Hot Takes & Deep Dives

Jess is joined by the "Shakespeare of pop culture satire" per the New York Times - RYAN RAFTERY! We discuss his upcoming run at Joe's Pub in which he does his one-man twisted musical embodiments of MARTHA STEWART, ANNA WINTOUR & KRIS JENNER. We discuss the psychological through-line between all three women (relevancy) as well as his darker material focused on men - ANDY COHEN, CALVIN KLEIN and AND...

Jess is joined by DRAG RACE & TRAITORS star PEPPERMINT! Peppermint discusses fond memories of THE REAL WORLD (which don't include Vegas or Trishelle), the production behind The Traitors and what she's planning for The Reunion. Plus, Alan Cumming's comment that "gays" are loving Phaedra while "queer" ppl are loving Parvati.   Peppermint also discusses working the NYC clubs before launching onto Dra...

Jess is joined by drag legend BIANCA DEL RIO! Bianca discuss her early days of drag in New Orleans, New York City, Provincetown and on Fire Island prior to winning season 6 of DRAG RACE. Topics include: Going on tour with Madonna, joining The Traitors, Joan Rivers, Kathy Griffin, Chita Rivera, a "Golden Drag Race" feat. Lady Bunny & Varla Jean Merman and more!   IG: @jessxnyc | @thebiancadelrio Ch...

Jess is joined by TV & film screenwriter, Stan Zimmerman! Zimmerman chats about his career writing on THE GOLDEN GIRLS, ROSEANNE, GILMORE GIRLS, THE BRADY BUNCH MOVIE (and its Sequel!). Topics: staying closeted while writing The Golden Girls, RuPaul, Estelle Getty, Madonna's voicemails for Sandra Bernhard, Roseanne & Tom Arnold, loving THE L WORD & more!   Stan's book: The Girls: From Golden to Gi...

Jess is joined by ELIZABETH ZIFF — writer, producer and BETTY musician behind THE L WORD theme song. We discuss: dating L Word creator Ilene Chaiken, writing for Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals) and Jenny Schecter (Mia Kirshner) and specific episodes & storylines she wrote. Plus — early BETTY gigs in the 80s/90s, the nexus of "lesbian chic" at East Village's Café Tabac, why Beyoncé songs have 10 writ...

Jess is joined by empath Jamie Stein to critique the cast of THE TRAITORS season two and discuss his career working on four (4) seasons of THE REAL WORLD — VEGAS, PARIS, SAN DIEGO and PHILLY — where he had an unedited look at Trishelle, CT, Karamo etc. Jamie discusses watching endless unedited footage, the San Diego sexual assault scandal and more. Finally, we discuss if Housewives Girls Trip is a...

Jess is joined by Jackie Warner (Work Out, Thintervention) in her fourth appearance! We discuss Jackie's use of Ozempic, pitches her TV comeback, the fall-out of her TMZ splashed DUI ambien arrest, Kyle Richards and Morgan Wade, the New York Times Op-Ed on Taylor Swift, Jeff Lewis in the Flipping Out / Work Out era, Jared Leto's God complex and more! Text or call 323-301-3522 to train with Jackie...

Jess is joined by writer, actor and director JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL to discuss everything HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH and SHORTBUS. Plus: Julius' bar, New Orleans, RENT, promoting Hedwig on THE ROSIE O'DONNELL SHOW vs. LETTERMAN and entering his villain era via GIRLS, JOE EXOTIC and SHRILL. IG: @jessxnyc Check out Jess' docu-pod series  FINDING FIRE ISLAND about the history, mystique and lore of Cher...

This concludes our Madonna trilogy with Jess joined by Mark Snyder & Kenny Finkle (All I Want To Do Is Talk About Madonna) and Tony Trius (MLVC) for a culture debate/roundtable — MADONNA EDITION! Topics include: our unpopular opinions, best live performance, best Truth or Dare moment, Tears of a Clown, how to fix Madonna, is longtime collab Mirwais trying to sabotage her… and more! IG: @jessxnyc |...

Jess is joined by Ben Rimalower to review Madonna's Celebration Tour in Brooklyn, NY.  We discuss our thrills, Madonna's "strategy" behind late start times, the set list and provide constructive critique. Later, Ben recalls how Madonna's health scare this summer catapulted him into a revisit of Madonna's entire catalogue and concert history, culminating in his attendance mere hours ago. IG: @jessx...

Jess is joined by "Madonna's Secret Weapons" (per Rolling Stone) — longtime Madonna back-up singers and dancers, NIKI HARIS & DONNA DE LORY! Niki and Donna performed on four (4) of Madonna's world tours, including The Who's That Girl Tour, The Blond Ambition Tour, The Girlie Show and The Drowned World Tour. They also appear on the recordings of "Vogue," "Like a Prayer" "Deeper and Deeper," "Nothin...

Jess is joined by writer, standup and co-host of "Seek Treatment" — PAT REGAN! We discuss: the HACKS writer's room, DAWSON'S CREEK series finale, FELICITY, why LA should be part of NY, Seek Treatment's Las Culturistas origin story, bombing at a gay resort, getting sober, fitness goals, SURVIVOR, Parvati Shallow, Madonna TRUTH OR DARE, THE REAL WORLD, SUMMER HOUSE, THE BIG SHOT WITH BETHENNY & more...

