Purple Pants Podcast | Mediocrity, Mess, and Mile-High Drama!

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[00:00:30] It's the Purple Pants, it's the Purple Pants, it's the Purple Pants Podcast. You better get your headphones in, listen up quick. It's the Purple Pants Podcast, you better listen in public, might make your stomach hurt. Podcast, you trying to unwind, you better get that box wine. It's the Purple Pants Podcast, you trying to get your snack, you better hurry right back though. It's the Purple Pants, it's the Purple Pants.

[00:00:56] Hello, hello and welcome to the Purple Pants Podcast Casual Tea. I serve as your humble and oh so gracious host, Bryce Isaiah, and I thank you so much for tuning in to this month's Casual Tea. If you could be so kind to ensure you are subscribed with the Purple Pants Podcast, we are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you can find podcasts. The Purple Pants Podcast awaits for you to subscribe.

[00:01:22] And as always with your Casual Tea, you can watch this audio podcast on video. Head over to the Bryce Isaiah YouTube channel, click subscribe, give this video a thumbs up, and let us know in the comments what you think about this month's Casual Tea. It is spill time.

[00:01:44] This month, the Casual Tea, Aman, and Bee are buckled in and ready for turbulence as we break down Southwest Airlines' latest bag drama. The dying art of pop stardom. And whether Tate McRae is really giving main pop girl or is it just mid?

[00:02:04] Plus, we're diving into the latest on the Wendy Williams conservatorship, the Breakfast Club controversy with Jess Hilarious and Lauren LaRosa, and Kanye West's latest Twitter rant about Jay-Z and Beyonce. Listen, let's get in to this week's Casual Tea.

[00:02:31] It's Casual Tea with Aman and Bee. What is going on?

[00:03:00] And welcome back to your Purple Pants Podcast, March edition of Casualty. I am joined by my friend, my brother, Amon Adwin. And before he even says anything, I just want to point out to the posse, I've been on Amon's ass, okay? Because we three months in. We are three months in. So welcome back to the podcast, Amon.

[00:03:29] Yes, Bryce has been on my ass. It's definitely on me this time. But I'm here, I'm queer, and I'm ready to talk all of it that's been happening over the past couple of weeks. I'm excited. Always a fantastic time here at the Purple Pants Podcast. Always. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Well, we love you. Casualty is, well, I just celebrated 500 episodes.

[00:03:54] And so the Catch with T is one of my favorite episodes because it's like not really a podcast. It's really me and Amon just jumping on the phone and talking. And so we, I feel like in February, we had a podcast date. We went to the movies. And I'm trying to get on Amon to do another podcast date because it's like something that I really want to do that all of my friends are like, that's so six years ago. And I'm like, but I love it. But yes, Amon, so not that. Six years ago?

[00:04:24] Damn. What a hint. That's crazy. Right. So I'm trying to get Amon to go painting with a twist with me this week. So hopefully we can make it happen. And I guess we could bring the. I love painting with a twist. I did it like a couple of times a few years ago. Oh, six? It's, yeah. I've always loved it. I've always loved it. Okay, yeah. We'll have to bring our photos to the podcast so we can see whose photo is better, even though it's not a competition.

[00:04:52] But what's been going on with you since the last podcast? Want to just catch up? I'm good. I'm about to go back to school. I'm registering for classes on Tuesday. And I've just been sort of just like working and living and getting ready for the summer. And I purchased my Beyonce tickets. I'm just, you know, I'm just, I'm out here just trying to make everything work. I'm good. I'm good. About to be an uncle and like fucking, what is it?

[00:05:22] Another uncle? Aren't you already an uncle? I'm a god dad. Okay. I'm not an uncle quite yet, but my twin sister is pregnant. So congratulations. That is so exciting. I think we talked about this last casualty, but what day are you going to the Cowboy Carter tour? May 24th? Okay. Okay. So we won't be there the same day. I am going May 28th. I'm excited.

[00:05:51] I'm trying to figure out what my outfit is giving. And so I feel like I'm now in like the home stretch of like, I need to start ordering stuff so I can get stuff together. But we are always excited to come and do some casual tea with the posse. And so we can just start pouring right into it. The first order of business is Southwest Airlines. It has been a trending topic for the past week.

[00:06:19] Southwest is one of the budget airlines. And I feel like it's a pretty well-known airline. I feel like a lot of people use it. But Southwest announced that they will be charging customers a fee to check bags. Abandoning a decade-long practice that they have said in the past is what differentiates them from the other budget airlines. You know, you get two free bags.

[00:06:48] I feel like over two decades they have built this slogan. It's like with American South or Southwest, your bags fly free. And so they are ditching it. And in a very tone-deaf statement from their CEO, Bob Jordan, he said, We have a tremendous opportunity to meet current and future customer needs.

[00:07:14] Attract new customer segments we don't compete for today. And return to the level of profitability that both we and our shareholders expect. Now, wait. Okay. Bob! Come to a profitable... The levels of profitability that both we and our shareholders expect. Oh, okay. So you're talking about the people in the boardrooms.

[00:07:41] And you're not talking about the people that fly your plane. Pending the money. Okay. Now, let's also... This ain't the first time in the recent months Southwest has been in the headlines. Because less than a year ago, the Dallas-based airline announced it was doing away with another tradition. The open boarding system. Um... Like... Okay.

[00:08:11] Now, I never was a huge fan of the open boarding system. However, I do have a lot of friends with children that that kind of was their reasoning for flying Southwest. Was one, you get your two bags checked for free per passenger. And the open system pack... The open system where if they're flying with kids, I think they get the board priority. So if it's open seating, they will be able to get roles with their kids.

[00:08:40] Like, y'all are abandoning what made y'all different. The open seating. Now, I didn't really love the open seating. But some people did. And the bags. It's like... So what makes y'all different? All of the airlines at this point in time... Whenever you see an airline ticket price, say, hey, I need to go to Dallas. It's $100. I'm just flying regular, regular, regular. Okay. It's $100 plus the tax and the fees. So, okay, that brings us to $130.

[00:09:10] And then with these airlines now, you have to then purchase your seat. And if you don't purchase a seat, they just put you in the back of the plane. And so I always thought Southwest had a really good thing going. Southwest has a special place in my heart. The first time I ever flew Southwest of mine was almost 10 years ago when Survivor had responded back to my application and they flew me out to LA and they flew me on Southwest.

[00:09:38] And I, like, I haven't flown it since, but it always has such a special place for me. And so it's like, Southwest, what are y'all doing? It's like, so you're essentially saying we need to start making more money to make it profitable for ourselves and our shareholders. Yeah. But not really caring about the people. And so it's like, okay, then what differentiates you from Frontier, from Spirit, from all these other budget airlines? Like, I think it's crazy.

[00:10:07] And before I even get your take, Amon, shout out to, hold on, because you know I got my little notes, because other airlines have taken notice and have responded. And I believe it is Frontier Airline. Okay. They, they entered the chat. Now, Southwest is going to be ending their two bags fly for free on May 28th. And guess what?

[00:10:33] Frontier is launching a promo on May 28th. Now, I don't think it's going to be forever, but on May 28th, Frontier now has a promotion that says, guess what? Two of your bags will fly for free. Hold on. Let me make sure I get what actually they're saying. But shout out to Frontier, because if that's not the smartest thing I've ever heard, what did they say? Frontier Airline has launched a new promotion offering free check bags for summer travel

[00:11:03] travelers starting May 28th. The same day, Southwest ends its two bags fly for free. See, you know, I feel like airlines are getting very, very, I mean, they've always been greedy, but I think that they are in a bit of a panic mode right now because there has been a large push for high speed rail trains in the United States.

[00:11:32] Like, we are getting very, very, very, very close to being able to have a transnational high speed rail right through the middle, diverting off into different sectors of the country. Like, in the near future, like within the next 15 years, it will be possible for me to get from Philadelphia to, let's say, Dallas in like 15 hours. They're scared of that.

[00:12:01] They're like, oh, we used to be like the most convenient way to travel. On top of that, we are budgeted. So like, we're not trying to like charge your arm and a leg. Yes, we will charge you a back because the seats will be like this. Yes, but we're going to give you enough to like get your bags on, get yourself on, get your family on. You guys can go on about your merry way. But we're beginning to diversify what it means to travel here in the States.

