving, writing, constantly throwing copy away, writing new stuff, shifting things around. A million pieces were moving up until the day of the show, people dropping out.

Yeah, it was minimizing. It was very diminishing. And they didn't care about us enough to not traffic in this, whatever. So it's not that I'm giving haters gas. It's not that like, it's not that like I'm either of us are above this or shouldn't address this. It's that like, it's also, and I said this in the video, it's like, it's not. groundbreaking that comedians would host an award show, which we are, we are, I'm sorry, at this point, we're like in our mid-30s, we've been doing this for a while, I guess, seasoned.

I said we have chops, dare I say, and it's not a coup that an award show is entertaining all the way through. There's no need to frame it this way of like, well, if, can anybody off the street host an award show? No. Also, like, with my chest, like, fuck the New York Times. Oh, absolutely. I mean, this is the thing is it's like, you're not,

Like, it's not even calling, it's not even giving the haters gas. It's calling out the paper of record for reducing themselves to a clickbait headline. I don't want to bring it to a place of like responding to critics because we don't have anything to prove literally at all. Truly nothing. But, you know, again, like a learning experience. The life of a showgirl. Anyway. The life of a show girl.

Is the title of this episode going to be the life of a showgirls? Yes. The life of a showgirl. I like that. With a capital S. Of course. With a capital L. See, Bo, I always say, Taylor speaks you exactly where you are in your life.

You know who also says this? Who says this? Katie Crutchfield. She goes, I feel like my album releases through Oaxahatchy have been very aligned with Taylor's journey. I mean. And I hope she still feels this way. We'll have to touch base with her. We'll have to touch base with Katie.

I sent you something a little special that we've been wanting to read on the podcast. So basically, just as a background. Oh, yes. Originally, we were going to have all the, you know, at the end of a commercial on an award show, it says, coming up, and then you hear the things that are going to happen after the break. So originally our idea was to have all of these be jokes

and none of them be real because it was our opinion at the outset that like literally every single thing that happened in the Culture Award should be stupid and dumb and gay and fake and a joke. But then we were convinced. to, and rightfully, to actually sort of, you know, say what was going to be happening in the show after the break, because, you know, it's just better to keep people engaged that way. And we did have such great talent involved. But we do have a document in front of us, which are all of our coming up jokes. And so I feel like Bowen and I will read them now.

Should we just rotate? Let's just rotate. And this is, by the way, like a collective calling together of jokes written by Matt. Myself, Sudi Green, Celestia, and Frank Gillespie, and our wonderful writer's assistant, Kate Zasowski. So this is from all of us. So let's just read these. Okay.

Coming up, a deeply uncomfortable Seventh Heaven reunion. A full hot topic segment from the view. A moment of explicit violence were all forced to witness. Perez Hilton has finally tried for his crimes. Ash Ketchum presents Best Soda, sponsored by Emergency. The Traveling Pants. A live rebutte. of Under the Tuscan Sun.

Barbara Streisand's Cloned Dogs. And Sugar Ray covers the Pokemon theme song as the Earth collapses in on itself. A duet by Jen Shaw and Elizabeth Holmes. Medusa. Adam Driver throws a big chair. Winona Ryder in the Christmas lights. She is so back.

Glenn Close performs buttons. Dancing the Samba, Fran Lievowitz, and her partner Derek Huff. The Hymn sisters reveal which Powerpuff girl they think they are. Christina Aguilera says, ha ha. Florence Pugh realizes it's all a simulation. We unfreeze Jane Austen and she shakes her head in disappointment at the modern world. Jennifer Holliday holds a big note. Moodang got old, so we replace her with someone younger.

Fuck her! Simon Cowell sings 16 bars of a pop rock song for Head Judge Fantasia. Catherine Zita Jones reads from her dream journal and it's actually really beautiful Cynthia Revo sings the thong song We pass out the Scantron sheets for the test Very good Mariah Carey sprints 600 meters

Che Diaz wins an Emmy for their earnest comedy special Black Pink reunites to help each other pitch a big tent The original cast of CSI flops in an escape room Jack Schlossberg love bombs Matt and then dumps him for Bowen. And a member of the crew has a psychotic break. It's been

a lot. Winnie the Pooh debuts his first pair of pants. Jessica Chastain kills bin Laden. Dula Peep. Princess Peach makes out with Zelda in a win for the male gaze. Anne Hathaway says, calm, calma.