Jess is a joined by a career fitness professional to go inside the culture of their former cycling employer, while Jess shares her personal experience with SoulCycle. We go deep on: lack of certifications required to teach spin, the "training programs" at different studios, instructors abusing drugs, sexual accusations from riders and the "God Complex" cult of personality these studios cultivate....

Jess is joined by JULIE GOLDMAN & BRANDY HOWARD (Dumb Gay Podcast, The People's Couch)! We discuss: Brandy & Julie's origin story, Jeff Lewis stealing guests from Heather McDonald, Howard Stern, Kate McKinnon, butch lesbian erasure, Logo's Big Gay Sketch Show, Bethenny and Nene, Kyle Richards gay baiting, the impact of Shane from The L Word on Brandy & more!   IG: @jessxnyc | @mrjuliegoldman | @th...

Jess is joined by downtown performance legend MX. JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND!   We discuss their origins of as one half of the subversive musical act  Kiki and Herb , 90z gigs at Squeezebox and Cowgirl, officiating Rufus Wainwright's wedding and performing on Fire Island with Carol Channing. Plus: Marianne Faithfull, Murray Hill, drag kings, the Hudson Valley and more! IG: @jessxnyc | @mxviv Check out Jes...

Jess is joined by reality producer, comedian and co-host of "Fixing Famous People," DOMINICK PUPA, for a whirlwind convo about his career producing RHONY Season 2, RHOA Season 4, THE A-LIST NY and his warm up comedian days at THE RICKI LAKE SHOW, THE VIEW, THE TYRA BANKS SHOW and THE JOAN RIVERS SHOW. We discuss how RHONY producers are reacting to the Vanity Fair "Reality Reckoning" article right...

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 his script into the hands of RYAN MURPHY. We discuss ballroom culture, Houses, MADONNA, "Vogue," and the song choices used throughout. We also discuss the casting of MJ RODRIGUEZ (Blanca), INDYA MOORE (Angel)...

Jess is joined by the boys of COME THRU QUEEN, Brendan Davis & Dan Calabrese, for the official HOT TAKES COME THRU CULTURE DEBATE! We start with local categories including: Best Brooklyn Neighborhood, Best Gay Bar (Brooklyn, Manhattan) before diving into Best City (US, International) and Best Gay Destination. We then move on to the Bravo cinematic universe with categories including Best Season of:...

Jess is joined by bonafide rock icon MELISSA ETHERIDGE! Melissa discusses all the dyke drama in her early Hollywood friendships with ROSIE O'DONNELL, ELLEN, KD LANG and BRAD PITT and nearly being outed when her first record was released. We also go behind the music for "Bring Me Some Water," "Brave and Crazy," "Similar Features" and more!    34:00 -- Jess is joined by Tony Trius, co-host of MLVC (...

Jess is joined by IRA MADISON III to discuss staying "too long" on Fire Island, his definitive ranking of MADONNA albums, interviewing PATTI LUPONE and BETHENNY on his podcast "Keep It," NENE LEAKES inspiring the title of his upcoming memoir, appearing on YOU and WENDY WILLIAMS, his recent 3x BEYONCÉ Renaissance Tour stint and helping SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR with the wifi when he was a barista.   IG...

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 with AJLT vs. The L Word with Gen Q, The Writer's Room podcast scabbing during the WGA strike, Sara Ramirez's response to the hilarious/scathing The Cut profile, the SJP-ification of Carrie, Candace Bushne...

Empath and intuitive Jamie Stein (@jamiestein) returns to burn through a plethora of hot topics. We discuss: Kim Cattrall's relationship to Sex and the City, Jenna Lyons' r-ship to her inner diva and Jamie's intuitive take on RHONY reboot's Jessel Tank and Erin Lichy. Plus, the underbelly of Bethenny's summer of chaos w/ Jill Zarin, Raquel Leviss and the betrayal of Andy Cohen. Finally, we look ah...

Jess is joined by Boston native Brandon Ward (@the.bottoms) for the Provincetown deep dive of our dreams. We break down the theme weeks (Bear Week, July 4th, Girlsplash, Carnival, Spooky Bear, Holly Folly). Plus, Tea at the Boatslip vs. Tea on Fire Island, A-House vs. Paramount (where to go out) and the Dick Dock. Finally, goss about Adam Lambert, Billy Eichner and Brandon pitches a Summer House:...

Jess is joined by Chris DeRosa, veteran reality TV producer with credits including five (5) seasons of RHONY, last season's (and newly in production) RHONJ, The Big Shot with Bethenny, various food competition series (ie: Chopped), Summer House, plus Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek. He is also the producer behind Bethenny and Jill Zarin's reunion and Bethenny's YouTube series. We mention...

Jess is joined by New York icon LINA BRADFORD to discuss her Barbie ~ pop culture doll collection, being raised as a girl since age four, growing up in New York nightlife, best friend CANDIS CAYNE — the Linda Evangelista to her Naomi Campbell. Plus, career evolution from dancer > nightclub host > DJ as performance art, why she feels the "trans" label limits her, 10-year reign on Fire Island + a lo...