The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Why Do Men Date Younger Women After Divorce? We Got The Answer!

Episode Date: August 27, 2026

The men are taking over! Brian Austin Green, Bob Guiney, and Mr. Right are giving you the male perspective on your burning questions - and there is no sugarcoating going on here! Why do men tend to date younger after divorce? Is it ever OK to date your ex’s friend after you split? What are the rules for dating when you’re separated vs. divorced? They are covering it all!  Email us at: [e-mail] or call us at 844-4-I Do Pod (844-443-6763)Follow I Do, Part 2 on Instagram and TikTokSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Behind every night spent making the kids' lunches, there's a lot of suspense. Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pastos survive the first bite? Will the lunchbox come home empty, half full, or come home at all?

And will you finish episode 8 before you're done slicing the cucumbers? Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with Craved Netflix and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on Internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.ca for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. Hey, this is Hayes Davenport. And Sean Clements.

We host the podcast, Hollywood Handbook. Each week, we talk to someone in show business and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us. Everyone has a good time, and no one gets mad at their publicists for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman, Adam Scott, Danny McBride, Ben Stillard,

and a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the IHeartRadio app, podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. On the new podcast Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B.

I'm Julie Pinero and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word Solita, trading the pity for possibility. Listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Munges Chitigler, and I'm back with a new season of my podcast, Skyline Drive. This time I talk to scientists, biopunks, cremogens, blues owners, super seniors, and Goa's top cryotherapy lab to try to understand this obsession with living forever and what it means for all of us.

And I get into a bit of trouble along the way. I'd say probably start bone smashing. That doesn't work. To make it look more defined. I say it works. I don't know. Listen to Skyline Drive, How to Live Forever, on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Welcome back to another episode of I do Part 2. This is a cool one.

I'm excited about this one. I'm your celebrity mentor, Brian Austin Green. And today, the guys are taking over, which is, this is a big deal. We don't get to do this very often. A lot of women here. So guys' perspective is really fun. I'm here with Bachelor Nations Bob Guinea. Bob, what's going on, brother?

What's up, Brian? Good to see you, buddy. And our resident real life single guy, Mr. Wright. Okay, so we're all divorced. We're in different chapters of our lives. And today we're going to answer some questions and we're going to give our honest takes. You can always call us at 84444-4-4-3

or you can send us an email. All the info is in the show notes. What do you say, guys? You say we jump into these? Let's get into it. I'm excited. Cool. Right on.

This first one is a voicemail from Brittany. Hi. My name's Brittany and I am on my second marriage. I did a lot of work on myself and, you know, I've been in therapy. I understand the benefits of therapy and I made it a priority in my life. I'm now in a long-term relationship with a man who is divorced and he, He's never been to therapy, and I really think he needs it. I really think everybody needs it.

So how do I get him to understand that therapy is a good thing and not a weakness, and it's a good tool to have? Help me. Thank you. Okay. I definitely have an opinion on that. Either of you two want to go first? I'll take this one.

Okay. A little scared, a little scared, but I'll take it. Don't be, don't be scared. I will say, you know, I think therapy is a very personal choice, right? So, like, at the end of the day, I think if, you know, it worked for Brittany, that's great. You know, and at the end of the day, if the guy that she's with, you know, didn't feel like therapy was for him, you got to respect that part of it. But at the end of the day, Brittany's saying, I feel like he needs it, right? So clearly they're going through something.

Well, I think she's saying that he doesn't do. it at all, right? That he's never, doesn't think he needs it. So he's never even really given it a shot. Yeah. And I'll say this, man. I'm, I'm a Midwestern boy, right? So when I got divorced, I was like, therapy, shmerepe. We started going to marriage counseling, actually, first, and the marriage counselor ended up becoming my therapist. And I loved it. And quite honestly, I got so much out of it more so than I ever anticipated. And, you know, I think at the end of the day, it was a huge benefit for me. Look, I mean, at the end of the day, I think we all, you know, we've all been, been there. Even if you want to get divorced or you don't want to

get divorced, it sucks. You got feelings that are tied up in that and talking to somebody who isn't related to you or doesn't have, you know, an ax to grind is kind of a nice thing to have. So I'm all for it. But I think the question was about not only going to therapy, but the question was like suggesting it. And I would just be cautious because the suggestion to a guy therapy is like suggesting to a girl a treadmill. Like you might have the best intentions in mind, but it's the interpretation of that. Which is exactly why he didn't want his name listed at the front of this. If you guys want to sugarcoat it, that's fine.