A water break. You're supposed to drink 10 gallons a day. Rihanna is Smurfette. Rachel Zegler's Vita Bodyguard, please be nice. Shannon, I know, I know, sweetie, but please be nice. Please be nice. Emmanuel Macron gets shoved by his wife.

Bowen and Nat play pregnancy roulette. A young Hugh Grant. Okay, technology. The Hoka Award for Best Nod Actor. The cast of the LaBoubu movie, which is rated R, by the way. Tan France looks at a French tuck and goes, you know what, it's weird. Patty LaBelle, final. She finally finds her background singers!

Five Little Shop Seymour's fight to the death. Tate McCray teaches the sports car choreo to the baby from Allie McBeal. Harry Daniels turns Blake Shelton's chair with Edda James' I'd Rather Go Blind. An apology from the Big Bad Wolf, and he does have a ukulele. We play Squid Game, but gentle. One of us will get the Severance Procedure Live. One of us Freaky Fridays with Nara Smith. We lip-sync for our lives to the trilogy song.

A Furby comes back to life, and no, it does not have batteries. We get makeovers from Lisa Frank. J.K. Rowling says something normal. J.K. Laura Dern tells us it's all going to be okay. The Veggie Tales Veggies reveal some nasty secrets. We'll show you how to use your stepmom shower. A drag queen grooms my dog, and wow, she looks amazing.

We teach a robot to love. and unfortunately also to Lovebom. I guess Megan 2.0 is really into taro now. The significance of Andor explained. We found your mom's little book of passwords, and we're going to read them all out loud. Your favorite male comedian gets a diagnosis, and it's exactly what you think.

We announce the cast of the Real Housewives of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. We make Tom Colicchio a P.B&J. The ghost of TBS. The first ever facelift on a baby. And Lauren Bobrit's vape, Pem. There you go. Those are our coming ups. I mean, fabulous.

Those are really fun. But the thing is, like, coming up next, Alison Brie and Dave Frankel present the award for Best Batman Woman, like is one of those. So they were like... It works. And it's the truth. Our producer, Lauren, was like,

I just think people might think Adam Driver would come out and throw a big chair. And I was like, that's fair. That's really fair. This already gives us a document. I mean, we can't do them now because we've already told everybody them. But, like, this is, like, this actually, I think an exercise for,

if we're lucky enough to do this next year is to start with the coming-ups and then see how many we can actually do. Oh, I love that. That's our blue-sky. Just coming up. If you really want to see Adam Driver throw a big chair on the cultural awards next year,

let us know online, we might be able to make it happen. There's a lot of lead time now. So it's not impossible. As you know, we did a lot of stuff. We did a lot of stuff. The Mariah Carey one made me think, we haven't really talked about this,

MC16, here for it all. I do just want to say, I want both of us to really lock in here, and I encourage the readers, Katie's Pulp as Spinalist Kyle's to do this as well. Let us really cherish this time that Mariah Carey is back on an album cycle. We don't know, like,

we know this doesn't happen very often. We don't know when the next time this will happen. It's been a while since caution. And I had spent the intervening years saying, when is Mariah Carey going to follow up caution? And now it's here. And I just really want to point out the fun that we all had with her being informed

that Katie Perry went to space. Yeah, yeah. No. If you catch Mariah in the right moment, she's going to give it to you. No. And that interview has so many. I mean, obviously the big line is, I think I've done enough, which is still iconic.

I think I've done enough. I think I've done enough. My favorite thing is, my two favorite things are, where'd she go to space? All right, Katie. All right. Katie. All right, Katie. I love that. Supportive. All right, Katie. Wow. Wow. I think I've done enough. Oh, that reminds me of our Blue Origin 2. Oh, yeah. A moment. That was also fun going to space and all.