[00:12:28] So like, I think that they're just trying to recoup a lot of their costs. They're trying to like catch up to like what is about to be the most competitive nature to travel. And it's greedy. It's a lot. And it's just another, another example of just how prices are going up everywhere. And it's not even, and not even to give the trains too much, too many of their flowers because it is still too much money for me to go from Philadelphia to New York City on like

[00:12:57] the day of, like, I know you should get your tickets beforehand, but still, if I'm purchasing the day of, it should not be $115 for me to go 85 miles. It's ridiculous. Listen, because now mind you, when I do travel train to New York, I try to always do it ahead. And if it ain't $15, I'm driving. And so, yeah, like, it's crazy. I was looking at it the other day because I might have to just pop out to New York soon. And that says $72. I said, no, thank you.

[00:13:27] Not at all. What? It's like an hour and like, what, like 20 minutes? $72? That's crazy. Listen, for me back in the day, because I feel like I'm getting to be a older girly, when I used to want to go to New York, when I was like in college, like the end of high school, me and my friends, we would get on the Chinaman bus. And like, literally, it had no name. It was in Chinatown. That's what you want to call. And it was $20. Right at the convention center. Yep. On to the convention center. Yep. By the nail plays.

[00:13:57] Okay. Yep. Yep. They'd be like, come on, come on. You'd be like, is this to DC or New York? You get right up on that. They give you like this little ticket. When you get on, they break it in half. You keep that ticket. Yep. Okay. That used to be my juj. Like, $20 round trip. And mind you, you could keep the ticket and like, you could get on at any time. Now, mind you, those buses, I want to say six, seven years ago, they were making headlines because a couple of them had crashed.

[00:14:27] Because first of all, they'd be driving fast. They'll get you to New York in an hour, period. They'd be zooming. They'd be zooming. When I was like, hold on. Listen, they got into an accident and it was like, discover that they didn't have insurance and that the driver didn't have a driver's license. So it was this whole big thing. And so now like they're, the Chinaman bus. And again, there is no name for it, right? Like that, like literally that's the name, the Chinaman bus.

[00:14:57] But now they're a little smaller. They're still there, but there are like Greyhounds. And I think this other bus, I forget what the name of it is, but it operates under Greyhound. Their tickets are like $35. Flicks. Flicks. Flicks. Yes. Yeah. And I'm not mad at traveling by bus. And so it's like, yeah, it just is kind of crazy. And I remember a couple of years ago of mine when the gas prices were going up.

[00:15:22] And that's really when the airlines started hiking their prices. That's when they started having to charge for a seat. You want the preferred seating is an extra $35. And they get me every time because I do, I like to be in row. If I'm not traveling business class or first class, I like to be in row 12 through 21. A or F, the window.

[00:15:48] Because I'm a window girly because before I get on a plane, I empty the tank and I ain't trying to get up. So I like a window seat. Leave me alone. But yeah, it just seems like the price of travel is constantly going up. Then we see these airplane crashes, which we haven't seen a lot of in recent years. And now we're seeing all of this like airplane coverage. Although I still say what I say. Airplanes are the safest way to travel, period. But it's like, it's crazy.

[00:16:18] It's like where y'all is rising the price for everything. But minimum wage is not going up. These jobs ain't getting no better. College tuition is going up. Y'all trapping us into these student loans. Where is this money coming from? Yeah. Yeah. It's a multifaceted crisis. What can we say? Like it's ridiculous.

[00:16:46] And I think that until we get somebody like up at the top that is like willing to be like, it should not be this hard to get around. Like we're not going to we're not. It's going to continue to proliferate. I feel like one of the things about like. Travel being hard. What that bleeds into is. All of us being a little bit more separated.

[00:17:14] And I'm not saying that, you know, I'm not trying to blame election results or like anything on the fact that we're also isolated because of travel. But I think that that just I think that's like a part of it. It's like if we if imagine like we always talk about middle America. Right. About how like they're so, you know, old fashioned. And of course, they always vote red because they believe this, that and the third.

[00:17:37] Imagine if it were so possible for people that live on either coast to get to middle America like accessibly and reasonably and affordably. And there were things to like contribute to the economy in that area. Like I feel like. The general worldview changes when your world gets smaller by scope of travel. But until that happens.

[00:18:02] You know, we're here just in our silos and like, you know, so, you know, Southwest just up in the prices. I'm sure all the other airlines are going to continue to do the same. And it's going to be crazy. And I saw a tweet the other day about how like the fact that there are people are spending less money on gas is a clear indicator of an impending recession.

[00:18:24] That was later fact check by Twitter or X saying that gas prices right now are still at a reasonable seasonal level. I haven't like gone in to do my own personal research to know if that's the case or not. But a lot of people are saying people are traveling less. That means that everyone's they're saving their money. They're not trying to go to places because they know that something is about to happen. And I tend to agree with those that have those takes because it's hard out here.

[00:18:52] It's a lot of money out here. It's too much. I'm over it. I just drove by a gas station the other one this morning and gas was like under three dollars. And I was like, well, that seems relatively cheap because it has, you know, I feel like where we live, if it's over three dollars, it's kind of high. Like I feel like a mid-level for us is like 275, 260, 280, like that's for me cheap gas prices.

[00:19:19] We're going to go to the next one.

[00:19:51] But yeah, it's just like, I don't understand where this money, where the money is going. And for me, maybe you can relate to this, Amon. Like I'm a single man. I live by myself. I have a full-time job. I've got a part-time job. And I just did my taxes. And I always owe. I hate when people that have kids and that, like, you know, I always owe. Like there's never, I'm getting any tax return money back because I just combined with my

[00:20:20] income and puts me into a different tax bracket. And I was like talking to my mom the other day and my mom was like, wow, like, you know, you make more money than I did when I was putting your brother through college. And I'm just like, how is it that, like, if my mom is saying that my mom had four kids, my mom was a single parent, my mom worked one job. And like, she was able to make that work. I'm a single man. I don't have no kids.

[00:20:50] I had a turtle. My turtle lives well. If you were to go to my home today right now, Amon, and open my refrigerator, you will be like, Bryce, are you okay? Like, I live, I live like, I mean, and I don't live like I, like I'm struggling. I, like, my heat don't go up past 63. Okay. Like, I have space heaters.

[00:21:19] Like, I just, I just be trying to figure out where is my money going? Like, I'm not doing anything crazy. Like, I went to school. I have a degree. I'm paying my student loans. It's just like, where is the money going? Like, how are people supposed to survive? So, I don't understand how people with children do it because, like, I, I can barely feed myself. And then let alone, maybe the one perk about me traveling is like, hey, I go to Southwest, I get two free bags. And now y'all taking that away?

[00:21:48] I really think on May 28th, Southwest Airlines is going to F around and find out. Because it's like, y'all doing this and you're trying to appease your shareholders and make profit instead of really taking care. Instead of scratching the back that scratches you, i.e. your customers. F around to find out. And if an influx of them go to Frontier, you about to be filing for bankruptcy. You about to, Spirit Airlines is about to, like, you know, merge with you.

[00:22:18] Like, you're not going to be an independent airline anymore. Like, you're going to really feel the wrath of your customers that kind of really appreciated that. So, I don't know what's going on. But, yeah, it's, it's, it's a lot. And it is crazy to me that somebody a couple decades ago raising multiple children can still sort of, like, make ends meet.

[00:22:45] But a single person with none of that. And, you know, you can argue, okay, so maybe children expenses are replaced with student loans. Maybe, but that's not in all cases. And it's, people are still struggling to, like, save their money and still have a good, like, live their life. It's, it's a lot. These student loans, they grab so much of everyone's income.

[00:23:13] It's, it's, it's too much. It's too much. It really is. All around. And I was watching TikTok the other night. And I think, like, maybe in the night, the early, the late 1980s and the early 1990s, the average age of someone buying their first home was, like, 21. Then in the early 2000s, it had jumped up to, like, 25. Then in, like, 20, 2010, 20, 2015, it's, like, 30.

[00:23:43] And now I believe in, like, 20, I mean, 2020, then 2010 and 2015. And then 2025. I want to say the average age for a first-time homeowner is, like, 37 to 40. I mean, I was having this conversation with a couple of friends the other day. We were, like, because one of my friends already owns a home. I'm fortunate enough to be able to do so. His family is, like, very, very, like, what's the word?

[00:24:12] They're very keen on property ownership and stacking their money. And, like, they did things the best way that they could, considering that they don't make a lot of money, but they were still able to own homes. I'm in the process of myself, like, trying to understand all the homeownership and, like, what goes into it and attending workshops and everything. But I feel like it should not be that difficult in order to, like, obtain a space to live.

[00:24:40] Like, if I'm spending the majority of my time working, why should I have to struggle to have shelter? That makes no sense. It's also, we can talk about gentrification, right? Like, the area in which you live in right now, Amon, let's say 15 years ago. And Amon lives in what I would say, like, not the Fairmount, but, like, off of, I don't, you know, the Fairmount section.