But I'm just telling you how things sound to other people. And again, like suggesting something like therapy can sound like, hey, there is something wrong with you. You need to go get that fixed. Right. And you're not doing it on your own. So you need help. And so you have to be very delicate because it's a very personal thing.

And the first reaction is to get defensive. The first reaction thing, okay, I thought I was, what's wrong with me? Right. Right. So I think if you're going to, you're just going to be careful on how you approach it. Yeah. I think it's a fine, there's a fine line. There's a detail to like make sure you pay attention to of what's worked for you

and what you're just suggesting because it worked for you compared to something that is really needed. Like, you know, are you guys in a place where you feel like, God, we're really sort of missing each other on a lot of what we're talking about. And we need more of a mediator. We need somebody that is sort of middle ground to hear both sides and help us come together. Or is it just, you know, I've dated people before that are like, that swear by therapy. So right away, they're like, hey, we should go in and start.

It's like, I'm nowhere near ready for, like, I, we're fine. Yeah. Like I'm fine. I've gotten to a point in my own life where I can sort of self, you know, deal with these things on my own. Like I've learned tools to deal with these. So therapy isn't necessarily something that I feel that we're missing. I think, so I think that that is the natural conversation to have is like, you know, do you feel like we're missing something? And if you do, then let's talk about what you feel like we're missing. And if we still are two ships that are that are passing each other on this, then, yeah, let's talk about going in somewhere and maybe

gaining some tools from somebody. That's good, Brian. I think that's really smart. I think that's a really slippery slope. You know, I think that can be misconstrued easily. Like, hey, so what are you saying? Like, I'm fucked up. Yeah.

Like something's wrong. I mean, even, I mean, like, even as, think of Sopranos, if you watch that, that, that, that series Sopranos, hit, you know, Tony Soprano, the lead character, this big macho guy goes into a therapist and everyone sees it as weakness. And it's a stigma. And again, I went to marriage counseling, but see a therapist. I've done the whole thing. So I'm not saying that's the case. But there's just a stigma around it. So I think that it's important to maybe let the, let your partner find themselves there, find them agreeing as opposed to saying, you need to go to therapy. We're not right. This is wrong. If there's a way to go and kind of like have that conversation where it's not directing towards it, but presenting it as a potential solution, I think is there's a delicate, I don't know, about. to it. Yeah, I think I think the key is like having a conversation about it beforehand, having being willing to have a real conversation about it, like get down into it and go and talk about why you feel you, you know, something is missing and how it would help and really getting

into the weeds on that. And then if it's, if you guys, I think both come to the conclusion that therapy is a great next step, then you do, then you do that. But don't, don't push for it. if it's something, if there's stuff going on that can be resolved just amongst the two of you, I think if he shows resistance to it, that's a, that's a tough thing to get into. Yeah, or just save like $250 an hour and just have more sex. But that's the other, that's a professional opinion that I heard one time in the back of a magazine. We're going to get into some emails. I got to say, like I, it's really.

hard doing this sometimes. Like, I wish that Brittany was actually live on the phone with us so we could have a conversation with her and we can ask her some questions and pick her brain a little bit before we just give advice because advice is tricky. I don't know all of the details. I only know her side in the voicemail that she left. But now it's getting even harder because we're just going straight into emails. which, you know, people tend to write even less than they speak.

This first one is anonymous. Okay, seriously, is anyone dating their own age? If I want to find a guy I need to date someone 10 years younger, I've been divorced for seven years, and all the guys I meet only seem to date majority younger women. You're looking in the wrong pool. It depends. Like, if you want something serious, stop, you know, stop going to my advice.

