The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Why Did We Break Up?

Episode Date: September 19, 2025

Ashley is teaming up with Producer Heather to break down the latest Bachelor Nation headlines!Grant and Juliana have broken up, but the drama continues! Find out the latest in their back-and-forth.Mel Owens faces his controversial comments before his season of The Golden Bachelor premieres. AND… Jenn Tran has a new guy! Who could it be??See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hey, everybody. This is Matt Rogers. And Bowen-Yang. And you're never going to guess who's our guest on Las Culturistas. It is Elle Woods, Tracy Flick, herself. Reese Witherspoon. It must go in a girl's trip.

I have to have a tequila. We must. Oh. Whoever said orange is the new pink. We seriously disturbs. Listen to Los Angeles. culturalistas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jorge Ramos.

And I'm Paola Ramos. Together we're launching The Moment, a new podcast about what it means to live through a time, as uncertain as this one. We sit down with politicians, artists, and activists to bring you death and analysis from a unique Latino perspective. The Moment is a space for the conversations we've been having us, father and daughter, for years. Listen to The Moment with Jorge Ramos and Paola Ramos. on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Introducing IVF disrupted, the Kind Body story, a podcast about a company that promised to revolutionize fertility care. It grew like a tech startup.

While Kind Body did help women start families, it also left behind a stream of disillusioned and angry patients. You think you're finally like in the right hands. You're just not. Listen to IVF Disrupted, the Kind Body Story, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The murder of an 18-year-old girl in Graves County, Kentucky, went unsolved for years, until a local housewife, a journalist, and a handful of girls came forward with a story. America, y'all better work the hell up. Bad things happens to good people and small. Towns. Listen to Graves County on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And to binge the entire season ad free, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. This is the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts with IHartRadio. Hey guys, welcome to the Almost Famous Podcast. Today, we are breaking down headlines. Ben and my schedule, I tell you, has been all over the place. We have not been aligning lately much the past few months, and we are sorry about that. We're working on it. But today it is me doing headlines with our producer, Heather again. And I hope you guys enjoyed last week's headlines.

We had a good time together. And we plan on doing it again right now. Our first headline of the week, ooh, it's a little juicy. Juliana, who I'm sorry to Juliana. A.k.a. Grant's ex. I don't know how to say your last name. Pascarosa? It is a beautiful last name. Pascarosa, right? Why do I always try to avoid saying it? Well, she recently, as they say in the article, slammed her ex-fiance. You guys, I have such a problem when the tabloids or like any form of news says so-and-so, slam so-and-so, because usually it's not as vicious as they try to make it sound. But man, it's a good clickbait right there. During a recent Instagram Q&A, Grant was asked multiple times with the status of he and Giuliana's relationship. It's like, well, guys, you know, they are broken up. But these people want to know whether or not they're still talking.

And he said, well, it's a difficult question. When two people make a commitment, I feel like they're supposed to do everything they can to try to make it work. But, you know, that wasn't the case. I guess we just weren't meant for each other. Now I kind of understand why she slammed him. he was also asked about why the couple ended their engagement and he said i don't fully know but there were some issues and we just couldn't make it work so then juliana she has a very different answer as to why they they broke up she said this on instagram story in response

we have talked after the breakup multiple times he reached out to my family and friends multiple times they've always responded that means what do you mean okay thank you i'm like what does that i was like trying to uh break down an acronym there what do you mean i didn't try i stayed even when i felt unloved she continues to say he also knows why we broke up he just doesn't want you to know why and fun very very good very very good entertainment for us i again again I'm sorry it didn't work out between the two of them but this was not a surprise and the way that Grant handles himself

on social media with all these oh you know I don't really know and like without like a much feeling attached to it all personally I wonder how long until he deletes this off of Instagram because that tends to be the thing he does he did it on our page

then deleted it so he kind of is known for that too I will say for my fellow millennials is this not giving you know what you did you know what you did does this ring a bell Ashley oh my gosh no what the iconic fight between Elsie and Heidi oh okay so here's the issue I never watched Laguna Beach or the Hill the Hills Ashley I know this is sinful here's why I don't love um teen drama like that's script that's unscripted because it just makes me feel very uncomfortable because I was like never an angsty teenager and I like didn't want to have fights with friends and