[00:25:09] West Poplar is what it's called. Now they be making up these new names, okay? Amon lived 10 minutes from Temple University. And back in the day, we would call that North Philly. Yes. 10 years ago, a house on Amon Street at maybe the most, $235,000. 20 years ago, $125,000. Today, houses on Amon Street go in the upwards of $400,000.

[00:25:38] Like, that... And it's not just the inflation, because everyone will say, oh, well, everything's more expensive nowadays, so therefore nothing is. No, no. No, the exponential growth of which all of those prices have risen. No, no. And the fact that, like, wages are not going up alongside it. Because if wages were going up, then we wouldn't be complaining. Right. Like, oh, this is a lot more. But because that stuff is still kind of the same, that's where you run into the issue. And it's corporate greed.

[00:26:07] It's all of these big banks buying up a bunch of properties or big corporations buying up a bunch of properties and setting the tone for, like, what is acceptable for the rent. And then people still aren't making as much. So it's just, you know, you have people that still live with their parents, which is understandable. I, you know, at some point I was like, girl, do I just go back home? Like, because... Bitch, you ain't never lie. Like, and my parents are always... My parents have always... Like, I have...

[00:26:36] I'm blessed to have parents that are like, I'm on. If you ever need to come home, you always can. There's always room for you here. And I love that. But then you have that millennial mindset where it's like, no, I need to be self-sufficient. I need to be on my own. I need to do this. And a lot of, like, a lot of, you know, landlords, they prey on that. They prey on people that are trying to prove that they are self-sufficient, trying to prove that they can get out on their own. And they're extorting them. It's, it's, it's, it's horrible. Like, it's all around the board. It's just...

[00:27:07] Bitch, it's too much. Yeah, no. You ain't never lie. I, I, um, I'm like with you still, uh, in the process of like, you know, wanting to buy a home. I've liked been saving. And it's like, I'm there, but I'm looking at these interest rates. I'm looking at these homes and the area that I want to stay in. And I'm like, what? Am I ever going to be able to buy a home? Like, it's just, it really is crazy. It's crazy.

[00:27:35] All I want is like a nice little, modest little town home in South Philly. South Philly. Oh, God. And it's just like, over half a million dollars for this little tiny closet. Like, what are we doing here? No parking. Like, what are we doing? This is crazy. And I don't want to have to relocate to Nebraska.

[00:28:04] Like, to live affordably. It's crazy. It's just. And we already see like what happens when people do that. Like with Texas, like everyone, a lot of people are moving to Texas. Rural Texas. And then, because everything is so cheap. But now they're starting to feel the pressure too. Because the, you know, the demand increases with little to no supply. And so they're like, okay, well, to discourage people. Or that now that we know that people want this, I want to get what I can.

[00:28:32] And it's just, it's greed at the end of the day. Like, you can, there are landlords that can live comfortably, comfortably after all of the money that they get from their tenants. You don't need to extort them by raising it. Like, oh, let me see if they'll be willing to pay $300 more. Why? Why? Why? Like, it's, it's. It's a lot.

[00:28:59] So if you are out here listening and you feeling it like Aman and I, we are with you. Because we, like, we in the same boat. It's definitely hard out here. And at one point, I'm like, let the recession come. Because maybe the interest rates on houses will drop and I'll be able to get me a house. Like, it's like, it's crazy. So we feel y'all. Y'all not traveling. I understand. Man, I get it. But I am curious and I will keep a close eye out on May 28th. I'll be watching the stock market.

[00:29:29] I'll be seeing how Southwest does. Now, I want to shift into a more interesting, not a more interesting topic, but an interesting debate that has been having the internet and social media on fire. This new rising pop star named Tate McCray. McCray. Thank you, Aman, because you know, I was going to say McCray. McCray. She recently dropped a new album in February called So Close to What?

[00:29:59] And it's like a generational divide. First of all, I've never heard of her before. And then when I saw a lot of discussions on Reddit and X and TikTok, I started listening to her music. And you know, I'm an R&B girly, but I love me some pop. And so this, I guess the generation below us, Aman, is Gen Z's, Gen X? Gen Z. Gen Z. And so... Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

[00:30:28] Oh, not the Gen Alpha. Gen Z-ers are raving over Tate. They is like, she is it. She's the next Beyonce. We got one. She is killing it. Now, mind you, I never heard of her. And I'm like, listen, hey, if y'all love her, let me get into her. Now, where the generational divide comes in there, and it not really necessarily has anything to do with Kate per se,

[00:30:56] but a lot of millennials, and after I did a little research, I'm a millennial. They are getting into her music and seeing her performances, and they kind of are going, uh, okay. You know, she aight. But like the fact that these Gen Z's are, they are like, oh my God, Beyonce better watch out.

[00:31:24] She's like, you know, and it's like, it raises this conversation that's, this is where I'm so excited to talk to Aman about, where like the dying art of a pop star. And of course, then they bring Taylor Swift into, uh, the conversation where they say Taylor Swift has the numbers,

[00:31:45] but like Taylor Swift, she could sing, but like the pop stars that we know, that we were growing up on in the early 2000s, uh, they were triple threats, right? And it's like, they, they say the mediocre, the, the, the mediocre-cy of like a Taylor Swift. And by no means is Taylor Swift mediocre, right? But then when they compare a Taylor Swift to a Beyonce and they try to compare them, like, they're not comparable. Yeah. If you want to just go by numbers and all like, yeah, sure. She could sell.

[00:32:15] But like, we're talking about talent. We're talking about a performer and like, there's this Kate performance going around where, yeah, she's, she cute. She dancing. But like for them to rave about how she's the next, she's killing the game. And there's a lot of comparison to a Britney Spears. Um, and so I think I have the take that a lot of millennials have.

[00:32:40] And it's like, we were lucky because in our day, we had a Britney Spears and not this new Britney Spears. We had a Britney Spears that in Britney's early days, she could sing. But then what Britney got really known for was she could dance. She's dancing. We had Christina Aguilera. We had Pink. We had, and listen, and I'm going to say this and I want y'all to hear me very clearly. We had a Jessica Simpson.

[00:33:10] Okay. Cause Bay Bay, listen. Now, mind you, Jessica wasn't really a dancer. So I won't put her in that category, but Bay Bay, Jessica, like, mind you. And I like, Ooh, I used to love me some Jessica Simpson. We had an Arrow Levine. I will maybe put this person in this conversation. We had a Jennifer Lopez, you know, my love don't cost a thing error. J-Lo. Okay. We had.

[00:33:38] If you want to eat me, I, you know. If you want to send that. Oh, wait, wait. Oh. Wow. It got too loud. I forgot. My love don't cost a thing. When you pulled up in the Escalade. Saw the dove you gave to the valet. Knew that it was game. When you looked at me, pulling up the roller soccer. I'll even add a shanty to the list. Cover it.

[00:34:08] Okay. Eat me out. You won't. No. That's not what Jennifer said. I'm sorry. Um, but like we had artists. We had, and mind you, a lot of people don't talk about the girl group Dream. We had Dream. We had Destiny's Child. And. Yes. They were dancing. Yes. They were singing. They were performing. And so. Again.

[00:34:37] I kind of feel like we sound like our parents a little bit when our parents, but it's like, even my mom can say, baby, you can't, you can't put the Supremes and Destiny's Child in the same conversation. Right? Like, it's like, we were blessed in the pop realm in the 2000s and early 90s with the girlies. Like, the girlies upon the girlies. Shoot. You, we, we can't even put 3LW into the mix. Okay? Cause 3LW was saying, wait, did you, did you make a face at 3LW?

[00:35:07] No. No, no, no. I don't know. Like, in agreement. Like, yes. Like, yeah. It's like, we really had pop girlies. And so it's like, it is just kind of crazy to me that like, we had the Spice Girls. We had the Pussycat Dolls. We had the Sugar Babes. We had like, Danity Kane. Yeah. And. Everything. Again, this is nothing against Tate. Cause like, you know, I, I got a couple of jams off of her last album.

[00:35:36] You know, I love me some music, but like the way y'all are raving about her, it's like, maybe y'all need to go back on the YouTube and see some things because it just, it just raises this level of the state of the music industry where it's just like mediocre, mediocrity is celebrated. Yes.

[00:35:57] It's, it's so interesting to me because I agree with you in that, like, when I find myself critiquing upcoming, you know, rising stars, I'm like, oh my God, I feel like I'm sounding like my dad when he was punching down on people like Gaga or Katy Perry or Beyonce.