stop going on dating apps and meeting guys that only seem to want to date younger because there are a large number of men that do not want to date younger that are in that place in their life where they want something real, you know, that they're looking for something to somebody to really add to their lives. So that's, it's a big ocean, man. It's a big, it's a big pool to be dating in. And so maybe you're going to the wrong way. MCA, you know. I mean, but, I mean, let's call a spade of spade. I mean, if you were to just go and generalize, you would say that divorced guys tend to date younger girls. And I think that that's, I mean, that's just sort of because there is something that, you know, that they're looking

for that they didn't obviously get from their, their partner or their partner didn't get from them. And so it's a little bit like, you know, if you've made a mistake, why make the same mistake again, so try something different. And again, I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but it certainly is a pattern. And, you know, sometimes it works and sometimes it does it just like every other dating category. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. But I think the initial reaction for any guy that's getting out of a long-term relationship, you know, aka marriage, is to try something different, something that is foreign to them, something that they may have missed. Do you feel, though, like different sometimes is something that is easier and less serious.

That is something because I was married for a while and like we were really in this together and it got serious. It wasn't just fun in games at this point. So now that I'm out of this, I just want something fun and easy going. I don't like I don't want to have to do the work necessarily. So I'm looking for someone younger because I just want to play. I just want to. It's been serious for however many years.

I just want to have fun. I want someone that just laughs and doesn't have the responsibilities the same way. 100%. Because then, again, it's that thing of like, what are you looking for? If you're looking for a real relationship, if you're looking to really get into something with someone, you've got to find someone that has gone through that stage of being single after a long-term thing. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Like, to me, I think it's really valuable when you get out of something. long term to find yourself again and to find the fun in in in yourself that you may have lost that you may have compartmentalized because you wanted this marriage to work and you know the and that with kids and the responsibilities became something um something different but now you're out of that so you want to so go through that but once you get to the point where you want something real, then you've got to maybe change the scope in the direction that you're looking. I think you nailed that. I honestly, I was thinking about myself, you know, and you can only go from your own personal

experiences, but I think you really nailed that, Brian, because initially, when I came out of my divorce, I only was like, I'm never getting married again. I'm just going to have fun. You know, and so I was gravitating to people who were a little less at that point where they're looking for marriage, right? And then ultimately ended up marrying someone who was younger than me, but was it just at that stage more mature and everything. It's just, you know, it wasn't like I was looking for it.

And so I think, I think you're absolutely right. I think, I think it seems that people are dating younger because maybe they are just trying to have fun, less committed, just enjoying their time. But then, you know, if they find the right person, it doesn't matter what age they are, right? I mean, as long as straight legal, of course. So there is, so there is this, this sort of like connotation between, you know, guys, you know, like my age, you know, divorced. and dating somebody in my same category,

there is this idea that another person may want to get married right away. And so if you're dating somebody that is also of your same age and same situation, whether this is true or not, I think there's sort of a connotation, yes, they're going to want to get married right away or they're going to want to have a serious relationship right away or whatever. Whereas dating younger, just to Brian's point earlier, where it's like, okay, this is more, this is looser, this is more fun,

this is not as serious, and you're able to go and do this. that. And if you bounce around from, you know, one younger person to another younger person, they don't have some of the same responsibilities. They don't have the same tie downs. And they mean, you know, kids and life and all these things that you might feel more responsible and guilty for dating short term. I think it's easier with somebody younger. And that can go for both for men or women. I think there's something easier and less, I think, I don't know, less heavy about dating somebody that's younger than you. I think it can be deceiving though. Like you can end up in a situation with someone that's younger, but they're only, they're only young for so long. And then they start

getting to the age where they, you know, they want to have kids and they want to settle down a little bit. And then maybe they get pregnant. And then all of a sudden it's like, oh, man, okay, now I'm with a woman that is completely different from the girl that I started dating before. And like it is a it's a natural progression for everyone and then and then i think like do you jump ship again and you go no i want something easy again like this is you know the like it's this has become too responsible and i i don't want to deal with this again so let me go into something that's easy like how how long do you do that in life before you go okay you know what it's it's it's time to put my big boy pants on and you know and sit down and realize that like i my time of fun and

play is done. Like now it's time to pass the torch. Yeah, dating in relationships are two different things. I think we just have to like make sure we separate those things. Because if you go on a date with somebody, doesn't mean you want a relationship with them yet. Sure. Maybe it happens later on. But I think, you know, commonly, if you were just generally, you see, you know, that men and

