The Breakfast Club - INTERVIEW: Devale Ellis and Crystal Renee Hayslett Talk 'Zatima', 'Sistas', Method Acting, Music Career + More

Episode Date: September 26, 2025

Today on The Breakfast Club, Devale Ellis and Crystal Renee Hayslett Talk 'Zatima', 'Sistas', Method Acting, Music Career. Listen For More!YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Crown is yours. Hold on. Every day I wake up. Wake your ass up. The breakfast club. You're all finished or y'all done. Morning everybody. It's DJ Envy.

Just hilarious. Shalame Nagy. We are The Breakfast. Club. La Rosa is here as well. We got some special guests in the building. Yes indeed. It seemed like you're on every show right now, ladies, gentlemen. Deval Ellis and Crystal Hazlet. Welcome. Good morning. Thanks for having. How y'all

feeling? Good. Good. For first of all, I want to salute y'all for getting here because traffic. We walked. We had to pat everybody. They had to walk the middle detectives. They put us out. They put us out. It was like, I got to get there. I was like, what? I'm from New York, so this was easy for me. I was like, walked down 55. We'll get there. Can we block you had to walk? This too?

Yes, too. It wasn't bad, yeah. That ain't bad. Season four. Yes. Yeah. Crazy. Yes.

Two episodes in, obviously. The season aired September 11th. Yo. Zatima. Yeah, Zatima. Absolutely. My bad. I'm going straight in because I'm watching.

They're like, which one are? So, all right. I want to know why the storylines don't add up. Between sisters. Zatima and sisters, yo. So break out what's happening first for people that don't know. All right. Yeah.

Y'all go ahead and break it down. So this is the biggest thing. There's a six-month gap in between Zatima and sisters. And when people try to understand the show, I explain it like this, sisters was about the four sisters and now the fifth. Zach's character was an ancillary character. He was an antagonist to Karen. And then he became Fatima's love interest.

So Zatima is the story about Zach and Fatima, and sisters is about what Zach was when he was with Karen. So there's like a six-month gap in between. So when you watch the show simultaneously, you like it don't. make sense. She's pregnant in one. She's not pregnant in the other. Different storylines. Different timelines. So Sisters is ahead. So when you see

Zach, no, the Tema's ahead. When Zsa's, when Zach is acting crazy and he's seen like he ain't go through therapy yet, it's because he hasn't on sisters. Okay. That's why the Zach on Zatima is a lot more calm. He's been through therapy. When sisters comes back, is it going to catch up? It needs to.

And we do that. Because I'm confused. We've been talking about that. We got a jump. There needs to be a time jump somewhere so that, because it's the same audience. You know, so it needs to be cohesive. Did Tyler forget? Like, why did he write it like that?

Sometimes I think he do forget. He wrote eight shows at one time. But I think he had a plan for the team. I think he wanted it to be his own thing. He wanted to be separate. I don't think he expected, to be honest, I don't think he expected sisters to be on TV for this long. For real? We've done 10 seasons.

Damn, already? Yeah, we've done 10 seasons already in six years. Like, if you think about that's a lot of television. God, damn. I'd be flying. He don't stop either. He's still going. He's still going. But to have something on TV for six years and people are locked into the sisters' artists

and they also are like cult audience about Zatina. Yes, that's so true. Yeah. Even the Andy situation. Even that. You know, I don't want to give her away, but it's like on sisters. I mean, well, what on Zatima, right? How she was jealous because the team of getting all of the attention.

I mean, my. She was getting all attention from the NFL players, you know, helping with the contracts and everything. She ain't getting attention. But on, you know, on the other show, you know, she, Andy saved a lot. I mean, Zach saved Andy's life. You know what I mean? So when. No, see, well, that's both the same show.

