Latest / Cats & Pudding with Jennifer Dilandro / Karen Gravano - From Mafia Streets to Reality TV Feats

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Karen Gravano - From Mafia Streets to Reality TV Feats · Cats & Pudding with Jennifer Dilandro

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• 0:21
  Speaker 2: There's a lot of red tape behind the scenes, is
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: what I'll say. And this show should have been back.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: We were never canceled. It was the network and the
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  Speaker 2: producers at the time. They want to you know, everybody
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  Speaker 2: gets greedy.
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  Speaker 1: This is cats in Footing podcasts, a melting pot of
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  Speaker 1: And now here's Jen.
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  Speaker 3: Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to Kats and Pudding. And
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  Speaker 3: I'm Jennifer Delandro and today I have a wonderful guest, my.
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  Speaker 4: Friend, the great Karen Gravana.
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  Speaker 5: Here she is, She's having me beautiful. I'm happy to
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  Speaker 5: be here.
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  Speaker 4: I'm so happy. It's gonna be a fun interview.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, so I'm going to start the ball running, and uh,
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  Speaker 3: I'm going to start out, but just talking about your
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  Speaker 3: life and everybody knows you know, you are on a
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  Speaker 3: little show called The mob Wives.
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  Speaker 4: A big show, a big show, So let's talk about that.
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  Speaker 4: Let's start. Let's start in with how that came to Bay.
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  Speaker 2: So Mob Wives actually came to fruition. Jennifer Graziana, who
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  Speaker 2: was Renee's sister, was a friend of mine and we
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  Speaker 2: were actually talking about doing a scripted show together. So
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  Speaker 2: she came to me one day and she's like, Oh,
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  Speaker 2: they're casting the show for women's whose husbands went to
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  Speaker 2: prison and whatever, and I'm thinking about casting Drida my sister.
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  Speaker 5: What do you think. I was like, that's a great idea.
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  Speaker 2: So I wasn't even thinking because to me, reality TV
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  Speaker 2: was not for me. I didn't want to drag all
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  Speaker 2: my baggage and write dump it, dump it to the world.
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  Speaker 4: Well and that lifestyle were not supposed to right.
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  Speaker 2: So I happened to come when they were filming the
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  Speaker 2: sizzle reel and the guy was like, you have to
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  Speaker 2: get on it. And just because we all knew each other.
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  Speaker 2: And that's one thing about that show is we all
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  Speaker 2: had history.
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  Speaker 3: It wasn't just like a scripted You guys grew up
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  Speaker 3: together in the like, you know, so it's a close
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  Speaker 3: knit neighborhood and everybody knows everybody exactly.
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  Speaker 2: So I was just there and we're like, you know,
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  Speaker 2: on camera whatever, and when they cut the reel, it
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  Speaker 2: was like, you have to be in it. So I'm like,
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  Speaker 2: oh whatever. I started thinking about it, and it was
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  Speaker 2: on the premise of women who went through a struggle.
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  Speaker 2: So you go through a struggle and you know, you
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  Speaker 2: survive and you come out on top.
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  Speaker 5: And that's what we were all thinking. That's what it
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  Speaker 5: all started.
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  Speaker 2: And yeah, I agreed to be on it, and then
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  Speaker 2: it just went from being it wasn't going to be
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  Speaker 2: called mob wives at all. We were actually going to
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  Speaker 2: stay away from that. But you know, hence now in
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  Speaker 2: hindsight looking back, that was the hook and reel, And
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  Speaker 2: obviously I had the biggest name on the show, so
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  Speaker 2: I was like the sinker, right, hook, line and sinker.
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  Speaker 4: And you were definitely the hook, yes, and it.
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  Speaker 2: Went it was you know, if you would have interviewed
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  Speaker 2: me back then, I probably was in a place where,
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  Speaker 2: you know, it was just a lot of fighting and
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  Speaker 2: cattiness going on, so it was like it was aggression.
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  Speaker 2: But now, to be honest, I sit back and I
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  Speaker 2: look at it, and it was a great experience.
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  Speaker 5: I speak to most of the women. There's you know,
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  Speaker 5: some that I will never.
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  Speaker 2: Speak to forever ever. But it was a springboard. It
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  Speaker 2: kind of gave me opportunities to go and other shows. Yes,
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  Speaker 2: I was executive producer. I produced my own show on
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  Speaker 2: MTV called Families of the Mafia.
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  Speaker 5: So I had that opportunity a good show.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, and now you're and now you're starting some other opportunities.
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  Speaker 3: Now you have some other things that are in the
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  Speaker 3: in the Yes, so brewing now growing.
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  Speaker 1: Yes.
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  Speaker 2: I was in LA last week and I would just
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  Speaker 2: say that the writers strike is open over and everything's
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  Speaker 2: back open, and I'm working on a project that hopefully
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  Speaker 2: I can announce soon descripted project.
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  Speaker 3: And that's something that you've always wanted to be involved with.
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  Speaker 3: That's that's kind of that's always something that I wanted
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  Speaker 3: to be involved with too.
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  Speaker 4: I always liked the whole production.
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  Speaker 3: Thing, right, and the and working in the you know,
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  Speaker 3: development and projects. So something something we we always shared
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  Speaker 3: that we liked.
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  Speaker 2: And it's very different, So it's very exciting. It's like
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  Speaker 2: a new experience for me. If I would have thought
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  Speaker 2: about reality TV back then, I probably have been like,
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  Speaker 2: no way I'm not going to do it. I'm glad
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  Speaker 2: I did because it was an experience and I have
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  Speaker 2: some great memories and like I said, it was it
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  Speaker 2: was just such an opportunity that led me to other places.
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  Speaker 5: So I'm grateful for it.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, listen, it was it was a good show,
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  Speaker 3: and everybody is, let's be honest, it's very, very very
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  Speaker 3: interested in the in the Mob and Italians from New York.
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  Speaker 3: You know, it's just something that there. It's it's a
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  Speaker 3: big interest in I think, I think kind of like
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  Speaker 3: now in the in the industry, kind of like fluctuates.
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  Speaker 3: I think it like goes in and trolls. So where
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  Speaker 3: do you think it is right now? Do you think
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  Speaker 3: that that's something that people are interested in?
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  Speaker 2: And again, very I mean I think they were just
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  Speaker 2: getting Gotti right. It was the number one show on Netflix.
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  Speaker 2: So there's always going to be that interest in the Mob.
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  Speaker 2: And I think especially in that time period.
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  Speaker 4: Well that was that was that was the golden era.
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  Speaker 2: And like the news media was and the world was infatuated.
