Hot Takes & Deep Dives

Jess is joined by MLVC Madonna podcast co-host Tony Trius to deconstruct the 2008 tell-all "Life With My Sister Madonna," written by her brother Christopher Ciccone. We go deep on Christopher's ever-evolving role in M's life and career, including backup dancer, live show dresser, Blond Ambition/Girlie Show stage designer, artistic director & home interior designer. Through his lens, we also explor...

Jess is joined by iconic Survivor castaway Jerri Manthey, known for her three season arc (spanning 15 years) appearing on The Australian Outback (season 2), All Stars and Heroes vs. Villains. Dubbed "The Black Widow" due to her love-hate relationship with Colby Donaldson, Jerri goes deep about the publicity surrounding The Australian Outback which turned the cast into overnight celebrities (Letter...

Jess is joined by iconic MTV VJ DAVE HOLMES! Dave was the "runner-up" in the infamous Wanna Be a VJ contest who turned his "loss" to Jesse Camp into a 5-year career at MTV. Dave chats about being gay in the TRL days, BRITNEY, N'SYNC, EMINEM, MANDY MOORE, CARSON DALY's rise, JOHN NORRIS, the MTV Beach House, his favorite seasons of The Real World, transforming his body and more!

Jess is joined by RACHEL DRATCH, known for seven (7) seasons on SNL, beloved for the Boston Teens (w/ Jimmy Fallon) and bringing the name "Debbie Downer" into the cultural lexicon. We go deep on Rachel's long-standing friendship with TINA FEY, her SNL audition, getting cast and replaced by JANE KRAKOWSKI on 30 ROCK and discovering she was pregnant at 43 years old. We also discuss WINE COUNTRY, the...

Jess is joined by American Idol judge and prolific songwriter KARA DioGUARDI to reflect on her incredible contributions to pop music throughout the 2000s. We go deep behind the music of her iconic songs, including... KYLIE MINOGUE "Spinning Around," PINK "Sober," CHRISTINA AGUILERA "Ain't No Other Man," KELLY CLARKSON "Walk Away," BRITNEY's Blackout album, and co-writing the bulk of the ASHLEE SIM...

Jess is joined by drag legend LADY BUNNY! Lady Bunny discusses Drag Race's impact on modern day queens vs. experimental avant-garde style, questionable music choices on RPDR, gender & identity politics, organizing Wigstock in Tompkins Square Park & Pier 17, creating culture vs. mimicking reality TV, being held at gunpoint in the East Village and her rise alongside RuPaul at The Pyramid Club. See L...

Jess is joined by the king of New York City nightlife, Daniel Nardicio. Throughout his career, Nardicio has produced events for Liza Minnelli, Alan Cumming, Chita Rivera, Carol Channing, Margaret Cho, Sandra Bernhard, Bianca del Rio and more. He chats about creating The Underwear Party on Fire Island, opening Club Cumming and his latest endeavor, now owning The Ice Palace in Cherry Grove. We also...

Jess chats with VANDERPUMP RULES' ARIANA MADIX about her pre-SUR life in NYC, her friendship > relationship with TOM SANDOVAL and becoming friends with KRISTEN DOUTE behind the scenes. Ariana also reacts to JAX TAYLOR's "glorified roommates" claim, her sexuality and buying their home. Original air date: Apr 2020 [ 36:00 ] At 36 minutes in, Jess is joined by Andy Bellatti (@astrologywithandy), astr...

Jess welcomes actor/singer JAI RODRIGUEZ — known as the OG Culture Guy on QUEER EYE. Jess fell in love with Jai as a teen, starring on Broadway as the beloved HIV+ drag queen Angel in RENT. We discuss his reign in NYC nightlife as a cabaret performer and his eventual big break on Queer Eye. We chat about his recent roles in BROS and Netflix's UNCOUPLED, and the irony of Jai relating more to Joel K...

Jess welcomes back writer/actress Jill Kargman! Jill was born and raised on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, creating the perfect setting and inspiration for her novel Momzillas, adapted into the Bravo scripted series "Odd Mom Out" (streaming on Peacock!). We discuss: the cult of SoulCycle, her father's role as the President of Chanel, attending high school with Gwyneth Paltrow, Andy Cohen's pivo...

Jess is joined by reality TV casting producer Frank Garrity, who has worked on Below Deck, The People's Couch, Millionaire Matchmaker and Tabatha's Takeover. We discuss how to break into reality TV casting & production, background checks (ie: Jen Shah; unearthing racist tweets), getting yelled at by Patti Stanger on set of Millionaire Matchmaker, MTV's Real Friends of WeHo and a lot more. IG: @jes...

Jess is joined by prolific film & TV director JAMIE BABBIT! Jamie is best known for writing/directing the cult classic BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER w/ Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall. Over the past two decades she has directed HBO's GIRLS, THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL, GILMORE GIRLS, THE L WORD, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING and more. We discuss all of those experiences, plus! shooting...

