Hot Takes & Deep Dives

Jess is joined by TV producer, comedian & co-host of Fixing Famous People,  Dominick Pupa to wax poetic about why and how we adore Provincetown. Topics — John Waters, Divine & Cape Cod Vampire lore, Aubrey Plaza at Ryan Landry's Showgirls, the season of American Horror Story set in Provincetown winter, July 4th, Bear Week and Carnival, Dominick losing his phone & wallet, Crew's Quarters, Ptown Sto...

Jess is joined by DINING OUT author & NYT writer Erik Piepenburg to explore the role of gay restaurants & diners in America. Topics — first restaurant to welcome trans patrons in 1950s Green Bay, WI, The Melrose (Chicago), NYC's Florent, Cafeteria, Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Julius'. Plus — Bloodroot (Bridgeport, CT), The Torch Club (Ohio), Gallus (Atlanta), Annie's Steakhouse (DC), and 3-course mea...

As "The Biggest Loser" Netflix documentary dominates the cultural conversation, Jess has compiled her many interviews with Jillian Michaels' ex-girlfriend of 7 years, Jackie Warner, known for Bravo's reality show Work Out. Topics -- Jackie's first date with Jillian in 1997, Jillian stealing $$ from her pre-fame bartending job, how she set Jillian up for a career in fitness and The Biggest Loser, w...

Jess is joined by MLVC Madonna podcast co-host Stefan ( @mlvcpodcast ) to SPILL on his summer filming season 1 of AND JUST LIKE THAT as a background actor! Topics: Che Diaz in the wild, Cynthia Nixon's wig, erasure of Chris Noth/Big's flashback scenes, 14-hour days, being directed by Michael Patrick King, how much background actors are paid, production's deal w/ paparazzi & more. PLUS, how his And...

Jess is joined by the powerhouse Mother of Black Hollywood — JENIFER LEWIS! Topics: working with BETTE MIDLER as a Harlette, becoming "the entertainer" to Barbra Streisand and Madonna, her one-woman show "The Diva is Dismissed" and putting a con artist behind bars. Plus — appearing as the first Black person on "Friends", living with Shangela (Drag Race) for a decade, working with MOLLY SHANNON and...

Jess is joined by Emmy-winning exec. producer & writer on ALL SIX SEASONS of SEX AND THE CITY — JENNY BICKS! Topics: Samantha's cancer storyline based on her life, Steve is based on her husband, specific episodes written by Jenny — "Splat," "A Woman's Right to Shoes," "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda" (Miranda discovers she is pregnant) + key episodes around the Big / Carrie / Aiden affair. Finally, paral...

Jess is joined by standup comedian LIZ GLAZER, days after making her Tonight Show debut! Topics — Liz quitting her law career to pursue comedy, her failed SoulCycle instructor audition, being married to a (lesbian) rabbi, the ghost of Joan Rivers uniting her with Judy Gold, transcendental meditation, 12 step programs & more!   Cult of Body & Soul on all podcast platforms & YouTube Watch Liz' speci...

Jess is joined by the queens of "Every Outfit on Sex and the City" ( @everyoutfitonSATC )— Chelsea Fairless and Lauren Garroni. We discuss which show has more severely tarnished its legacy: SATC via AJLT OR The L Word via Gen Q. Plus -- The Writer's Room podcast, Sara Ramirez's response to the hilarious/scathing The Cut profile, the SJP-ification of Carrie, Candace Bushnell's original column & mor...

A quickie 1:1 to talk about CULT OF BODY & SOUL - my brand new docu-series which premieres Tuesday May 27 on all podcast platforms & YouTube. The 7-episode series explores how SOULCYCLE transcended fitness as it captured the New York City zeitgeist with ritual, candlelight and cult of personality. Cast info & production notes:  cultbodysoul.com 🙏🏼 Woud love you forever if you rate, review, subsc...

Jess is joined by writer/performer Justin Elizabeth Sayre on the eve of the 13th Annual Night of a Thousand Judys, celebrating JUDY GARLAND at Joe's Pub! Topics — what is the best Judy entry point, working for MICHAEL PATRICK KING, Radical Faeries gatherings, learning the NYC subway via hookups, John Waters and the live immersive experience of JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL's film Shortbus.   IG: @jessxnyc...

Jess is joined by 4x TONY Award winning Broadway producer JEFFREY SELLER, best known for "Hamilton," "Rent," "In the Heights" & "Avenue Q." Topics — his review of "Sunset Blvd," being the creative nurturer and critic to Jonathan Larson & Lin Manuel Miranda, inventing the Broadway lotto system, crippling anxiety of opening night reviews, renovating his dream Upper West Side townhouse & more!   Jeff...

Jess is joined by friend of the pod Dan Allegretto! Topics: why do bald men wear hats, becoming friends w/ Lena Dunham, boots on the ground w/ Bethenny, how to fix Bravo & Summer House, Carl Radke, Lindsay Hubbard, how The Real L Word & Vanderpump Rules lift the veneer off Los Angeles, the off-Broadway play "Becoming Eve," Quentin Crisp, the camera work on Queer as Folk, Janeane Garofalo, Daria, t...

Jess is joined by legendary director & choreographer VINCENT PATERSON — the man behind MICHAEL JACKSON & MADONNA's most iconic movements. Topics — videos for "Beat It," "Thriller," "Smooth Criminal" and defining the Superbowl Halftime Show w/ MJ's 1993 performance.   Plus — choreographing The Blond Ambition Tour, "Express Yourself" video, Madonna's 1990 MTV VMA Marie Antoinette   "Vogue" performan...