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  Speaker 2: And I can say the world now because if you
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  Speaker 2: would have asked me this question a while back, I'd
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  Speaker 2: have been like, no, because we live in our small
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  Speaker 2: little bubble, so we never really looked outside. But even
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  Speaker 2: being on these shows gave me the opportunity to realize,
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  Speaker 2: like I think Families of the Mafia was number one
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  Speaker 2: in Israel, and you know, mob wise, well, so many
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  Speaker 2: different countries that we were very big in. So there's
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  Speaker 2: that interest for it, an intrigue, and I think it
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  Speaker 2: will always be there and I think it will forever grow.
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  Speaker 2: I think, you know, kind of there's been so many
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  Speaker 2: documentaries on you know, my father and John and their situations,
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  Speaker 2: and I really didn't know how much more they can make,
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  Speaker 2: but they're very very they do very well.
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  Speaker 5: Yeah.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, you know, people don't don't understand the type
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  Speaker 3: of background in the in the type of how we
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  Speaker 3: grew up because I grew up in a symbol of
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  Speaker 3: symbol of situation.
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  Speaker 4: I grew up in Howard Beach too, and you know.
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  Speaker 3: We we we did live in a bubble, you know,
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  Speaker 3: and it was like the people that were around us,
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  Speaker 3: they were the movie stars, right, you know, they were
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  Speaker 3: those those who the people that we were with the
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  Speaker 3: movie stars. So we lived in our own basic little
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  Speaker 3: world of Lalla Land right now.
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  Speaker 4: And but it was organized crime.
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  Speaker 5: But those were and we didn't talk about it.
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  Speaker 3: We didn't talk about it, right, we didn't talk about it,
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  Speaker 3: but we but that was the way we lived, you know,
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  Speaker 3: it was in many many ways, it was a great
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  Speaker 3: way to live.
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  Speaker 4: You know. Our neighborhoods were.
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  Speaker 5: Safe, right, was safe.
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  Speaker 4: They were, they were well kept.
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  Speaker 3: Everybody you know pretty much what got along, we were
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  Speaker 3: in line. I mean, there was things, right, things that
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  Speaker 3: would happen, but you know, it was a nice way
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  Speaker 3: to grow up.
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  Speaker 4: But everybody knew each other right.
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  Speaker 2: Right, And I think you know, when the men got
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  Speaker 2: involved into that lifestyle, they knew, they knew what world
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  Speaker 2: and what you know, they were getting involved.
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  Speaker 5: But it was a protection.
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  Speaker 2: So even you know, bringing it back to the mob,
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  Speaker 2: Cosenosha was this thing of ours and it was you know,
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  Speaker 2: in Italy, they protected their neighborhoods, they protected their families.
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  Speaker 2: And that's what I felt growing up. The crime and
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  Speaker 2: all that other stuff, I didn't see that for me.
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  Speaker 2: It was families parties growing up.
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  Speaker 5: You know.
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  Speaker 2: That's why even with my particular story, I kind of
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  Speaker 2: had my struggles. When my father you know, cooperated and
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  Speaker 2: went outside, it was like I didn't feel welcome, And
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  Speaker 2: I think a big thing. We were just talking about
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  Speaker 2: this because when I did Mob Wives, you know, people
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  Speaker 2: were skeptical. They were talks that I shouldn't come back,
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  Speaker 2: I shouldn't do the show. You know, they were trying
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  Speaker 2: to put pressure on the producers and stuff, and you
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  Speaker 2: know I was getting this, you know, hearing it, but
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  Speaker 2: the producers were like, no, We're doing the show because
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  Speaker 2: of her. So my opening line was F John Gotti,
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  Speaker 2: F Samuel Bull. I'm coming home and I'm gangster. And
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  Speaker 2: everyone misinterpreted that because they felt like I was saying
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  Speaker 2: it to the girls. But in reality, I'm just.
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  Speaker 5: Saying, if somebody something that I want to do, this
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  Speaker 5: is my life. I'm trying.
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  Speaker 3: You're not being you. You're not you're your own person.
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  Speaker 3: You're not you're You're not.
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  Speaker 4: Saying you're not Jawn, You're not a relationship.
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  Speaker 5: You know about the aftermath and what I went through.
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  Speaker 3: Well, the problem is is that, you know, it's politics,
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  Speaker 3: and a lot of people don't understand the politics of
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  Speaker 3: that lifestyle. We do understand the politics because we grew
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  Speaker 3: up in that in that you know, in that realm.
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  Speaker 3: So it is it is you know a lot of
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  Speaker 3: you know, a lot of things rules and a lot
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  Speaker 3: of you know, things that have to be that are expected.
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  Speaker 5: Right.
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  Speaker 2: So so yeah, I think everyone was in shock when
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  Speaker 2: they first I guess when the first advertisement for the
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: show came out and it's like mob Wiser, like she's
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  Speaker 2: on it, and yeah, hence, you know, after a while
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  Speaker 2: it became about the women and fighting and it really
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  Speaker 2: that's what it really.
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  Speaker 3: Was about at that point. I mean, that was the
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  Speaker 3: hook to get everybody to start watching it. But it
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  Speaker 3: was about you. It was about the girls, It was
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  Speaker 3: about your relationships. It was about the you know, the
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  Speaker 3: trials and tribulations of how you grew up, of you know,
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: dealing with men in jail, fathers in jail, living in
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  Speaker 3: that lifestyle. You know, it's things that people are very
• 9:06
  Speaker 3: interested and the people are fascinated by it.
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  Speaker 4: You know, as soon as people hear from Hawid Beach,
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  Speaker 4: you're like, oh, did you hang out with John? Did
• 9:12
  Speaker 4: you hang out with you know, Oh yeah, I lived
• 9:14
  Speaker 4: in the same name of of course, you know what
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  Speaker 4: I mean.
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  Speaker 3: But it's like we didn't look at it like that
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  Speaker 3: to us when we saw him, like we we looked
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  Speaker 3: at him like, oh this is we love you.
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  Speaker 4: It's great. We loved the guy.
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  Speaker 3: You know, we didn't look at it like how everybody
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  Speaker 3: else looked at it from a different perspective, you know,
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  Speaker 3: because it was a family orientated neighborhood, like you said,
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  Speaker 3: like we had it.
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  Speaker 4: We were in our all little bubble.
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  Speaker 3: So people got a chance to look into that part.
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  Speaker 3: And that's a good part of it, right, you know,
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  Speaker 3: that's there's there's not just bad parts of it, there's
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  Speaker 3: really good parts of it. So I think that the
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  Speaker 3: show brought that out too, and saw that you have
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  Speaker 3: families and that you're creat children and you know it's
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: not it's about real people and it is.
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  Speaker 4: You know, the Italian culture is a great culture.
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  Speaker 5: You know, we're very loud. We we love herd and
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  Speaker 5: we fight hard.
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  Speaker 2: We talk, we talked what our hands. Sometimes we're misinterpreted,
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  Speaker 2: but it you know, it is. It was a great
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  Speaker 2: experience I.
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  Speaker 3: Knew and and you know it opened doors for you.
