The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Almost Famous In Depth: Matt James

Episode Date: February 4, 2021

Matt James goes IN DEPTH with Ben and Ashley and opens up like you’ve never seen him before! He spills some intimate details about the girls in his season and drops a major secret about Hannah B!Plus, we hear some insight on who he might choose as his final pick. This is some scalding tea that ONLY gets shared with trusted members of Bachelor Nation, and we’re letting you in on the secret on the Almost Famous Podcast! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hi, my name is Enya Eumanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble.

Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your... free IHeartRadio app, search emergency intercom, and listen now. Everyone thinks they'd never join a cult. But it happens all the time to people just like you. And people just like us.

I'm Lola Blanc and I'm Megan Elizabeth. We're the host of Trust Me, a podcast about cults, manipulation, and the psychology of belief. Each week we talk to fellow survivors, former believers, and experts to understand why people get pulled in and how they get out. Trust me, new episodes every Wednesday on Exactly Right. and wherever you get your podcasts.

I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? Answer, a new podcast called Wisecrack, where a comedian finds himself at the center of a chilling true crime story. Does anyone know what show they've come to see?

It's a story. It's about the scariest night of my life. This is Wisecrack, available now. Listen to Wisecrack. on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose between a maximum security prison or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth? Unfortunately for Mark Lombardo, this was the choice he faced.

He said, you are a number, a New York State number, and we own you. Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Let's start with a quick puzzle. The answer is Ken Jennings' appearance on The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs. The question is, what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land? Jeopardy-truthers believe in... I guess they would be Kenspiracy theorists. That's right.

They give you the answers, and you still blew it. The puzzler. Listen on the... iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous In Depth. Hey, guys, welcome to the Almost Famous Podcast. We have another mini In Depth today, and man, are we excited to have the man of the hour, Matt James, joining us. And my husband, Jared, will be filling in for Ben.

Ben couldn't be here. I'm like, I'm honored to be Plan B behind Ben. I feel like I'm playing F. Jared just stop that. Well, Matt, Jared has been fanboying over you for the past five weeks now. So I thought that he'd be the perfect person to come because he literally, he like gets smiley watching. He's like, man, this guy. This guy's like got it.

Dude, you just got like great vibes about you. You know, like you're authentic. You're endearing. I think that's your best quality. You're so endearing. I love Ashley and I were talking about before the season about how. you weren't a part of the franchise beforehand, and I feel like I love that now, because watching you go through this process for the first time along with the women, I feel like creates a bond

between you and your girls that previous leads haven't had. Yeah, I feel that. Thank you, Jared. There was times where I would tell the women, I'm like, listen, like, it might look like I don't know what I'm doing because I don't. Like, I'm figuring this out like y'all are. And being able to bond on that was nice just because I felt like they didn't feel as much of outsiders as someone might have if someone had been in their shoes and been on the other side. And I was just dealing with everything that came up like any normal person would if they were thrown into the fray.

So Ashley saw that during our love story reading that, you know, I don't think that's something that you can prepare for regardless of that you've been on this. the show or not. So it's been a lot of fun, Jared. Were there any instances where you were like, oh, man, it would have been very helpful to have had more experience? I'll say that for the rose ceremony. Like, the rose ceremony is the most daunting thing for me. Like, I get short of breath because it's just like I'm sending women home for the most part who are incredible women who I could see myself with, but there's only one ring at the end of it. It's like, how do I tell you that you're not my person without like crushing you? And there really isn't a way to do it. And that was, that was tough. I don't think that there would have been a way to prepare

for that. We're talking about how endearing you are. I think one of the most endearing qualities is that like you have all the elements in which you could be like a total. player, but you don't have a player bone in your body. And even the producers when they were telling me about you beforehand, they're like, I think this guy is far more innocent in relationships and dating than we thought he'd be. I think you need to be smooth to have that. And I don't have it, you know, it's like, uh, I, uh, I, uh, I just, I just try to act as normal as possible. And it's hard when, like, things are happening that are not normal. But I think that I double down on just how I was raised and, and the conversations I had with Wells and Ben and Sean Lowe before