This is why it's confusing. That's exactly to your point. Exactly. People are confused because there's two shows on at the same time. Okay. And Andy was first, like, a homie. but now Fatima moving up she was the girl who was the assistant

and she was the one that was behind the scenes but now she's about to get her law degree and I think Andy is a little bit jealous I think it's a little bit like wait you don't got time to do this stuff I want you to do because what she's working on is like really big is the case for Karen and the doctor and how he's mishandling women

in labor so it's what she's working on is very important I think Fatima just getting caught up and actually growing and what she has going on and seeing like, wait, this is my chance. And it's real relatable because you do got real situations like that with friend groups and things like that. Do y'all have friends that hit y'all outside the show

like, yo, I went through that or I'm going through that right now at work? Absolutely. Yes, no, absolutely. I feel like every season there's something, whether it's a friend or a fan that stops us and says, I'm going through that right now or I've been through that. It's so relatable for sure.

I got two close friends that got three baby mothers who was just like Zach's story is that and I have a friend particularly who broke up with his girl got backward or she got pregnant and then it was like dang my new girl is pissed because my old girl is pregnant and they still worked it out like the new girl and the old girl they found a way to co-parent together because not everybody is toxic right yeah some people find ways to make things work so a lot of people are like yo watching y'all go through this was my life yeah yeah i'll say to yourself man we did new stories you know how back in the day our parents used to watch their stories I go watch my story.

They're all live, boys, beautiful. Y'all are the story. Isn't it crazy? A prime time soap opera. Yeah, it's crazy. People tune in every week, just like our grandparents did every day. I remember my dad. Grandparents, mom's did.

My mom watch all my children. And be mad at y'all. I'll be mad at y'all sometimes. I'll be like, man, I hope that one even come up your breakfast of today because this episode was messed up. Do you get it all the time? People give you the middle finger in the street? All the time. And both shows are going to make it good for you.

Both shows. Because Zach's character is very divisive. He was written to being antagonist to these ladies. So when people be like, he get on my nerves, that's what he was supposed to do. But when they see me, they just like, I can't stand you. I'm like, I'm doing my job. And then on Zatima, he still has the same remnants. So he does stuff too for Tima that even when I'm reading it, I'm like, I would never in my life as a man do this.

But then I have to justify it in my mind to act it out on television. And people will be like, I just can't stand you. I'm not sure. I'm like, I'm no. The people pull you to the side and start asking you. questions but like why would you do that like it's really you yeah do you answer in character yes yes you have to i do even even just now right i'm defending fatima i'm like andy is jealous because zach has to see it that way i literally went back into it but when you step back and think about

it like she's supposed to be supporting a woman doing a job that's supposed to be supporting black women and she's not fatima's wrong in that situation but zach don't see that andy jealous that's the way Zach see it so when I talk to people I talk to him like it's the stories I'm like yeah Zach don't do what he want to do I don't give an F of you man and they'd be like I can't believe you act like this I'm like that's my character baby and I'm gonna give you the utmost props because you are not even a mom but the way you are carrying on like baby mama all of that like you know what I'm saying giving up for the preggos thank you tap in the channel to get because I know you are godmother you do have beautiful children in your life

but what did you did you call up cadene like look how was you acting I was around, I saw how she was acting. Yeah, when she was pregnant with Dakota. My sister recently had a daughter and my brother just had a son. So I've seen it while they were pregnant. We've been on vacation. So I like, I study everybody in the movements, how they get up, how they walk. And it's so crazy.

I had to go get realigned after that season because of like pushing up with one arm. Oh, you thought you was a pregnant woman for real? I was a pregnant woman for real. I got to get into it. I did a wheelchair and air for it. Come on. What? You want to do a carrival?

Oh, yeah, I had to. I had my first of all the prosthetic belly is so heavy yeah and then um just like getting up and pushing like with one arm how a pregnant mother would yeah i can't imagine like the pain that they're really in carrying a baby and then like that oh it was bad yeah my back was all jacked up and shoulder so you're still good with being a rich aunt seeing real life you're good absolutely yeah i love it's the power of acting right see is it true she one of your godmother yes that's the coldest god's grandma oh okay okay yeah so i got to see cadiz while she was pregnant that was was the latest one that I actually got to see to watch and study how they move. I was going to ask how well does that, how well does that work for you guys on screen? Like, because you have a real life relationship, but also

when does it hurt that you have a real life relationship and you guys are working together on school? Oh, what scene was season was that, this is one, now I'm getting mixed up, what sure it was. It was a season where we were really at odds. Season two of Zetima. Yeah, so we couldn't even like talk like in real life.