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  Speaker 3: And now look, now you're gonna be doing a scripted show.
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  Speaker 3: Now you're gonna go to Laska. Did you ever think
• 10:14
  Speaker 3: that a girl from Staten Island that would happen.
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  Speaker 2: To No, but that was always my dream and you
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: know the show, I can't really talk about it now
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: because we are, you know, but it's just it's gonna
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: be a lot of creativity to be brought to it
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: and through my experiences and stuff, so it should be
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  Speaker 2: really good. And I'm excited and like this is where
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: you get together and you're working with writers and you're
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: really creating something that's you know, amazing. And like even
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: like fifty cent he's creating all these shows now and
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: he's doing spin offs and stuff, which I think is
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: you know, brilliant, and he's really kind of tapped into
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  Speaker 2: that market.
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  Speaker 5: But for me, like this could be.
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: An opportunity to be able to take things because I
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: feel like a lot of times I just get like,
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: you know, you kind of pigeonholed into your the mafia right,
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: just so much more.
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  Speaker 4: You're so much more than that.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, you don't want to just be like that checked
• 11:04
  Speaker 3: off that box that's you. She's like, you know, but
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: that's what happens to a lot of people, even you
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: know a lot of actors too.
• 11:11
  Speaker 4: Look at look at look at what's his name, Austin.
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: Butler, Yeah, saying he can't get cast anymore for anything
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: because he sounds like Elvis, Like.
• 11:18
  Speaker 5: Basically, no never keep lose.
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: That same thing with Johnny Depp, he sounds like Jack Sparrow,
• 11:22
  Speaker 3: like that's it, He'll never lose that, you know, Jack Sparrow,
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: he sounds like now he sounds like Keith Richards because
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: he's getting older.
• 11:28
  Speaker 4: That's what he based Jack Sparrow on. But he but
• 11:31
  Speaker 4: that they.
• 11:31
  Speaker 3: Become pigeonholed in that character and then they can't get
• 11:35
  Speaker 3: out and they talk for them to cast. But if
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: you know, listen, it's it's about talent. And you're talented,
• 11:40
  Speaker 3: you know you are, and you you know you know
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: what you want to do, so and you know what
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: you're aspiring to. You know that this is something that
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: you've always wanted to be involved with.
• 11:50
  Speaker 4: So I'm sure you can get out of jump out
• 11:52
  Speaker 4: of that picture.
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: Out of it and jump and wings and so I'm
• 11:57
  Speaker 3: so excited for you.
• 11:58
  Speaker 4: And you just opened up a new uh, a new place.
• 12:02
  Speaker 5: Yes I knew.
• 12:03
  Speaker 4: What do we call it a medi spa?
• 12:05
  Speaker 5: What we call it's like a wellness spot.
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: So yeah, focuses on non invasive body contouring facials, you know, hopefully.
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  Speaker 4: Having well having definitely making good appearances there. That's yeah,
• 12:22
  Speaker 4: my girl.
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: So it's in new Jersey has New Jersey nice area.
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: Skin has always been my focus.
• 12:30
  Speaker 3: Because you've always you've been an esthetician for a long time,
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: and a lot of people didn't know that about you, you.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: Know, since ill age myself since ninety seven, I've been
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: an esthetician before I had my daughter and I stepped
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: away from it.
• 12:42
  Speaker 5: You know.
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: Here I was, and this opportunity for my wives came knocking,
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: and I'm like, and I was thinking at that particular time,
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: it was like the height of reality TV, right, so
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: we're gonna do a reality show.
• 12:51
  Speaker 5: I'm gonna be like the curd actually right right, you.
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: Know, And it doesn't work that way at all, but honestly,
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: but honestly, but they also had all the businesses.
• 12:59
  Speaker 4: They didn't just do the show.
• 13:01
  Speaker 3: And for me with reality, you know, I've been asked
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: to do plenty of shows and I used to and
• 13:06
  Speaker 3: I need somebody whoever asked me to do it, I'd said, well,
• 13:09
  Speaker 3: is this going to affect my business in a positive
• 13:11
  Speaker 3: way or a negative way? So we we we were
• 13:14
  Speaker 3: we were approached to do mob Wives and Girls in
• 13:17
  Speaker 3: our neighborhoods and other different shows like that too, and
• 13:21
  Speaker 3: and and we would say I would sit back and say, well,
• 13:23
  Speaker 3: is it going to be a positive you know or
• 13:25
  Speaker 3: a negative? And certain things you have to say to yourself,
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: you know, is that what you want to do? So
• 13:29
  Speaker 3: if you are going to do a reality show, I
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: feel like it's either to use it as a stepping
• 13:34
  Speaker 3: stone for something else, for a business or another venture,
• 13:37
  Speaker 3: because let's be honest, does just have Chris Janners, your.
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: Chrismau my mom and Chris, but she was amazing at
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: what she did for their brand. And you know, I
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: think back then reality TV had the opportunity to do that.
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: And I'm not saying that we didn't because we definitely
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: had brands.
• 14:01
  Speaker 5: We put stuff out there.
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: I mean even I just did the grand opening for
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: my spa and people came that followed me from Mob Wives.
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: So it definitely worked to my favor, I think for
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: my For me personally, I kind of got caught up
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: in the bickering of the show and it was so
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: real to me because we really knew each other that
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: I really wasn't focused like, oh, just let that go.
• 14:24
  Speaker 5: I wasn't able to step away from.
• 14:25
  Speaker 4: Even to say, okay, this is my work right now, let.
• 14:28
  Speaker 5: Me go to my business. My business I was still
• 14:30
  Speaker 5: in I want to kill someone on the time.
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: That's what happens when we're because I mean, listen, I
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: have a lot of friends who are in dawn shows.
• 14:37
  Speaker 4: I've done shows.
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: You get so wrapped up in it, and it's like
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: you really and you really like that becomes like your
• 14:43
  Speaker 3: whole life. And it's funny because they'll I'll have you know,
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: friends and clients around the shows that.
• 14:49
  Speaker 4: They're on now, and they're talking to me about something happen.
• 14:51
  Speaker 4: Could you believe that this happen with someone? I'm like, what, Like,
• 14:54
  Speaker 4: I'm not, I have no clue what you're talking about.
• 14:57
  Speaker 4: But they're so wrapped into it.
• 14:58
  Speaker 3: Unless you watch the show consistently, you're not you don't
• 15:01
  Speaker 3: know what's going on in ninety percent of the time.
• 15:03
  Speaker 4: I don't know because I don't. First of all, I
• 15:06
  Speaker 4: have no time to sit and watch reality shows because
• 15:08
  Speaker 4: I work seven but I do it.
• 15:11
  Speaker 3: But it's like they'll they're so wrapped up and they think,
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: you know, like because they're so in that moment and
• 15:16
  Speaker 3: in that time of that argument, that that's all that
• 15:19
  Speaker 3: they're able to like focus on, right, So.
