Chai Me A River with Shane Lamba

In this episode of Chai Me a River, Shane talks about the impending doom of the job market, the US economy, Indian DL men marrying women, and the fact that he is still a dumb jock!? Comment below your favorite part of the episode!! Got hot spicy chai? Want to share it with Shane for him to read your tea and give his 2 cents on an upcoming episode of Chai Me a River? Then fill out this form : https...

This week on Chai Me a River , I sit down with comedian and actor Michael Henry for a candid, funny, and slightly unhinged conversation about navigating gay life, identity, and success. We talk about how he got into acting, his hot takes on gay culture (including the “hung bottoms” debate), and the tension between online personas and real-life authenticity. A mix of humor, honesty, and chaos you w...

A new year comes with new resolutions... reading more, joining clubs, losing some weight, and trying to be more intentional about how I live my life. In this episode of Chai Me A River , I reflect on the pressure to be a “good boy”, disciplined, productive, agreeable, and what that idea really means. I also open Pokémon cards for the first time and share my very unserious opinions, before venting...

In this episode of Chai Me a River , host Shane Lamba sits down with guest Joey Algier for an honest conversation about the intersection of religion, queer identity, and cultural expectations . Together, they unpack the lasting impact of religious upbringing, navigating faith as a queer person, and the pressure to perform authenticity within family and society. This episode explores what it means...

I’m bisexual, brown, and tired. Tired of this year, tired of the delusion, and very ready to let 2025 fade away... In this end-of-year episode of Chai Me A River , I spill the final tea of 2025 and reflect on masculinity, dating apps, queer identity, and the biggest lessons this year forced me to learn. This episode recaps some of my favorite moments and themes from the season. Being the token Ind...

Brown boys can send n*des in 0.2 seconds, but ask us to say “I’m not okay” and suddenly it’s impossible. In this episode, I dive into the messy, hilarious, and painfully relatable reasons why vulnerability still feels illegal for so many Brown men — especially queer South Asian men trying to survive culture, community, and club culture at the same time. I unpack why we were raised to be stoic, “st...

In this episode of Chai Me A River , I watched Wicked For Good, and yes, it had me GOONING for good . I break down the movie’s biggest themes, from Glinda’s people-pleasing perfection , to Elphaba’s “othered” identity , to why these characters hit so deeply for queer, brown, and Desi viewers . I talk about how Wicked reflects real experiences of cultural expectations , belonging , and identity pre...

In this episode of Chai Me A River, two besties grab their mugs and spill way more than coffee. Toni is back to spill his CHAI from people who use too much cream in their coffee to talking politics, dissecting ugly older boyfriends, and health fads. We’re oversharing and over-pouring in all the right ways. It’s the perfect blend of queer humor, social commentary, and unfiltered friendship energy w...

The ghouls were out this Halloween, but some gays are still in 🫣. This HalloHoeWeen special dives deep into queer life’s funniest and most haunting realities... from closet culture and (pea)cocking at the mall to why people keep soft-launching their boyfriends online. It’s equal parts humor, heartbreak, and self-reflection — unpacking identity, internalized shame, and the absurdities of queer dat...

Diwali is about light over darkness — but for many of us, that light comes from within. In The Gay Diwali Episode: Light, Liberation & Letting Go , I talk about what it means to celebrate the festival of lights as a queer South Asian — the struggle to feel represented, the resilience it takes to exist authentically, and the beauty of finally letting go of expectations that don’t serve you. Thi...

Grab your chai — because this one’s spicy. 🌶️ In Tortillas y Naan: Being Latino, Gay, and Proud , Shane welcomes his best friend Toni for a heartfelt and unfiltered convo on growing up gay and Latino, surviving relationships, dating apps gone wrong, and carving out pride in a world full of stereotypes. This episode is equal parts funny, messy, and moving — touching on culture, queerness, love, fam...

What does it mean to be a good Punjabi boy when you’re bisexual? In this episode, Shane breaks down the stereotypes, tropes, and cultural expectations that come with being queer and South Asian. From the “DL/masc” obsession to navigating family traditions, this is an honest exploration of bisexuality through a Punjabi lens. Part identity talk, part cultural unpacking, part hot takes—this one is fo...

Are we only queer when we have sex? 🌈 Too often, queer identity gets reduced to hookups, stereotypes, and hypersexual tropes — but is that really who we are? In this unfiltered episode of Chai Me a River, Shane takes on the catch-22 of queer identity: how society boxes us into being “too sexual” or “not queer enough” if sex isn’t part of our story. From labels and politics to intimacy, chosen fam...