[00:36:26] Like all of the people that I grew up listening to or grew up like watching and idolizing. It just felt like they were never enough for the people that were older than me. And I don't want to be that person for this upcoming generation, but I do agree that there is, there is a, there is just a large difference between what we had and what Gen Z has and what

[00:36:56] Gen Alpha has. Like the amount of texture that there was to pop culture and pop music back then is just, it's not, it's not comparable to what the kids are getting these days. Are there talented girls in the arena? Yes, there are for sure. Like Billie Eilish is talented as hell. Olivia Rodrigo, talented as hell. Uh, who else? Sabrina Karpon.

[00:37:26] She's about to, she's, she's, she's getting her, she's eating her oats right now. Talented as hell. And I really want to see where she goes and what she does with her career. So there will always be the next one, the next pops or the next big thing. But I think the key difference here is there is, there is a, there is a, there is a, there is an obsession with being the next

[00:37:54] big one as opposed to just organically being the next big one. Not that there wasn't marketing for the girls that we grew up with too. Yes, there was, there was a lot going on with the music industry as you were coming up a lot of changes, the introduction of iTunes music consumption was just a lot different from when our parents were young, especially in comparison to the kids now.

[00:38:20] So I get that, but there still was this, there was development as an artist. There was, there was a team behind you that was trying to put out a campaign and so like, let people know who you were these days. It feels very. Tick tock hit and you're a star. Tick tock hit. You're a star. Very just like, we're going to borrow from other, other timelines, other themes. Like Tate McRae,

[00:38:49] does she have some bops on that album? Yeah. And I'm, I'm bopping to them, but they're very derivative. And I hate to use derivatives, derivative as a pejorative because like everything is derivative when it comes to art. Like people borrow, borrow, borrow, borrow. It is what it is. It evolves and it changes over time. But like for her specifically, if you're trying to create a unique identity, it's probably not best to make all of your, to make your debut album a carbon copy

[00:39:17] of what we've heard in the 2000s. It just doesn't work. It doesn't work. Like it's, it's good. And the, the millennials are going to get their life. Some of them because like, oh, this is bringing me back. But like, right outside of that, who are you? Where is Tate? What are you doing? Billy? She has an established sign or sound. She knows what she's doing. If I hear a Billy Eilish song, I hear it. Right. It's really recognizable. Tate, what are you doing? So this is what I will say, right? Cause I

[00:39:46] don't, you know, I do think for the girlies coming up, cause I, I think of pink, right? Do you remember pink's first album? They marketed pink as an R and B girly and you know, pink's first single, uh, what was it? Uh, what was pink's first single? Uh, I can't remember it either. Uh, hold on, wait. Cause it's a jam. It is a jam. Pink's first single was there you go. Look, the innocent just because I let you go. There you go. Okay. Like, and mind you,

[00:40:15] we all love like my module, but that, that's the, that was the bait and switch that they used to do with the pop girlies was give them this R and B sound. Let like the black culture rock with them. And then they kind of switch it up. However, pink was like, this is not who I want to be. Pink wanted to be something else. And so her next albums and therefore we're so different. So I do get with Tate, there is that like music industry. You got to fit this mold. But for me, when you were

[00:40:43] like with our parents and they are music, they could never like, it can never be as good as the music Marvin Gaye or Reefer Franklin. But I always felt like, I think the difference in what we are saying though, is because like my mom is like the trash. They're not talking about anything. It's so overly sexualized. It's that. And like, you know, like we're not saying it right. Like I think what they're talking about is absolutely fine. I, for me, it's just the lack of like the triple threat.

[00:41:13] Like people used to have to be triple threats to get out in the world. Like you have to do all of these things. And now it's like the Jenny, the Gen Zs have grown up on auto tunes. They've grown up on TikTok. They've grown up on like, you just need to make up. Morality. Just being able to get a good moment and then feeding off of that one moment. And then feeding off of it. And mind you, I will give them this. Hey, they might not be performers, but they know how to do, they're triple threats in their own right. They get a little song,

[00:41:39] then they become an influencer. Then all of a sudden they have these brand deals. And now like, they're just this big household name. And so kudos to y'all on that. But if we talking pop stars, I needs me a little baby, don't you wanna dance up on it? I'm a name of love. Okay.

[00:42:02] Baby. Okay. Like, listen, I never really been a Britney fan, but y'all gonna put some respect on Britney. Cause Britney early days. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, Britney was moving, dancing, and she could sing a little bit back in the day. Like, you know. I love Britney's voice. Is she a vocalist? No, but I love Britney's voice. I don't care what

[00:42:28] nobody say. I like, I can listen to Britney sing all damn day, bitch. I love Britney's voice. It's Britney, bitch. But yeah, so it's like, even the Christina Aguilera, like, it just, there is a difference. And again, it's not like, it's not the content. It's not what they sing. It's just like lackluster. And then it's like. No, and screw the content because I don't know why everyone's act like people that are above like older than us are acting like, oh, everything is

[00:42:54] just, your shit was sexualized too, honey. It was the same. It might not have been like to the degree that we're more comfortable with now because, you know, as time goes, we just, we get a little bit more comfy. Like, it just is what it is. But y'all, we're still out here singing about wham, bam, doing everything, like sexual healing. Like, y'all were out here. Y'all were out here

[00:43:19] freaky just like the rest of us. We just, I don't know. We just, we're just, we just nastier. Or just nastier with the lyrics, but it's just the, the crux of it is still the same. So like that critique is so old and tired. It's just, the point is there is development when it comes to the artists that we grew up listening to, the ones that our parents grew up listening to. And now that there's like this democratization of who can be a pop star, who can be successful,

[00:43:49] which in some ways is nice because it like takes away from like just the industry controlling everything. But it also allows for one thing to boost somebody up. And are you actually talented girl? Can you sing? Do you know, do you know how to structure a song? Do you know how to write?

[00:44:12] Do you understand key signature? Do you understand time? Do you understand, like, is it innate within you? Do you understand music? Is there musicianship? Is there, do you understand choreography? Do you understand how to promote yourself? Like there's so much more that goes into being a pop star than just one moment. And I just don't know if a lot of the girls these days get that.

[00:44:43] Yeah, I agree. And now mind you, I don't want to gaslight you because I don't want to spend too much time on this. But like, we also could talk about like, how do I want to phrase this? Oh my God, I'm scared. Hold on. Because I'm just saying, like pop, pop music in general, right? Yeah. Growing up, I'm not, I'm not that much older than you, but there used to be a difference

[00:45:13] in pop music and R&B music. Yes. And as time has gone on, there seems to be, they always say like R&B music is dying, right? Like it's not a successful industry, as they say, but pop continues to rise. And now and day more modern, in my opinion, more modern pop singers sound like what R&B music,

[00:45:42] what I would say is sound like. And again, we all know that Beyonce has brought this conversation to the forefront that like, there really is no genres. It's what music industries and executives put into how to classify and sell music. But I'm just saying like a lot of the pop girlies, in my opinion, sound like some black R&B girlies. Okay. That's what they finish music sounds like.

[00:46:08] And so I always think it's so interesting when like people say the dying of R&B music and like our R&B girlies and our R&B songs, like they say it's a dying industry, but I always say, how can it be when it's like the pop pop is on the rise and they sound like black artists. But anyway, I didn't, you know, want to go into that, but I just, that's just the conversation to be had as well, because like, yeah. Yeah. No, I mean, I agree. I think when it comes to pop,

[00:46:38] pop music, I mean, it's short for popular music. So it's like based off of the trends of the time. Now let's also be clear, because it's the casualty. You growing up, what did you take pop music as? Very short, very short. What did a pop artist look like?

[00:47:02] Britney Spears. It was very bubblegum. It was very NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, very name, packaged and easy to consume and radio friendly. So we just said, like we said, we came from an era where we had pop stars. Mm hmm. Name a black female pop star. From the 2000s? Mm hmm.

[00:47:32] I mean, I guess, I guess it would only really be Beyonce. But I mean, at that point in time, she still was an R&B girlie, but that's, that's kind of like the point that I'm getting at. I kind of always like, right, pop is considered popular music. And so it can bend genres. But for me, what I took at a very young age was that like a pop star is. They, they will continuously glean from what.

[00:48:03] They don't normally do to make themselves feel a little bit more interesting. I feel like most white pop stars have a black album and then they go back to being white. Right. Justin Bieber. Justin Timberlake. Miley Cyrus. Justin Timberlake. Pink. Taylor Swift. Pink. Who else? Ashley Simpson.