• 15:21
  Speaker 4: It's it's kind of it's hard.
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: I mean, it becomes very taxing, not only on you
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: physically mentally.
• 15:27
  Speaker 5: Oh yeah.
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: And like I said, for us, we were very unique
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: because we all did grow up with each other, Like
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: like even Big Ange. I knew her since I was
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: a kid. I used to go on vacations with her uncle,
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: and you know, she was there. She's to come to
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: my father's nightclub, not that I was allowed. I never
• 15:41
  Speaker 2: really seen her there, but family parties and stuff. So
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: it was way deeper, you know, than just the show.
• 15:48
  Speaker 2: And we couldn't just detach from it because it's like, Okay,
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: the cameras go down, but we're still here in Staten Island.
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: So right, it's like, let me see this bitch here
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: in this restaurant.
• 15:57
  Speaker 4: We walk down because I know something.
• 16:00
  Speaker 5: I'll tell you a funny story.
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: Jennifer, who's the executive producer, So I was with her
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: a lot on the show.
• 16:05
  Speaker 5: So you know, we're filming whatever.
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: I get in the car, we leave and I'm just
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: going and going and going, and she has asthma.
• 16:12
  Speaker 5: She's like, you're gonna give.
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: Me an asthma attack and she's like, look, can't go.
• 16:16
  Speaker 5: Yeah.
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: We wounds up in the hospital and I'm like sitting
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: there with her and I'm watching and she's on the
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: breathing machine and stuff, and then the nurse comes in they.
• 16:24
  Speaker 5: Take her off. They're like, okay, I go. Is she good?
• 16:26
  Speaker 5: They're like, yeah, I go. Can I just tell you
• 16:28
  Speaker 5: one more thing before it She's like.
• 16:29
  Speaker 4: Get her out of here.
• 16:31
  Speaker 5: Because I let it go.
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: I'm like, and now I could laugh about it, right,
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: it's funny. And because you were involved Wrapped, I've grown
• 16:41
  Speaker 2: a lot from that.
• 16:41
  Speaker 4: Yes, well it was how long has it been now?
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: I think the show I believe it ended in two
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: thoy sixteen, you know, and listen, there's always been talks
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: of it coming back, which it's a lot of behind
• 16:55
  Speaker 2: there's a lot of red tape behind the scenes, is
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: what I'll say. And this show should have been back.
• 16:59
  Speaker 2: We were never can It was the network and the
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: producers at the time. They wanted, you know, everybody gets
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: greedy they start seeing money, so it was and they
• 17:08
  Speaker 2: were making a lot of money when I hear, but.
• 17:10
  Speaker 4: That always seems to be the downfall.
• 17:12
  Speaker 5: Of Yes' greed and then we kind always the.
• 17:15
  Speaker 3: People who don't have old them money who usually suffer
• 17:17
  Speaker 3: for it.
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: It's just yes, and then it kind of fell into
• 17:21
  Speaker 2: the whole Harvey Weinstein drama because I don't know if
• 17:24
  Speaker 2: people know, but like Mob Wives was his show, Like
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: he's the one that actually pushed it to the network.
• 17:29
  Speaker 2: I mean, yeah, he created Once he stepped in, it
• 17:32
  Speaker 2: was a bidding war and everybody wanted the show, you know,
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: and that's we always call it the Harvey factor. And
• 17:37
  Speaker 2: he did put a lot to it.
• 17:39
  Speaker 3: You know.
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: I know people in Hollywood had really bad experiences with him.
• 17:42
  Speaker 5: I never did. I mean I met him on multiple time.
• 17:44
  Speaker 4: And his brother did everything in Hollywood.
• 17:47
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean if you look at every movie from
• 17:50
  Speaker 3: like late what is the late eighties to like you said,
• 17:53
  Speaker 3: like about twenty sixty, Winstein, Winstey wins everything.
• 17:59
  Speaker 2: I know, my first meeting with him was like I
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: thought I was around gangs. I said, you're the real gans,
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: so you control this whole.
• 18:05
  Speaker 4: He controlled the whorl that whole place.
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: So like I said, for me, I never had a
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: bad experience. But then we weren't his you know, I
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: don't think we were really his type, but like beautiful
• 18:17
  Speaker 2: runway models.
• 18:18
  Speaker 5: And we were like, yes.
• 18:20
  Speaker 3: He probably thought you get punched in the face. He
• 18:22
  Speaker 3: tried to they tried to do something to you guys.
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: You know, I'll tell you a funny story because we
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: went on a pitch, Harvey was actually with us, so
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: we all went in and nobody, Like when they pitt
• 18:32
  Speaker 2: reality shows, it's usually the producers that go, but they
• 18:35
  Speaker 2: actually because I guess we were so unique and the
• 18:37
  Speaker 2: way we like talked or whatever, they wanted us there.
• 18:39
  Speaker 4: I wanted them to hear you.
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: Yes, they bring us to this meeting, and you know,
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: Juda and I spoke about the whole boyfriendly thing. It
• 18:46
  Speaker 2: was like never an issue. So Harvey sitting there quiet
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: where I don't remember what network we're pitching, and he's quiet,
• 18:53
  Speaker 2: and he's just sitting there, and all of a sudden,
• 18:55
  Speaker 2: everyone's talking and Harvey goes, Karen, why didn't you tell
• 19:00
  Speaker 2: tell them how you and Durda shared the same man?
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: And I go, we didn't share the same man. So
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: it's like whatever, And the whole network's like what. And
• 19:06
  Speaker 2: they were very interested, obviously in that storyline, which pretty
• 19:10
  Speaker 2: much went the whole you know, every season, through the
• 19:13
  Speaker 2: whole existence of the show. So she was so tight,
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: like her neck started to get her veins started coming
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: out and stuff and I'm like, so we leave and
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: she's like, I don't ever want to.
• 19:23
  Speaker 5: Talk about that again. Whatever. So, but she wasn't saying
• 19:26
  Speaker 5: just that now.
• 19:27
  Speaker 3: You guys are walking and so that basically the show
• 19:31
  Speaker 3: made you guys really.
• 19:32
  Speaker 2: So yes, So when she gets when she walks out,
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: she's like, I'm gonna crack Harvey's head. He ever says
• 19:37
  Speaker 2: that again. But we're talking amongst each other. Fast forward,
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: you know, season one reunion, and she's acting like this
• 19:45
  Speaker 2: was never a topic, we never talked about it whatever.
• 19:47
  Speaker 2: So in the thing, there's like you know when you
• 19:50
  Speaker 2: do a reunion, there's everybody's there, the whole studios filled
• 19:53
  Speaker 2: with like executives from the networks, and everyone's watching us,
• 19:56
  Speaker 2: and we're all like, now we're in the heat of
• 19:58
  Speaker 2: we want to kill each other, right, So.