so watching that just makes me feel like I'm in a place where I always try to avoid I got you well I commend you but for anybody listening that does remember the hills you know what you did that is what the whole thing remind me of Well, you know what, Juliana, you know that we welcome you if you ever want to talk about what he did. We would love to hear all about it. Our next headline, Golden Bachelor Mel Owens talks about the backlash that he got about his ageist comment. We're calling it a gaff now. A gaff is a mistake in something that is a mistake in speech. I think this was more of his truth and it just wasn't really well suited for his position. But here we go. The show has been

filmed and now he's talking about entrances. He says that he's been apologizing ever since and that he will expect to see him get grilled by 23 women that are competing now for his heart, only one of which is under 60. He said, if you guys don't remember, that he had no interest in dating someone over the age of 60, but now he's got 22 of them. So he says that there is one contestant who's opening comment, he remembers vividly. She says, yeah, I heard about what you said about the women. What the F are you talking about? Oh, she said puck because this is a hockey playing contestant. She goes, what the puck are you talking about? And he says that he estimates that he apologized over 20 times in the first episode to groups and individuals he goes it's good

because I did deserve it and I had to deal with it and I had to explain to them sincerely in order to get another chance from them and they could or could not have accepted his apology but they did he also said um I wasn't thinking about who these women actually were when you see them you don't think of age. I had no idea how old they were and it didn't matter. He also says that he's a newbie to social media and he was quickly alerted to when he said this stupid thing by a female friend. She's my age. She said 65 at the time and she was, she called me up and she said, what are you doing? And I said that I had made a mistake. And she goes, yeah, you're going to have to reconcile this one. And she made me realize that I was just out of bounds. Okay. Well,

Can I just say, obviously, nobody agrees with his comments and that's not what the Golden Bachelor is here to represent. But I will say that after this first episode airs next week, I'm over this topic. I don't want to hear this guy complain the entire, sorry, not complain. I don't want to hear this guy apologize for the entire season. I hope we kick it in the first episode and we move past this because I'm over it. Yeah, I will be forever thinking it. I have. to admit i will be forever thinking it but i don't want to forever hear it and i honest i'd have no problem if he said these things if he wasn't the golden bachelor who's supposed to date 60 plus year old women if that's not your type okay we're fine the fact that he said that in this role

was just like ugh uh uh uh but guys if you want to watch the bachelor the golden bachelor premiere it is on Wednesday. This coming Wednesday, it is September 24th, and we'll be breaking it all down, of course, and we're going to probably do a Golden Bachelor Fantasy League. So if you want to take a look at all those profiles and join in the fun, please do that. It seems like our former bachelorette, our last one, before our new one, which we'll talk about in a little bit. Jen Tran is soft launching a new relationship. As you guys know, she was dating her partner from Dancing with the Stars, Sasha Farber, for a while. It's been, it's been confirmed for a couple months now that they split. But Jen has updated her life on social media and she posted a picture of

herself hugging a tall mystery man in front of an elevator while he holds. her purse for her and the fans of course commented somebody going um your story oh my god happy for you girl and another person said but who is in your story and a few uh followers speculated that this person could be could be fellow bachelor nation star and contestant of hers jonathan johnson somebody said oh my god is that jonathan in the stories what do you think let me click here and see this picture now because i have a i have a i don't know i will say i don't really know skin tone kind of on par booty kind of on par he's got a good booty it's something i have noticed i don't think it's him the hair is hard to tell from here why do you why why why do you not

I don't think it's him. I don't think it's him because no shade to Jonathan. I think he will admit he's, what is he called himself a medium king? He says he's a medium king. He says he's like 5.10. And I'm like, okay, this could be 5.10 if she's not wearing heels. Because I think she's pretty tiny. But we saw him at the Paradise Reunion that we were taping. And I just don't think, and I've met Jen, too. And I just don't, the height difference to me, I'm like, this is somebody taller. This is what I think it's somebody taller. I agree that like he's hunching down quite a bit and she's like on her tiptoes in this picture. Yeah.

Oh, but man, would we love that to happen? We would love it. So much. All right. We'll keep following. I'm sure she will continuously be teasing us. One person also said that she might be dating Spanish tennis player. Carlos Alcara's. Do you know who that is?

No. Oh, he just won the U.S. Open. Oh, I mean, if that's who it is, Jen. I know. Yeah. I don't know. I feel like he looks taller to me based on these photos. He looks taller to me, and I would bet I would put my money more towards this than Jonathan. Okay. That's just me.

I just hope it's like, I mean, I'm sorry, for our own entertainment. I hope it's something that we know of. Yeah, of course. Okay. Next headline is Kit Keenan, who we know from Matt James' season, walked in her mom, Cynthia Raleigh's fashion show during Fashion Week, and I think it was the perfect fit because she walked in a dress that was covered in engagement rings. It's really cute.

She looks like a perfect natural model. No one would be like, oh, she's on the runway because her mom. No, she looks so freaking fantastic. So Kit is now 26 years old Because on Matt's season She was a young one She's 21 or 22 on Matt season And now she has a boyfriend

And her mom She said I think my mom was trying to send a message To my boyfriend with this dress Because it's covered in engagement rings Diamonds are a girl's best friend And that's why I'm wearing this But yeah she looks amazing

And good for her She has stayed pretty in the loop With Bachelor stuff being that she was only on, I think, the one season. Hey, everybody, this is Matt Rogers. And Bowen Yang. And you're never going to guess who's our guest on Los Culturistas. It is Bradley Jackson, Elle Woods, Tracy Flick herself.

Reese Witherspoon. Grace, it must go in a girl's trip. I have to have a tequila. We must. Oh! The Q rating. C rating. When they run diagnostic on you guys.

I'd be scared. I'll run the Q rating. No, on the Q rating on us. My resiliency score is down to adequate because we were on a red eye. My resiliency score. My grit. I got to get my grit score up. Now, don't think that you're going to come out Los Culture East.

That's the podcast. And we're not going to at least bring up Big Little Lies season three. Whoever said orange. It's the new pink. We seriously disturbs. Listen to Las Culturistas on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jorge Ramos. And I'm Paola Ramos.

Together we're launching The Moment, a new podcast about what it means to live through a time, as uncertain as this one. We sit down with politicians. I would be the first immigrant mayor in generations, but 40% of New Yorkers were born outside of this country. Artists and activists, I mean, do you have? ever feel demoralized. I might personally lose hope. This individual might lose the faith, but there's an institution that doesn't lose faith.

And that's what I believe in. To bring you depth and analysis from a unique Latino perspective. There's not a single day that Paola and I don't call or text each other, sharing news and thoughts about what's happening in the country. This new podcast will be a way to make that ongoing intergenerational conversation public. Listen to The Moment with Jorge Ramos and Paola Ramos as part of the MyCultura Podcast Network on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

My name is Ed. Everyone say 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. On 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. I started trying to get pregnant about four years ago now. We're getting a little bit older, and it just kind of felt like the window could be closing. Bloomberg and IHeart Podcasts present. IVF disrupted, the kind body story. A podcast about a company that promised to revolutionize fertility care. Introducing Kind Body, a new generation of women's health and fertility care.

Backed by millions in venture capital and private equity, it grew like a tech startup. While Kind Body did help women start families, it also left behind a stream of disillusioned and angry patients. You think you're finally like with the right people in the right hands and then to find out again that you're just not. Don't be fooled. by what? All the bright and shiny.

Listen to IVF disrupted, the kind body story, starting September 19 on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is a tape recorder statement. The person being interviewed is Krista Gail Pike. This is in regards to the death of a Colleen slimmer. She started going off on me, and I hit her. I just hit her and hit her and hit her and hit her. On a cold January day in 1995, 18-year-old Krista Pike killed 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in the woods of Knoxville, Tennessee.

Since her conviction, Krista has been sitting on death row. The state has asked for an execution date for Krista. We let people languish in prison for decades, raising questions about who we consider fundamentally unrestorable. How does someone prove that they deserve to live? We are starting the recording now. Please state your first and last name. Krista Pike. Listen to Unrestorable Season 2, Proof of Life.

On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Escape to the coast at the Portofino Hotel in Marina in Redondo Beach. Wake up to sweeping ocean views. Then dine by the marina at the bow. Lean Kitchen, where fresh flavors meet stunning waterfront views. At the dockside Adventure Center, rent a kayak, or a paddleboard, or hop on a complimentary bike for a ride along the coast. Now through December 31st, IHeart listeners receive complimentary self-parking and a $50

resort credit with promo code IHeart. Visit Hotel Portafino.com to book or call 800-4684292. Bachelor in Paradise's James Bonsal announces that he is engaged. You guys may remember him. He was definitely a fan favorite. We all love James. But I will say that when I first saw this headline, I was like, who? And then you see his picture.

He's the one with a really bright blue eyes. He's the one that people would make fun of because his hair was so Ken-like, so slicked back and hard-looking. But he was so sweet. And he was good friends with Aaron. And you know him from Katie's season. He was on Bachelor in Paradise twice. And he got engaged at the Hotel Coronado recently. He was from San Diego guy.

