Hot Takes & Deep Dives

Jess is joined by Tony Award-winning actor Wilson Jermaine Heredia, who originated the iconic role of Angel in RENT, ahead of the show's 30th Anniversary Concert! Topics: Wilson's pre-RENT life as club kid, playing Jonathan Larson's demo tape for the first time, his love for Maureen's "Over the Moon," and how Angel's (and other cast members') wardrobe came straight from his own closet. Plus: the w...

Jess is joined by longtime activist James Tavs for inside stories of building queer NYC -- from working with ACT UP founder Larry Kramer and helping open the LGBT Center in 1983 to putting queer news on cable-access TV with "Out in the 80s" and working gay phone line switchboards. Plus -- James talks Stonewall myth versus reality, Larry Kramer's novel F*ggots, why decades of organizing NYC Pride s...

Jess is joined by Daily Mail writer Jacques Peterson for a culture catch-up! Topics include: Why are all the news and gossip sites suddenly subscription-based? Troye Sivan's "Party," which samples Madonna's "Music"; what is wrong with Miley Cyrus?; the RHONY reboot(s); and Howard Stern's HBO deal. Plus-- Jacques' move from Australia to LA, developing a reality show set in Montana that came close t...

Jess is joined by downtown New York fixture Gene Fedorko, age 83, for a trip through more than six decades of queer history. Gene recalls escaping to New York City in 1960, discovering Fire Island in 1961, attending the March on Washington in 1963 and moving to Provincetown in 1970. Plus: surviving the AIDS crisis, addiction and alcoholism -- and the fabulous Chelsea loft he still calls home. ⭐ I...

Jess is joined by fellow Long Islander ROSIE O'DONNELL! Topics: the inception of The Rosie O'Donnell Show, the infamous episode where Whitney Houston no-showed, her experiences with Britney Spears, being in the studio as Madonna recorded "This Used to Be My Playground" for A League of Their Own, why Barbara Walters disappointed her on The View, Kathy Griffin and Roseanne not taking her advice, The...

Jess is joined by Scissor Sisters frontwoman Ana Matronic ( @msanamatronic )! Topics— first meeting JAKE SHEARS at The Slipper Room, STUART PRICE producing their "Night Work" album, the highs (and frustrations) of scoring a massive hit with "Let's Have a Kiki" while still failing to satisfy their record label, and why Ana chose not to reunite with the band on its current tour. Plus— Ana discusses...

Jess is joined by Ben Rimalower and Boy Toy Mike Fernandez to review Madonna's Confessions II! Topics: Sean Penn lore, could "Danceteria" have been the "Abracadabra" of the album, Ben & Mike's first listen midnight journey, each of our Top 3, songwriting camps & more!  IG:  @jessxnyc  |  @benrimalower |  @mrmikefern Jess' docu-series  FINDING FIRE ISLAND  about the history, mystique and lore of Ch...

We will have our comprehensive review of CONFESSIONS II next week! But first, Jess joined by Mark Snyder & Kenny Finkle (All I Want To Do Is Talk About Madonna) and Tony Trius (MLVC) for a culture debate — MADONNA EDITION! Topics: our unpopular opinions, best live performance, best Truth or Dare moment, Tears of a Clown, how to fix Madonna, was longtime collab Mirwais trying to sabotage her? … and...

Jess is joined by David Kennerley to pour over his coffee-table book ( Getting In ) showcasing more than 200 flyers he collected from NYC queer bars & clubs of the 1990s (ie: Limelight, Splash, The Saint, Pyramid, The Roxy), with commentary from Michael Musto, Linda Simpson, Lady Bunny, Chip Duckett, Ernie Glam, Mark Allen and more! Topics: the "Disco Sucks" era, backrooms during the HIV/AIDS epid...

ANNOUNCEMENT! 🌲🍒 Finding Fire Island returns for Season 2 on June 11, with two episodes premiering on launch day. This season features interviews with Billy Porter, John Waters, Julio Torres, DJ Lina Bradford, Broadway Bares creator Jerry Mitchell, Fire Island icon Bob "Rose" Levine, and dozens of longtime Pines residents whose stories bring Fire Island's hidden history to life. Through 8 brand...

Jess is joined by playwright and "male actress" CHARLES BUSCH! Topics include: ROSIE O'DONNELL producing the disastrous Boy George musical 'Taboo,' performing at The Duplex in the late 70s, becoming close with JOAN RIVERS, the chaos of interviewing LIZA, working with NATASHA LYONNE, and how 'Vampire Lesbians of Sodom' became one of the longest-running Off-Broadway plays of all time. ⭐ Night of 10...

Jess is joined by empath & intuitive JAMIE STEIN ( @jamiestein ) for a SUMMER HOUSE psychological deep dive. We unpack the subconscious dynamics behind West Wilson, Amanda Batula, Ciara Miller, Kyle Cooke, Lindsay Hubbard and Carl Radke. Topics— Kyle & Amanda's codependency, West's "Talented Mr. Ripley" / "Catch Me If You Can" shape-shifting energy, Carl & Lindsay, the spinoff "In The City," Tom S...

Jess is joined by RACHEL DRATCH — beloved for her seven-season run on  Saturday Night Live. Topics:  Rachel's decades-long friendship with TINA FEY , her SNL casting story, being replaced by  JANE KRAKOWSKI on 30 ROCK , and the surprise of discovering she was pregnant at 43. Plus: WINE COUNTRY , inspired by her real-life 50th birthday trip, and performing in COUNTESS LUANN's cabaret debut at 54 Be...

Jess is joined by the co-creator / writer / director of the FX series POSE — STEVEN CANALS! Canals discusses the series' inspiration via the landmark documentary PARIS IS BURNING and getting the script into RYAN MURPHY's hands. We discuss ballroom culture, Houses, "Vogue," and the series' music placements. We also discuss the casting of MJ Rodriguez (Blanca), Indya Moore (Angel) and Sandra Bernhar...

Jess is joined by performance artist and rocker AMBER MARTIN ( @msambermartin )! Topics — the origins of her Bette Midler at the Continental Baths show "Bette, Bathhouse & Beyond," winning the NYC artist housing lottery at Manhattan Plaza, touring with the Scissor Sisters, the Allways Cabaret in New Orleans, working as a flight attendant, radical faeries and more!  ⭐ IG: @jessxnyc | @msambermarti...

Jess welcomes beloved NYC drag legend HEDDA LETTUCE , boots on the ground in Puerto Vallarta after the recent cartel attack. Topics — Playing Kim Cattrall's ex-boyfriend on Sex and the City  on stage with Madonna at the 1999 MTV VMAs, neighbors with Quentin Crisp , and cult movies  at Chelsea Clearview Cinema. Plus — Shirley Q. Liquor, Heather Locklear at Cherry's on the Bay, and Hedda's journey f...

Jess is joined by Broadway composer / orchestrator / adult star JONAH WEELER! ( @showoffjonah ). Topics — blind items about this worst Broadway experiences, music directing Sweeney Todd Off Broadway and the final straw that pushed him toward a full-on career pivot to OnlyFans. Plus: beating Instagram censorship, creating a new cabaret about that pivot with partner John Coons, the origin story of h...

Jess is joined by DAMIAN BELLINO & ANNE RODEMAN (co-hosts of "You Might Know Her From") for a wintertime culture catch-up! Topics — Jill Zarin fired (again), Sandra Bernhard cast in The White Lotus S4, The L Word corner, and why is Heated Rivalry accepted by gay men while Queer as Folk was not? Plus — we review the films Twinless, Pillion & Plainclothes. ⭐ IG:  @jessxnyc | @damianbellino | @rodem...

Jess welcomes back nightlife impresario DANIEL NARDICIO to talk about his latest venture in Zipolite, Mexico and the runaway success of running The Ice Palace in Cherry Grove. Topics — legalities of throwing s*x parties, surviving Patti LuPone's rider and stories from working with Sandra Bernhard, John Waters, Jennifer Holliday and more! ⭐ IG:  @jessxnyc  |  @the_danielnardicio ⭐ Jess' docu-seri...

Jess welcomes LOLA ROCKNROLLA , filmmaker of the brand-new documentary THE BIG JOHNSON , exploring the life and eerie death of DEAN JOHNSON : the 6'6", genderf*cky, rollicking rock-star frontman who helped define 1980s–90s East Village nightlife. Topics — the still-unsettled details around Dean's 2007 death, his bands Dean & the Weenies and The Velvet Mafia , being an HIV+ party promoter & more! "...

Jess is joined by WALTER AFANASIEFF , the Grammy-winning songwriter and producer behind MARIAH CAREY's biggest '90s hits — including "Hero," "My All," "One Sweet Day," and  "All I Want for Christmas Is You." Topics — how the modern Christmas classic was written, his professional fallout with Mariah Carey , and how the songwriting biz has radically changed since the '90s. Plus — producing CELINE DI...

Jess is joined by interior designer Dale Saylor ( Hollymount Design ) to react to some of our favorite Architectural Digest home tours. Topics — BETHENNY FRANKEL's Florida move, ANDY COHEN's West Village duplex, AMY SEDARIS' Greenwich Village funhouse, SARAH PAULSON's Malibu studio, RUPAUL in LA, NEIL PATRICK HARRIS' Harlem brownstone & KELLY RIPA's UES townhouse. Plus — advice for max impact in s...

Jess is joined by  All I Want to Do Is Talk About Madonna co-host Mark Snyder for a 2025 revue of our favorite theater, films, and concerts. Topics— Wicked ambivalence, Kristin Chenoweth's rough year, a Chess revival, Oh Mary predictions, the Plainclothes film, the Lilith Fair documentary, Mike Albo's Hologram Boyfriends , Julio Torres' Color Theories , and Linda Perry's reunion with 4 Non Blondes...

Jess sits down with powerhouse docu-series Executive Producer Billy Taylor! Topics — Billy's jump from MTV News to producing MTV Diary, then showrunning the Bravo glory days of Jeff Lewis Flipping Out, Work Out w/ Jackie Warner, and Kell on Earth w/ Kelly Cutrone. Plus — trailing Kanye West with a camera, Britney: In the Zone & Out All Night, directing Selling Sunset pilot, and more!  ⭐ IG:  @jes...

Jess is joined by indie cinema queen GUINEVERE TURNER ( @guinevereturner )! Topics — writing & appearing in THE L WORD, being caught on HBO's TAXICAB CONFESSIONS in 1994 right as her debut film (GO FISH) was in theaters, inspiring Kevin Smith's CHASING AMY, the iconic East Village lesbian / rock bar Meow Mix and co-writing the Christian Bale film AMERICAN PSYCHO. Plus — her experiences dating Port...