• 19:59
  Speaker 3: It was probably don't know how to handle Italians from.
• 20:04
  Speaker 5: Security and whatever.
• 20:05
  Speaker 4: We're sitting there Worlded security.
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: And yeah, all of a sudden, me and her like
• 20:10
  Speaker 2: sitting me and Drina and I'm like, you knew it
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: was gonna come. And I said something and I was like.
• 20:14
  Speaker 5: Why don't you tell everyone how you wanted to pop
• 20:16
  Speaker 5: Harvey Weinstein's head off?
• 20:18
  Speaker 2: And all of a sudden, the executives cut, cut, that's
• 20:22
  Speaker 2: not going on.
• 20:22
  Speaker 5: You know.
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: I'm like, he'said, you guys can't leave Harvey out of it.
• 20:26
  Speaker 2: I'm like, okay, it was just funny. We have so
• 20:28
  Speaker 2: many stories like that.
• 20:30
  Speaker 3: But now you still don't talk to Dreda never and
• 20:34
  Speaker 3: what about and you talked to Karla and obviously Ramona.
• 20:38
  Speaker 3: Yes with Marissa, Marissa, she's gonna be doing my show
• 20:42
  Speaker 3: today too.
• 20:43
  Speaker 5: Yes. Yeah, she's amazing.
• 20:44
  Speaker 4: I know she's great.
• 20:45
  Speaker 2: I will say this, and I always say everyone's like
• 20:49
  Speaker 2: when they ask about the cast members, and she came
• 20:51
  Speaker 2: on in the last season, but I was like, that
• 20:55
  Speaker 2: bitch didn't flinch, like she just came in with her
• 20:58
  Speaker 2: if she felt a certain kind of way.
• 21:00
  Speaker 5: She's stuck to it.
• 21:01
  Speaker 2: You know, sometimes when you get in scenes and you're
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: filming all the time, people's you know, they tend to
• 21:06
  Speaker 2: washing her flip floppers as we would call them.
• 21:09
  Speaker 4: She stuck.
• 21:09
  Speaker 5: She stuck to her guns.
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: And that last thing where we had the fight with
• 21:13
  Speaker 2: Drita and the girl Brittany or.
• 21:15
  Speaker 5: Whatever, who was me and Maria?
• 21:18
  Speaker 4: Who is the girl Brittany? I've refreshed my memory.
• 21:20
  Speaker 5: Another flip flopper. She came on the show as.
• 21:23
  Speaker 4: Was she that blonde one? Yes, she like from Philadelphia
• 21:26
  Speaker 4: or something.
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: Yeah, why did they even bring her father? Like actually
• 21:29
  Speaker 2: was in prison with my father.
• 21:30
  Speaker 4: Okay, so thats f But do you guys have any contact?
• 21:35
  Speaker 2: Yeah, not really with her before, but I knew her father.
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: Her father was in prison with my father for a
• 21:39
  Speaker 2: long time. So she's really you know, involved in her
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: mother has you know, knows people whatever. But so the show,
• 21:46
  Speaker 2: like we kind of pitted against each other, so you know,
• 21:49
  Speaker 2: she's team Drida or whatever, and Marisa is you know,
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: sitting here. So we're in this big table and Dreda
• 21:56
  Speaker 2: is doing her usual prist of all.
• 21:59
  Speaker 5: By the time the.
• 22:00
  Speaker 2: Sixth season came, like we were going everywhere with they
• 22:03
  Speaker 2: had like professional professional security, Like these guys are like
• 22:07
  Speaker 2: snipers from so they needed them for you guys, so
• 22:11
  Speaker 2: they had them around.
• 22:12
  Speaker 4: How many fights did you get into? A lot actual
• 22:15
  Speaker 4: physical altercations?
• 22:17
  Speaker 5: One? Two? Two physical?
• 22:20
  Speaker 2: But I think one like we were right there, you know,
• 22:22
  Speaker 2: throwing plates at each other.
• 22:24
  Speaker 5: Or stuffing like that. It was you know, it was
• 22:26
  Speaker 5: interesting time.
• 22:27
  Speaker 2: But anyway, when we walked in Marissa Drida went to
• 22:31
  Speaker 2: go flip the table and you know, I came up,
• 22:33
  Speaker 2: I had this whip in my hand, like it's because
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: I knew we couldn't get near each other before. I
• 22:38
  Speaker 2: was like, there's no way we could fight. So it's
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: just going to be a streaming match and listen for
• 22:42
  Speaker 2: reality TV.
• 22:43
  Speaker 5: It's better.
• 22:44
  Speaker 2: People want to watch something visual. When you start fighting,
• 22:46
  Speaker 2: they break it up pretty quick.
• 22:48
  Speaker 4: But so and a lot of people don't like that anymore.
• 22:52
  Speaker 3: Yeah, the new generation teams like all generation okay, generation
• 22:55
  Speaker 3: excess of fine, but they were like, we want to
• 22:57
  Speaker 3: see some people do get out with fine, but the
• 22:59
  Speaker 3: new the kids, they don't. It's funny that they don't
• 23:01
  Speaker 3: want to see it any like, it's like they're not
• 23:03
  Speaker 3: into it.
• 23:04
  Speaker 2: Well I know, and you start seeing a lot of
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: shows now everybody just attacks each other. You're not really
• 23:09
  Speaker 2: getting the true stories.
• 23:11
  Speaker 3: And you find that so many shows now are so negative,
• 23:14
  Speaker 3: like don't that's why I don't even want to watch.
• 23:17
  Speaker 4: Them, because it's like there's nothing fun about it.
• 23:18
  Speaker 3: Everybody that's on it is it's angry or depressed or
• 23:22
  Speaker 3: gonna be angry and depressed. That's it. There's nothing else
• 23:25
  Speaker 3: to it. It's like I want to see something with fun.
• 23:28
  Speaker 3: I want to see reality see that that's fun. Like,
• 23:30
  Speaker 3: we're working on a show right now and it's it's
• 23:33
  Speaker 3: pitched to be a fun show. Is there gonna be drama, Yes,
• 23:37
  Speaker 3: but it's gonna be funny and it's not able to
• 23:40
  Speaker 3: be scripted funny. It's just gonna be funny just because
• 23:42
  Speaker 3: of what it's about.
• 23:43
  Speaker 4: It's gonna be funny.
• 23:44
  Speaker 3: And that's what I feel like people want to see
• 23:46
  Speaker 3: now because it's a constantly, constantly negativity that I want
• 23:49
  Speaker 3: to shut it off, right And.
• 23:51
  Speaker 2: That's where I feel like we were headed, you know,
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: and people have told me that after it was like
• 23:54
  Speaker 2: too much. You know, Season six were all killing each other.
• 23:58
  Speaker 3: Like you meet each other in restaurants, you have a
• 23:59
  Speaker 3: couple of words and then the table will be.
• 24:00
  Speaker 4: Flipped, the glasses will be brought.
• 24:02
  Speaker 5: Production did child like they didn't want that. I will.
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: They're kind of like in the beginning it was great.
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: These women are, you know, feisty, they're gonna but then
• 24:12
  Speaker 2: it just started escalating and then they.
• 24:13
  Speaker 4: Were, yeah, you know, you do something to Italians.
• 24:18
  Speaker 3: Forever, you hate that person forever, that the worst or
• 24:22
  Speaker 3: the best, that guy, he's the best in the world.
• 24:25
  Speaker 3: That guy he stepped on my foot twenty years ago.
• 24:26
  Speaker 3: I hope he fucking died. Like that's how Italians are.
• 24:29
  Speaker 3: That's it's not the best of the worst. So if
• 24:31
  Speaker 3: you guys are fighting, it's always going to be an argument, right.
• 24:35
  Speaker 5: So yeah it was. It was crazy.
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: But Marissa, like I said, she didn't sway. And I
• 24:39
  Speaker 2: remember when Drina got up to go push the table
• 24:41
  Speaker 2: and people are flinging dishes and I just look over
• 24:43
  Speaker 2: Melissa's like Marissa's like just sitting there.
• 24:48
  Speaker 5: She was calm, she's ready.
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: You know, she's very classy, but she'll throw down, throw down.
• 24:54
  Speaker 5: Yeah, so I love her. She's feisty.
• 24:56
  Speaker 4: Yeah, she's feisty.
• 24:56
  Speaker 3: She is, and she's and and she has her own
• 25:00
  Speaker 3: opinion that she's not going to sway from like you
• 25:01
  Speaker 3: said exactly, she's not worshy washer.
• 25:03
  Speaker 4: So we like that about them. We like that about Bristol.
• 25:06
  Speaker 5: Yes, I don't like whushy washy people.
• 25:08
  Speaker 3: Now. I'd rather you be honest with me and you know,
• 25:10
  Speaker 3: tell me to my face something than just be like
• 25:13
  Speaker 3: be like ambivalent and you know, pandering, because that pisses
• 25:17
  Speaker 3: me off from people try to pand them.
• 25:18
  Speaker 4: I don't like that ship. Tell me about how, like
• 25:23
  Speaker 4: what you feel like now?
• 25:25
  Speaker 3: Espose, like, now you're opening up the business and you're
• 25:27
  Speaker 3: all going to be going into this new.
• 25:29
  Speaker 4: Venture in Hollywood. How is that? How are you going
• 25:31
  Speaker 4: to balance that?
• 25:32
  Speaker 3: How are you gonna Are you even thinking about that?
• 25:36
  Speaker 2: Because I when I was in LA and I was
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: meeting with the exactly like, so you're gonna move to La,
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: I'm like, I just opened the business and I don't know.
• 25:45
  Speaker 2: I don't know how I'm gonna balance it. I think
• 25:47
  Speaker 2: that the good thing is, you know, working with writers
• 25:50
  Speaker 2: and stuff.
• 25:51
  Speaker 5: A lot of it is zoom and and you know,
• 25:53
  Speaker 5: computers and stuff like that.
• 25:55
  Speaker 2: So I will have the ability to be here and
• 25:58
  Speaker 2: still be working for this stuff.
• 26:00
  Speaker 5: That I have going on in LA.
• 26:03
  Speaker 2: But then again, I don't know, Like the spok at
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: take off and I'm doing facials, I mean in the middle,
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: like talking, texting, rubbing someone's scalp, I don't know. I'm
• 26:11
  Speaker 2: just gonna have to see how that plays out, you know,
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: I do. And the mistake that I made was when
• 26:16
  Speaker 2: I did Mob Wives, And That's what I was trying
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: to say earlier.
• 26:19
  Speaker 5: I thought I was.
• 26:19
  Speaker 2: Going to be like this huge reality TV star that
• 26:22
  Speaker 2: was gonna be traveling all of the world in private jets,
• 26:26
  Speaker 2: but I stepped away from the skincare and that was
• 26:29
  Speaker 2: what I'm not gonna do now. Like I still I
• 26:32
  Speaker 2: love it, and I just opened the spot and I
• 26:34
  Speaker 2: always want to be you know, in the background and
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: definitely doing the treatments myself. I mean, listen, if the
• 26:39
  Speaker 2: show that we're working on becomes a huge hit, hopefully
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: and my time is more required there, then I'll have
• 26:45
  Speaker 2: to figure things out. But right now, my main hub
• 26:47
  Speaker 2: is the SPA.
• 26:48
  Speaker 3: And that should be because now you want to have
• 26:51
  Speaker 3: something that you're going to sustain to right as we're
• 26:54
  Speaker 3: getting older, we want to have some sustainability with income obviously,
• 26:59
  Speaker 3: and you know, you also want your your business to
• 27:01
  Speaker 3: thrive right too.
• 27:02
  Speaker 5: And that's what I mean.
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: If you're having other people on your show that have
• 27:06
  Speaker 2: been in the reality TV world, that's the thing. Like
• 27:09
  Speaker 2: you'll get a season and then it's like you gotta
• 27:11
  Speaker 2: hope the next season, right, I mean, mob wise, we
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: were lucky to keep it going and then I was
• 27:17
  Speaker 2: fortunate enough to get an executive producer deal and I
• 27:20
  Speaker 2: did you know, two shows with them after and you know,
• 27:23
  Speaker 2: moving forward, I've had great opportunities, but you're going after that.
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: Like you said, the business is something that's solid, that's
• 27:32
  Speaker 2: what you're going to build. And yes, I don't think
• 27:35
  Speaker 2: people do realize that because when you're you know, you're
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: looking like, oh, I just got signed to this TV show.
• 27:40
  Speaker 2: Everything's going to be you know, fairies and butterflies.
• 27:44
  Speaker 3: But but you know, and also it's also takes a job.
• 27:47
  Speaker 3: It's a job, and people are not making millions of
• 27:49
  Speaker 3: dollars do in reality? I mean, you know, let's be honest,
• 27:52
  Speaker 3: a lot of people cannot sustain living what they're making.
• 27:55
  Speaker 3: I mean, there's some lead people who do make a
• 27:58
  Speaker 3: lot of money, but it's not like.
• 28:00
  Speaker 5: It's a job. And it's like in anything, you have
• 28:03
  Speaker 5: to be a hustler.
• 28:04
  Speaker 4: You have to have to be hustle.
• 28:05
  Speaker 3: You have to figure out, you know, if you're gonna
• 28:06
  Speaker 3: get you know, endorsements, things like that, that's where you're
• 28:09
  Speaker 3: gonna make the money.
• 28:10
  Speaker 4: You know, that's where you're or starting a business.
• 28:13
  Speaker 3: I mean, that's what you have to look at it
• 28:14
  Speaker 3: is you have to look at it as an opportunity
• 28:16
  Speaker 3: to expand on something that.
• 28:17
  Speaker 4: You want to do.
• 28:18
  Speaker 2: And I've also done like a couple of things with
• 28:21
  Speaker 2: my father that was, you know, working in the industry.
• 28:23
  Speaker 2: We've done a couple of different documentaries. I actually have
• 28:27
  Speaker 2: one that I filmed in the summer that will be
• 28:29
  Speaker 2: coming out I think in May or June.
• 28:33
  Speaker 5: So I've been aware.
• 28:34
  Speaker 4: Will that beyond I.
• 28:36
  Speaker 2: Want to think it's gonna I'm not sure. I think
• 28:38
  Speaker 2: it's HBO Max. So yeah. I did one for ABC
• 28:42
  Speaker 2: Hulu with him that was actually huge. It did really
• 28:46
  Speaker 2: really well. So I've had the opportunity to do projects,
• 28:50
  Speaker 2: do projects.
• 28:50
  Speaker 4: Yeah, and the.
• 28:51
  Speaker 3: Projects are fun, you know, especially when you like that
• 28:54
  Speaker 3: kind of yeah, scripted and and and you know that writing.
• 28:59
  Speaker 4: You know, did you write a lot of the a
• 29:01
  Speaker 4: lot of the documentary? Did you know?
• 29:03
  Speaker 2: Those are other production companies that actually came to us
• 29:05
  Speaker 2: to work and I didn't have any involvement production with that.
• 29:09
  Speaker 2: The only production I had was with the MTV show
• 29:12
  Speaker 2: Families of the Mafia.
• 29:13
  Speaker 5: And this one, and this one.
• 29:15
  Speaker 4: You're going to be writing it.
• 29:16
  Speaker 5: It's going to Yes.
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: I'm going to be working with a writer, so I'll
• 29:19
  Speaker 2: be like a consultant on it and producing.
• 29:22
  Speaker 4: That's so exciting. I'm so excited for you. I bet
• 29:25
  Speaker 4: I'll get I better get a part.
• 29:26
  Speaker 5: Yes, I want to. Yes, definitely, there's definitely a part
• 29:32
  Speaker 5: for you in that. And I can forget it.
• 29:33
  Speaker 4: Because I am a character, that's for sure. And I've
• 29:36
  Speaker 4: got my hair stuck in my glasses. Oh my god.
• 29:38
  Speaker 4: So I also wanted to ask you, how is your
• 29:40
  Speaker 4: daughter doing?
• 29:41
  Speaker 2: My daughter is amazing. She is like you know, when
• 29:45
  Speaker 2: you have a child, you always wish your kid is
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: going to be better than you, and she's fulfilled all
• 29:50
  Speaker 2: those dreams for me. She is such a She definitely
• 29:53
  Speaker 2: got good to drive and hustle. She works, she does amazing.
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: And yes, she is a good kid. I mean I
• 30:00
  Speaker 2: say that she's like my bad best friend. She was
• 30:02
  Speaker 2: showering at.
• 30:03
  Speaker 3: Me from her she feels like she's your mother. Like
• 30:07
  Speaker 3: I feel like that was my daughter too, my old daughter.
• 30:10
  Speaker 2: I can't even tell you how many times she sees
• 30:11
  Speaker 2: me drinking and she's got to go get her out.
• 30:14
  Speaker 5: Kicked me out of multiple parties.
• 30:16
  Speaker 4: But she had her very young too, right, No, I had.
• 30:19
  Speaker 5: Her twenty seven.
• 30:20
  Speaker 2: But it's just like it's just been her right because
• 30:22
  Speaker 2: after I had her, her dad, my whole family got
• 30:25
  Speaker 2: arrested in Arizona.
• 30:26
  Speaker 4: So you were by yourself with her basically.
• 30:28
  Speaker 2: And my mother helped me raise her. Like I went
• 30:30
  Speaker 2: to work and I had a spa in Arizona, so
• 30:32
  Speaker 2: I was running the spa. My mother was like, we
• 30:34
  Speaker 2: were married couple. Literally, I moved back in with her
• 30:36
  Speaker 2: and she was taking care of my brother's son and
• 30:39
  Speaker 2: my daughter. So they grew up like brother and sister.
• 30:41
  Speaker 2: And I was working. So Karna always seen that with her.
• 30:44
  Speaker 4: She saw you as a floor and someone and a
• 30:47
  Speaker 4: gold got her.
• 30:48
  Speaker 3: Right. Yeah, that's important especially for girls to see. Yeah,
• 30:51
  Speaker 3: you know, and especially in the background.
• 30:53
  Speaker 4: We grew up and most women.
• 30:54
  Speaker 5: Oh yeah, don't work.
• 30:55
  Speaker 3: Oh yeah, they're home you know, right, yeah, but especially
• 30:58
  Speaker 3: you know in our community, they stay home. I mean
• 31:02
  Speaker 3: we we're like very one percent of the population that
• 31:06
  Speaker 3: actually would go out and work and build it.
• 31:08
  Speaker 2: We were just having this conversation with my cousin. I'm like,
• 31:10
  Speaker 2: you were married at eighteen, you know, the whole big.
• 31:13
  Speaker 4: Tradition that was my friend's wedding, five hundred people.
• 31:16
  Speaker 5: Yeah, like you know, it's so that's amazing. Family.
• 31:20
  Speaker 2: It's so crazy because I think I willed this on
• 31:23
  Speaker 2: myself because I'm like, I'm never getting married and here
• 31:25
  Speaker 2: I'm fifty one. My Grandma's like she is demension, like
• 31:27
  Speaker 2: you married, yeah, but I'm like, yeah, grandma got married.
• 31:30
  Speaker 5: So I got married.
• 31:31
  Speaker 4: I got married you.
• 31:31
  Speaker 5: But yeah, I never wanted it. I would see it.
• 31:34
  Speaker 2: You know how many weddings we go to and stuff,
• 31:36
  Speaker 2: and I was just like looking at it, like this
• 31:38
  Speaker 2: is too much work. The pictures, the limos, the church,
• 31:41
  Speaker 2: that having to kiss everyone and.
• 31:43
  Speaker 5: Then it's over and for minutes over.
• 31:45
  Speaker 4: I was like, I'm planning my daughter's wedding.
• 31:47
  Speaker 3: Now I'm like, oh my god, I said, can we
• 31:49
  Speaker 3: just I don't I just I said, can we just
• 31:51
  Speaker 3: go to a destination and it's invite who we want?
• 31:54
  Speaker 3: I said, you really want a big wedding, we'll do it.
• 31:56
  Speaker 3: You want the tradition, but now I sway to to
• 31:59
  Speaker 3: do it on is life figured?