It felt like we were there. When I was watching the opening package, I was like, oh, we're up and the astronauts down. Okay, you saw weapons. Y'all, I, you know what? Can I tell you the thought that I had up until the halfway point? point of the movie, I said, Matt can watch this. This isn't so scary at all. But then. And then at the halfway point, if you know you know, shit goes down, a certain thing happens

to a gay couple. Do you want to say spoiler alert and then sort of go off? I'm not going to spoil. I feel, it feels even, I know you will never see this movie, but it feels wrong to even spoil to you. Because these are really things that you are meant to experience in the experience of watching it. What is it with gay couples catching strays in these horror movies?

Because didn't this also happen in It Part 2? See, I didn't see it. Okay, so I know for a fact a gay couple like really got it in It Part 2. This gay couple, it made me for the first time in a long, not since, ready, Passion of the Christ, have I had to cover my eyes. It was that bad? Why the gays? It's not because they're gay.

It's just an incidental thing. But I mean, all I'll say is Amy Madigan, you legend for all time. But this is just a wonderful ensemble line. I know you talked to Julia Gardner. Did you talk to Brolin, too, when he was on today show? I did. I talked to both of them. They were on Today Show.

Wonderful. What was Brolin's vibe? I love him. Hot. I have to tell you. I know. I know. He was great, very laid back.

And honestly, yeah, really, really attractive in person. Yeah. I mean, but just wonderful man, wonderful actor, icon, legend. But Julia's fantastic. But, like, you know, you don't spend too much time with one character in a way that it really helps and really works. The structure of it is so cool. I mean, there's precedent for it. It's very Magnolia, very Rachman. But I just want to point out, Austin Abrams, fantastic in this. really wonderful work and I think the most like poignant quote unquote poignant stretch in the film and I say this because I do want to point out you know we talked about this with Joel Kimbooster like really nice and refreshing for a horror movie

to not have an allegory really nice because there's been this thing an elevated horror quote unquote where it always has to map onto something I mean you can make the argument that like this is about like school shootings or something I had heard yeah I would not go so far as to say that it's just a it's just a horror

a movie for horror's sake. And sometimes that's enough. Not all the dots have to be connected. It's just a really bang for your buck, really entertaining movie. And the last, I would say, what, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, just the ending of the movie are rapturous. I was like, this is the most fun I've had in the movies in a very long time. That's what everyone is saying. Yeah. And all I'll say is, I don't want to spoil anything, but the people who shot that, the group of people who shot that last scene must have had a blast. You can tell that it was some fun days on set for everyone involved. That's all I'll say.

I want to shout out Whitmer Thomas. Winner Thomas! Who had fun with a fork in the film? Go, King. He had fun with a little too much fun. But he was just so good. But when I saw him at first, I was like, is that wit? I was like, oh, my God, that's Whitmer.

And then he just has a really lovely, he has a really lovely scenes where he's just incredibly, you know, as an audience member, you are immediately invested in him as a character in the time that you see him and then things turn and then you're like, well, fuck. And then just a great movie and Amy Madigan, I mean. People are, there's a ground 12 support for Amy Madigan. And, you know, I think, did you ever see, the movie she won an Oscar for with Gene Hackman, or that she was nominated for, twice in a lifetime? I've never seen twice in a lifetime.

No, I have to say, I'm sort of, I have a little bit of a Madigan blind spot. are I think you and I maybe share this our first introduction to Madigan was great yeah okay what was she on Grey's Enamee she was she was Meredith's therapist in season four yes she was Meritus Therapist oh my god that's how we know her and they have great scenes together

I remember that watch this back they're really good oh wow and she sort of gets to go all the way off she gets to go all the way off in the most indelible hairdoes whether it's wig whether it's spoiler alert micro braids it's like what the fuck am i seeing i heard it's giving like a new classic villain type i was watching a couple scenes with her and i was like she's giving iconic cinema like she's giving memorable cinema in these moments like did you text to me after

and you were like i really want you to see this but i really don't think it would be a good idea i i don't think you can handle i think well how's that can i can i put this forward How would it be if you watched a movie, a horror movie like this, that is gruesome, but by the end has this, like, cathartic release moment? I've done it before. It's just about, you know what? Let me figure out my anxiety and then we'll get back. I'll have a meeting with a psych this weekend.