[00:48:30] Even to an extent Kesha, because there was a moment where she was trying her hand at some rap. Um, yeah, no, it's they, you know, they, they, they get black real quick, especially the ones that are. The ones that have been in the industry for a long time that they were there since teenagerhood in a way to, in a way to transition into becoming an adult, they decide to. And also is they, and also is they rebel rebellious state. Yes. Yep.

[00:49:00] But no, for me, I'm just going to say like, I always thought a pop star was a white act. Like that's like, that's what my early understanding of it was. And I kind of sort of feel like it kind of still feels like that way to a degree today. Uh, yeah, but yeah. So it's just, I think the most successful black pop star that we have is Rihanna. Yeah. Right.

[00:49:30] Okay. I think, is she early 2000s? No, because she didn't really start making her like stamp. Mr. DJ Compana replay. That's the early 2000s. Want your time music up? 2006 though, right? That's still early 2000s. That's mid, that's like mid 2000s. And then she really like hit her, hit her like stride. I want to say 2009, 2010, 2011.

[00:49:58] And she dominated like the early to mid 2010s. And then she was like, bye bitch. But I think that she's probably the most successful black pop star outside of Michael Jackson. Well, I mean. Because let's not forget the king of pop. There's a conversation with that too, because when he became the king of pop, what did he look like? So, I mean, there's that. But also.

[00:50:27] Nothing going to take that away from us. But I'm just saying, I said what they looked like. Like what a pop star looked like to me. Also, randomly, right? Maya. The singer Maya. I really feel like she's a pop star. Like, or was a pop star. Because I feel like, you know, she had that Nickelodeon song with the Rugrats. Like, she was very like, but again, they just marketed her as R&B.

[00:50:52] But I really feel like Maya, if she looked different, they would categorize her as a pop star. But again, we love Maya. But just interesting, and this is no hate on Tate. I like seeing the debate about this. I was like, let me get into her music. And again, I've always been a pop girly, R&B girly type of music, but I like. And I definitely like Tate. I think, you know, she's a new artist. She's a young girl. And she's growing and developing.

[00:51:20] But again, it's just this, them calling her this queen and all of these things. And as a millennial, as myself, I'm like, okay, I see it. Like, it's okay. But it's like, I don't see. There's just too much. Like, people are able to have these conversations on a larger scale these days, more so than they were in the past. Because I'm sure that there are people that had similar notions back then.

[00:51:50] But the internet didn't exist. The instant, like, way to be able to understand, like, the instant comparison. It's just like not, that wasn't a thing back then. But, like, it's very easy for us to look at what Tate's doing and be like, saw that over there. And you couldn't do that back then.

[00:52:15] So, like, I think it's harder on pop stars a lot of these days, these times to understand, like, yeah, like, I want to, like, have these moments. I want to, like, make sure that I'm, you know, having a viral moment. But at the same time, you got to be able to take the critique in that, like, people are a little bit more hungry these days. People are a little bit, they just, the standards are up there.

[00:52:39] And if you're not ready for that type of commentary, then this might not be the industry for you, unfortunately. But, like, if you're open to the critique and you're open to people saying, I like what you're doing, but I don't quite understand who you are, then that's when I feel like true, you know, artistry will come forward. But until then, I'm just, I'm just, I'm just going to sit here and sip my tea and wait to see what she does next. Yeah.

[00:53:06] Well, we will keep you posted and love to hear your comments and feedback. If you're listening on Pop Stars and just with the state of the pop. The state of pop. The state of pop. You know, here on the Casual Tea, we always give you some Wendy Williams updates. And I think since our last Casual Tea, we've had some Wendy Williams updates. Since the Breakfast Club interviews, the Don Lemon interviews, a lot has happened.

[00:53:34] They have some advocacy program working with Wendy. They called in an adult abuse case where they were able to get Wendy out of her glorified prison on the memory unit. She was able to go to the ER where she was able to get a psychological test completed. And they say she passed it with flying colors where they did not deem her as incapacitated.

[00:54:01] From there, there have been a lot more updates since that stunt. The judge kind of really ringed in a little on Wendy and her family saying that they're abusing the system and that she does have the freedom to come and go at this facility that she is at. And that, you know, maybe the Guardian should look at a more restrictive place for Wendy to go.

[00:54:29] More recently, we've seen Wendy out twice since her going to the hospital. And at one point in time with her niece, Alex, she had a doctor's appointment. And then from the doctor's appointment, they went to dinner. The memory unit called the police on Wendy and her niece saying that Wendy was kidnapped. So essentially, it's kind of like this tactical game that they are playing. And Alex and Wendy, when they were headed back to the unit, TMZ, because TMZ is always there.

[00:54:57] They had said, oh, you know, they just reported to police that you're missing and kidnapped. And Alex is like, how is it possible for me to kidnap my aunt? When we go to this memory unit, we have to get let go. They know what we're doing. And after a doctor's appointment, I can't take my aunt to get dinner. She's been trapped up here all this time, all this while.

[00:55:19] And recently, I guess there was some court filings in the case where Wendy is trying to get released to her condo or apartment that she has somewhere in New York or possibly other places. So we're kind of waiting for the judge to rule on that behalf. But there is a lot of movement. We are seeing a lot more of Wendy in the news and media.

[00:55:43] And I still just don't understand why she's being treated like a prisoner, like why she's being treated like she's in jail. If they are supposed to be protecting her assets and different things. We also, again, seen Wendy out with her son after, you know, the TMZ documentary on Tubi came out where she alleged that like he was abusing her or taking things that he shouldn't have been taking. And then people were so surprised to see her with her son. Well, that's her son. Okay. I can tell you.

[00:56:10] I think I told you last episode, my brother took my mom credit card. Like, you know, like kids do things. And so like that does not want to change what happens. But I do like the fact that, again, with the Internet can come a lot of good and a lot of bad. But I do like the fact that like the public sentiment can really help move things along. And so I'm hoping that we can get it to a place where Wendy is free, that there are some restrictions. But it looks like there is a little bit movement.

[00:56:38] And we are seeing a little bit more of Wendy. Yeah, I think it I think that the court of public opinion has really been in her favor. I think that she's done a great job of advocating for herself. I mean, she's a mouthpiece for a living, right? Like she knows how to talk. She knows how to gab. She knows how to message.

[00:57:01] And I'm hopeful that we are on the path to a place where she can still receive whatever care that she needs, whatever care is necessary for her. Because, again, I don't think that she is all the way there. Right. I think that there is still a level of I think there is the capacity for her to be exploited. Absolutely.

[00:57:31] Without someone there. But I don't think that it means that she needs to be sick and shut in. I think that's an that's an overcorrection. I just think that she just needs to have someone there to help monitor what's going on with her money, what's going on with her health. And and that's it.

[00:57:54] Because one thing that I don't want to happen is sort of like what I feel like is happening with Britney now. Like, do I believe that Britney was in a very exploitative situation within her conservatorship? Of course. Do I think that she needs to be released from it? Yes. But do I think there should have been guardrails once she is released? Yes. Because this might be a little controversial. And it's not me saying that women can't do what they want with their bodies.

[00:58:23] But I feel like the minute that you come out of that conservatorship and like, what is it like two months later, you become pregnant. I'm like, that's a very big leap from being in this contained environment to then becoming pregnant. It feels very rushed. So I just feel like, yes, you don't need to be on a leash, but there should be there has to be somebody that has your best interest in mind.

[00:58:52] And your treatment. Absolutely. And it's like people getting released from prison. Right. Like sometimes you go into a halfway house to get yourself re-acclimated to the community and the state of different things. Like, and have you ever seen those Amish documentaries about like the Amish community? And like when they are people that want to break from the Amish community. And I think it's like 85% of the people that leave the Amish community, they become addicted to math.

[00:59:16] They'd be like, there's this, this thing as to like, when you are kept in this smaller society that operates by different rules and you get the freedom. And if you want them to do whatever you want, like you do go a little crazy. And so I agree with you. Like, I don't think that they just need to be left alone after we've kept them in this closed society where everyone's doing everything for them. I definitely think, like you said, some guardrails.

[00:59:42] But yeah, it is well within Wendy and Brittany's right to do what they want. But like set them up for success. Right. Like, I feel like if you just release them, it's almost like you're setting them up for failure. Right. And so it's like, let's do this the right way. Let's put things into place. But like, it doesn't need to be the most restrictive, even though the court system is saying that it's not the most restrictive.

[01:00:05] When I think whoever was behind this Wendy Williams press tour, I think that they executed it very great. And even the Breakfast Club with Charlemagne and Charlemagne sending Lauren LaRosa to the facility and her getting denied and her being able to talk about that. And so I think that it then plays very well when then the judge and the guardian are saying, you have full access. You can do what you want. And then we have this documented proof.