He remembers it season two. Season two, we actually got into an argument because we weren't talking. We're very close. Like her and me, her and my wife are close. Me and her are close. We talk like every single day. We're doing season two. I'm getting into Zach mode and Zach's not feeling between them.

So I'm not texting. I'm not calling. We're not talking. Damn. And she's just like, yo, Dee, what's up? And I'm just like, what's up? Don't what's up me right now. I don't know.

We was really having conversation. I was like, listen, in order for me to go to my job, because people don't understand this, too. I do not remember this. We filmed 20 episodes in 10 days. Jesus. So how am I supposed to be happy, go lucky, with you one minute, and then be angry? And then this season was when I found out that my mom and my brother was going through drug stuff.

I talked about my dad and I was going through therapy. I had to cry like every other scene. So I was really just in a bad place. And a lot of time, people are realists with actors, you wear that when you walk around. Like when I'm in a bad place at Zach and I got to go do something. sometimes the remnants come out, and sometimes I have to apologize to people, like, my fault, like, I didn't mean that.

And in that situation, it was like that. You know, we got into argument, and I said, y'all don't think I can do this. Remember after season, too? I was like, I can't do this no more. She's like, what you mean? And I was like, it's just a lot. It's heavy to me in this character.

So you're a method actor, for real, for real. Yeah. So seriously, yeah, I am. Like, the last couple years has been a lot. I did another project with Courtney, where my character went through a lot, I lost my daughter. Oh, shout out to old gray mayor.

And I had to do press while filming. And I broke down in an interview. Matter of fact, it was the essence interview where I broke down. And I was like, I'm tired, I'm exhausted. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I had just come off a film in old great mayor where I lost my daughter in a tragic accident. So I really was just exhausted mentally.

And I'm doing an interview and I was tired. And I broke down and people like, damn, what is he going through? Yeah. And I'm like, I was going through it, but I was in character. So I was going to, oh, go ahead. And I was going to ask, so when you have that, when you shoot 10 days and you was in character that long,

Do you not go home? You'd be like, babe, I'm just going to get a hotel next. I don't go home. I stay on campus. Stay on campus and we lock in. Because even my kids don't like seeing me like that. I'm auditioning for projects now. I'm walking around same lines in my head, going through stuff.

And they're just like, dad, going through something. But that's what actors go through and people don't realize it's a real thing. But I love what I do. And I love that I have somebody like, it's my homie, my best friend. When I'm going through something, she'll be like, bro, you are deval right now. When I saw that essence interview, I remember calling you, I'm like, bro, like, you're putting a lot on yourself right now. And I've been on him about therapy. I'm like, you need to go talk to somebody.

Because I feel like black men, like, they hold up everything and everyone around them. And as a friend, I can see, like, this, it's a lot on you right now. And I could see it in real time on that interview. And I was like, I know my friend is hurting right now. She called me. Yeah. It wasn't no text, no DM. She called me and said, yo.

And I was like, what's up? she's like FaceTime me. He's like, what's going on? And a lot of people don't realize that. Like, when you're going through stuff, you really need people to give you grace, give you empathy, and shout out to, like, y'all too, for talking about this. You talk about mental health all the time with men. And that's why I actually love playing Zach, because Zach is going through a lot.

He lost his child and I lost my child. So doing that scene and sisters and now having to go through this with Zetaima, my home girl here, Yeah. Do you remember the scene? I remember, yes. The end of season four is a scene. It's a real bad scene. And it goes back to when I watched Kay Miscarry.

And we're doing the scene. Everybody's shooting fast. Like, yo, that was dope. I go back in the tent. Lost it. I'm crying. And then my barber comes in and it's just like, what's the matter? I'm like, I need somebody.

So they get Crystal. Crystal come in and she, they call Kay. And they're like, Deval, you are right? I said, y'all don't realize. when you go through that trauma and that pain and you got to bring it back up to show people, it don't just go away. And I had to think about that for weeks afterwards.