I mean, this week. So, you know what I mean? Let's maybe get me on some new tip. And then we'll try to figure out how I can not internalize things that are happening on a screen and not in my life. Um, I am pathetic. I do know this. No, no, no, that's, this is not anyone shaming you. Like, it is. No, no, no, I should be able to watch this movie.

I mean, I, I, I'm doing my best. You know, the substance was a big leap forward for me. And I loved it, as we all know. I would not say that because you can clear that hurdle that you can clear this. And, and Joel was like, if you watched hereditary, you can, but you didn't. And I think this is a little bit, it's even more just gruesome than hereditary to me in some moments. But I just, I just want to shout out. I mean, Zach Kreger, he's two-for-two on these, like, really great, innovative, I would say, horror movies with interesting structures, really interesting turns, whether it's in the middle of the film or, you know, quarter the way through.

And I just love that he's a comedy guy. He's like, he's a sketch guy. Well, he's one of us. And so really cool. How many people know how to do horror? I mean, like, it is in the genes. It's, you know, tension release or whatever, not to be a high and gad to be about it. But I'm really exciting that he's doing the new Resident Evil.

He's, he's, he's, he's doing those and, um, really, really cool. Was it funny? Was weapons funny as well? There are, there are, I think there are moments of true, like, humor. It's not like a hard comedy, but there are moments of like, oh, that's really funny. I mean, the ending is like, the ending has a lot of fun. That's all I'll say. Well, um, you know, I ended up seeing the naked gun for a third time. So that was your third?

Yeah. I've been meaning to see it multiple times to you because the velocity of the jokes is that I missed of 10 things. So Greta and Abe wanted to go. I was just like, I'll go with you. Because like, if there's, there was nothing, I didn't have anything to do. And I was just like, oh, they're going. I want to go again.

Like, it's one of those things I've, I'd be supporting. Kind of a nice little moment for the box office. I love it. This is really good. Not for nothing, but speaks to, you know, this idea that more moderately budgeted things can succeed. You know what I mean? Like that I just hope, I saw a rumor that like as a result of, you know, sinners and weapons. and, you know, the success of these movies

that are not attached to franchises that there might be a movement towards original stories with lower budgets. Like, that would be incredible. That would be amazing. It would be such a better use of money, time, talent. Yeah. How long was weapons?

Two hours and five minutes, I think. And you, I think you can see sinners, low-key. Oh, no, no, no. I'm definitely seeing sinners. I don't think it's scary. I'm not, that's one I just literally haven't done it yet, which is crazy. Excellent, excellent. And I will before, I'm sure it, you know, becomes quite a big topic at the end of the year.

I think so. But speaking of you said Austin Abrams, I went to the concert of Gracie Abrams. Yes. I loved it. I was there when she did her all too well cover. Oh, my God, unbelievable. Which I wonder if she knew. I'm going to ask her.

If she knew. I'm sure she was in the know. Hmm. Hmm. I'm going to figure it out. But honestly, like, vocals, incredible in concert, definitely the most beautiful woman alive. I can't believe what she looks like on those screens.

I was, like, looking at it, like, I was, like, breathless the whole time. Right. And her fans, I was watching so many people have, like, formative core memories. Like, even more than at the Erez tour, these girls were holding each other and sobbing. It was so just, like, they. They love her so much. Like she's got, I think honestly sky's the limit when it comes to, because it's the songwriting, right?

It's like, you can see the girls like absolutely screaming these songs that means something to them. Right, right. She's great writer. Fantastic. Take order it this way. Yeah, no, I loved it. I loved it. I'm, you know, I'm a, I'm a Gracie fan.

She's my pen pal. We have yet to meet in person, but we have a lovely text relationship and Gracie will come on the show. Gracie will come on the show. There you go. Finalist. Congratulations to finalist of the year, by the way, Megan Fahey. Yes, Megan Fahey, a finalist of the year winner.

And speaking of Gracie, Audrey Hobart's albums coming out this Friday. Before we go into, I don't think so, honey. I had one thing I wanted to say, which is the dog Matt Rogers was adopted. Oh, my God. And he looks so happy. He lives in Queens now.

He's happy. It brings me such joy that that happened. God, this week full of great narratives. At least in some regard. Yeah. You know, one of those little things that just made you happy in a sea of otherwise dark things. Truly, truly, truly. Matt, we hope you're just having a great time at Corona Park and Flushing or whatever.