the fact so that I would have some sort of idea of how they handled it. And the short answer is it's an imperfect process for everybody. You know, you've got to find how it works for you. There's no one right way to do. Everyone has their own way. figuring it out what was the best piece of advice one of those guys gave you uh i think the best advice i got was just it's so basic uh tyler was just like know where your feet are and that's just like basically saying be yourself and there would be conversations that i'd be in where someone would pose a question and i'm just thinking to my head like okay how could i give the most articulate like poetic thoughtful answer but like i don't have that you know i'm like all i have is like my

lived experiences and like who i am as a person so my answers were just candid and it's like it might not have been what they were looking for but it was what they needed to hear through tyler you struck up a relationship a friendship with hannah brown did you ask her for advice and what's the status of your friendship now hannah is my girl i i talked to hannah on a regular basis i actually met her uh her new boyfriend who's incredible and thanks for spilling the tea thanks for giving some confirmation there jack my Yeah, no. He's awesome. And she's happy and she deserves to be happy. And the questions that I was asking her were just like what to expect. How did you know when you were feeling something? And she was just a sounding board. And it was, it meant so much to have someone like that who's, again, been through it on through the highest highs and the low flows of what can come with putting yourself out there. And it made me more equipped for what I was bound to handle. Did she at all suggest that Heather Morris come on the show?

Wait. Is her last name, Morris? I don't know. No, wait. We're not going to, I think I'm talking about the girl from Glee. Heather Martin. Heather Martin, see? Okay. All right.

So, yeah, did she have influence because Heather and her are so close? It wasn't something that I was aware of, you know? I was just a shock when she pulled up as everyone else was. was. And I think that it makes for a very interesting conversation next week. Oh, yeah. I mean, it makes for great TV. Uh, how did you and Tyler, how did you and Tyler become friends? I don't even know. Wake for, bro. So Tyler, so I was a year older than Tyler and, but Tyler graduated high school a semester early. He was, he gray shirted. So like, like instead of going into his spring's, uh,

semester as a senior in high school, he graduated. graduated in the fall. And he came to wake as a freshman. Because he's so smart? Or is he so good football? What? No. Tyler is actually very smart.

People don't give him enough credit. He was he was the ACC Debate team champion. Holy crap. Wow, good for Tyler. Yeah. He has the, he has the hardware to prove it. He got his master's from the FAU.

He's sharp. But no, I was watching. walking it to his dorm, and I saw him walking in with all his stuff. I introduced myself, I'm like, yo, you must be the new QB because he's huge. He's like 6, 5, like 2.30. I'm like, listen, we're going on a trip to South Carolina. I was with like a few of the other guys on the team. Never met him in my entire life.

I'm like, would you want to join us? He's like, yeah, let me just put my stuff down. Let's just stuff down. We could have been like anybody gets in the car with us, ride six hours with us down to USC, and we had one of the best weekends of our life. and that's for our friendship started. So Tyler's extremely good looking, 6-4 quarterback, graduated high school early because he's so intelligent,

head of the debate team. You know, screw this guy. He's like too perfect. He's got a resume. Yeah, he doesn't give himself enough credit. Yeah, he's actually really smart. That's awesome. Speaking of Tyler,

did you have any issue with him selling shirts with your naked body on it? That was so funny. That picture, I had no problem with it because that picture brings back so many fond memories of just spending a very tough time in not only our country's history, but in Tyler's life together. That was like a month or so after his mom had passed. And we were just trying to find any way to entertain ourselves.

And we freaking got a tarp from his shed. We put Don dish soap all over. We had the hoses running. We had the neighborhood's biggest slip and stuff. slide everyone was it was a blast like we were just trying to find ways to entertain ourselves so Tyler's mom was actually the one who nominated you to be on the bachelorette claire season um and then you did you spent i'm assuming like just months in that quarantine crew um kind of just being there for him what was it like in that house because on instagram and on

ticot we see it was just like looks like fun in games but i'm sure there was a lot of heavy moments as well. Yeah, I wouldn't have gone on the show if it hadn't been for Tyler's mom. She was so adamant about me being part of this experience because she saw what he did for Tyler and the man that he has continued to become into as he dealt with everything that he did with his relationship with Hannah and going out there and putting himself out in the open and airing out a lot of the things that he's probably never spoken about. And I felt like I owed it to her after everything that has.