So it's good to have somebody that this journey I'm doing with somebody, I love it. But shout out to y'all for talking about mental health. You talk about it all the time too, Envy, because as a father, I think you got six kids now? Six, yep. Six. People don't know until that man break down

how much he had to carry before it was like, it's enough now. You know, we allow, and black women, we don't even allow black women to vent as much as we should, but we allow our women to vent more than men. But in Zatima specifically, we are talking about mental health for black men. And I appreciate it.

How do you disconnect after the show's over? Like, you know, because you said you stay away from your family while you filming. Once filming and everything's completely, it's time to go back home, how do you just disconnect and get that character out of you? What people don't know is that I disconnect from talking about social media and everything.

There's points in social media. where you won't see me too much. It's stuff I filmed before. It's stuff that I just collab on. And I take about four weeks and I just disappear from everybody. Because I got to get back to me. I got to get back to spending time with my kids, my wife, my family. I can't just be Zach all the time.

And even when you're on social media, you Zach. So I just got to put it down. Yeah, they add and you like, fuck you, Zach, why you get that now, shit. Therapy ain't working, me. Man. For real, though. For real, though.

Real people come at you. I can't believe you treat Fatima like that. If I ever see you in the street. Damn. And I'm just like, damn, like, it's a TV show. But I get it. You invested, all right. We appreciate it.

Keep watching. But it get to be a lot sometimes. How do you respond to the people that really, like, relate to Zach? Like the guys, there are guys, there are real life, Zach. Like my son's father, Rome. Rome loves Zach. Rome is Zach. Like, how do you...

How do you... How do you give advice to the real Zach's of the world? I tell them, because I do have a couple of really close friends who are Zaks, and I tell them, like, you have to give yourself grace and empathy, but also don't be afraid to do the work, bro. Yeah. Like, what we saw growing up, a lot of us, growing up in the 90s and 2000s, was a lot of toxic behavior from a lot of people that we just said was normal.

Very true, but it was so fun. Wasn't it? But it was hurting y'all. It was. It was hurting. It was hurting a lot of us. And we just have to change our mentality and realize that it's okay to be vulnerable. Yeah.

It's okay to say no. It's okay to say I don't want to do this. And the more I speak to these young men who talked to me about, they say, you know what? I thought being exact was the... I'm Jorge Ramos. And I'm Paola Ramos. Together we're launching The Moment,

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Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you get your podcasts. Best I could be, which is having sex with a bunch of different women and having babies and chasing the streets. And now they're starting to see different versions of that. because there are different versions of black men who aren't doing what we grew up thinking was the only way to get out.

Yeah. So now I'm just like, look at other people who you want to inspire to be like and then follow that. You know, and also I tell them get off social media, which is crazy because I've built so much of my empire on social media.

I constantly tell them to get off social media. All of these young men are like, how do you, I have to get off? It is a drug. It's addictive. It's not healthy. We just talking about that the way here. It's a business.

You know what I'm saying? It's not real. It's not a real space. It's shaping narratives about ourselves. Like you're allowing other people to shape narratives about you. Yeah. You know how wild that is?

Yes. To know who you are, to know what you're about, but then to get online and read something and be like, then you start believing that. Like, wait, am I? Yeah. Yeah. It's real.

I was going to say after that, because before the Essence interview, you and Kadeen were here, and when I watched the Essence interview and I watched people respond to the conversations that it started from me were also really powerful. Yes. When you see that, are you,

because you're very open but is there now like a different sense of responsibility because all of your open moments cause moments like that and you don't even do it on purpose I don't but but all I can do is be open ever since I was a little kid I always spoke my mom my mind like truth is always like you see our hashtag devouse truth because I want people to say I realize this is not what I'm saying the world is this is what I've experienced this is what I've been through and if what I've been through make you feel something good or bad then I'm just sharing And that's all I can do.

If it made you feel something bad and you can take away something to become better because of it, cool. If you took away something good, cool. But I got to share and tell my truth to fulfill my purpose. You know, ever since I was young, I felt like God was like,

yo, you have a purpose that's bigger than just doing whatever it is you think it's going to be done in Brooklyn. And stay with that. Don't ever fall wary of that. Don't hide from it. Don't go on a different adjacent. Just listen to what God is telling you and do that.