🚨 DL men don’t exist, marriage equality is under attack, and toxic gay masculinity is out of control in 2025. Shane spills the hottest queer takes you won’t hear anywhere else. 🌈🔥It’s 2025, and Shane is back with another bold, unfiltered podcast episode diving into the messy, hilarious, and sometimes infuriating world of LGBTQ+ culture, queer identity, and marriage equality in America. From cal...

In this bold and unfiltered episode, Shane Lamba spills the hottest chai on queer dating, brown identity, and friendship drama. From “no fats, no femmes” bios to the pastel-washed aesthetic takeover, we’re calling out loser men, corporate Pride bailouts, and the myth of being "booked and busy" as a personality. Topics include: • Queer dating preferences vs internalized bias• Brown friendship break...

What does it mean to feel proud when the world taught you to hide? In this episode of Chai Me A River , we explore queer self-acceptance, internalized shame, and the slow, radical act of building pride from the inside out. From the quiet victories to the loud celebrations, host Shane unpacks the journey of being brown and proud, navigating identity, and practicing pride as resistance, not just dur...

Why do so many of us try to be extra everything, extra straight, extra successful, extra unbothered, just to prove we belong? In this episode, Shane gets real about bisexuality, awkward coming outs, and what it means to be queer and Indian in spaces that don’t always understand either. From overcompensating in college to finally embracing softness, desire, and self-worth, this is a messy, funny, a...

Why are so many queer spaces obsessed with being "man enough"? In this spicy and soulful episode of Chai Me A River , Shane unpacks hypermasculinity in gay culture from masc4masc and muscle gays at the pool party, to how brown queer men navigate toxic masculinity, internalized homophobia, and racialized desire. We get into dating app tropes, gym culture, emotional repression, and the fea...

Join host Shane Lamba and guests to explore what it means to be all of your identities in one bundle. Shane will explore his identity as someone who is Indian American, 3rd generation, bisexual, and is overall a lot. Each week you can expect raw conversations, opinions, and perspectives about identity, love, desire, relationships, family, mental health, and just the drama of being queer and everyt...

Can you really be just friends with someone you’ve seen naked? Or spooned at 2am and then ghosted by Tuesday? In this episode, we’re wading into the murky waters of friends, friends with benefits, and the spicy gray area where things get platonic, erotic, and chaotic!! From emotional disclaimers to unspoken expectations, I unpack the messy magic (and mayhem) of intimacy without labels. We’ll talk...

Do you take PrEP? Got the COVID-19 vaccine? Like clean water? Buckle your seatbelt when a cop drives by? Congrats, babe—you’re part of a public health strategy. In this episode, I’m kicking off my new mini-series Public Health Papi by breaking down what public health actually is—and why it deserves main character energy. We’re talking pandemics, seatbelt laws, political drama, and why public healt...

Ever been everyone’s cultural touchpoint and nobody’s actual person? In this episode, Shane spills the chai on what it’s like to be the token Indian man at the gay bar—not just among white gays in mesh tops, but also in brown queer spaces where being yourself still somehow makes you “other.” From being someone’s ethnic awakening to getting side-eyed for not performing your culture the “right” way,...

Dating apps are a mess . In this episode, Shane spirals lovingly through queer dating fatigue, from swiping till your thumbs hurt to realizing you’re just a "vibe" in someone’s situationship. He tackles the illusion of infinite options, the ache of feeling like a placeholder, and the line between love and validation — all while being a Brown bisexual man in a sea of bias. This one's...

Shane spirals (lovingly) through identity imposter syndrome: not Indian enough , not bi enough , not chill at all . From cultural side-eyes to queer confusion, he asks the question no BuzzFeed quiz can answer — are we ever truly enough? Spoiler: yes. But the journey? It’s giving chaos, cvnt, and character growth. Follow me on socials: Instagram (@shanelamba21) & Tiktok (@chai.me.a.river). Don&...

In this debut episode, Shane unpacks the bizarre, exhausting, and oddly familiar experience of being everything but recognized for who he is. From being mistaken for Middle Eastern to feeling invisible in queer spaces, this episode dives into misidentification, cultural erasure, and the quiet ache of never quite being seen for who you are. Equal parts spicy and sincere, it’s a chai-fueled reflecti...