Just you're living your best queen's life. Well, the queens, don't sleep on Queens, y'all. Don't sleep on Queens. We'll be there soon. Will we? The Open. We'll be at the U.S. Open. Oh, oh, we're going to go to the Open.

Yes. What day? Well, we'll talk about what day you're going. We'll talk. Yeah, yeah. Maybe you've heard that Stonewall was a riot where queer people fought back against police or that it's the reason pride is celebrated this time of year. It was one of the most liberating things that I have ever done.

But did you know that before it went down in history, the Stonewall was a queer hangout run by the mafia. The Vogueing at Stonewall was unbelievable. In the summer of 1969, it became the site that, set off the modern movement for LGBTQ plus rights. Start banging on the door of the stonewall like one, boom, boom, boom. Legend says Marcia P. Johnson, a mother in the fight for trans rights, through the very first brick. She was really like scrubbed out of that history.

This week on Afterlives will separate the truth from the myth in the life of Marcia P. Johnson. Listen to Afterlives on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get, at your podcast. So what happened at Chappaquiddick? Well, it really depends on who you talk to. There are many versions of what happened in 1969 when a young Ted Kennedy drove a car into a pond. And left a woman behind to drown.

There's a famous headline. I think in the New York Daily News, it's Teddy escapes, blonde drowns. And in a strange way, right, that sort of tells you. The story really became about Ted's political future, Ted's political hopes. Will Ted become president? Chappaquittic is a story of a tragic death and how the Kennedy machine took control.

And he's not the only Kennedy to survive a scandal. The Kennedys have lived through disgrace, affairs, violence, you name it. So is there a curse? Every week we go behind the headlines and beyond the drama of America's royal family. Listen to United States of Kennedy on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Dr. Joy Harden Bradford. And in session 421 of therapy for black girls, I sit down with Dr. Afea and Billy Shaka to explore how our hair connects to our identity, mental health, and the ways we heal. Because I think hair is a complex language system, right, in terms of it can tell how old you are, your marital status, where you're from, you're a spiritual belief.

But I think with social media, there's like a hyper fixation and observation of our hair, right? That this is sometimes the first thing someone sees when we make a post. or a reel is how our hair is styled. We talk about the important role hairstylists play in our community, the pressure to always look put together, and how breaking up with perfection can actually free us.

Plus, if you're someone who gets anxious about flying, don't miss session 418 with Dr. Angela Neil Barnett, where we dive into managing flight anxiety. Listen to therapy for black girls on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Get fired up, y'all. Season two of Good Game with Sarah Spain is underway.

We just welcomed one of my favorite people and an incomparable soccer icon, Megan Rapino to the show, and we had a blast. We talked about her recent 40th birthday celebrations, co-hosting a podcast with her fiancée Sue Bird, watching former teammates retire and more. Never a dull moment with Pino. Take a listen.

What do you miss the most about being a pro athlete? The final. The final. And the locker room. I really, really, like, you just, You can't replicate. You can't get back. Showing up to the locker room every morning just to shit talk. We've got more incredible guests like the legendary Candace Parker and college superstar AZ Fudd.

I mean, seriously, y'all. The guest list is absolutely stacked for season two. And, you know, we're always going to keep you up to speed on all the news and happenings around the women's sports world as well. So make sure you listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Okay, you're ready for I Don't Think So Honey? I am. Okay.

This is I don't think so honey. This is the one minute segment of our podcast where we take 60 seconds, exactly one minute, as it were. To rant, rail, and more against something in culture that we need to dress down. I have something. Okay. This is Matt Rogers. I don't think so, honey. As time starts now.

I don't think so, honey. No more kind judging on reality shows. Law Roach has come back to Project Runway and showed us all what we've been missing, which is truthful, harsh, judging. The stakes are back when it comes to assessing reality show contestants. And you know what?

It's been time. I have to say, Law Roach, we appreciate you, coming to the Cultural Awards, presenting outfit of the year to Lisa Rinna for whatever the fuck she wants to wear. But what really, really, really has won me over again with you, because you speak for yourself, like the reputation proceeds. Then you come to the show, are lovely and delightful.