And for me, it's sharing my life. But good, the bad, and the ugly. I didn't expect to share about the miscarriage with Kay, but then all these women started talking about they went through it. Perimenopause, we shared about that. Women are talking about that. Mental health with men. It's like, these are conversations we should be having.

That's why all of the taboo topics that are causing conversations that people are upset about is what we need as a people. I don't think people are upset. I just love the honesty, right? Because what your relationship is, it's not Jess and Chris's relationship. It's not me and Gia's relationship. It's not Charlemagne and his wife's relationship.

It's not, sorry, Lauren, but it's not, it's not, it's not, she got two. Lauren got two. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, Zach in real life. Yeah, don't know, don't put me in that. Zach is the, you need to get checked. But the reason I love it, it shows people that it's not perfect. Yes.

Because what we seen was a lot different in our industry growing up. We've seen to go to the clubs and chase this. We've seen that and I wish there were other people, other, besides the Cosby show, that showed us how to do things. Oh my gosh. I'm glad you, I'm so glad you said that. Because the truth is, when I was growing up, I said to my dad and my uncles, I wish I would have told me some of this stuff when I was in my teenage years. Why did you wait until I'm older?

And they always tell me, well, we don't talk about that. But think about how you could have helped me. Correct. Right? So that's what I use. I'm like, you know what? I'm going to tell the truth. It may not be pretty, but hopefully it helps somebody.

I got four boys. Hopefully it helps them. So that's all I can do with this, especially with the teamer. People are like, why do you like playing Zach? Because Zach is toxic, Zach is angry, Zach has trauma. Zach is all of us. But I get to be Zach and make poor decisions and watch people see how that poor decision affected my girl.

So now the next dude that think he wants to be Zach looks up and says, oh, that's how I affect the Fatima. Let me not do that. It's my girl. So to me, it's just another example. Yeah. Chris, have you planned Zach ever helped your marriage with Khadine? Like in real life?

Absolutely. Absolutely. Just having those conversations in real life and being like, yo, if Zach would have told, for example, if Zach goes to Fatima and tells him he knows about Chas, rather than going off the rail and be like, I'm going to press this nigger. That's me now. If I have an issue now, you're going to write to my wife. I don't care what the issue is. This is what it is. I don't know how you think you want to deal with it, but it's how I feel. Once I tell her how I feel about it, then she's like, okay, we can handle it this way. If I'm in agreement, we rock. If I'm not in agreement, she would like, hey, you're the leader in this. I'll let you take the role. But having the conversation is more important than just going off and doing it on your own. You weren't always like that.

No, I was not because I wasn't taught like that. My father was like, yo, as the man of the house, it's your responsibility to take the stress off your wife. Don't go to her and tell her everything. That's what he told me. And I was like, you know what? I feel that until I realized that my decisions when I wasn't telling her was bringing her more stress. And then that's when I learned. Like, I'm going to her anyway.

And my father changed, too. I talked to him. I came here and told you how I had that conversation with my pops. Now my pops come to me and he was like, I had this with me. I went to talk right to your mother. And I was like, what happened? And he was just like, yo, me and your mom talking. Now they're going on vacations.

And then my father says to me, you know, I feel like I became a better man because I started to listen. I said, no, it's because you also started to share. He shared. And when he shared, he started to get other people's perspective. I think it's both because it's all about communication. Yeah. It's talking, it's receiving.

It's talking and receiving. That's true. Crystal, a lot of us, a lot of women see themselves in Fatima. What do you want women take away from your character? Maybe in general, but I guess more so when I watch your character, I'm like, when does she take care of herself? She doesn't. She's always showing up for her man and for everybody. Yeah.

You know, it's funny you say that because there was another interview I did with all the sisters, and they talked about me and Zach's relationship. and when I look at it from the outside looking in, it's not a relationship that I would desire in real life because it's very toxic. It's a lot of different energies and I just like to live a peaceful life, you know, which is part of the reason why I go so hard

as my real character, Crystal, like my true character who I am because I don't want women to feel like, that's exactly what I want, which is why we like, we add stuff to the scenes to show people resolution or how we're working through things. One thing that Fatima does not do is take care of herself.