happened to see it through for her. And who would have thought that I would end up in this position as The Bachelor? But, you know, I was out there for Claire's season in a hotel quarantining, ready to go to the mansion. And that week, everything hit the fan of the country. The NCAA tournament ended. They canceled the Premier League soccer. Like, when I saw these things happen, I'm like, I'm like, how are we going to show with all this other stuff? And then they Simps home. And that time in the house to answer your question, actually, was, it was, it was, it was, it was, it was big because Tyler would never say it, but I think he enjoyed having us around. And I think his, his brothers enjoyed having us around because, you know, when you go through something like that, how do you cope? How do you, how do you, how do you move past that? And you got to surround yourself with people who love you and care about you. And that's what he did. And, um, and ultimately, you know we we drove each other crazy and we had blowups but uh the the culmination of that was just like strengthening of our friendship and and just building a bond that is can't be broken

maybe it was kind of like his mom's the angel just kind of blessed you with that lead role after all of it she had to have something to do with it no one no one miss cameron if she had anything to do with what's taking place that those past six months after coming back from California, it had to have her touch on it because the way that things fell into place, it just couldn't have been anything else but a miracle,

to be honest with you. That's amazing. Imagine that you're on an airplane and all of a sudden you hear this. Attention passengers. The pilot is having an emergency and we need someone, anyone. to land this plane.

Think you could do it? It turns out that nearly 50% of men think that they could land the plane with the help of air traffic control. And they're saying like, okay, pull this, do this, pull that, turn this. It's just... I can do my icecloth.

I'm Manny. I'm Noah. This is Devon. And on our new show, no such thing. We get to the bottom of questions like these. Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence.

Those who lack expertise lack the expertise they need. to recognize that they lack expertise. And then, as we try the whole thing out for real. Wait, what? Oh, that's the run right. I'm looking at this thing. Listen to no such thing on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, my name is Enya Yumanzoor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast. for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD

Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now.

Hola, it's HoneyGerman. And my podcast, Grazacus come again, is back. This season we're going even deeper into the world of music and entertainment with raw and honest conversations with some of your favorite Latin artists and celebrities.

You didn't have to audition? No, I didn't audition. I haven't audition in, like, over 25 years. Oh, wow. That's a real G-talk right there. Oh, yeah. We've got some of the biggest actors, musicians, content creators, and culture shifters

sharing their real stories of failure and success. You were destined to be a start. We talk all about what's viral and trending with a little bit of chisement, a lot of laughs, and those amazing vibras you've come to expect. And, of course, we'll explore deeper, topics dealing with identity, struggles, and all the issues affecting our Latin community.

You feel like you get a little whitewash because you have to do the code switching? I won't say whitewash because at the end of the day, you know, I'm me. Yeah. But the whole pretending and code, you know, it takes a toll on you. Listen to the new season of Grasasas Come Again as part of my Cultura podcast network on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. My name is Ed. Everyone say hello, Ed. Hello, Ed.

I'm from a very rural background myself. My dad is a farmer. and my mom is a cousin, so like, it's not like... What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but that really was my reality nine years ago. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different.

On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one expected to hear. Well, 22nd of July 2015, a 23-year-old man had killed his family. And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage. Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hi, I'm Jenna Lopez, and in the new season of the Overcomber podcast, I'm taking you on an exciting journey of self-reflection. Am I ready to enter this new part of my life? Like, am I ready to be in a relationship? Am I ready to have kids and to really just devote myself and my time? I wanted to be successful on my own, not just because of who my mom is. Like, I felt like I needed to be better or work twice as hard as she did. Join me for conversations about healing and growth. Life is freaking hard. And growth doesn't happen in comfort. It happens in motion, even when you're hurting. All from one of the first of you. of my favorite space is the kitchen honestly these are going to come out so freaking amazing be a part of

my new chapter and listen to the new season of the over comfort podcast as part of the mycultura podcast network on the iHeart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast i want to know when you got the phone call about being the bachelor because i'm not going to toot my own horn, but I'm going to do my own horn. I called it. I told her a week before you were announced, because we were talking about, we were like, who's the next bachelor? And I was like, I think they're just going to pull Matt off Claire's season to make him the bachelor. And so I was right. So was it a buildup? Did you start getting phone calls from producers saying like, hey, we don't