And congratulations to him. Have you ever been to that hotel? Yes, I have been. It's so pretty. And we went because it's apparently very haunted. And my sister wanted to go for her birthday. I was going to ask you, it's haunted. Did you experience any paranormal activity?

No. We didn't, but she, like, kept her EVP reader on her phone all day long. I think she may have requested the room, like the very haunted room. It was a fun time, though. It was like, you can feel the eerieness of it. There's, like, crazy stories from there. But it's like everybody in Southern California is, like, favorite place to, like, have a aesthetic vacation.

It is beautiful. Totally beautiful. Yeah, I've never been there, but really gorgeous pictures and his video announcement was really cute. Yes. He's, he's, he's a good guy. Um, another bachelor news. We have Kelly Travis from mom Pablo season, giving birth to her third baby.

His, um, she had her first son, Henry in 2018 and then daughter Josephine in 2020. And her husband, Hunter Ham, um, they got married in 20, 6, in 2016. Yeah, they've been together for a long time. But Kelly was the one that you know from Juan Pablo season, uh, season who brought her dog. and that was what a special treat that was and our final headline of the day Whitney Leave it and Jen Affleck from the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives

they are hyping their girl up Frankie Taylor Frankie Paul for the new bachelorette season I remember Frankie Taylor had said on a couple podcasts like she wasn't sure if there'd be any like jealousy surrounding this but the girls are saying she's going to crush it I know so many people that are going to tune in

I know I am and I haven't watched The Bachelor in a long time. Leavitt also said that I think someone that really recognizes her resilience and the woman that she is and doesn't take advantage for it is going to be the perfect kind of guy for her. And then Jen Affleck, who is currently on Dancing with the Stars, said she definitely has a type. And whoever makes her happy is who we're hoping will be there. Did you see the video from the Dancing with the Stars premiere? because Taylor was obviously there this week, you know, rooting on Whitney and Jen, but we also got to see her having kind of a little moment with fellow bachelorette Hannah Brown. They were like hugging and chit-chatting.

And if you remember, last week when it was announced, Taylor said she had watched Hannah's season. That was one that she had watched in the past. So it was really cute little moment to see the two of them connecting. Wow. Hulu and ABC are really, you know, making a full circle moment here. I can't believe that they have two girls from the Mormon wives on Dancing with the Stars. And then they have their Bachelorette as also a cast member.

That's why the question of like, would it, would there be jealousy and all that? Like, that's why she was saying that because. Of course, because like, that's a huge lead role. Dancing with the Stars is an ensemble though, but I'm sure these girls are also like, I mean, They're on Dancing with the Stars. That's huge. Huge. The girls who haven't gotten the opportunities yet,

they're going to be like, okay, so where is my additional show? Exactly, exactly. I'm sure that their ironclad contracts also probably wouldn't allow them to do something like Special Forces or traders or anything like that right now. Exactly. Exactly. All right.

Well, guys, thank you so much for tuning in to headlines. We will have more next week. and I am going to be with the I-Heart family at a Jonas concert in San Francisco. So stay tuned for those episodes, which you know I will jonify the crap out of. Until then, we love you. I've been Ashley.

And I've been Heather. Bye. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts on IHart Radio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Hey, everybody, this is Matt Rogers. And Bowen Yang. And you're never going to guess

who's our guest on Las Culturistas. It is L. Woods, Tracy Flick herself. Reese Witherspoon. Louise, it must go in a girl's trip. I have to have a tequila. We must. Whoever said orange is the new pink. We seriously disturbs.

Listen to Lascauturistas on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jorge Ramos. And I'm Paola Ramos. Together we're launching The Moment. a new podcast about what it means to live through a time as uncertain as this one. We sit down with politicians, artists, and activists to bring you death and analysis from a unique Latino perspective. The moment is a space for the conversations we've been having us, father and daughter, for years. Listen to The Moment with Jorge Ramos and Paola Ramos on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 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 print is? a 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. Introducing IVF disrupted, the Kind Body Story, a podcast about a company that promised to revolutionize fertility care. It grew like a tech startup. While Kind Body did help women start families,

it also left behind a stream of disillusioned and angry patients. You think you're finally like in the right hand. You're just not. Listen to IvyF Disrupted, the Kind Body Story, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The murder of... of an 18-year-old girl in Graves County, Kentucky, went unsolved for years,

until a local housewife, a journalist, and a handful of girls came forward with a story. America, y'all better work the hell up. Bad things happens to good people in small towns. Listen to Graves County on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And to binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.