She doesn't pour back into herself. She's constantly pouring into other people, the Andes and Zach and all his stuff that he has going on. But I wish that they would write in some stuff where she can actually just pour back into herself. Because you started off as a costume designer, right? Yes, I actually met you when I was styling Tyler at Global Citizens in South Africa.

That's when I first met you. I was styling Tyler then. Yeah, started off as a PA and then worked my way up through costumes. So you were responsible for the bad, I was not that hair. Oh, my going. It's a costume. It's a costume.

If you want to come across the table, it's fine. Right. That ain't me. It's a wardrobe. You tried. She said, no. That part wasn't me. That wasn't.

So how did you make the transition? Like, how did you go from costume designer to being in front of the camera? Well, I was always pursuing acting behind the scenes, like anybody who has a real dream. And you have to have a day job and music. Talk about it. You have to have a day job, something to pay the bills. And I always try to put myself around what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to do, which was

act so. What she's doing? While I was, yeah, what I'm doing now. Come on, that's right. Come on back to music. Yeah, she's going. At the time, I was trying. She's doing acting and music currently. Go ahead. And thank you, yeah. Yeah, I got you.

So, yeah, I fast forward, worked my way up from a PA at the studio to costume designer, to styling Tyler for five years. And at the time I started styling Tyler, I stopped auditioning. I was actively pursuing acting really, really hard. And nothing was really coming so when Tyler offered me the position I was like dang does he think I can't act

because I had auditioned for some of his stuff but he had never seen the auditions so when I finally got the guts to tell him I was producing sisters with him it was season one I'm breaking it down for costume design and I just told him I was like listen I've been wanting to ask these are my stories my friends stories because we were giving him this is what we're going through

in Atlanta dating in our 30s and he was like I love this idea and he gave him the opportunity and then here we are wow oh hey Tyler that's right A full circle moment for you. Very full circle moment. And I think coming from a PA and working my way through the system,

I just have a different lens as an actor, a different appreciation for every single person in the room on the set that a lot of actors may not have because they didn't come all the way through. So I love my journey. Everybody's journey is different, but I'm very appreciative of the journey that God took me on. Okay. So what's up with this music then? What's up?

You know, I'm working. My schedule, Jess, has been so crazy. And, you know, what, studio time is like, it takes a while. Like, it's not just one of them, like, microwave things, you know? So, yeah, taking my time with it, I wanted to be right. Is music something that you always wanted to do? Oh, yeah, since a kid, like, I've been into music. Yeah, yeah, for sure.

I do want to ask a question. When you walked in, you were telling me that your sons are playing football. Yes. Now, you've been up here many times. Yes. You talked about football has beat up your body. Yes. Put you on strenuous programs up early in the morning.

You miss so much. why do you want your sons to play football? Here's a funny part. I don't want them to play football. They want to play football because their dad played football and it's popular. I would prefer them to run track because track is all about discipline.

You've got to eat different. It's a skill set that people don't understand. Learning how to run properly, it takes the proper force production. It takes everything. I just want them to understand discipline so that they can apply that discipline to anything in life.

If you're great at doing one thing, you're great at doing everything. because you've learned how to do it. And I think sports is the ultimate way to test their will and challenge them without having to deal with the BS that goes on out in the world. Dance for girls. Dance is what?

That discipline is a different discipline. That's right. How many girls do you guys? I got four girls, two boys. Oh, so you've been to a lot of dance recitals. What? I've been on this weekend. 7.8.m. to 7 p.m.?

Okay, continue on. I don't have a passback. I don't miss going to dance recitals with my sister. But that discipline is exactly why I want them to play sports. I just want them to be great humans, great people, be good men, and just know that, okay, when the adversity comes, I can work through it. It definitely builds characters. Like, I feel like us both being former athletes has like, that discipline carries your entire life. It really does. Yeah. So what did you play? I was a competition cheerleader. Oh, cool.

