Hot Takes & Deep Dives

Let the ranting begin… Jess is joined by veteran Housewives podcaster Grant Rutter of "Grants Rants" to go deep on his recent move from West Hollywood to the West Village. We then move onto the current State of Housewives, weighing in on SLC, RHOA & RHOD and take a temperature check on what's in the oven for RHONY & RHOBH. We also dip into the latest development in Bethenny vs. Carole. Finally, we...

Bravo's "Work Out" star Jackie Warner returns to the pod! In her second appearance, Jackie chats about training A-listers including Alanis Morissette and Pink at her iconic Beverly Hills gym “Sky Sport & Spa.” Jackie shares her life-long passion for Stevie Nicks as her #1 influence and we go deep on the female-centric ‘90s music scene that shaped us (Ani DiFranco, Sarah McLachlan, etc).  We also d...

Jess is joined by Emily D. Baker, Esq, former LA prosecutor and current Housewives fan to help us understand the specifics of the federal lawsuit and criminal investigation currently underway regarding Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi. We dig into: the frozen assets, Judge Tricia Bigalow, the lien and judgments on the law firm building Tom owns, the forced bankruptcy and a lot more. Emily also compares...

Jess interviews 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 welcomes Housewives Empath Jamie Stein back to the pod for a deep dive into the subconscious psychology surrounding the Erika Jayne / Tom Girardi divorce and RHOC Baunwyn’s alcoholism & coming out. We then move on to the star shows of the hour: Real Housewives of Potomac & Salt Lake City. Jamie channels Ashley & Michael Darby, Monique & Candiase, T’Challa, Meredith Marks and of course, Mary C...

Jess is joined by our buddy Zack Peter, gossip king and host of #NoFilter to understand what the hell is going on with Vanderpump Rules. Together, we recap the timeline of events in the past week, including a Zoom meeting between Bravo/NBC Universal, Evolution Media and Lisa Vanderpump, Jax Taylor’s firing, the cast’s contracts about to expire and Andy Cohen’s response on his radio show. Zack also...

From MTV and Wondery, Catfish: The Podcast. Adapted from the MTV docu-series, Catfish: The Podcast exposes the truths and lies of online relationships. Sometimes the connections people forge online aren’t always what they seem. For eight seasons, hosts Nev Schulman and Kamie Crawford have been helping people sort out what’s fact, and what’s fiction. Now Catfish: The Podcast brings you the most unb...

Jess welcomes back the host of So Bad It’s Good - Ryan Bailey! Jess & Ryan hunker down for a good ole Bravo retrospective where we revisit the Bravo shows of yore. We trace the history of Bravo, from Andy Cohen joining the network as VP of Original Programming to the 2nd tier shows we loved (NYC Prep, Being Bobby Brown, Princesses Long Island, Blow Out, Work Out, Shear Genius, etc).  Remember “Hey...

In honor of Britney’s 39th birthday today, Andy Bellatti (@astrologywithandy) is here to take you through the milestones in Britney’s life and career, through her astrological birth chart. We start with her Sun (Sagittarius), Moon (Aquarius) and Rising (Libra) signs and go through the various transits that were happening during the major moments throughout her life, including: Rise to Superstardom...

Jess is joined by actress Sasha Morfaw from @thebravobreakdown to break down where we stand with Real Housewives of Salt Lake City & Potomac. We dive into Heather Gay, Mary Cosby, Meredith Marks and the rest, as well as how we're feeling as we round home base with Potomac. Finally, we dive into the new Ariana Grande “Positions” and Miley Cyrus “Plastic Hearts” with our fave tracks and overall albu...

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, which was eventually adapted into the Bravo scripted series “Odd Mom Out" (stream it on Peacock!). We discuss: her father being President of Chanel, attending high school with Gwyneth Paltrow, Andy Cohen’s pivotal role i...

Jess is joined by the one and only RACHEL DRATCH, known for her 7 seasons on SNL, beloved for the Boston Teens (w/ Jimmy Fallon) and bringing the name “Debbie Downer” into the pop culture lexicon. We go deep on Rachel’s long-standing friendship with Tina Fey, her SNL audition, getting cast (and then replaced by Jane Krakowski) on 30 Rock and discovering she was pregnant at 43 years old. We also di...

Jess is joined by performer, activist and runner-up of Season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Miss Peppermint! Peppermint shares her story as a theatre kid in Delaware who moved to NYC in 1996, where she worked in the clubs as a drag performer for 10+ years. We chat about the NYC nightlife scene through the ‘90s and how it changed once Drag Race hit the air. We also discuss the impact of RuPaul’s recent...

We all know Jamie Stein as the Housewives empath / intuitive, but back in his early Hollywood days he had the unique job of working as an Associate Editor on FOUR seasons of The Real World! Jamie worked on Real World: Vegas, Paris, San Diego and Philly where he had an unedited look at Trishelle, Steven, CT, Ace, Karamo and the rest. Jamie takes us inside his day-to-day role, watching endless unedi...

This is PART TWO of “But Now We Said It” with @FacesByBravo (Steve), where we confess our Unpopular Opinions on every single Housewives franchise + Vanderpump Rules. Don't miss Part 1 in the previous episode! [ RHOBH: 1:00 ] [ RHOP: 12:00 ] [ RHONJ: 21:00 ] [ Vanderpump Rules: 31:00 ] [ LVP: 37:30 ]   Follow @jessxnyc, @hottakesdeepdives, @facesbybravo

Jess is joined by FacesByBravo aka Steve to react to the freshly dropped RHOA season 13 trailer. We then settle in for an epic “but now we said it,” where we admit our Unpopular Opinions on every single Housewives franchise + Vanderpump Rules. See where we agree on our unpopular hot takes, and where we leave each other speechless. PS: This is Part One! Part Two with RHOP, RHONJ & Vanderpump Rules...

Jess is joined by FacesByBravo aka Steve to react to the freshly dropped RHOA season 13 trailer. We then settle in for an epic “but now we said it,” where we admit our Unpopular Opinions on every single Housewives franchise + Vanderpump Rules. See where we agree on our unpopular hot takes, and where we leave each other speechless.   PS: This is Part One! Part Two with RHOP, RHONJ & Vanderpump Rule...

Jess interviews journalist Rich Juzwiak, senior writer at Jezebel and advice columnist at Slate. Rich takes us inside the culture at GAWKER, the epicenter for Manhattan media news and gossip at which he was a senior writer from 2012-2016. Gawker began as small blog founded in 2002, which grew into a full-fledged media company, before going bankrupt thanks to a $140 million legal judgement. We go d...

Jess is joined by legendary drag performer Peaches Christ to analyze the legacy of the cult classic SHOWGIRLS. This is a special year for Showgirls with the release of “You Don’t Nomi,” a documentary that attempts to answer the questions of why and how did this “masterpiece of sh*t” get made. Peaches has been producing and performing full-blown Showgirls drag theatrical extravaganzas in San Franci...

Jess catches up with our favorite yachtie — Below Deck Med's Colin Macy O’Toole — to get his hot takes on this hot mess of a season. We mention it all, including Captain Sandy’s “cameo” where she speculates that Malia is gay, deckhand Rob Westergaard making his way through the Bravo world trying to date Jess, Madison (Below Deck Sailing Yacht) and lying about “talking to” Hannah Berner (Summer Hou...

Jess is back with Andy Bellatti, the #1 Lamb in this fam! Jess and Andy hunkered down over the last week and consumed both the audiobook and written word in order to properly review The Meaning of Mariah Carey. We also spent weeks pouring over our Top 10 Mariah song lists which we reveal after the book review. We are prepared with trivia, deep cuts and moments! Finally, Andy shares his story of wr...

Jess interviews LGBT comedy icon Margaret Cho!  We chat about Margaret’s incredibly prolific career, including her 8 stand-up specials and iconic TV appearances (30 Rock, Sex and the City). We go deep about her experience starring in a sitcom based on her life where the network (ABC) fed her diet pills and zero-fat cookies in an effort to compete against the casts of Friends and My So-Called Life....

Jess is joined by Kameelah Phillips, fave Real World alum from season six: Boston! Kameelah chats about auditioning when she was a 19-year-old Stanford University student and goes deep on her current friendships with Genesis, Syrus, Elka, Montana and polarizing congressman Sean Duffy. Kameelah is now a successful OBGYN in New York City but still loves reality TV, and is ready with hot takes on Pot...

The time has come for Astrology with Andy... Potomac Edition! Jess welcomes back our resident astrologer to the Housewives, Andy Bellatti, this time to dissect the birth charts of Karen Huger, Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby and the relationship compatibility chart of Monique Samuels / Candiace Dillard.  Follow @astrologywithandy, @jessxnyc, @hottakesdeepdives   

Jess is joined by Madonna podcast “MLVC” producer/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...