And then I turn on Project Runway because I want to have a good time. And I didn't even know I was going to have a spectacular time. 15 seconds. Because of the way you were tearing these people up. And also, shout out to the casting this year on Project Runway. Not only we have Utica Queen, but we've got some big personalities that are getting into it with Law. And Game has met Game. I'm loving this.

I don't think so, honey, that it can ever go back to the way it was. Law Roach forever. I love this. Thank you for pointing this out because I think this is a shared thing. Like, we are all very thrilled about this. I've been meeting to watch the season. It's good. And also just like, so the way the first episode of the season ends, by the way, Heidi Kloom is back. And so it's like they're all judging. It's Heidi, Nina, La Roach, and Christian, which is like, feels perfect. All stars. Yeah. And so they go, all right. So we have our tops on our bottoms. But there was a lot of discussion and there was a debate about it.

So then you come to understand that law is on completely different pages than everyone else. Like there was someone who was falling in the top and he was like, I can't stand this. Look, I hate this. It's this, that, that, that, that. And I'm just like, wow, like, without reservation, law is giving his take. And like, you did see it on, on legendary, top model, yeah. And you saw it back in the day on top model when he actually went too far. but now it's perfect

because he's La Roach Like now he's a part of the cultural fabric And it's just like I'm sorry but It will be hard to argue with anything he says Because he is the one And I really just also want to point out OMG fashion

He gives great quick I mean this is what His like sixth reality show competition This man This man knows what he's doing He shows up and does the gig And he does it true to him And it is true

Superstarter Like, I don't think I've seen a reality show judge, like, pop and be this compelling and the show be about them since, like, and I'm not arguing that this holds up, but, like, the very early days of Simon Cowell. You know, and it's not like that. He's not cruel for cruel's sake on project runway, but it is just like, no, no, no, I'm not, it's not going to be smiles and rainbows. was like, you're here to compete on the Olympics of drag for fashion, and I'm going to give it to you. I mean, the thing with Simon is that it soured kind of quickly. With law, it's been going on for at least, like, seven years now

since he's been on reality shows. And then, like, that compounded with all the styling work he's done. It's like, okay, like, he's an image architect, as he says. Yes, it's truly having an impact in the world in real time. in that industry, whereas, like, Simon, unfortunately, like, clowned himself too many times. Simon is on the record as saying that Beyonce can't sing and isn't pretty. Like, that's hard to come back from if you're, like, a talent show judge. You can't say that at one point and then be like, yeah, I'm someone to be listened to.

Like, he had to go, like, you know, America's got talent. I'm smiling the whole time. I'm actually standing up and clapping. I'm even dancing in my seat because, you know, know, he kind of just kind of got invalidated. Yeah, totally. Well, thank you for sharing that. I've got something.

Here we go. This, everyone, is Bowen Young's, I don't think so, honey, his time starts now. I don't think so honey, letterboxed, unlisting the culture awards and, you know, not letting that be a place for some wonderful feedback to live. I mean, I'm sure they have the reasons why I'm not actually going after letterbox, we love Via. But come on. For a while there, our bar graph on the stars,

we were up in the fives in a way that I have not seen in a long time. But then I think at some point, you know what, there's just been some existential confusion. Peacock put us on as a TV show first. Then we're on as a movie. Letterbox puts us on Letterbox, then they take us down. You know what? I love it.

Y'all don't know what to do with us. Keep guessing, Mama. But I just liked that little moment where people got to go on Letterbox didn't um 15 give their honest opinions about the cultural words because people are nothing if not honest on letterboxed as we all know um but you know anyway i guess let's let's have a platform for award shows review these things um anyway letterbox come on put us back and that's one minute um yeah we we didn't know what to call us because we were a tv show we were a movie we were on letterbox

we weren't we're really just a comedy special which i think ultimately would fall under TV. But I'm not going to argue with Peacock. We think Peacock. We always think Peacock. Oh, no, no. That's not what I'm doing here. I'm just going, you know, we defy categorization. Because what was it? I love that question. Just to, wait, what I'm realizing is one thing we missed talking about in our like little recap there. And this is not to say that every single person we're not indebted to for coming. Thank you, thank you. But I wanted to shout out two people in particular, which is Jensen McCray. and Remy Wolf. Oh.