[01:00:35] So it's like whoever is behind Wendy and supporting Wendy and kind of like these very strategic interviews, these very strategic people going to see her so that we have all of this and all of this will be. And it's not admissible. Everything will be able to be submitted to the court. So it's like and what people have said in Wendy's documentaries, older and newer, is that Wendy just doesn't act off of emotion. Like, Wendy thinks out a plan.

[01:01:01] And so I think we just might be in the mix of Wendy's plan as to what's happening. And so I hope that people that are around Wendy love her enough to know that, like, yeah, she should be able to do the things that she wants. But with respect, the things it's like when your grandparents get older, your parents get older. Right. And sometimes the children have to step in or other family members have to step in. And it's like you support them.

[01:01:26] They can't do everything, but it's like you help them to live the most unrestricted life that they can. And I think that that's what needs to happen with Wendy Williams. So, you know, here with Casual Tea, we will always keep you updated and posted on what we got for them. We did bring in the Breakfast Club and they were a crucial part of delivering and helping us hear from Wendy. But there is a new beef brewing on the Breakfast Club. We have Jess Hilarious and Lauren LaRosa.

[01:01:56] We know Jess Hilarious from Instagram. She was making skits. She started going on tour with her comedy, became a real social media influencer and a huge name. We know the Breakfast Club in radio and on YouTube. They were like the number one radio show for like the past 10 years. They've been on the show for 15 years. You know, we've had classic moments with the Breakfast Club. All trio, y'all. There's been so many things that we've seen. The Breakfast Club has been on a slight decline, but the numbers are still very high.

[01:02:25] It used to be Charlamagne Tha God, Envy, and Angela Yee. I think four years ago, Angela Yee announced her departure, which everyone was like, oh my God, what's happening with that? Like, we can't believe it. And so they went on this hunt to find a new co-host. They had a lot of people stepping in, filling in, and they landed on Jess Hilarious, which we all, the internet, we all thought was a really great fit. Jess was not like Angela, but Jess was Jess.

[01:02:52] She, we always talk about, I guess in this new day and age, about like comedians and how like there's the traditional comedian. And now in the new era, there is the Instagram comedian who kind of like, they have the views, they have the things, but like then sometimes comedians feel like they didn't go through the, the ways and the channels of how the older comedians will work the club. Very similar situation with Jess, where she is coming from a very internet based stance.

[01:03:21] However, she has the P, the voice of the people. And so she's coming into this very, although the breakfast club is an interesting dynamic, it still is a corporation, right? Like they are still back. It still is definitely like a corporation and it is like a nine to five business operated job. Well, Jess got it. They're very happy with Jess. Jess got pregnant. Jess went out on maternity.

[01:03:50] She went out on maternity leave and Jess picked Lauren LaRosa to fill in for her as, you know, what happens when, you know, you go on maternity leave. The difference in Lauren LaRosa, which Lauren is from Delaware. She went to Delta State. The difference in Jess and Lauren is Jess satized a little different. Jess used to do this thing called Jess with the mess and kind of similar to the casual tea, right?

[01:04:16] Where it's like, we just, the news stories, we talk about it from just our own perspective as people. Lauren LaRosa has a journalist degree. She's going to get the facts. She's going to deliver news in a way that is starkly different than Jess. And what ended up happening as Jess was on maternity leave, Lauren LaRosa was killing on the breakfast club.

[01:04:38] Like it almost felt like it was the old breakfast club with Angela Yee back because Angela Yee had, has a degree in, what is Angela? She has a degree in multimedia marketing. So Angela Yee has her own way of delivering things, which is very different than Jess. And so the fans and people were like, we really love Lauren LaRosa. Then Jess came back. Everyone was happy with Jess.

[01:05:05] And then they started interjecting Lauren LaRosa back on the screen. So then it would be all four of them. And I guess towards the last month and a half, a lot of fans have been noticing while they are on the air that Jess Hilarious looks checked out. Jess Hilarious looks over it. And maybe two, three weeks ago, it got to the point where Jess Hilarious at one point in time told Lauren LaRosa on air to shut up.

[01:05:37] Don't over talk me. And so a lot of the bloggers were going in like Jess has had it. And to our surprise, last week, Jess got on an Instagram live and in fact said all what she wanted to say. And she essentially said like, she doesn't know what's going on. She's gone to the higher ups to say like, what's happening? Are we transitioning Lauren into a fourth position?

[01:06:04] Then we learned through all of this that Lauren was a producer. And so like, why is Lauren a producer? But then getting treated like the talent just essentially is saying like she doesn't know what was happening. And she feels like Jess had Jess with the mess. They started giving that to Lauren to the point where Jess was like, my Jess with the mess doesn't stand a candle. It doesn't hold a candle to Lauren's actual factual news show. So give it to Lauren. So then Jess's segment got taken.

[01:06:32] And now it's seeming like Jess is being phased out. And so she aired it out. And then the Breakfast Club this week, after she aired it out, they hashed it out on air. Charlamagne, Envy were talking with Jess to the point where Jess was crying because DJ Envy was very upset saying that like he felt like they were, that's not the way you handled it. Jess could have kept it inside. Again, very corporate. Jess is from the internet. And how do people crash out in this day and age?

[01:07:01] They put their phone up and they go off. That's what Jess was used to. And so Envy just didn't like it. Lauren LaRosa. Then Lauren LaRosa comes in on the chat. And they're having this back and forth. A lot of people, it's split sides, right? A lot of people feel Lauren LaRosa like where she got this opportunity and she killed it. And essentially people are saying, oh, maybe they made the wrong choice with Jess. And now they're trying to phase Lauren in.

[01:07:30] I agree with that. However, I do agree with Jess. In the sense of if I go out on leave and I come back, if I'm a substitute teacher and there's a substitute teacher covering my class. They do a great job. And I come back and I start teaching my class. Then all of a sudden the principal comes back and it says, hey, Bryce, Amand did really good with science in your class. We're going to, he's going to teach science. And you can have that period, period free. Okay.

[01:08:00] Then they say, oh, you know what? Amand does really good with reading. So he's going to do science and reading. Then all of a sudden it's like, you know, Jess has every right to be like, what is happening here? Like y'all, there is, there's a breakdown in the communication. And so how Jess handled it, in my opinion, I don't know if I would have went on Instagram live. Right. Because this is a very corporate job. This isn't like a brand deal. Like you locked in. That's not the best way to handle it.

[01:08:26] But Jess is saying she was asking these questions and they are just saying, oh, well, we always had a fourth seed. And so people also say, just let the comments get to her head. Just let the people online, the bloggers saying all this stuff really get to her. But it's hard if you're in that position and that's how you're feeling and people are noticing it and saying what you want to say. You feel like you want to speak on it. What was your take of the situation, Amand?

[01:08:55] I feel like for Jess, I think she came into this position at the Breakfast Club clearly knowing what she was there for to sort of parlay her Instagram comedianship into the Breakfast Club.

[01:09:21] And offer snarky, funny, straight to the point, cut to the jugular humor. And I think that when she was about to go and have her first child, I think she thought, okay, if they're allowing me, if this is true, if they're allowing me to choose my replacement, I'm going to go for someone that does not do what I do.

[01:09:51] This person is not a comedian. This person is a little bit more, you know, as you said, she has a journalism degree. She works for TMZ. She works for TMZ. She's very much more prim and proper, MTA format, check your sources type deal. So this person, this lady is going to give, she's going to bring a different energy than what I bring.

[01:10:17] And so therefore, I'm going to be okay once I come back. However, it backfired. People tended, tend to like her commentary more because I don't know. I mean, I, to be honest, I didn't really, I haven't really seen much of Just Hilarious on, on the Breakfast Club. I haven't seen Lauren either. But from what I can gain is that people, I don't think Jess was hilarious enough.

[01:10:47] Because if she was, then people wouldn't, pendulums shift into what Lauren has got going on. Can I give you some, can I chime in real quick? So, yeah. So Jess was funny, right? Like, I think for so long, I want to say for a year after Angela Yee, first of all, there's never going to be a Breakfast Club like Charlamagne Envy and Angela Yee, right? Like they had a good yin and a yang.

[01:11:15] When Angela Yee announced for her departure, and they started doing this circular of just having guest people on. And they're like, are they ever going to fill this seat? When they got to Jess, Jess, what, like her energy was different. It was very different from Angela. It was just this vibe that they needed, right? And so we have that, right? But also it's like, we're not really going to envy for facts.