women go and will date differently than what they were married to. They will seek something different because what they had wasn't working. Now, ultimately, they might find themselves migrating back to what's comfortable and what's known and maybe they have a better set of tools to deal with, you know, that situation going forward just because of their mature and they have the experience. But I think that, you know, for the first, you know, period, whether that's a year or 18 months or two years or five years, kind of all bets are off. And I think that that is more of an exploratory time. For sure. Mr. Wright, has that been your experience? Are you speaking from, you know, from your personal experience so far or how's that

going? Yeah. I mean, it's, it's funny. Like perspective right now is like, you know, I was, I was married for a long time, three beautiful kids. Like, you know, life was, you know, was amazing. That version of my life was, you know, the best. Yeah. And then it wasn't. And then so the idea of going right back into the version of my life that wasn't great is tough. Yeah.

Going back to the part of my life that was great and all those memories that we had together and all those things. That was a long, that was a while ago. Yeah. So there is this sort of, I don't know, there's like, there's the part of me that says, I want to seek out that time in my life. when it was fun and it was exciting and it was, you know, it was new and we were taking on the world. Yeah. And so maybe over time it comes back to where, you know, I, you know, I come back to

where I am now, I suppose. But, but, but, but, you know, it's, it's, it's something that you kind of seek out. You seek out something exciting, new, different. And, and hopefully it, you know, it satisfies something that hasn't been satisfied in a long time. I got really lucky. Like, I, I, I ended up with someone who is a great mixture of both. She is unbelievable with the kids. Like she just has the schedules and the stuff down. And like it's really, it's a focus for her. But at the same time, we have this rule of going on adventures and doing these things and

taking these times for ourselves and really having fun and enjoying those times. And I think, you know, you can find both. I think it's really you being in a mind state, like in a place where you have healed enough to go, okay, I'm all right with both things. I got to a point where I was like, okay, I don't want to just play anymore. Like, I'm, you know, at my age, second half of my life, like I don't, I'm all about building my legacy and being the person that I want to be and I don't want to be the guy that's too young in the club and going out. Like, I don't want to be that dude.

But it's just a choice for me. But it is, dating when you're out of something can be a sticky situation. Yeah, it is, and there's this like image that my buddies have talked about when, when there's a guy that's, you're like a wounded animal, you know, and you're not quite yourself. You know, you're like, you're just, you're out of sorts and you're coming out of something. and you still, you know, you still feel like you're a, you know, big, strong person, but like you're wounded. You're not, yeah, you're not, you're not nearly as strong as you think. No. And a lot of it's bravado.

A lot of it's, you know, and that's why I bought a yellow cordy-gervet convertible just to make up for it. Fair. Okay. Perfect. There you go. Behind every night spent making the kids lunches, there's a lot of suspense. Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pastos survive the first bite?

Will the lunchbox come home empty, half full, or come home at all? And will you finish episode 8 before you're done slicing the cucumbers? Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with craved Netflix and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.ca for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months. I survived and I've spent my life.

exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the Survivor Files. I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying, shut up. Don't say anything. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable. I knew if he woke up, without a doubt, he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed, and I just started screaming.

They are abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. But these aren't stories about what's taken from them. There's stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Hayes, Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast Hollywood Handbook on the Big Money Players Network.

Our show is extremely excited. accessible to first-time listeners. Each week, we talk to someone in show business, aka the biz, and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us. Everyone has a good time, and no one gets mad at their publicists for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman, not that great. Actually, can you help me shape this? How about we flip it on his head, right?

How about we flip the script? What is the surprise woman? Actually, you think is the straight man is actually the one who's actually the one who's actually. weird. Adam Scott, this entire time you've been expecting Adam Sandler to come to visit the show.

I would never expect, I would never set expectations for something like that to happen. If the universe allows for something like that to happen, I'm open to it. I'm always going to accept. You know, Danny McBride, fine. Yeah, it's all this

fragile masculinity. Exuding. I could smell it walking on the hallway. to be honest with you. I was like, is that weed? Nope. It's fragile masculinity. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Ben Stiller, no. Because a lot of times, out of context, people don't get it or even know what a circle is. You know what I mean? They're like, oh, what's the state. Everyone's so dumb. And fake. Right. Fake and also not interested.