Like, I have loved both of those songs, like, for a long time. And especially with Jensen, just that moment in the show, I'm just so proud that that's there. And Remy brought so much energy and fun, and the live vocal was so sick.

They both were amazing. So good. Just that we were a platform where talent like that could be displayed and, you know, just also hold in a Jensen's brother who came and accompanied her on that gorgeous song. You really should be streaming her whole album

everybody. I mean, it's so good. I've been a Remy fan since 2021, and I told her this was like, since the jump, like photo ID. I was like, who the fuck is this person? I've loved her for a very long time. I'm so happy she's getting more success. Especially with her album,

with big ideas being a year old, I was like, this has this still has life in it. I'm still listen, I'm still spitting this. Like, it is a really, really amazing album. The best. I mean, like, she's incredibly gifted, as is Jensen, as is Ben, as is Lucy, everyone that performed on the show.

I mean, that was... Yeah, very special. I just can't believe it even happened. And you can still stream it on Peacock, you know, because, like I said, it is a comedy special and not an actual award show. Exactly. Hopefully, there's more clarity on what this is for people in the... in the incoming years, just for everybody involved,

for people who want to come to the show, people who want to watch the show, people who want to do the show, and their publicists they're in. But next week, we'll probably have tons to catch up on about the Taylor of It All. Maybe we'll even have a new song. The Life of a Show Girls.

The Life of a Show Girls. Well, and we're going to be in Peatown. We'll be in Peatown. And we are going to, yeah. We'll bring our mics. We'll bring our mics. Yes, I will do that. We'll have another chaotic Peatown episode.

Maybe even with a new Taylor single. Wow, that she released it just in time for Carnival. She knew. We're going to do Taylor Tubb. Taylor Tub! Oh, I love Taylor Tubb. Taylor Tub was for people who, we might not have mentioned it on the pot. It was four hours of us being stoned out of our gourds in a hot tub on Fire Island,

just playing four hours of Taylor music. Honestly, in our truest form, really. Yeah, truly. We end every episode with a song. song. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I don't want to live without you. I don't want to live without you. Oh, oh, oh, oh, I don't want to live without.

To listen to that song. Listen, watch the Cultural Awards. Bye. Last Culture East is the production by Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and I Heart Radio podcasts. Created and hosted by Matt Rogers and Bowen-Yag. Executive produced by Anna Hosnier and produced by Becker-Ramos. Edited and mixed by Doug Bame.

And our music is by Henry Kversky. Summer's here and with the kids home and off to camp, it's easy for moms to get lost in the shuffle. On Good Mom's Bad Choices, we're making space to center ourselves with joy, rest, and pleasure. Take the kids to camp. You know what? It was expensive. But I was also thinking, you have my kid, this is kind of priceless. Take her, feed her, make core memories.

I don't have to do anything. Main thing, I don't have to do anything. To hear this and more, listen to Good Mom's Bad Choices from Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. When I became a journalist, I was the first Latina in the newsrooms where I worked. I'm Maria Inojosa. I spent my career creating journalism that centers voices who have been historically sidelined. From the most pressing news stories to deep cultural explorations, Latino USA is journalism with heart.

Listen to Latino USA, the longest running Latino news and culture show in the United States. Hear it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's Black Business Month, and Black Tech Green Money is tapping in. I'm Will Lucas spotlighting Black founders, investors, and innovators, building the future, one idea at a time. Let's talk legacy, tech, and generational wealth. I had the skill and I had the talent. I didn't have the opportunity.

Yeah. We all know, right? Genius is evenly distributed. Opportunity is not. To hear this and more on the power of Black Innovation and Ownership, listen to Black Tech Green Money from the Black Effect podcast. network on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, guys, it's Janae, aka Cheekies from Cheekies and Chill Podcasts.

And I'm bringing you an all new mini podcast series called Sincerely Janay. Sure, I'm a singer, author, businesswoman, and podcaster, but at the end of the day, I am human. And that's why I'm sharing my ups and downs with you in real time and on the go. Listen to Jikis and Chill on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.