[01:11:46] Charlamagne, we know his past, right? Like, and so Charlamagne is now this reformed person. And so people also sometimes don't like getting their information from a Charlamagne. And so they wanted a female, they needed a female perspective. But again, it's like, I think Jess, like you said, was great at what she does, but it was limited. And, but that's what they hire her for.

[01:12:09] And I think what the core Breakfast Club fans missed was kind of like someone like an Angela Yee. And if you look at a Lauren and a Jess, in my opinion, Jess is farther away from what an Angela Yee was. And Lauren is very close to what an Angela Yee was. And so I really feel like when Lauren came in, I think a lot of the fans were like, this feels familiar.

[01:12:38] This feels like the old Breakfast Club. And then when Jess came back, after we are getting, like you said, we are fact-checking notes. We are like getting sources. And then Jess comes back. And then it's like, they set Jess up for failure because she got back. And Jess is still doing her thing. Jess was still being funny. But people are like, okay, we want a little more substance. And I think that that's really what the issue kind of came down to. And obviously the internet loves to pin two Black women against each other.

[01:13:05] And I think that while Jess, again, did not handle this well, I think if you go back and watch that interview or like the most recent Breakfast Club last week when Jess was speaking with Lauren and Charlamagne and Envy, Jess continuously says, this is not anything against Lauren. Jess is saying, I picked Lauren because she is great at what she does. I wanted somebody good. Like, I want to uplift a Black woman. Like, give her a spot when I'm going.

[01:13:31] And Jess is like, I come back and now it's like, y'all feels like you're taking away my spot. And my issue is not with Lauren. My frustration is with the behind the scenes, the upper ups that are kind of like trying to usher her in on my seat. And I'm just supposed to sit here. And so it's like, now they're saying it should be like a four seater, which could be great. But also if I'm Jess, I didn't sign a contract for four seats. Yeah.

[01:13:58] And so I get Jess, but also it's like, I just feel like the fans resonated a lot more with Lauren because she, in my opinion, is a lot closer to like what Angela Yee was. Yeah. I. Oh, pardon me. I. Yeah. I. I. I relate to Jess a lot here because I know that feeling of replacement.

[01:14:21] I know that feeling of like, no one wants to say the quiet part out loud, but all of the signs are there. Like she, she was supposed to be temporary, but now she's here. It's a fourth seat. And on top of that, for whatever reason, she's only here during my segments. So what are we trying to say here?

[01:14:44] And it's, it's like you're like, it's a catch 22 because you're in this situation where if I say something, the public is going to assume that I am being. Jealous or defensive or insecure. If I don't say something, then. I'm not defending myself. So you just feel this need to put it on somebody's radar so that you're not just like out here in the cold.

[01:15:12] And for Lauren, because I saw the response that she had, like, I don't think there really is much of a way for Lauren to come out of this unscathed because you're in a situation where you want to present yourself as someone that is not trying to tear another black woman down. But at the same time, you need a job. You need to check.

[01:15:36] So you're, you want to do what feels the most right to you in order to maintain a position. Even if that means your position takes away somebody else's. So you're going to say all the things that you need to digest. You're going to say, well, I don't appreciate that you did this because as a woman coming from a woman, then we should have, we should have gone about this a different way.

[01:15:59] But again, I think the true people here that need to be called to the carpet, which just was trying to do are Charlemagne and what's his face. And DJ Envy, not even them. It's really the producers. It's really the executive. Anybody that is the powers that be over here at the Breakfast Club. Y'all knew what y'all were doing. Y'all knew what y'all were doing. Y'all knew what was going to happen. And you knew how the hosts were going to react.

[01:16:28] And DJ Envy talking to Jess like, oh, well, I don't appreciate that you're just springing this on us. She didn't spring that on y'all. She said something. I know she did. I know she did. Because nobody just all of a sudden says, I'm feeling this type of way. She told you. I know she did. I know she did. And DJ Envy kind of pissed me off a little bit when he was coming at Jess like, you don't think they tear me up in the comments? Well, mind you, yeah. Because you did have that. It's apples to oranges, baby.

[01:16:56] She's talking about comparison to the person that she brought on. You're talking about some random comments that somebody had an issue with your opinion that week. They're not the same. Also the comments about his real estate scheme. You know, that guy that went to jail. You know, the cheating on his wife and different things. And then I'm like, DJ Envy, the nerve of you. Because you have guests that come on. And like, you'll go at it with them. And then you'll walk out. Like, so I was like. You walk away from it.

[01:17:24] It was to come back the next week with your job in line. She is talking about her job with you. Not what you got going on outside of there. Like, they're two different things. But now, where, again, I wish. I do feel like Jess was like she was backed up against the wall. And like, this is the only way for her to get it out. But you and I both know a man. If that's how we feel on our job. And we go online.

[01:17:50] And we do a live about our corporate jobs that we have. Like, we know what the repercussions will be. And so I think that that is the difference of like, I'm not mad at Jess for speaking her mind. But also it's like, this ain't the internet. Right? Like, you know, like, this isn't Instagram. Like, so it's just. So we'll see what happens. It's just so hard. Because like, what is, what do you do at that point?

[01:18:16] Because it's either you say nothing because you don't want the public backlash. Or you don't want the criticism about being outwardly against what is going on with your company. Or you sit there and take it. Like, it's hard. You know what you're doing, man. You know what you're doing. What do you do, Bryce? You get your email. You CC all of the, all of the, all of the, all of the, all of the, all of the, all of the, all of the. Okay?

[01:18:45] To whom it may concern. Okay? You started email traits of like, you documenting like, this confusion that's going on. How it's affecting your personal and your mental health. And you would like some clarifications from the upper management. CC HR. CC all of them people. You know how, you got to handle it like how you would handle it at work. Create a paper trail. Because like, yes, works do mind tricks on you and they do a lot of different stuff. But if you got to protect yourself.

[01:19:14] One HR ain't there for you. Right? So it's like, you need to like, this might become a legal battle. You need to put your dots in order. And that's what I'm saying where it's like, I understand that Jess, but like. It's just, it's just so hard. Because once you start doing that, then the, the tension is there from then, from that point. Well, what do you think, how do you think the tension goes if we leave Monday? You go on an Instagram live with 5,000 people.

[01:19:44] Like, how do you think the tension is on Tuesday? And I mean, it's fair, but I just, I understand the, the logic behind. If, if, if I do this in a way that is more covert or more professional or more HR, it's still going to get out. And therefore, like, I have made my, I've made them aware that I don't like what is going on.

[01:20:12] And if there is any pushback from that, now they know that I'm, that I'm pissed off or unhappy. And so if they were already feeling like they don't want me around anyways, they're going to double down on that and say, it's your fault that you feel that way. So go along, madam.

[01:20:34] So I understand the logic of like doing it out in the open because it's like, at least other people can understand what is going on as opposed to me trying to handle everything internally and still getting the same end result. At the end of the day, I think it's just, her days are numbered now. I don't think that Jess Hilarious is going to be there for much longer, but at least if she's going out, there is a bit of a, oh, y'all, y'all kind of did, there are people that are going to be out there that think y'all kind of did her dirty.

[01:21:02] And it will only be a matter of time before they do the same thing tomorrow. Because if Angela Yee was there for as long as she was, and she still left due to some irreconcilable differences, what do y'all think those irreconcilable differences were? It was probably having to do with how she was being treated. So that's what Jess, that's what Jess, that's what Jess kind of was saying in her life as well. Like, you know, why y'all think Angela Yee left?

[01:21:30] So, yeah, no, I mean, I get what you're saying. I think maybe Jess was just in a no-win-win situation. And so we'll have to see how it plays out. Because it's like, you know, these are two Black queens. I want them to win. I think Lauren is great. I don't really watch The Breakfast Club as much as I do. But when there's a big interview or something, I will tune in. And I will say, since Jess has been on, there hasn't been a lot that I've tuned into.

[01:21:56] However, when Jess was on maternity leave and, like, Lauren was covering some things, like, I would go to YouTube and watch. Like, you know, so that, I'll just say that. And for our final tea, more drama, more mess, your man, your friend, Kanye West, again. Kanye has been, I mean, it's so much. Him wearing a swastika shirt.

[01:22:25] Him, like, just, like, crazy things. Yeah, I just, I don't even know what to say to Kanye at this point. However, because you can't even say he crossed the line. Because he's wearing a swastika shirt, all the anti-Semitic stuff that he, like, he's calling out in all his life. It's a lot. And I don't even want to be calling it. Right. Because it's just crazy. But, baby, now all of a sudden, Jay-Z and Beyonce are in it.