In the final installment of our L Word trilogy, Jess is joined by L Word historians Ash Silver (renowned YouTuber) and Chris Lintner (@thelwordonline). Chris shares her story of getting confronted by Ilene Chaiken in Vancouver for putting pieces of the scripts online in 2006 and Ash reveals how she ingratiated herself to Showtime in present day, with an invitation to the Gen Q set several months a...

Jess is joined by The L Word Generation Q showrunner, Marja Lewis Ryan! We discuss how Marja got the job, her connection to Abbi Jacobson coming out, if the writers have seen The L Word (OG), Jennifer Beals' influence on Bette Porter and Marja's very first meeting with JB, Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig. We probe for answers to fan frustrations around the loss of Gigi (Sepideh Moafi), Gigi & Dani'...

Jess is joined by THE L WORD creator and show-runner Ilene Chaiken! Ilene discusses running Aaron Spelling's production company, her real-life version of The Planet, the head of Showtime wanting to cast Leisha Hailey as Shane, Jennifer Beals choosing Laurel Holloman as Tina, and Mia Kirshner's brilliant improv as Jenny. Also discussed: Ilene's original plan for Bette & Tina, contributions to Gen Q...

Jess is joined by comedian Jared Freid (co-host of Betches' modern dating pod U Up?) to discuss relationship "soft launches" and breakups on Instagram, dating app profile makeovers, Jared's journey with late night eating addiction, being heckled over his headshot and being spotted in Deuxmoi. Plus, why fast-moving celebrity r-ships like Pete Davidson / Ariana Grande / Kim Kardashian / Ben Affleck...

Jess is joined by WALTER AFANASIEFF, the Grammy-winning songwriter and producer responsible for co-writing and producing the majority of MARIAH CAREY's '90s hits, including "Anytime You Need a Friend," "My All," "Hero," "One Sweet Day," and of course "All I Want For Christmas Is You." Afanasieff walks us through the creation of the modern Christmas classic and his professional fall-out with Mariah...

Jess is joined by The Real World Seattle's IRENE MCGEE, infamous for the season which she battled Lyme disease and was slapped in the face by cast member Stephen Williams. Irene discusses cast member David Burns' relationship with the show's casting director Kira and everything surrounding Stephen chucking her childhood teddy bear in the cold Seattle water, calling him a "homosexual" and Stephen s...

Jess is joined by Flipping Out interior designer Megan Weaver! Megan chats about her fateful meet-cute with Jeff Lewis in a restaurant bathroom which led to filming 7 seasons of Bravo's Flipping Out and her current gig as co-host on RadioAndy SiriusXM's Jeff Lewis Live. We discuss her experience on Teddi Mellencamp's "All In" weight loss program, working on Lala Kent & Randall Emmett's house and J...

Wow Bethenny, Wow. Jess is joined by Ryan Bailey, (So Bad It's Good), for an epic deep dive on Bethenny Ever After (avail on Peacock). We review episodes including Bethenny's 40th Birthday Breakdown, Lost at Sea with Dr. Amador and the series finale. Plus, observations of her #2 Julie, food blogger Nick & try to psychoanalyze what exactly was going on with Jason Hoppy behind the scenes. [39:00] TH...

Jess is joined by the filmmakers behind The Lesbian Bar Project (Erica Rose & Elina Street), a new TV docu-series inspired by the decline in women's queer spaces in the US (from 200 in the 1980s to under 25 today). The Lesbian Bar Project has evolved from a short film into a full-fledged TV series exec. produced by Lea DeLaria -- now airing on the Roku channel! -- showcasing the stories of queer b...

Jess is joined by 5x Emmy-nominee SUDI GREEN for her work on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE! Sudi joined the writing staff of SNL at age 24, after becoming best friends with fellow NYU & UCB alumni Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers. Sudi discusses getting the SNL call, the highs and lows, her biggest f-up's on the job and the cultural shift of openly gay cast members. We also discuss NYU culture, writing the second...

Jess is joined by legendary drag performer Peaches Christ to analyze the legacy of the cult classic SHOWGIRLS and to answer the questions of why and how did this "masterpiece of sh*t" get made. Peaches Christ has been producing full-blown Showgirls drag theatrical extravaganzas in San Francisco for 20 years. Peaches also sheds insider light on Elizabeth Berkley's Showgirls journey herself and also...

Jess is joined by stand-up comedian Fortune Feimster! We chat about her time on CHELSEA LATELY, spending Thanksgiving with Jennifer Aniston at Chelsea Handler's house, auditioning for SNL 2x, Jeff Lewis pressuring Fortune to sell her house and meeting her wife at Chicago Pride. Plus, Tina Fey producing a show about her life, the nonsensical innerworkings of showbiz and naturally, THE L WORD. At th...

Jess is joined by Bruce Bozzi to answer the age-old question of who is Bruce Bozzi, and how does he fit into the Bravo zeitgeist?  We chat about why he and best friend Andy Cohen never dated, his friendships with Madonna and Bethenny Frankel, Madonna's instagram and his wish to become the first gay Househusband / Housewife of Beverly Hills. We also discuss being the step-father to actress Billie L...