Yeah, which is like equivalent to dancing, but that schedule, like, rigorous. People don't understand it. I don't know if it's a sport, it's considered sport, but cheerleading and the dance, as much as they practice. Oh, my goodness. As much as they effort they put into it. Especially the competition level. The competition level, like, we would get hurt worse than football. We don't have helmets. You tore on Achilles, didn't you? I tore my Achilles, broken nose, concussion. Broken nose? That's falling from the...

From like, I was a base. I flew in college. I was a base in middle school through high school, and a girl came down, twist straight to the elbow straight to my nose. And you keep going. Don't stop. Finish the routine. Keep going. I don't care. The bone is out your arm. You finish the routine. Our coach was, shout out Fran Spiers. She was going to go, yeah.

I want to take two of those. That standard is what I think is missing from us, right? Like, everything is very, very soft. One thing I will say about my son is playing football, I like the fact that they get to be rugged. And it's like, yo, you gotta push through that guy. But he's standing there, Dad. Can't give me no excuses.

Either you push through them or you don't. You know, like I think sports back in the 90s, 2000 was, you know, coaches with cursing kids, scream at kids challenging. Can't do that now. You can't do anything. My brother used to coach at Canarsie High School. He doesn't anymore, but I think he got written up

for quote unquote speaking violence. to a kid which was raising his voice. And I said, how do you... He didn't know none of my coaches then back then. Right. My coach used to say the wildest thing. Shout out to Jeffrey Ishmael. He used to say the wildest stuff to me.

I'm not even going to say it on the radio, but it would get you locked in. Like, let me focus. This man uncurts me out and threatened to kill me, but I know I got to lock in and I do my job. But you didn't think he was going to kill you, but he definitely said I'm going to my life thought he was going to kill me. I always knew that man loved me more than probably his own kids. his own kids. But if he was cursing me out, then that means I wasn't doing something.

And you knew it was going to be consequences. Absolutely. There's no consequences for people these days. They can say what they want. They can do what they want. And they get hurt in us as a community. It most definitely is. I'm still with my son ass to this day.

He taller than you. Yeah. To this day, you better stoop down, nigga, so I can get you one up in there. That's mama. Yes. So, Crystal, now going back to what you said about the role, right? You said, looking at it as Crystal, you would not take this shit that's happening. You would look out for yourself.

You would be the total opposite. How does that affect dating in your real life? Yeah, you know, I think it's made me more aware of my boundaries and my nose. You know, you have to have your nose, what you're not willing to deal with. What are your deal breakers? And I feel like this character has also helped me identify. Yeah, I don't want that. You know, I don't want.

a guy with a bunch of kids you know and it's crazy i say that but my father has it's four kids by four different women and is one of the most amazing men i know you know loves this all he's just a good stand-up guy so i know it's possible but for me and i think it's also the the temperature of the culture right now and like the toxicity when it comes to baby mama's in the drama i'm good i'm cool so it scares you from dating or it's just like not scares me from dating but i just know like i don't want a guy that's got a bunch of kids out of the place you know maybe not an ex-convict, you know. Just not Zach.

Just not Zach. Have y'all, have, you and Kadaen, I would try to set her up? I try to stay away from that. I don't want to have no parts and setting people love. Just in case it don't work. I tried to set up one friend. Okay. And it didn't go to get.

It didn't work out. And they was both mad at me. And I was like, I thought y'all would work well together. Yeah. Because I saw some synergy. And then, you know, what you think your friend is in daytime. they don't act that way. And what Kay's friend was acting,

I found out she don't act that way. So I said, you know what? I let all of them matchmaking go to Cupid. I don't want no person to you match. I love you, my friend. Whoever you find, I will embrace them as my brother, but I don't want no part of that. Just don't be a Zach.

You said, don't be a Zach. But Zach, not saying all of Zach is good. There are some guys who have had a past that have changed. Like, we've all, like, we all have our things that we've done. And not saying people can't be redeemed. It's just what I've seen and the drama that people deal with, I don't want to welcome that. You know what I'm saying?