Or just like, oh, I've got my life. I don't care about your life. And a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Oh, and by the way, Will Farrell told us. personally, he loves the show and he wants to be a guest on every episode, but he's just so busy. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the new podcast Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman.

I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinero, and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word solita, trading the pity for possibility. Every time I tried to be alone, I kept meeting people,

and they were like, you smiled at us. Not a lot of people smile around here. It's when you're alone that you're most receptive to the world as it is, and not the lies you're sold about it. It can be a time where you push your limits, change your mind, or wake up to a new version of yourself.

So whether you're a soul, solo travel veteran or you're too nervous to book your first trip. I hope you listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This next email, this is a tricky one, is from, well, I mean, tricky adjacent. This next email is from Stephen. He says I was married for 12 years during my marriage. All we did was hang out with other married couples.

When I decided to officially file for divorce earlier this year, it was hard because I also lost a lot of those couple friends. I started dating four months ago, and I ended up matching on a dating app with a woman who was one of those couple friends. It turns out her husband split around the same time as we did. I always thought she was attractive, but didn't cross the line when we were friends.

We've gone on a few dates now, and I'm interested in getting to know her more. Do I have to tell my ex-wife? I'm seeing someone she was friends with. Do I have to tell this woman's ex-husband because I used to hang around him at times? is this even a good idea to pursue? Look, I mean, there is no way that anyone is going to believe what Stephen is saying here.

I'm just saying it out loud. Stephen, come on, bro. I mean, you just happened to swipe right on this particular profile. You didn't even see the picture and it was just shocking. Here we are. Oh, my gosh. Come on, bro. Like, at the end of the day, and she happened to get divorced too.

What? What the hell? How? I mean, in all the, come on. I mean, it's pretty. obvious to me that there is going to be a lot of noise around this in their little community, little league practice and everything else. My advice would be swipe the other way and move on, because at the end of the day, this is going to cause grief if they've got kids, if they've got,

you know, I mean, we all have children and we all know you don't shit where you eat. And at the end of the day, if you're going to choose to do that, there's going to be, we've all taught our children this too, I'm sure, because I know you guys, I know of you both as really good fathers, but at the end of the day, there are consequences for actions taken. And there is no way to avoid this stigma that will come with this little disaster, in my opinion. Now, if this is the only person for you and this is it, then, you know what, then take your lumps and go for it. But there's going to be a lot of fallout. That's just my thoughts. I mean, dating and relationships are hard enough without bringing in like this whole like dark cloud that's like hovering above you to start day

one. Now, sometimes, sometimes like that can bring a couple together closely. It's like it's us against the world. No, they don't understand. Yeah. But then if there's a little fissure, a little crack that gets in that relationship, it just explodes. And I've seen it firsthand. I've seen the first part where it's like, oh no, no, they don't understand us. You know, we're soulmates and whatever else. And then when doubt and creep and real world sneaks in, then all of a sudden you're like, wow, this has got a lot more complicated than it needed to.

I think it's important to really be honest about it. Like if, Bob, if this whole email is bullshit. And it like this was something that from the very beginning that was kind of like both of their little secrets and whatever and then they saw, then yeah, there's something weird to that and you're going to face real adversity with it. If it is a genuine, like real thing where, you know, nothing ever was done, nothing was ever spoken about it. And he was single for a while and then happened to be on a dating app and

she is single also. And there's something real and genuine. And they share, they share this history from them all hanging out together. And now, you know, you got to think, like, all of these, all of these couples, what he's saying, all of these couples that they were friends with, he's no longer friends with because they all went with his now ex-wife. Yeah. So, you know, at what point, at what point do you go, like, I'm not close to these people anyway. And, like, I need to care about myself and we have a genuine connection.

and this is something we really want to explore. And I'm not so concerned with what these other couples think because we're not friends anymore anyway. And I don't know how the situation is with his ex-wife. I don't know. Are they dealing with kids? Are they trying to co-parent? Are they, you know, are there are a lot of things within this that are missing.