Jess is joined by New York icon DJ LINA BRADFORD! Topics: living in same building as Olivia Newton-John, soulmate Candis Cayne... the Linda Evangelista to her Naomi Campbell and how the trans label is limiting. Plus — evolution from dancer > nightclub host > DJ as performance art, 10-year reign on Fire Island, finding her sexual revolution on FI + a lot more!   Jess' docu-series on the history, my...

Jess is joined by actor/comedian JEFF HILLER, best known for HBO's SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE opposite BRIDGET EVERETT! Topics: missing the Fire Island ferry, lesbian Hollywood gossip, Rosie's memoir "Find Me," his impression of Daphne Rubin-Vega, forgetting his transcendental meditation mantra, Excel spreadsheet nightmares, Queer as Folk, Rocky Horror, his upcoming memoir ACTRESS OF A CERTAIN AGE & more!...

Jess is joined by beloved go-to comedy writer BRUCE VILANCH! Topics: Bette Midler at the Continental Baths, Barbra Streisand being too cheap to pay him, writing punch-ups for Cher in "Burlesque," writing The Oscars (Ellen difficulty, Anne Hathaway & James Franco hosting, Billy Crystal's opening medleys), starring in "Hairspray" on Broadway & more!   IG:  @jessxnyc   Jess' docu-series on the histor...

Jess is joined by THREE of the iconic dancers from Madonna's Blond Ambition Tour: Luis Xtravaganza, Carlton Wilborn + Kevin Stea! Topics: TRUTH OR DARE follow-up doc STRIKE A POSE, Luis attending high school with Jose Xtravaganza, Christopher Ciccone's impact on "The Girlie Show," Kevin's work with LADY GAGA, the 1990 MTV "Rock the Vote" campaign, NIKI HARIS & DONNA DE LORY, Carlton as the "pillar...

Jess is joined by LIZ FELDMAN — writer/creator of Netflix's DEAD TO ME & NO GOOD DEED! Topics: Liz's seminal lezzie YouTube show "This Just Out," becoming friends with THE L WORD cast, harassment from TV mega producer Dan Schneider while writing Nickelodeon's ALL THAT, manifesting writing for ELLEN, working for MICHAEL PATRICK KING, auditioning for SNL, the DEAD TO ME & NO GOOD DEAD origin stories...

Jess is joined by DIFFICULT PEOPLE creator/star & BILLY ON THE STREET producer JULIE KLAUSNER! Topics: Madonna x Sondheim "I'm Breathless" collab, Death Becomes Her vs. She-Devil, John Waters Quote Tournament, the Liza documentary, writing for Joan Rivers, preceding Brian Moylan as Vulture Housewives recapper, first WNBA game, the return of her podcast HOW WAS YOUR WEEK & more! IG: @jessxnyc | @ju...

Jess is joined by SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE character queen CHERI OTERI! Cheri recounts being discovered at The Groundlings alongside Lisa Kudrow, Kathy Griffin and fellow SNL hopefuls Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan and Jennifer Coolidge. Topics: origins of her Barbara Walters impression, the cutthroat pressure between cast & writers for airtime, Jim Carrey's iconic episode and working w/ Betty White (Hot i...

Jess is joined by theater historian and conceiver of THE JONATHAN LARSON PROJECT Jennifer Tepper to discuss unearthing 20+ unheard songs of the RENT & TICK, TICK... BOOM! composer. Topics: getting access to hundreds of cassette tapes, scripts, music files and journals from The Larson Estate, hidden underground passageways connecting Broadway theater houses and how the WICKED rush/lotto line inadve...

Jess is joined by Jamie Stein for a deep dive on HOUSE OF HILTON, the 2006 tell-all about the Hilton dynasty, heavily featuring the backstories of Kathy Hilton, Kyle Richards, Kim Richards and their mother, Big Kathy. We explore Big Kathy's mission for men, money and Hollywood and how she projected those dreams onto her three daughters.  We also discuss Paris Hilton and Kathy Hilton's performance...

Jess is joined by full-time YouTuber/Podcaster Zack Peter (No Filter w/ Zack Peter)! Topics: How much money Zack personally made off Scandoval and now the Blake Lively / Justin Baldoni lawsuit, how many views = how much money across TikTok + YouTube, warning against making Bravo your entire brand, projecting Bethenny's TikTok income, Spencer Pratt & Heidi Montag's strategy with streaming "Superfic...

Jess is joined by JACKIE WARNER (Work Out, Thintervention) in her fifth appearance! Topics: The Los Angeles fires, RIP Moonshadows & The Reel Inn, update on her TV comeback, her 6 year relationship with Jillian Michaels, run-ins with The L Word's Kate Moennig, wild NYC nights doing press for "Work Out," Stevie Nicks, Mulholland Drive, Laurel Canyon & a lot more! WE LOVE YOU LA. Text or call 323-30...

Jess is joined by Katharine Quinn, owner of the Broadway media and marketing agency And That's Showbiz, currently representing The Great Gatsby, Maybe Happy Ending, The Roommate and more. Topics: the business (financials) of Broadway: how productions are funded, why 8 out of 10 shows never recoup their investment, Oh Mary, do traditional reviews matter, vanity projects, Rosie O'Donnell's "Taboo" f...