[01:22:55] And Kanye, I want to say around March 18th, had these slew of tweets that were coming out. And all these places were picking them up. Then all of a sudden, in the middle of the slew of the tweets, he's bringing up Jay-Z and Beyonce. And he's saying, wait, has anyone ever seen Jay-Z and Beyonce's younger kids? And then he talks about alleging that they might have some disabilities. One, kids is off the table.

[01:23:23] Like, excuse me, sir? Then from that, I need everyone to know that I took the post down about Jay-Z and Beyonce's family and Jerry Lorenzo's family. Because there was a possibility of my Twitter getting canceled. Not because I'm a good person. What the fuck does that mean? Right. Then he then goes, doubles down and makes a joke about just, yeah.

[01:23:53] Just horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible tweets about Jay-Z and Beyonce's children. Which is just inexcusable. You know, the beehive is going to be on it. Then, of course, Jay-Z and Beyonce never say anything because they don't get down in the gutter. But then there was rumblings coming that, like Jay-Z and Beyonce were considering taking legal action against Kanye for this. Then when that started hitting the streets, Kanye said,

[01:24:21] there'll never be an apology to the Carter family until they help me with my children. People be getting one person out of jail at a time looking prestigious. The Carters and the Kardashians are basically the same, except the Kardashians are sex trafficked. Like, what? Kanye is tripping.

[01:24:47] And there already has been a lot of speculations about Beyonce's twins. We don't see, we see Rumi. We don't see Sir a lot. And so there's been speculations about that. However, that's they kids. They don't owe the public anything to tell us anything about their children. And so for then Kanye to come out with something like this is wild. It's crazy.

[01:25:15] It's like, yeah, there's no coming back. I mean, there's no coming back from a lot of the things that he did. But like, you know, at one point in time, Jay-Z and him used to be friends. It seemed like he did crazy stuff like this, similar to this before. And kind of Jay-Z's still been around him. He'll never come within two states of Jay-Z and Beyonce ever again. Now, before I get your take on it. Everyone is like, well, is somebody going to say something? Is somebody going to say something?

[01:25:42] And people are like, the only two people that are in the Beyonce and Jay-Z family that would even potentially slip up and say something. Would be Tina Knowles. And who would be the other person of mine? Solange. Solange changed her Twitter profile to this image of her holding a pistol.

[01:26:10] And I absolutely think that that was a Solange message to Kanye. Solange going Solange. Okay. Solange going Solange. But like, yeah, Kanye West. I just, I don't have, I don't have any sympathy for him. I don't know what you're going through. You were a talented musician. But, and we can't keep saying, oh, he's having an episode. He needs to like, no.

[01:26:40] There is no excuse. And you're not going to come for the Queen's children. Like the nerd. Like it, like, and you have your, like, you have children yourself. Like that's where it's just like, you know. Because yeah. Because if anybody came for North and the rest of your kids, it would be all hell. It would be, it would be, everybody has to be concerned about my children's safety because I'm concerned about it.

[01:27:05] It would be a whole national campaign for the whoever to like get driven to the crust of the earth. Because I just don't understand like how these people that you consider to be friends at one point, I don't see them associating themselves too much anymore. Understandably. But I wouldn't, I just, as, as I've, I have been mad at people and, and ex-friends in my lifetime.

[01:27:33] I don't think that I could ever, ever breach that line and say something about somebody's kids. And like, if he does have some like insider information about the twins, maybe they're somewhere on the spectrum. That is not your story to tell. I would never, ever, ever do something like that.

[01:28:00] It's just, it's so, like, what's going on with him? And what preceded all of this was earlier in that week, it came out that he had been talking to P. Diddy in jail. And that P. Diddy has been giving him support. And he wanted to release this song with P. Diddy, his son King Combs in Northwest. And Kim shut it down.

[01:28:29] And then it came out that Kim has owned the, the trademark to all of their kids' names. And then the, this, then Kanye releases this text message about saying like, you lied to me, you tricked me, you never told me that. And Kim's like, we talked about this. I would trademark all of the children's names when they were born. And when they turn 18, I'll give it to them for them to do what they want to do with it. And essentially, like, that's why he couldn't move forward with the song and all this stuff.

[01:28:57] And so then he's trying to say, oh, she tricked me again, trying to get the public support around him to cause pressure on Kim to make Kim do what he wants to do. And so that's what really kind of like started all of this. And then like, for you to then bring Jay-Z and Beyonce into it, saying all this stuff about their kids and then say, I'll never apologize unless they help me with my situation with my kids. Huh?

[01:29:26] I, if I'm Jay-Z and Beyonce, you could be on fire. I wouldn't even spit on you. You, I wouldn't even spit on you. That's what my mom used to say. No, I love that. You know, in some ways, like, Lord forgive me, the Lord is still working on me. There's a tiny bit of schadenfreude that I get when it comes to Kim.

[01:29:54] Because the only reason that you married Kanye, in my opinion, is because there was like an approval to your profile. You were like getting, like you were getting access to spaces that you didn't have before because you're legitimized in some way by Kanye being your husband. But now you're kind of paying the price for, for that.

[01:30:17] Because there were clear indicators from a while ago before he, before Kanye started to really go off the deep end as it were. There was still a, there were a few times here and there where we were like, what's going on? What's going on with you, honey? And it wasn't even like the, the, the Taylor Swift thing of it all wasn't even the beginning. So it's just like, you know, you reap what you sow when it comes to, to Kim Kardashian.

[01:30:47] I don't think that she's like an innocent player in all of this. I do appreciate the fact that she is doing her best to protect her children. I, I get that and I, I respect that entirely. But girl, this is why you have to think long and hard before you choose who you lay with and who you procreate with. Because now you're seeing all of the headache and heartache that you're going to have to deal with for the rest of your life. That is the father of your children.

[01:31:16] And when it comes to Kanye, please get help. I don't know what's going on. I don't know if he has anybody in his life that is consistently checking up to see if he is taking meds or going to appointments or getting therapy or whatever it is. Because he, I am, I am, at this point, it's, it's a little scary. It's, I mean, it's been scary for a while now, but. Does this sound crazy?

[01:31:48] So Wendy Williams is locked up. I'm just saying like, it's like, it, it, it. Yeah. You know what I'm saying here? Like, I just feel like, uh. It's the, it's the constant decline. He was one of the few billionaires in the country. Few were black billionaires in the country. Lost that. Lost his marriage.

[01:32:17] Seemingly losing his kids. Saying crazy stuff online. It's, it's going down, down, down, down, down. Like, I just. Somebody has to step in. Kids are going to see this one day. Right? Like, I mean, I'm sure Northwest already sees it. Right? Like, it's like, think about what you're doing to them. Like, how, like how they have to respond. They, they friends see this. Yeah. I, I, I sometimes wish.

[01:32:45] But again, this is the state of the world in which we live in. Right? Like, I sometimes wish social media outlets would stop covering him. Like, stop giving him because it's like, this is what he does to get his way. This is, we've seen the classic Kanye playbook before. And so it's like, I wish they would stop posting him. But he knows, he says some egregious ish. It will get the traction. It will cause the stir. It will get people to plead with him to stop.

[01:33:15] Like, it's like, we know this playbook. But it's like, you crossing the line. You've been crossing the line. And so I don't want to make it like, oh, this Jay-Z and Kanye thing is after some of the other egregious things that he has said. But I just, for me, knowing they friendship, knowing Jay-Z and Beyonce, like, no one, like, it's just like, bruh, leave us alone. Yeah. Yeah. So, whew, crazy. Leave us out of it, please. Okay, right. Please.

[01:33:43] Like, you, not on some iKids. But, yeah. But I'm sure this won't be the last time we'll have to bring up Kanye on the casual tea. But that's what we got for you in the month of March for your Purple Pants podcast, Casual Tea with Aman and B. As always, Amanah is so amazing and always good to see you. Hopefully, we will get to paint with a twist this week. Before we go, what do you have in the world, in the realm of Amanah Alwyn?

[01:34:09] You can find me everywhere, Amanah Alwyn. And I am still going strong with my diary room podcast with Matt Liguori, where we have been whittling down all of these North American Big Brother players, spinoffs, and celebrity seasons included. Six players enter in episode three. We'll move on to the next round. We've had a number of Big Brother alumni, RHCP podcasters coming on to help us out with that.

[01:34:39] It's been a great time. You can also always check me out on the Drag Race podcast with Liana and Beth at We Know Reality TV. Drag Race. Yes. Yes. Well, we thank you so much. We will see you next month for April's Casual Tea. Thank you so much for listening. We love to hear your comments. Let us know on the Bryce Isaiah YouTube channel. And get in the comments. Let us know what you think. We'll be back next month. See you soon.

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