really know what's going to happen, but would you at all be interested? Or was it just one day they called and were like, hey, do you want to be the bachelor? yeah basically it was the latter like I just because I hadn't heard from anybody in a while and I'm just like dang I guess like I'm not going to be going to be headed back to New York getting back to work with commercial real estate and I got a call from a number that I didn't have in my phone hadn't spoke to this person ever and they're like hey I'm so-and-so from whatever you have a second talk to me what how would you feel about being the bachelor and I'm like what I'm not supposed to be on the bachelor and I'm like what I'm not supposed to be on the bachelor's at like what are you talking about and they're just like no like how would you and I thought it was a joke and I'm like no I'm like thank you I'm just like that was a weird call and then the next day I get a call back it's like hey like we talked yesterday like just wanted to make sure that this isn't something that you're actually interested in and I'm like wait are y'all serious and they're like yeah because it was such like a random like I feel like that process is like like you write an essay

you have like your your freaking middle school teacher write your letter of recommendation like I don't know what the process was to applying or being that person so when I was going through it for myself it just seemed like too surreal for it to be that much of a easy flowing thing but I guess they had done their homework for me being on the Bachelorette and it worked out your season more than ever we have gotten asked do the producers make you keep certain girls around for a while because there's no way he wanted to keep Victoria

so I'm not going to ask you that question directly that would be inappropriate however how relieved were you when she left you know to be honest with you Ashley I was reacting to information real time

like when everyone's finding this information out I'm finding it out and you just hope that when you're going through something like this everyone's respectful of one another because when it starts to bleed when your actions starts to affect other people and their mood and their tone and their willingness to be open

and that's when I've got to say something and hop in and was made aware to me that that was going on then it makes my job easier because it's it's something you've got to act on and it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's a tell tell that they can be part of that that journey for you anymore so uh it's unfortunate that that's how people had to leave you know I don't think Anna's a bad person it's a it was a last in judgments it seems and I'm hoping that she could learn from it and going forward

it's not something that she ever has to deal with again yeah because Anna as he notes is definitely not a bad person um we need to um we need to give our other co-host who is not here currently because he's doing a big book tour for his book but he's recorded a couple questions for you so they're going to play that audio let's do it well my first question for you matt is uh you know we we talked way before the season started about how you can control your reaction and you can kind of explain that uh to ashley what we kind of talked about there. But obviously, you know, a headline came out this last week that said, you know, Ben Higgins says Matt James has no clue what's going on. And we talked about that. You know what I meant is that,

hey, when you're as the lead in the house, you don't know all the things happening with the contestants. You don't see it. You don't hear it. You don't experience it. And so until it's brought to your attention, you have no clue what's going on in the house. That's fair. That's just what happens. So my question for you is this. When did you finally find out? that there was a toxic environment going on the house and then as you walk through the next steps to take like how did you process through that what was the right thing to do how are you going to confront it and then were you overwhelmed in that moment did that feel heavy to you was it confusing to you or do you have a pretty clear idea of what you wanted to do that's a great question

thank you ben you've stumped mad that the first thing Ben said, I mean, he's spot on. Whenever, that's part for the course in the world that we're in now is people are going to take your words and they're going to spin them into things that aren't the context that they were meant. And me and Ben talk on a regular basis, and we had a conversation about that. And there was no offense taken to that article because what he was saying was right. Like, I didn't have an idea what was going on in the house, you know? And when I did have an idea is when I acted on it. And that was that following day at the rose ceremony. And to his question about how did you, what steps did you

take in terms of knowing the proper course of action, the biggest thing I wanted to do was I didn't want Anna and Victoria to feel like horrible people. You know, I didn't want to alienate them. I wanted to make sure that you went about this in the right way so that it's a teaching moment and it's not this attack on them because I don't think that's the proper way to go about anything. just in my life, whenever someone's taught me a lesson or whenever someone's brought something to my attention, I've been the most receptive when it's in love. And, you know, that's how I try to approach those conversations, just like making them aware of how they made people feel and that, you know, going forward, that probably isn't the best