• 32:00
  Speaker 4: It's so much nice. It's a it's like a five
• 32:02
  Speaker 4: day extravaganza. It's not over in four hours, you.
• 32:05
  Speaker 3: Know, no away with people that you and I said,
• 32:07
  Speaker 3: and the people that you really want to come will come,
• 32:09
  Speaker 3: and the people that you don't really want to come
• 32:11
  Speaker 3: won't come, you know what I mean. So it's like
• 32:14
  Speaker 3: that that kills two birds with one stone like me.
• 32:17
  Speaker 2: And then like you can find someone that's in a
• 32:19
  Speaker 2: federal prison right there, you do that little marriage real
• 32:24
  Speaker 2: quick in the visiting room.
• 32:25
  Speaker 5: You don't have to pay anything for that.
• 32:27
  Speaker 4: They do it for free.
• 32:28
  Speaker 5: They do it for free.
• 32:29
  Speaker 2: Actually I think I get cookies and juice, but no,
• 32:32
  Speaker 2: I wouldn't.
• 32:32
  Speaker 5: I wouldn't do that. Machines, machine food.
• 32:36
  Speaker 3: I never ever want to visit a prison ever again.
• 32:38
  Speaker 3: At one time I was getting letters from three prisons.
• 32:41
  Speaker 4: My like, what the hell is wrong with.
• 32:45
  Speaker 5: I know this?
• 32:46
  Speaker 3: And this is the This is so funny because I
• 32:49
  Speaker 3: know none of my other friends, anybody that's out of
• 32:52
  Speaker 3: like our john of our lifestyle, don't know people in prison.
• 32:57
  Speaker 3: Oh no, people went to je I know, I could
• 32:59
  Speaker 3: name like ten on the the.
• 33:01
  Speaker 4: People that are close to me, you know what I mean.
• 33:03
  Speaker 4: And that's not normal.
• 33:04
  Speaker 3: And I always thought that that was normal, and it's
• 33:06
  Speaker 3: really not normal. I know.
• 33:07
  Speaker 2: It's it's crazy, I know, but you you know, when
• 33:10
  Speaker 2: you find someone that you care about and love and
• 33:12
  Speaker 2: whether it's a family member or whatever, you there you
• 33:15
  Speaker 2: have to be there with them, you know, you can't.
• 33:16
  Speaker 2: And that's just my personality, like especially for even like
• 33:21
  Speaker 2: the guy that I'm with, like I see the situations
• 33:24
  Speaker 2: that he went through and like the unfair sentencing, and
• 33:26
  Speaker 2: then I become like obsessed with like prison reform and
• 33:28
  Speaker 2: all this other stuff which I've been you know.
• 33:31
  Speaker 3: Oh, I learned the whole prison system. Yeah, with with
• 33:34
  Speaker 3: between federal and state, I went through like all the
• 33:37
  Speaker 3: it was crazy because of what what he was charged with.
• 33:40
  Speaker 4: It was crazy, and how like the garment sentences.
• 33:43
  Speaker 3: I became like I wanted to actually help women and
• 33:47
  Speaker 3: help people who are who go through the same thing
• 33:49
  Speaker 3: because it was crazy.
• 33:51
  Speaker 4: I was like, you become an, you know, an a.
• 33:53
  Speaker 2: Number, and those people just become numbers and they're in
• 33:56
  Speaker 2: there and they're stuck. And there's so much you know,
• 33:58
  Speaker 2: I mean, there's so much leadway has been made, and
• 34:01
  Speaker 2: like even talking about reality starts Kim Kardashian, like helping
• 34:03
  Speaker 2: people come home from prison with you know, there's new
• 34:06
  Speaker 2: laws that are in Actually November first, another law for
• 34:09
  Speaker 2: compassionate release just went into effect to help people come
• 34:11
  Speaker 2: home because it's such unfair sentencing. There's so many people
• 34:15
  Speaker 2: that are doing life in prison or fifty two one
• 34:18
  Speaker 2: hundred years.
• 34:19
  Speaker 3: These a prosecutors that need to reach a quota yeah,
• 34:21
  Speaker 3: that's it. Or they want to make their bones with
• 34:23
  Speaker 3: somebody you know, is somebody who's.
• 34:25
  Speaker 4: Got a name.
• 34:26
  Speaker 5: Yeah, that's what it is.
• 34:27
  Speaker 3: That's a lot of the prosecutors in New York are
• 34:29
  Speaker 3: all about the name.
• 34:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a good thing that they are changing the
• 34:33
  Speaker 2: laws now and realizing that there was such harsh sentencing
• 34:35
  Speaker 2: and people are coming home. But it's still a fight,
• 34:37
  Speaker 2: and a lot of people don't have money, like because
• 34:39
  Speaker 2: you go to way for so many years and then
• 34:41
  Speaker 2: it's the access to money and little things like even
• 34:44
  Speaker 2: being able to go online and check someone's case number
• 34:47
  Speaker 2: and help get paperwork. It's so expensive for them in there,
• 34:52
  Speaker 2: but it's so much needed and there's like you know,
• 34:54
  Speaker 2: there are a lot of organizations like I worked with Decarceration,
• 35:00
  Speaker 2: you know that foundation that helps people.
• 35:03
  Speaker 5: There are so many that you.
• 35:04
  Speaker 2: Know, fam families against mandatory minimums that you know help people.
• 35:09
  Speaker 2: So hopefully, you know, some things will change and listen,
• 35:12
  Speaker 2: people you've committed crime, you have to go to jail.
• 35:14
  Speaker 2: I understand, but some of those sentencing is so unfair.
• 35:17
  Speaker 4: There was a lot of there has been a lot
• 35:19
  Speaker 4: of sentencing that.
• 35:19
  Speaker 2: Was unfair and definitely a lot of like racial imbalance
• 35:22
  Speaker 2: in the system, and I think that they're starting to
• 35:25
  Speaker 2: see that and correct it now.
• 35:26
  Speaker 3: So well, we hope that they correct it before we
• 35:30
  Speaker 3: in our lifetime. But we'll say though it might not happen,
• 35:32
  Speaker 3: but let's hope it does.
• 35:34
  Speaker 4: But Karen, thank you so much for coming today.
• 35:36
  Speaker 3: I can sit here and talk to you, I know,
• 35:39
  Speaker 3: but you're going to come back again because now we've
• 35:41
  Speaker 3: got to talk to you about your project when it's.
• 35:43
  Speaker 5: In emotions and motions.
• 35:45
  Speaker 3: And see how the businesses and you know, a few
• 35:47
  Speaker 3: months and how that's flourishing, which I know it's gonna
• 35:51
  Speaker 3: I'm so.
• 35:51
  Speaker 4: Proud of you, and I love you, my friend. I'm
• 35:54
  Speaker 4: so happy.
• 35:54
  Speaker 3: Thank you for having everybody have a great day with
• 35:57
  Speaker 3: Karen Gravano.