But if I meet somebody and he's just a great, because Zach is a great guy, he's honest. To his core, he's a really good guy. And I can't, I cannot say that he's not. Yeah, he's flawed, yeah. He needs to work. We all are, yeah. For sure.

Yeah. Deval, have you given Crystal any tips on her new podcast? Because she's launching a podcast called Keep It Positive, Sweetie, on the Black Effect. Period. black effect. Well, actually, I will say it was one of the people that told her she should have a podcast. I know that's right, DeVos.

Yes. Yes. One thing I want to do is see all my friends win. I want to call all my friends with them and be like, yo, we all going here on this island. So when she started talking to me about her story and her journey and everything that she believes and I was like, you should like talk about this. She's like, DeVal, I don't know. I said, I don't care if you don't know.

You got to just do it. And then that's all I understand. She took it up and ran with it. And now it's like, she's a beast with it. I went to the last live show she had in Atlanta. It was crazy. She came out like Beyonce. It was funny because the lights was down and they didn't know that she was in the arena.

So the lights come down and everyone's screaming, where's crystal? Then the lights come up and she's there with her background dancers and all these women going. It just felt good to watch my friend have that moment. Like she out there doing her thing and people are adorn her. That felt good. And I'm telling you, make sure y'all tune in and keep it positive, sweetie. I know I do. Make sure I tune in is going to be.

I can't make the announcement, right? Well, he just did. He has come into Black. Oh, so I get back. He just did. He just did. It's going to be on the back. Let me say.

Make sure y'all tune in and keep it positive. We back, baby. What can they expect, Crystal? Same, you know, right now. I mean, this is our, we're in two years in, more of just showing people that we're more alike than we're not. Yes. More of bringing people closer to Christ.

More of welcoming people. Because I feel like the Christian community has done such a great job at pushing people away. I wanted people to feel seen and feel loved. didn't know that hey you're good here you know so i just got some pushback on that on instagram my post it i talked about church hurt you know i talked about how um like i said i'm i'm not anti church i'm not anti-church i'm not anti-god because i'm not but i just don't believe in going to the same church family that i felt like did me so dirty every sunday to save face so i haven't found a church home yet and i guess people got upset because i said i wasn't in

church every sunday but that's just my story yeah i can't sit out here and just say i believe in God and praise God and then people like well I don't see you in church well this is why I got my feelings hurt I felt judged and I'm looking for the right place you know we have a you know I do my mental wealth expo every year and we have a panel about that specific specific topic yeah slew to my good sister Debbie Brown like that was her I did she we have a topic about that in particular that's though remember the episode we did with Brenda I had a bunch of different people from all different walks backgrounds sexual preference everything showing that we're not as far from God as we think we are because a lot of us feel like shame and certain things were like

I can't even talk to them and when we all sit down we're like dang yeah I ain't a lot that's how I felt with church shame because I'm like I don't always live perfectly so if I nobody does they're gonna just be talking about me so I don't want to go I literally felt shame yeah and shout out to Brenda because Brenda she made me feel so welcome and she's not a judgmental person at all She's the one that made me feel like, yo, if everybody was more Christ-like like this, I would go every Sunday. But it's hard because I know that I'm not living right. I'm trying. You know what I'm saying?

But I'm not perfect. But neither are the deacons and the ushers and all of them sitting there. I feel you. You know, my uncle. Well, go ahead. You're going to go ahead. Nothing. Just go ahead.

He's in. A little bit. And you know when they do the communion, it was liquor in some of them. So. It was liquor. Let's say, you all got to know. that. The new season

is the team is on BET plus right now. Right now. Thank you for joining us so much. Appreciate you guys. Thank you so much.

It's the breakfast club. Good morning. Love y'all. Yes. Every day I wake up. Wake your ass up. You're all finished or y'all done?

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'm Hunter, host of Hunting for Answers on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Join me every weekday as I share bite-sized stories of missing and murdered black women and girls in America. Stories like Erica Hunt. A young mother vanished without a trace after a family gathering on 4th of July weekend, 2016. No goodbyes, no clues, just gone. Listen to Hunting for Answers every weekday on the Black Effect Podcast Network,

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