way to navigate a relationship. And unfortunately, we don't have that luxury of time to, you know, have that second chance because there's a bunch of deserving women who have done everything the right way who deserve that time. And it honestly wasn't that difficult of a decision, knowing that I have these incredible women who are waiting to get to know me. Well, I'm going to wrap this up by doing something that my mom used to do with us when we were having crushes on people. She said that you can't stay the person that you love's name without smiling. So I'm going to run off some of the girls names that I feel like are going to make your top five-ish and I want to see how straight

of a face you can keep. All right, ready? Hold on, hold on, hold on, man. Yeah, yeah, let me take a deep breath. Let me just say with Ben's voice coming through, did anybody else think that was like the voice of God for a second? Dude, I wasn't in there like, Derek, I'm just like. Yeah, I was like, oh, this is the moment right here. God has spoken to me. All right. You got your smile. out Mike okay Piper

say her name Brey Brie Brie We got a smile Abigail Oh he's Oh he bumped his head

Abigail Oh okay Well smirk Um Rachel Oh he really had to try Dead serious But you know

He had to try too hard there Yeah, he's trying. He's good. Chelsea. Chelsea. Oh, wow. Smile there too. Victoria. The biggest smile of them all.

The biggest smile of them all. We got them. She comes back. All right. Matt, you are a pleasure. You're a pleasure. And we just feel like you handle everything with such great grace and warmth. And we're so proud to call you the.

president of our franchise right now. It's been, no, it's been an honor to be in this position, knowing that, you know, people like yourself and Jared and Ben and Sean have been in similar positions. And all I try to do every week is the best that I can do. And I fall short constantly, but it's been a learning experience. And I'm hoping that it paves the way for people

look like me to be in this position more often so well i think your best is good enough man you're awesome thanks for joining us thank you so much thank you for having me bye hi my name is enya umanzor and i'm drew phillips and we run a podcast called emergency intercom if you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes, yes.

Then Emergency Intercom's the podcast for you. Open your free I-HeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. Imagine that you're on an airplane and all of a sudden you hear this. Attention passengers. The pilot is having an emergency and we need someone. anyone to land this plane. Think you could do it? It turns out that

nearly 50% of men think that they could land the plane with the help of air traffic control. And they're saying like, okay, pull this, do this, pull that, turn this. It's just... I can do my icecloth. I'm Manny. I'm Noah. This is Devin. And on our new show, no such thing.

We get to the bottom of questions like these. Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence. Those who lack expertise lack the expertise they need to recognize that they lack expertise. And then as we try the whole thing out for real. Wait, what? Oh, that's the run right.

I'm looking at this thing. Listen to no such thing on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Super Secret Festi Club podcast season four is here. And we're locked in. That means more juicy cheesement. Terrible love advice. Evil spells to cast on your.

Your ex. No, no, no, we're not doing that this season. Oh. Well, this season, we're leveling up. Each episode will feature a special bestie, and you're not going to want to miss it. Get in here. Today, we have a very special guest with us. Our new super secret bestie is The Diva of the People.

The Diva of the People. I'm just like, text your ex. My theory is that if you need to figure out that the stove is hot, go and touch it. Go and figure it out for yourself. Okay. That's us. We're in the head. That's us.

My name is Curley And I'm Maya In each episode We'll talk about love, friendship Heartbreaks, men And of course, our favorite secrets Listen to the Super Secret Bestie Club As a part of the My Cultura

Podcast Network available On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hola, it's HoneyGerman And my podcast, Grasias Come Again, is back. This season, we're going even deeper into the world of music and entertainment With raw and honest conversations with some of your favorite Latin artists and celebrities.

You didn't have to audition? No, I didn't audition. I haven't audition in like over 25 years. Oh, wow. That's a real G-talk right there. Oh, yeah. We've got some of the biggest actors, musicians, content creators, and culture shifters sharing their real stories of failure and success.

You were destined to be a start. We talk all about what's viral and trending with a little bit of chisement, a lot of laughs and those amazing Vibras you've come to expect. And of course, we'll explore deeper topics dealing with identity, struggles, and all the issues affecting our Latin community. You feel like you get a little whitewash because you have to do the code switching? I won't say whitewash because at the end of the day, you know, I'm me. But the whole pretending and code, you know, it takes a toll on you.