But he doesn't mention any of those. He doesn't mention that we're co-parenting or we have kids or any of that. So I, I, you know, when he asks at the end, is this even a good idea to pursue? I think that's only a question that he can answer. I think we can give our advice. There are a million different ways to look at this situation, but I think he's the only one that can really step back and look at the whole thing and go,

you know what? How much does this mean to me to possibly have to deal with pushback from other people? Do I care? you know, was it, is it genuine and wholesome to begin with, or was there a bit of foul play early on that somebody can point to? There are a lot of layers to this. And I think, you know, I think sometimes people ask for advice because they want someone to make a decision for them. And I think in a situation like this, nobody can. I can give you advice from all the different sides, the three of us can sit together and we can dissect it and we can go, ooh, from this

side it sucks. From this side, it's okay. But you're, you know, Stephen, you're the one that is going to have to ask those hard questions of yourself and see what it is you're really in. Yeah, this is like that pro-con graph, right? You do the pro and the con and the risk and the reward. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, like you said, though, Brian, we're peeling an onion here at the end of the day. If there are no kids involved and there really was no fishy business and all that kind of stuff, well, then that's a totally different story. I guess, but yeah, he's the only one that can make that determination and figure out if it's going to be worth the grief he's going to get. Behind every night spent making the kids' lunches, there's a lot of suspense.

Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pasto survive the first bite? Will the lunchbox come home empty, half full, or come home at all? And will you finish episode 8 before you're done slicing the cucumbers? Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with Craved Netflix and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.ca for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything.

On the new podcast Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinero, and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word solita, trading the pity for possibility. Every time I tried to be alone, I kept meeting people, and they were like, you smiled at us. Not a lot of people smile around here. It's when you're alone that you're most receptive to the world as it is, and not the lies you're sold about it.

It can be a time where you push your limits, change your mind, or wake up to a new version of yourself. So whether you're a solo travel veteran or you're too nervous to book your own, first trip. I hope you listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months. I survived and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart and these are the Survivor Files. I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying shut up, don't say anything. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable.

I knew if he woke up, without a doubt, he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed, and I just started screaming. They are abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. But these aren't stories about what's taken from them. There's stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Hayes Davenport. And Sean Clements.

We host the podcast Hollywood Handbook on the Big Money Players Network. Our show is extremely accessible to first-time listeners. Each week, we talk to someone in show business, aka the biz, and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us. Everyone has a good time and no one gets mad at their publicists for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman, not that great. Actually, can you help me shape this? How about we flip it on his head, right? How about we flip this around?

What is the surprise woman? Actually, you think is the straight man is actually the one who's acting weird. Adam Scott. This entire time, you've been expecting Adam Sandler to come to the, visit the show. I would never expect. I would never set expectations for something like that to happen. If the

universe allows for something like that to happen, I'm open to it. I'm always going to accept. You know, Danny McBride, fine. Yeah, it's all this fragile masculinity exuding. I could smell it walking down the hallway, to be honest with you. I was like, is that weed? Nope.

It's fragile masculinity. Man Stiller, no. Because a lot times out of context people don't get it or even know what a circle is you know what I mean like everyone's so dumb except for you and fake right fake and also not interested or just like oh i've got my life I don't care about your life and a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us oh and by the way will feral told us personally he loves the show and he wants to be a guest on every episode but he's just so busy listen to hollywood handbook on the iHeart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

I feel the same way about this next email question. This is from Stacey and she says, what are the rules when dating when you're separated versus divorced? That is like, you're the only one that knows the rules. I can't tell you the rules. If you guys are separated because it's like, hey, we're done. We're just calling it a separation right now so it's easier for the people around us. But we're done with this and we're moving on, then fucking move on.

If you're, if you're separating because you want to take time away and then get back to get, then that is a very different situation. I, you don't date. To me, you don't date during those situations. You take time apart. You take time apart to find yourself, to find your own happiness, to find your own stuff. But then the ultimate goal is to then sit back down together and go, you know, do we do this again or do we not? I think as soon as you start involving other stuff, it can be. it can become a really sticky situation.

And then something that maybe you're not really willing to get out of, you have completely destroyed because you were dating during the time when you were separated. What do you guys think about that? Let's take it from the other side. So let's take it from somebody that's, you know, that is single. And you meet somebody that is separated, not divorced or going through a divorce. And, you know, that is also a very sticky situation. to get into, you know, because you don't know what those people are going through.

And if, oh, we're just, we're separated, but I'm out on a date, it's like you are getting yourself, like, I get at the dangerous place to be is to be dating somebody that's not totally, totally divorced because there is a level of testing going on. There's a level of exploration going on. And so, I mean, it might be super fun, but it also could be incredibly messy. Isn't, but I mean, isn't that inherently what the, what separated means compared to divorce? Isn't it like we, you know, divorce is a much more final word than separated. Separated is like, hey, you know, we, we happen to be in two different cities right now for our jobs and our things. And so we're taking some time apart. It's a bit like divorce is very, very much final, I think. Like it's sort of the next step is separation that next. next step or is it just a step that you're you can go on dates that's fine you shouldn't be actually date like dating dating like spending time and really connecting with someone I don't think I dated a girl and um you know and I was we were going through our divorce I mean in and where I live there's it's a

certain amount of time that has to pass before it's official official official but we were you know by all intents and and you know we were we were divorced but it was official and that was a that was kind of a no go she's like no I don't I don't want to go and get involved in this I don't you know once you're divorced all the way we can you know let's let's pick this back up but um yeah going and for somebody else to get involved in somebody else's relationship especially it's you know as kids it's been a long term you know time does the other person actually think you're divorced do the kids think you're divorced you know or are you the only one that thinks that you're divorced right yeah are you just sort of acting on your own rules

or have you guys made rules together of like this is this is what our separation looks like. This is what a healthy separation would look like for me. I can't deal with more than this, but this is fine. Let's do this. You guys, I got a buddy who literally is going through something like this right now. We just talked about this two days ago. So this is kind of unbelievable. This question came up.

And my thing with him, and it is actually his thing as well, was I said, and he's the one who wants this. He's the one who wants the separation. because I think that's also kind of important. Like if you're agreeing on that mutually, then you can kind of establish these ground rules, right? But he's the one who's like, listen, we have to pump the brakes on this. There's a lot going on.

And I just said to him, I was like, I was like, I think, I said, what have you guys decided about, you know, with what you're going to do, dating, you know, that kind of stuff? He's like, well, we can, he's like, he's like, I don't even want to dabble in that. He's like, because if we sleep with somebody, in my opinion, it's over.

Right? And he's like, so why put myself? in a situation where of course I'm going to be attracted to someone who has none of the issues that I can tell from the first date that my current partner has. He's like, but he's like, we've got three children. He's like, I just want some time to work on me and I'm hopeful she'll work on her. And so he's like, and my goal is to get us back together and we both have no baggage to talk about and we can move forward. And I thought that was, I got to be honest, I was impressed by his maturity on that because I honestly didn't think that was what I was

going to hear from him. And it was like, damn, okay, good for you. I think the key phrase in that is that we're going to work on ourselves. So it's like that means, that doesn't mean you're going to work on yourself with someone else and see if there's more to offer there or it's better for you. It's that thing of like, I'm going to work on myself and I'm going to be honest with myself. And like I can hang out with other people and do stuff, but it's just more for the purpose of finding myself again. It's not for the purpose of seeing what else is out there. Right on. Yeah. Perfect. Guys, guys, guys, I'm going to stop you right now. We have a ton more emails and questions to get

through. So I say we come back again and we finish this off. You guys have been fantastic. Everybody stay tuned. Hey, this is Hayes, Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast, Hollywood Handbook. Each week, we talk to someone in show business and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us. Everyone has a good time and no one gets mad at their publicists

for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman, Adam Scott, Danny McBride, Ben Stillard, and a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the new podcast, Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman.

I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinero, and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word Solita,

trading the pity for possibility. Listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Munges Chitigler and I'm back with a new season of my podcast, Skyline Drive. This time I talk to scientists, biopunks, kermudgens, blues owners, super seniors, and Goa's top cryotherapy lab to try to understand this obsession with living forever and what it means for all of us. And I get into a bit of trouble along the way.

I'd say probably start bone smashing. That doesn't work. To make it look more defined. They say it works. I don't know. Listen to Skyline Drive, How to Live Forever on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. If your bookshelf and your for-you page

are equally important to your personality, welcome home. Pro Society is a weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for anyone who thinks pride and prejudice and love island deserve the same level of discourse. Each week, we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and pop culture with your favorite writers, book talk creators, and plenty of overthought opinions. Yeah, I'm obsessed.

I'm obsessed. Listen to Pro Society on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.