Listen to the new season of Grasasas Come Again as part of My Cultura Podcast Network on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose between a maximum security prison or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth? Unfortunately for Mark Lombardo, this was the choice he faced. He said, you are a number, a New York state number, and we own you. Shock incarceration, also known as boot camps, are short-term, highly regimented correctional programs that mimic military basic training.

These programs aimed to provide a shock of prison life, emphasizing strict discipline, physical training, hard labor, and rehabilitation programs. Mark had one chance to complete this program and had no idea of the hell awaiting him the next six months. The first night was so overwhelming, and you don't know who's next to you. And we didn't know what to expect in the morning. Nobody tells you anything. Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Well, I guess it's only appropriate that I wrap this interview up because who the hell knows when I'm going to be on Almost Famous again.

This is my last chance to plug Help I Suck It Dating, another I Heart Radio podcast with myself and Dean Ungler as the host. So if you're ever looking for just like a little casual dating talk, some laughs and living and loving, check out Help I Suck a Dating. You can find it wherever you listen to your podcast, which is right now. I thought that you would wrap up with, like, talking about whether your fan boy dreams were achieved. I know. I kind of did fan boy a little bit over Matt. Dude, he's just awesome. He's so endearing.

And I forgot to ask him the most important question of all, which is I'm curious if he invested invested in GameStop this past week. But I'm glad that we were able to talk to him for a while. He's just an awesome, awesome guy. And I love him in Tyler's friendship. I remember first watching the quarantine crew. being almost like we thought they're a fratty yeah and it was like oh what is this what's going on they're like always have their shirts off but learning more and more not to say having your shirts off is terrible but like as someone who who doesn't have six you know as a guy it's a little jealous

yeah it's like i want to look like those dudes put a shirt on you're embarrassing me um but learning more and more about their friendship i i i just love it i love tyler and matt's friend friendship and everything it represents and it's it's cool it's just really cool and i love that math's the bachelor and i not i don't want to put down previous bachelors but it feels like it's been a little while since we've had someone like matt as the lead who's like not not because i'm pure but like put together you know i mean like he's a man you know like matt's a man yeah Jared's smiling while saying this. Yeah.

I like, you know, I don't know how it's, because I don't want to put down other people and that's not my intention. It's just, it shows how much I love Matt as the lead. Like that dude is a,

he's a man. Yes, he has women and men just kind of being like, that's what I'd want to be with or that's what I'd want to be. Oh, totally. Yeah. So we're just wishing him the best of luck.

and it was really cool talking to it for a while. All right. So you know how we sign off on this show? I've been Jared. Good job. I don't know why I said it twice. Apparently, I've been really Jared. Say it three times. I've been Jared.

I've been Mr. Ashley I. You guys, that's the actual name of his business. And I've been Ashley. Ikenetti Haven. Bye, guys. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcast on IHart Radio, or subscribe wherever you listen to podcast.

Hi, my name is Enya Eumanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes, yes.

Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom. and listen now. Every case that is a cold case that has DNA. Right now in a backlog will be identified in our lifetime. On the new podcast, America's Crime Lab, every case has a story to tell. And the DNA holds the truth.

He never thought he was going to get caught. And I just looked at my computer screen. I was just like, ah, got you. This technology's already solving so many cases. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Everyone thinks they'd never join a cult. But it happens all the time to people just like you.

And people just like us. I'm Lola Blanc. And I'm Megan Elizabeth. We're the host of Trust Me, a podcast about cults, manipulation, and the psychology of belief. Each week we talk to fellow survivors, former believers, and experts

to understand why people get pulled in and how they get out. Trust me, new episodes every Wednesday on Exactly Right. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Let's start with a quick puzzle. The answer is Ken Jennings' appearance on The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs. The question is, what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land? Jeopardy-truthers believe in...

I guess they would be conspiracy theorists. That's right. To give you the answers and you still blew it. The Puzzler. Listen on the iHeart radio app, Apple Puzzler. or wherever you get your podcasts. What would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose between a maximum security prison or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth? Unfortunately from Mark Lombardo, this was the choice he faced.

He said, you are a number, a New York State number, and we own you. Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast.