Latest / Reality with The King / EJ Johnson EXCLUSIVE: Life as Magic Johnson’s Son, Dating “Straight” Men & Being Outed by TMZ

Transcript

EJ Johnson EXCLUSIVE: Life as Magic Johnson’s Son, Dating “Straight” Men & Being Outed by TMZ · Reality with The King

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  Speaker 2: the word, I hate the term coming coming out, but
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  Speaker 1: Rain Drops on today's episode of Reality with the King.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: Let me tell y'all something. We are here with Royalty
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: and that's the motherfucking truth because listen, this person has
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: been in our lives for like almost two decades, and
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: I'm so grateful and thankful that they are here so
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: that we can really get to know them. So, ladies,
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: jeent to men Gaze and Days give it up for
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: the iconic EJ.
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: Johnson. I can't with Gaze and Days.
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: I love that.
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: I'm very inclusive, It's very hilarious.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: How are you great?
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: How are you?
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: You are stunning? Thank you you are I finally get
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: to meet you.
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: Yes, we met almost a year ago now Anni via
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: zoom only.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: Via zoom and I fangirled a little bit, but now
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: when in person a, let me tell on something. Baby
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: is everything. Person that's everything. But how are you?
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: I'm amazing, you look amazing. It's a great way to
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: start the new year. I'm so excited.
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, so listen, We're in New York City, which
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: is I'm hearing is like your new playground.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: Well, it's my new home. I live here now. I
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: live here now, so I'm back. I was here, I
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: went to school here, but like my heart's here, Like
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: I have never had a love affair with La That's
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: just the place I'm from. But like I me and
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: New York have a relationship. We just broke up and
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: we got back together. Yeah we both had to grow
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: and like do our own things. But like now we're back.
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: But like this is New York's like my man, Like
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: you know, we had we had to get back together.
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: Okay, all right, And now is it a monogamous relationship
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: in New York City? You're not?
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: No, No, I think like we're kind of like all
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: over the place. Because I also love Europe. I'm I'm
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: I adore Paris and I'm sure at some point I'll
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: live this to there too. Yeah, but by now you're
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: just like, right now, I'm very happy to be here.
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: And plus I'm only like six hours from from from
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: Paris or London or wherever. So I'm good, good, good,
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: good good. Listen.
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  Speaker 1: I am so thrilled to talk to you, because number one, listen,
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: you don't do I feel like any interviews.
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: It's been a while. Yeah, it's been a while. I
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: mean I was doing a lot of growing like in
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: this time, but I was like, I think it's very important.
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: I think, especially for people who have like lengthy careers
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: and they change and stuff like, it's very important to
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: have some time to yourself. And so like it's exciting
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: for me to get back out there. It's like the
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: highest version of myself. And like it's been it's just
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: been an exciting journey just in the past couple of months,
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: and so like I'm excited to have this like interview,
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: first interview, and then like excited for the more after this.
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  Speaker 1: So is twenty twenty six about to be like the
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: comeback of e j Nhnsen?
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, this is like the emergence of like miss Thing.
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: You know what I'm saying, Like she's bad, but you
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: know what I I will say that, like EJ never
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: really fully arrived until now, and I thought about that
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: a great deal an anticipation of this interview, but I
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: was like, because I knew you were gonna I probably
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: asked something like that. But to be honest, like EJ
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: is fully here. Like I think before, I was so
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: young at that time, at the time of you know,
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: being on e and all of that, when the first
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: that first spotlight hit, I mean I was like twenty,
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: Like you know, I had a lot of a lot
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: of self work to do. And now after doing all
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: of that and like you know, taking my time to
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: really just fall in love with myself, I'm like, oh,
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: everything is, the balances are zeroed out. We're checking and
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: checking all the boxes and like I'm fully fully here. Yes.
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: And I could tell that again, especially during our earlier
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: conversations via zoom, and I knew it was like the
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: right time to have this conversation with you because I
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: do feel like when it comes to you, which I
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: give you so much props on, seriously, you still have
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: this level of anonymity when it comes to there's a
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: lot of people. Although you know you had a reality show,
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: you were on it for so many years, you still
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: can up your private life fundamentally private, and there are
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: just things about you that I feel like you always
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: protect it. And that's good because listen, when it comes
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: to the offspring of celebrity parents, you know this, You
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: see some of the unfortunate things that occur with them.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: But I always felt like with you, you always did
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: your best to make sure, you know, to sort of
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: protect your your identity and really not just be out
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: there for the second being out there.
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it never really interested me, to be honest and
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: like honestly, like even when I was doing when I
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: was on camera, like I would fight the producers whenever
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: they would push something on me that I didn't want
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: to do or wasn't me, and they were like, oh,
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: well you know this. It doesn't matter that it's not you,
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: you know, because somebody in the middle of the world,
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: you know, in the middle of the country or somewhere
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: randomly will get it. And I'm like, no, but I'm
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: not doing it because I wouldn't do that. Like, this
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: has nothing to do with some random person somewhere that's
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: not here who's supposed to be laughing or understanding what
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: you're asking me to do you know that was never
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: I know, I always had like a pretty strong sense
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: of self and things that I knew I liked that
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: I wanted to portray and like things that didn't. But
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: you know, to be honest, it's like so much has changed,
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: even you know, since then, and like you know, even
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: seeing these celebrities like cry and on you know, Instagram
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: lives or you know, just like put so much personal
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: business out there and then they want to get mad
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: when everyone's in their business and commenting on everything they're doing.
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: And I'm like, yeah, but you let them in. And
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: so I always keep a boundary. And like there is
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: nothing more honey in my life right now than the
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: boundaries that are the most powerful. I don't care who
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: you are, you have to keep your distance. If I
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: don't know you like that, if I you know, we
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: don't have some kind of a real fundamental relationship, you're
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: over there, like I don't. I don't play that good
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  Speaker 2: for you.
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: It took me to be my forties to get there,
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: so kudols to you were already figuring that out.
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: I mean it just like I think for me, I
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: just like learned through experience. To me, I'm just like
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: I had a lot of friends who I thought were
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: my friends, you know, over the past couple of years,
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: who had to go because they just like so did
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: not have the you know, the best uh intentions for me,
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: not pure totally wanted their hooks in, and like I
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: just had to I had to wake up and I
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: had to get to work, and I'd just been like, Okay,
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: all of you have just got to go. Like I'm
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: not even I'm not even playing, like I'm not even like,
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: oh maybe, well, no, you gotta go.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Yeah, I really want to go back a little
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: bit because I want this interview to be just about you.
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: Yes, what else is there to talk about?
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: Yes, because I I I really just feel like when
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: it comes to you, there's a lot of people who
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: just don't know much about you. So I would love
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: to spend this hour, you know, with that intention.
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: Absolutely.
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: So, who was EJ. Johnson growing up California? Obviously your
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: father is at Johnson, your mother is the beautiful cookie.
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: But like you're the oldest, who were you growing up
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: in that world as a young boy?
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: You know, honestly, like it's very it was very difficult,
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: and you know, I talk about a lot about this
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: you know, like with other people, you know, growing up,
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: you know, in all the bougie, you know, eleiting schools
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: that I went to, and like all of the children
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: that I went to school with in La were you know,
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: industry elite. So everyone had somebody's parent was always doing something,
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: even if they just had money for the sake of
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: having money. But it's very difficult to be born in
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: someone's shadow, it really is. And like no one talks
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: about that right now. It's like, oh, like you know,
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: every you know, the industry is glamorizing, you know, the
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: NEPO babies, but at the same time demonizing it too,
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: because then everyone is mad that, like you know, they
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: think that we all have like a leg up or something.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: But honestly, like, it is very difficult to come into
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: the world and what you want doesn't really matter because
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: it really only matters what plays well for or whoever
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: the spotlight is on. And that was very difficult to
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: navigate as a child, and even as a young adult. Honestly,
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: it was weird. It was definitely, it definitely took a
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: lot of time to just like find myself and all
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: of that and then just be like hey, like you know,
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: your spotlight is over here and mine is over here,
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: and like the only thing I have to do in
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: this lifetime is focus and nurture me and my what's
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: going on over here? And you do that over there.
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: But yeah, like that was a lot, a lot for
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: the child. But like you know, like I was always
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: just running around, prancing around in skirts and doing the most,
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: you know, as a kid, and like, I think I
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: found a lot of even at those young ages, I
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: found a lot of security just like hanging out with
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: myself because it was just like a very you know,
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: awkward coming into my own and trying to find myself
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: in the world. That kind of like told me that
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: like I wasn't allowed to like exist the way that
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: I wanted to exist. So I gained a lot of
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: self confidence just like playing by myself because like that's
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: where I felt safest, and it ended up, you know,
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: ultimately like being one of my greatest attributes because like
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: now it's like I'm like this with myself and like, no,
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: I'm unmovable, unshakeable, you know, invincible. You cannot upset me
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: or do anything, you know, externally because I'm one hundred
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: percent right here.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: When did you realize you were gay.
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: Pretty early on. Honestly, like I don't even I wasn't
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: one of those people who ever tried to be straight,
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: you know, like I talked to a lot of you know,
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: like obviously the gayest there, you know, either that I
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: grew up with or like ended up being friends with,
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: but like I would say, like ninety percent of them,
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: you know, had girlfriends or lost their virginities to women.
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: And like I really never tried, like it was it
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: really like it wasn't an option. I don't think I
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: would have taken myself seriously even at that young age,
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: to be honest, Like I could never see myself as
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: like dating a girl, Like I don't even even think
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: I could. That's one say. I couldn't convince myself to
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: do it. So therefore I was like, girl, you can't
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: convince the world to think that for you. But definitely
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: like eleven twelve, oh for sure, But like when you know,
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: you start to have those feelings and stuff. But honestly,
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: I think like the feelings were just so strong that
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: like I just kind of like knew it, and I think,
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: if I'm not mistaken, probably like the eighth grade, like
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: the summer before I went into high school, like I
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: really like got serious with myself about it, and we
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: were like, you know this, this is it. You know
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: it's like I don't know, Like I just was kind
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: of like this is who we are. I remember that
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: like very specifically, like just like taking like those last
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: couple of weeks before I had to go back to school,
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: and I was like, this is it. And then I
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: felt so much freer, like when I got into high school,
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: like I just was like so much more like definitely
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: coming into my own because like at school, like I
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: just like didn't care, like I didn't hide it. I
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: didn't pretend like everyone knew and everyone was cool, and
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: you know, it was cool.
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: And the first person you told your mother, correct, no,
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: that's a family.
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: Definitely my friend, but no my mom. Yeah, my mom
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: kind of like interrogated me when I was second tenth grade.
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: Do you remember what she was asking you?
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: She we were on vacation Hawaii, and she kept asking.
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: She was asking me because like I had another friend
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: who came with me and he's also gay, or I
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: used to stay attracted to men. I don't really use
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: those kind of labels on myself anymore, but we were
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: were just taking all the hawk guys. I mean we were,
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: you know, we were doing what the girls do. We
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: were they were everywhere, and we were you know, talking
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: and looking. And she noticed and then she was like,
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: I think this is probably something we should talk about,
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: like what's going on? And I was like, well, I
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: think this is it. This is what I like, you know,
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: and I think she was onitially she was like fine
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: in the beginning, but then I think it took her
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: some time after that because like she was like, it
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: was this is weird because it was you know, she
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: had her church, so it was like a lot of
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: going against like what she had been taught. And I
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: think that both for both of them, it was that
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: kind of a struggle because they were not people that
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: know how to think outside the box. Like they're not
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: oh this is new, Oh this could happen, or like
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: this would be okay, like you know, we can adapt.
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: It was very like they're very strongly like okay, like
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: this is how it is, and this is black as white,
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: and this is this and that's that and a lot
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: of boxes. And so I think like I really came
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: up against all of that, like you know, in my
• 14:33
  Speaker 2: coming of age story, and I never, to be honest,
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: like I never saw anything wrong with it, Like I
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: never thought was wrong with anything that I did, like
• 14:40
  Speaker 2: even when I was a kid, and like they were like, well,
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: you can't wear skirts, and I was like, well why not?
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: You know, It's like my inner being was like, there's
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: nothing wrong with this, especially if I look cuter than
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: any girl does. Like what's the problem, Like what's the issue?
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: And that's exactly how I applied it to myself to
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: these days in the way that I present, like in
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: my you know, in my feminine regalia, you know, aways
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: been a feminine being, and like that's just like how
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: I you know, I best expressed myself. But I'm like, listen,
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: I'm out all the time, you know, and I'm killing
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: a dress and no one else is, Like the girls
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: in the room are not doing it, Like they don't
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: look cute, they're not dressed tenny nine. So I love it.
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: You know. What's so funny because obviously so our parents
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: are from Michigan, so your story I can relate to.
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: And again I'm obviously much older than you. I could
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: be your older big brother, but I can't relate to.
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: Ages my brother. Oh are you forty yeah something yeah, yeah,
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: something too. Yeah.
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: So I get it. But I have this theory because
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: my father and I've said this publicly and he's fine
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: with it because I have to ask permission because I
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: was like, I don't want you to think I'm gonna
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: use my platform to blast you. And we're fine. But
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: he was very very much so like close minded, born
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: in nineteen forty nine in Detroit, Michigan, and was like,
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: my black son, and I'm one of six. I have
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: six brothers.
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: Wow, and it's ten of us total. Wow. Right, Oh
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: my god, that's just like my dad's maam.
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: So I'm saying, I'm saying, it's so parallel. So he
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: was just like and so I knew, unfortunately that my
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: femininity was not going to be accepted. And I have
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: this theory about black mamas because I felt like black mama,
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: no the kids child. And although I came out very late,
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: I came out at twenty five, that's not about that well,
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: you know, because some well nowadays you know, the girls
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: are coming out baby at seven, right, which I'm like,
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: go right ahead. But my mom, very sweet rest in Heaven,
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: she was like, you sure, And I said, girl, she's like, well,
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: didn't want to assume it. She was like, you're going
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: to tell your dad because he's been asking about it
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: ever since you were five years old. He asked me
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: every year, and I'm like, I'm not telling him, So
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: I didn't tell him so much later, but I could
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: relate to you in terms of like having parents who
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: just wasn't really sort of like who got it. But
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: when it comes to you, obviously you're not just any
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: kid your namesake says it all.
• 17:28
  Speaker 3: Was.
• 17:29
  Speaker 2: Did you ever feel like the sort of.
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: Like image you had to uphold being the namesake of
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: your dad? Hmmm?
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: I think that's what they tried to teach me. That's
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: why I was raised to believe that. But especially now
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: I'm free of all of that because I, like I said,
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: it's like I've totally ripped myself away from anyone's namesake
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: besides my own, you know, and I don't even EJ.
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: Johnson specifically is the only person that I'm fully, fully
• 17:59
  Speaker 2: respond and fully looking out for, you know, and that
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: has caused that has given me so much peace. Like
• 18:05
  Speaker 2: you have no idea, but I think in the beginning,
• 18:08
  Speaker 2: especially like even when I'm stepping out into my own spotlight.
• 18:11
  Speaker 2: It was like it was still like a lot of
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: that of trying to put me in that box, as
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: trying to make us like one unit. And like I
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: think I used to get it really annoyed with that.
• 18:21
  Speaker 2: And I hear about a lot of that, you know too,
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: from other kids who are in the same predicament, and
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: it weighs on them heavily mentally, because it's like, you know,
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: you you can't find yourself when you have to look
• 18:35
  Speaker 2: through your own look at your own life through the
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: lens of somebody else. And so yeah, definitely it was
• 18:41
  Speaker 2: definitely like I was brought up to believe that, but
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: I definitely ripped myself away from that and let him
• 18:48
  Speaker 2: do him and I'm doing me.
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: How did you feel when TMZ out at you back?
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: And I want to say, with like twenty thirteen And
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: because when you think about it right now, it's so
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: inappropriate because.
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: It's very funny, you know, it's funny because it's like
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: it definitely, looked at now would be like highly inappropriate,
• 19:10
  Speaker 2: like you could never out someone like that, you know
• 19:13
  Speaker 2: what I'm saying. But to me at the time, it
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: was just like it just happened, like I don't know
• 19:18
  Speaker 2: like it was. It was one of those overnight success moments.
• 19:21
  Speaker 2: But like I was ready because I was living my life,
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: So it wasn't like I was hiding anything Like. It
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: wasn't scary in that in that instance to feel out
• 19:33
  Speaker 2: it in that way because I was living my life
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: to the fullest. Like I was like totally like out
• 19:38
  Speaker 2: in the sun, you know, doing what I do. So
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: like that wasn't you know, that wasn't like it didn't
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: like hit me to the left because of that. I mean,
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: obviously I would have liked to come into the public
• 19:51
  Speaker 2: in my own way. Would have been nice. But you know,
• 19:56
  Speaker 2: I don't even think about it.
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: That's good though, because I remember at the time, and
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: again this is back in twenty thirteen, which of course
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: seems like ages ago, but it was such a big deal.
• 20:09
  Speaker 2: And that's also what I thing I didn't understand. I
• 20:11
  Speaker 2: was like, why is this such a big deal?
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: It was so you well, but again I'm glad that
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: you have dissing yourself from that moment. But I remember
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: and again in twenty thirteen, Look, I believe I was
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: openly gay, Like I think I was act show according
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: to your mathew, then right, I'm like I think I was.
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: I was, but I remember being like, wow, this is
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: number one inappropriate. But I also remember it's.
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: Really interesting that you you picked up on that. I
• 20:43
  Speaker 2: feel like nobody, nobody did that until later, I think.
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: And I think a lot of it for me is
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: being in the in the black community and just knowing
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: how dangerous at that time it was for us because
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: I grew up at a time where you know, being
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: outed it is dangerous because if you're not ready, you
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: can't deal with the ramification that comes along with it.
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: So I just remember, I remember looking at you.
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: Even the people who did it on their own accord
• 21:13
  Speaker 2: never went much further in their careers at that time,
• 21:17
  Speaker 2: especially those athletes, like they were like okay and then
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: wiped away like completely uly oh yeah yeah that basketball
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: player and that football player. Yes, they were like, oh
• 21:29
  Speaker 2: you think you're going to play after this? No, like
• 21:35
  Speaker 2: totally dismissed. Because I met I've met both of them
• 21:38
  Speaker 2: the very both of them were very nice, but it
• 21:40
  Speaker 2: was like they had that five minutes. But it's like,
• 21:42
  Speaker 2: you know, the the industries weren't going, didn't allow that
• 21:48
  Speaker 2: to continue.
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: No, especially back then. I mean, look, I think even
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: like now with those show Heated Rivalry. Have you seen it?
• 21:55
  Speaker 2: I saw the first episode. Yeah, it was a little
• 21:59
  Speaker 2: I mean like like softcore for me. Like I was like, okay,
• 22:07
  Speaker 2: I mean you know, I mean I think it's like
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: cute for the culture for sure. Like I think especially
• 22:12
  Speaker 2: like these the young kids, like they love things like that,
• 22:14
  Speaker 2: because I used to watch that that. I watched the
• 22:16
  Speaker 2: Heartbreaker series on Netflix, which was so cute, and I
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: was like, oh to oh and then like what was
• 22:22
  Speaker 2: the Victor did the one on Hulu?
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: Oh like love Victor, Love Victor?
• 22:29
  Speaker 2: Yes, yes, And I was like, oh, this would have
• 22:31
  Speaker 2: been great. Yeah I was when I was that age,
• 22:33
  Speaker 2: like to have that as a kid, a teenager or
• 22:35
  Speaker 2: like a young you know, a kid like would have
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: been so nice. But I only I had Oh my god,
• 22:42
  Speaker 2: Noah's Ark that came out when I was like twelve
• 22:45
  Speaker 2: or something, and I loved it. I loved every moment
• 22:48
  Speaker 2: of it. Was so pivotal.
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: This is reality with the King and I'm Carlos King.
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: Let's get back into the show. Yeah. Shout out to
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: Patrion Pulk.
• 22:59
  Speaker 2: Yes, I love him.
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: No, he and I are friends. And I said to
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: him too, and at this time, I want to say
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: him in my twenties and I just remember being like,
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: finally there's something. And that's why when I saw you
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: in twenty thirteen, I felt for you and I felt
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: how inappropriate TMZ was, but also said bitch work because
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: baby fashion, the labels what I was to wear and
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: the cop oh it was something in black, but you
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: know what it was you even then, I mean, you
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: have it now still and I love that it never dissipated.
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: You always does have this extreme confidence about yourself. And
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: I was always curious, like where did that come from?
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: Because again, for a lot of black gay men who
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: tried to be themselves, we don't have that confidence oftentimes.
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: But then for you, I'm like, he's in the spotlight
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: and you to me, you you owned it and you
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: and you grab that torch and you haven't like blown
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: out the fire.
• 24:10
  Speaker 2: I don't know. I think I I like I said,
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: I was, like I think I spent when I was
• 24:16
  Speaker 2: used to hang out with myself a lot. I'm just
• 24:18
  Speaker 2: saying like, I really, you know, really got to see
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: myself fully, which is such a powerful gift. And right now,
• 24:28
  Speaker 2: I mean like and even now it's like I see
• 24:30
  Speaker 2: myself like completely clear, you know, like they have that
• 24:33
  Speaker 2: saying where they say, you know, other people can see
• 24:35
  Speaker 2: you better than you can see yourself, but like when
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: you can see yourself better than everyone else can see you,
• 24:39
  Speaker 2: you win. And I rethink I always felt and I
• 24:43
  Speaker 2: always saw myself better and like in the in my
• 24:48
  Speaker 2: truest form kind of a little bit better than everyone else.
• 24:51
  Speaker 2: Now it's like completely better. The clarity is like through
• 24:54
  Speaker 2: the roof. But at that time, I was still you know,
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: quite young, but yeah, like I'm I mean I was
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: I enjoyed being fabulous, like when I was in college.
• 25:02
  Speaker 2: I was my college time, and like we dressed up
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: and we went to the club and we went to
• 25:06
  Speaker 2: the you know, the most fabulous parties, and that's just like,
• 25:09
  Speaker 2: you know, who I was, Like that's just who I
• 25:12
  Speaker 2: who I always want, who I always loved to be,
• 25:14
  Speaker 2: you know, And like that was just very like you
• 25:16
  Speaker 2: know of that time, and I mean, you need the confidence.
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: Definitely needed the confidence to survive. You know, now you
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: can just have it, but at that time, it's like
• 25:25
  Speaker 2: you really needed it to like survive for sure, because otherwise,
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: like you know, everyone was just going to like walk
• 25:32
  Speaker 2: all over you, or you know, like make fun of
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: you or do whatever. And you know, I think it's
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: just really important to you know, to do that self work,
• 25:42
  Speaker 2: to find yourself, especially when you know you're not living
• 25:49
  Speaker 2: in a conventional way or the way like society says
• 25:54
  Speaker 2: that you should.
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: Is that when the E producers called you to do
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: Rich Kids of Beverly Hills around that time.
• 26:03
  Speaker 2: It was a little bit later. It was a little
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: bit later, but that happened really by chance. Like I
• 26:09
  Speaker 2: I actually that same night. I believe that was the
• 26:12
  Speaker 2: first night I met Dorothy, and that a couple months later,
• 26:17
  Speaker 2: I think like over the summer or something like she
• 26:19
  Speaker 2: was like, oh, we're having this pool party. Do you
• 26:21
  Speaker 2: want to come. I'm like, yeah, sure, and then she's like, yeah,
• 26:23
  Speaker 2: well we're filming a television show. And I'm like okay,
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: like cool. So like I went to her house and
• 26:29
  Speaker 2: they miked me, and you know, we just shot this
• 26:34
  Speaker 2: this pool party. Like I honestly, again, I wasn't thinking anything.
• 26:38
  Speaker 2: I didn't want to even remember what I was saying. Like,
• 26:40
  Speaker 2: you know, they were asking us to talk about our
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: you know, like our glamorous summer vacations. I think we
• 26:46
  Speaker 2: had us you know, they satisfied the pool and we
• 26:47
  Speaker 2: did one one scene where we were like all talking
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: about our summer vacations. But to be honest, like I
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: wasn't in you know, like the big the you know,
• 26:56
  Speaker 2: the bigger parts of the of the pilot. This was
• 26:59
  Speaker 2: a pilot of the scene, so like I really didn't think.
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: And then they called me a couple weeks later and
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: they were like, oh, do you want to like be
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: a series regular? And I'm like, well, wait a minute,
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: Like I I wasn't a part of this, Like I
• 27:09
  Speaker 2: just came as a guest and that's when and that's
• 27:12
  Speaker 2: how it happened. But it was kind of like, you know,
• 27:15
  Speaker 2: one of those just like random chance things.
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: Did you have aspirations to be in the spotlight?
• 27:21
  Speaker 2: I was exploring. I was exploring I had met with
• 27:23
  Speaker 2: a couple of like networks and stuff at the time,
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: so I was definitely exploring that because like I remember,
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: like when I used to watch like the Real Housewives,
• 27:32
  Speaker 2: Like I remember, like I think Beverly Hills performed while
• 27:34
  Speaker 2: I was like came out like while I was in college,
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: and I think my friend and I were watching it
• 27:39
  Speaker 2: and I was watching it and after it ended I
• 27:41
  Speaker 2: looked at him and I was like, bitch, I can
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: do that. And he was like what. I was like,
• 27:46
  Speaker 2: I can do that, Like I can do that better
• 27:48
  Speaker 2: than any of these bitches, Like I can fucking do it.
• 27:51
  Speaker 2: And he was like, oh okay, and I was like yeah.
• 27:54
  Speaker 2: And then literally like it just ended up happening. It
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: just manifested from myself.
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: You know. That's Kim Kardashian story. Oh she is it
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: not with Beverly Hills. But she watched the real world.
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: So mind you, it wasn't like a job or career, right,
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: but she watched the real world that she saw her
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: friend like I'm gonna be that, and her friend's like
• 28:14
  Speaker 1: what is that? She said, whatever they're doing being regular
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: O TV and famous, I'm gonna do that. And we
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: see where she's at now. So you watching the Real
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: Housewives of Beverley Hills, I'm assimilarly sa Vanda pump Is.
• 28:29
  Speaker 2: She no, no, she was there. So this was the
• 28:33
  Speaker 2: very first this was the very first season. Yeah, but
• 28:36
  Speaker 2: her her, she and Adrian Mloof were her neighbors in
• 28:40
  Speaker 2: Beverly Hills. So like I I was like, I wanted
• 28:44
  Speaker 2: to watch because I knew that, you know, the neighborhood
• 28:46
  Speaker 2: was going to be on it was that your neighborhood too. Yeah,
• 28:50
  Speaker 2: I grew up in the same My parents live there,
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: like in the same neighborhood in Beverly Hills that they
• 28:55
  Speaker 2: they both they don't live there anymore, but at the
• 28:58
  Speaker 2: time they did. Yeah, her and and Kyle and all
• 29:02
  Speaker 2: those and all those people were hilarious. But yeah, like
• 29:07
  Speaker 2: I literally did that. I remember, I remember Vivili we
• 29:11
  Speaker 2: were sitting there and it ended and I literally was like,
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: I can do that. Shit happened.
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: I love the manifestation of all that story. I know.
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: So when you did Rich Kids of Beverly Hills, did
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: you feel like, Okay, this is my time to like
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: show the world who I am and you know, for
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: me to venture off into like my new pound profession.
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: Truthfully, I really did not overthink it at that time.
• 29:40
  Speaker 2: It kind of just was like it was here. I
• 29:42
  Speaker 2: was like, I'm going to take the advantage of it.
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: I'm going to because you have to remember, this was
• 29:46
  Speaker 2: way before this was way before the brand deals and
• 29:50
  Speaker 2: you know, all the products and like, this was way
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: before any of the bitches were doing any of that.
• 29:54
  Speaker 2: So like it wasn't as strategic because you were just
• 29:56
  Speaker 2: kind of seeing like, well, what you know, and even
• 29:59
  Speaker 2: like my managers and and you know agents, at the time,
• 30:01
  Speaker 2: it was very much like whatever sticks works, whatever box
• 30:05
  Speaker 2: they put you in, that's who you're going to be.
• 30:07
  Speaker 2: Like that's you know, like it was very up to
• 30:10
  Speaker 2: the industry. This was not like, oh, I'm going in
• 30:12
  Speaker 2: here with the game plans. This is who I am,
• 30:14
  Speaker 2: this is what I want to do. Da da da da. No,
• 30:15
  Speaker 2: that's now that's how you know, you play the game now.
• 30:17
  Speaker 2: But then it was all about whatever you could, whatever
• 30:21
  Speaker 2: you throw out the wall, and whatever sticks, that's how
• 30:23
  Speaker 2: it works. But like I came in and they were like, okay, well,
• 30:26
  Speaker 2: you know, you're the peacemaker, like you know, you're the
• 30:28
  Speaker 2: mother hen You're the one who's gonna get all the
• 30:30
  Speaker 2: bitches together when they're all fighting and doing all these
• 30:31
  Speaker 2: crazy things. And I was like, okay, yeah, it's like
• 30:35
  Speaker 2: I guess that's you know, that's what I'm doing. How
• 30:37
  Speaker 2: old were you at the time the first season? I
• 30:40
  Speaker 2: think I was twenty. Wow, I think I was twenty
• 30:43
  Speaker 2: and I think I turned twenty one that summer if
• 30:47
  Speaker 2: I'm not mistaken, cause I think it came. Yeah, I
• 30:49
  Speaker 2: think it kids. It came out the following fall, I
• 30:53
  Speaker 2: think or somewhere in there. To be twenty years old
• 30:57
  Speaker 2: on this show, Yeah, to be twenty years old on
• 31:00
  Speaker 2: the show was like crazy, but it was fun. It
• 31:05
  Speaker 2: was fun at the time. It was it was fun,
• 31:07
  Speaker 2: you know, and we just I think we made it
• 31:09
  Speaker 2: look you know, fun and glamorous, and it was just
• 31:11
  Speaker 2: new because like they had all the networks had been
• 31:14
  Speaker 2: desperate to find like the kid version of the Real Housewives,
• 31:18
  Speaker 2: like the young version, and we were that. And then
• 31:22
  Speaker 2: also they were trying to capitalize on Instagram because Instagram,
• 31:25
  Speaker 2: you know, all the rich kids of all that Instagram,
• 31:28
  Speaker 2: you know, they wanted to turn that into something because
• 31:31
  Speaker 2: that Instagram was like huge at the time. And so
• 31:36
  Speaker 2: it was like both kind of those things that came together.
• 31:39
  Speaker 2: It was like one of you know, just one of
• 31:40
  Speaker 2: those like full circle moments. And I just happened to
• 31:43
  Speaker 2: be in the mix. But yeah, I was cue. It
• 31:47
  Speaker 2: was cue well Acaid.
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: And then you had to spin off EJ and the City.
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: Were you at that time excited about the possibility being
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: like a bitch has his own show.
• 32:03
  Speaker 2: I think it was important. I think it was important. Definitely.
• 32:07
  Speaker 2: We were definitely ahead of our time, way ahead of
• 32:09
  Speaker 2: our time.
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: Like, well, I knew that watching it.
• 32:13
  Speaker 2: We like, it didn't hit me until I rewatched it,
• 32:16
  Speaker 2: like maybe a year or two ago, and I was like, girl,
• 32:20
  Speaker 2: of course, like, you know, this couldn't have continued because
• 32:24
  Speaker 2: you were talking about things that we were talking about
• 32:26
  Speaker 2: being gender fluid and non vinary before that was even
• 32:29
  Speaker 2: like a term. Like I was like, oh, but you
• 32:31
  Speaker 2: hit on that because I was the one who wanted
• 32:33
  Speaker 2: to poop push that. You know, that episode we did
• 32:36
  Speaker 2: where I went to see the gender therapist and we
• 32:38
  Speaker 2: discussed it. I was like, because, like, I feel like
• 32:40
  Speaker 2: this is an important thing to discuss, Like I'm not
• 32:43
  Speaker 2: just gonna I'm not just here to run around in
• 32:44
  Speaker 2: fabulous outfits, even though the outfits were amazing, especially for
• 32:48
  Speaker 2: like twenty three year old Oh my god, shut down.
• 32:51
  Speaker 2: But anyway, but I was like, it's important that we
• 32:53
  Speaker 2: talk about this because I because like I'm also trying
• 32:55
  Speaker 2: to figure it out. And I was like, that's the truth. Yeah,
• 32:58
  Speaker 2: you know, that was actually my truth. I love that
• 33:01
  Speaker 2: part of it because like that was actually, out of
• 33:04
  Speaker 2: all of it, I think was like the most truthful
• 33:07
  Speaker 2: part was actually like mirrored my reality because I really
• 33:11
  Speaker 2: was trying to figure myself out, and like that scene
• 33:14
  Speaker 2: reflected it.
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: Do you are there pronouns that you go by today
• 33:20
  Speaker 1: or how do you identify your sexuality?
• 33:22
  Speaker 2: I just say call me EJ as much as possible,
• 33:24
  Speaker 2: you know, it's like pronouns. I really don't. I don't
• 33:28
  Speaker 2: really like hey, but like I don't. I've also trained
• 33:31
  Speaker 2: myself not to get upset when other people use it,
• 33:34
  Speaker 2: which I think is very important because you're giving your
• 33:37
  Speaker 2: power away when you lose it. You know, you give
• 33:40
  Speaker 2: your words too much, too much of personal power. You know,
• 33:44
  Speaker 2: they is fine, you know whatever, she is cool, Like
• 33:48
  Speaker 2: I'm really not a stickler about it. I think for me,
• 33:51
  Speaker 2: it was really just going through on the journey to
• 33:52
  Speaker 2: make sure that I wasn't like spinning out of control,
• 33:56
  Speaker 2: like when I'm being misgendered when especially a lot of
• 34:00
  Speaker 2: the times people don't do it with an ill intention.
• 34:04
  Speaker 2: Some people do, but and I feel like, and I
• 34:08
  Speaker 2: feel like, you know, there's a tone, Yes, there's a tone.
• 34:13
  Speaker 2: And they keep they'll keep repeating it. They'll keep saying
• 34:16
  Speaker 2: man or bro too many times, and I'm like, I'm
• 34:19
  Speaker 2: not your bro. Like you know, but it's usually just
• 34:22
  Speaker 2: somebody you'll never go to see again, so who cares.
• 34:27
  Speaker 2: But yeah, like I said, I was like always a
• 34:29
  Speaker 2: deeply feminine being, and like, you know, that's really all
• 34:32
  Speaker 2: that matters to me. You know. It's like I'm extremely
• 34:35
  Speaker 2: happy in this body. Like I love my skin, I
• 34:38
  Speaker 2: love every I love waking up and being me every day.
• 34:41
  Speaker 2: Like it's a beautiful thing, like to walk into the
• 34:45
  Speaker 2: bathroom and see yourself in the mirror and you're just
• 34:47
  Speaker 2: like that bitch, like yes, like it's that for me
• 34:51
  Speaker 2: right now, and so like you know, I'm just living it,
• 34:54
  Speaker 2: you know, I'm just loving it.
• 34:56
  Speaker 1: One of the biggest story lies on your spin off
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: was you know, you and your sister liking the same guy.
• 35:03
  Speaker 2: I honestly that is ultimately what got the pick the
• 35:05
  Speaker 2: show picked up. But also you know, in terms of
• 35:09
  Speaker 2: the gender and sexualities and stuff like that, it was
• 35:13
  Speaker 2: very important because that happens. You know, you can I
• 35:19
  Speaker 2: don't attract gay men, and I'm not and I'm not
• 35:23
  Speaker 2: attracted to gay men. Like it's just not a thing.
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: Tell me more about that, you know.
• 35:29
  Speaker 2: It's just I think, like if you ask any of
• 35:31
  Speaker 2: the girls, like they'll tell you, they'll tell you the same,
• 35:34
  Speaker 2: and I think they're just labels, you know. That's what Like,
• 35:36
  Speaker 2: I don't care what you know, Like i'm dating someone,
• 35:38
  Speaker 2: I'm like, I don't care what you identify as or
• 35:39
  Speaker 2: what you call yourself as long as you're happy being
• 35:42
  Speaker 2: who you are. But no, to be honest, it's like
• 35:44
  Speaker 2: that's why I don't really go to I don't go
• 35:46
  Speaker 2: to gay clubs. I don't go to you know, gay things,
• 35:48
  Speaker 2: because it's like the men that I attract are not there.
• 35:50
  Speaker 2: And also like they're like, you know, they kind of
• 35:53
  Speaker 2: like wave you off. You're just like oh that you know, hey, girl,
• 35:56
  Speaker 2: Like you know, it's not you're not in in here,
• 35:59
  Speaker 2: in here like the rest of us are. You know.
• 36:02
  Speaker 2: It's just it's always but it's I never really understood
• 36:05
  Speaker 2: it until now because before when I would go and
• 36:07
  Speaker 2: I would I just was like, there's something about this room.
• 36:10
  Speaker 2: It's like it's almost like they don't want me here,
• 36:12
  Speaker 2: Like I'm not really in it here because I'm not
• 36:16
  Speaker 2: presenting as a man. I'm not presenting in a in
• 36:20
  Speaker 2: in that way.
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: And to be clear, the gay community room, yeah to
• 36:24
  Speaker 1: your own community, yeah yeah, yeah.
• 36:26
  Speaker 2: But it's not like a shameful thing or just like
• 36:29
  Speaker 2: oh they're mean to me, but it's like these are
• 36:31
  Speaker 2: not my men in terms of attraction. Now, I'm just
• 36:34
  Speaker 2: going to have a key key sure, but like these
• 36:37
  Speaker 2: are not the men that are that are interested in
• 36:39
  Speaker 2: me in that capacity. I do that when I go
• 36:44
  Speaker 2: to the straight rooms.
• 36:47
  Speaker 1: So so has it always been that way for you
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: in terms of when it comes to men, has always
• 37:03
  Speaker 1: been what some people consider the straight guy always being
• 37:07
  Speaker 1: the one that would approach you.
• 37:09
  Speaker 2: Or somebody who yeah, or has been intimate and dating
• 37:14
  Speaker 2: you know, women for most of their life or like
• 37:17
  Speaker 2: up until then. For sure, absolutely it has always been
• 37:23
  Speaker 2: that way. But now it's like even more so now
• 37:27
  Speaker 2: that I definitely present in more of a feminine way
• 37:29
  Speaker 2: because also like it's like my energy.
• 37:32
  Speaker 1: Is that have your new found not new found that's
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: promos to use? Has your sort of like I like
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: to call it a rebirth because I feel like even
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: talking to you now, you're like, like you said earlier,
• 37:46
  Speaker 1: look I know who I am. I love why I
• 37:48
  Speaker 1: see in the mirror. I am shedding all of whatever
• 37:51
  Speaker 1: I was there back then. Who I am now? Has
• 37:56
  Speaker 1: that cultivated a stronger relationship with your parents or has
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: it been challenging for you there too, just being you
• 38:04
  Speaker 1: know how you are now.
• 38:05
  Speaker 2: No, definitely, we're not challenging. I think everything honestly in
• 38:08
  Speaker 2: this in this era of my life, has become so
• 38:11
  Speaker 2: much easier. But even I told them on my birthday
• 38:16
  Speaker 2: in June that I was like, we're not doing he
• 38:19
  Speaker 2: We're not doing man, We're not doing gay like and
• 38:23
  Speaker 2: it was very freeing. And also it just was you know,
• 38:25
  Speaker 2: it just was like I wasn't like I'm not you know,
• 38:27
  Speaker 2: and it's very important I think too when you're and
• 38:30
  Speaker 2: I hate the word, I hate the term coming coming out,
• 38:32
  Speaker 2: but I think when you're telling people about who you are,
• 38:38
  Speaker 2: you are telling them I'm not looking for acceptance. I'm
• 38:42
  Speaker 2: not looking for your validation. I am telling you what's
• 38:45
  Speaker 2: going down. And and yeah, we had that conversation and
• 38:49
  Speaker 2: it was, you know, it was very easy because I
• 38:51
  Speaker 2: just like I just told them, you know, flat out,
• 38:54
  Speaker 2: like I was like, this is you know who I am,
• 38:55
  Speaker 2: and this is how we're going moving and grooving and
• 38:57
  Speaker 2: going forward. And you know, even like son, I was like,
• 39:02
  Speaker 2: you know the world tried to give me that label,
• 39:04
  Speaker 2: like Magicalhon's the sun. And I was like, well, he's dead,
• 39:07
  Speaker 2: and now there is mis thing like we're not doing
• 39:11
  Speaker 2: that either, So you know it was it was you know,
• 39:15
  Speaker 2: it wasn't like a big conversation. But I think what
• 39:16
  Speaker 2: I loved about it was it was so easy, you know,
• 39:19
  Speaker 2: because we just said it and they were like, oh, okay,
• 39:22
  Speaker 2: you know, we'll do our best too. To understand that.
• 39:26
  Speaker 1: I'm baming right now. Yeah, I bet you could sell
• 39:29
  Speaker 1: it because I I'm so proud of you. Not that
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: you need me to say that, but I just I
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: feel like you're freeing a lot of gay or however
• 39:42
  Speaker 1: they because I agree with you is however you identify yourself.
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: But I wish growing up I had someone like you.
• 39:52
  Speaker 2: I think we always, you know, at least we aly
• 39:55
  Speaker 2: wish somebody was there, you know who it is, you know,
• 39:58
  Speaker 2: like somebody say something, because like especially between our years,
• 40:03
  Speaker 2: like we didn't have anybody.
• 40:05
  Speaker 1: No. And that's why this conversation to me is so
• 40:07
  Speaker 1: important because people can watch this and say, finally someone's
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: saying something how I feel because I got little, like,
• 40:17
  Speaker 1: you know, the hairs rose up on my skin when
• 40:19
  Speaker 1: you said I don't want to say, coming out anymore,
• 40:22
  Speaker 1: like this is who I am and I don't even
• 40:24
  Speaker 1: need your.
• 40:25
  Speaker 2: Acceptance, Like I think it's important. It's important part of
• 40:28
  Speaker 2: the discussion that no one I don't think it's talking about.
• 40:32
  Speaker 2: But like I said, you have to if you're gonna
• 40:35
  Speaker 2: do something, do it for yourself number one. And number two,
• 40:40
  Speaker 2: when you go out, like I think that's when everyone
• 40:42
  Speaker 2: gets hurt. You know. It's like everyone you know has
• 40:45
  Speaker 2: those traumatic experience because they're hoping, they're they're searching for
• 40:49
  Speaker 2: the validation and searching for the acceptance and like sometimes
• 40:52
  Speaker 2: it doesn't come. And that's also okay. Like if you
• 40:54
  Speaker 2: need to be like leave your home or leave your family,
• 40:57
  Speaker 2: like whenever it is safe for you to do so go,
• 40:59
  Speaker 2: you know. It's like and also too, it's like that
• 41:02
  Speaker 2: the term the ide you know, the idealize family, like
• 41:06
  Speaker 2: it doesn't exist. It is what you make of it.
• 41:08
  Speaker 2: Like you don't have to stay if everyone's treating you poorly,
• 41:11
  Speaker 2: you know, you don't have to be involved. If you're
• 41:15
  Speaker 2: not getting what you need, you don't have to do anything,
• 41:18
  Speaker 2: you know, honestly, and and yeah, you know, and I
• 41:24
  Speaker 2: think like the image of you know, my family was
• 41:26
  Speaker 2: nice and healing for the world. But it wasn't like
• 41:30
  Speaker 2: I didn't struggle, you know, there wasn't difficulties to get there,
• 41:34
  Speaker 2: you know, in terms of getting to that point. And
• 41:37
  Speaker 2: I think that also too, It's like you can't just
• 41:39
  Speaker 2: like wipe away, you know, just like understand that, like
• 41:42
  Speaker 2: you know, sometimes they're there and then sometimes they're not.
• 41:45
  Speaker 2: And that doesn't make you It doesn't make your story
• 41:47
  Speaker 2: any less, you know powerful if you weren't given it,
• 41:52
  Speaker 2: you know, if those you know people aren't gonna stand
• 41:54
  Speaker 2: behind you, stand behind you and give you that love
• 41:58
  Speaker 2: that you need, didn't go find some other people who will.
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I've always wanted to ask you this because obviously,
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: like I said, you're the offspring of a legend that
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: is in a that wasn't a sport that is heavily
• 42:17
  Speaker 1: male dominated obviously, and just like you know, the locker
• 42:21
  Speaker 1: room talk and yes, hyper masculine, and I just remember
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: you know, when you when you emerged, and all of
• 42:32
  Speaker 1: the talks about like, you know, oh my god, Magic
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: Johnson's son. Instead of playing a basketball, he's wearing a
• 42:36
  Speaker 1: dress and all those things, and a lot of it
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: obviously was from the black community. When it comes to
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: the black community, especially the gay black community. Did you
• 42:49
  Speaker 1: feel like they accepted you?
• 42:52
  Speaker 2: Well, again, I wasn't really looking like there was just
• 42:56
  Speaker 2: so much you know that happened at that time that
• 42:59
  Speaker 2: I wasn't like looking like I don't care about to
• 43:02
  Speaker 2: be accepted in a community or to be a part
• 43:05
  Speaker 2: of a community. You know. I think that I just
• 43:08
  Speaker 2: wasn't in it. Like I wasn't a part, you know,
• 43:11
  Speaker 2: when I was living my life, you know, growing up.
• 43:13
  Speaker 2: It's just like I was, you know, I had school,
• 43:15
  Speaker 2: and I had all these places, and I had my friends.
• 43:17
  Speaker 2: It's like I was like, I don't know what I'm doing.
• 43:19
  Speaker 2: You know, these communities or these people are mad, Like
• 43:21
  Speaker 2: I'm like let them be mad, but like, you know,
• 43:24
  Speaker 2: like I don't care. You know, It's just like I
• 43:25
  Speaker 2: really I really could care less. That's all I have
• 43:28
  Speaker 2: to say. You know. It's like even when people were like, oh,
• 43:30
  Speaker 2: you know, I think somebody asked me like, oh, well,
• 43:33
  Speaker 2: what did your church think about? Like, well, number one,
• 43:34
  Speaker 2: I don't had I never had a church, Like my
• 43:36
  Speaker 2: parents went to church for like, I didn't go because
• 43:39
  Speaker 2: I wanted to go. I wasn't a part of that community.
• 43:42
  Speaker 2: I was there because I was made to be there,
• 43:45
  Speaker 2: like you know, it is what it is, but it
• 43:47
  Speaker 2: really doesn't matter, like who cares, Like if your community
• 43:50
  Speaker 2: is mad, and then let them be mad. But I've
• 43:52
  Speaker 2: always thought that was just stupid that they thought that,
• 43:54
  Speaker 2: like you know, I was supposed to be playing basketball
• 43:58
  Speaker 2: or something like first of all, like do you know
• 44:00
  Speaker 2: how difficult it is to become an NBA player like
• 44:02
  Speaker 2: number one? It's like it's a very hard process and
• 44:06
  Speaker 2: like if I wanted to do that, then I would
• 44:09
  Speaker 2: have done it. But like I like, why are we
• 44:12
  Speaker 2: even having this discussion? It's just so ignorant, you know.
• 44:15
  Speaker 2: I'm like, it's just it's so you have to put
• 44:18
  Speaker 2: in a lot of work to do all of that.
• 44:19
  Speaker 2: Like I'm sure Lebron James's son. I mean, like you know,
• 44:22
  Speaker 2: he's been playing this entire life, like and now he's
• 44:25
  Speaker 2: he's playing, you know, he's in the NBA. But I'm
• 44:27
  Speaker 2: like that's something you would decide very early on in life,
• 44:30
  Speaker 2: and like why are we talking about you know, that
• 44:32
  Speaker 2: is nothing nothing to do to do with me or
• 44:35
  Speaker 2: even like you know, I've always you know, you know,
• 44:38
  Speaker 2: oh bla, well, black men need to be this and
• 44:41
  Speaker 2: need to be you know, you know, macho and need
• 44:43
  Speaker 2: to be this, and it was okay, well, what does
• 44:46
  Speaker 2: anyone's femininity have to do with that? Who's stopping you
• 44:49
  Speaker 2: from being this macho black man? Me or you? Because
• 44:53
  Speaker 2: you know you're snapping your fingers in the air. What
• 44:55
  Speaker 2: is stopping you, sir, from continuing.
• 44:58
  Speaker 1: To be you?
• 44:59
  Speaker 2: What does you and me have to do with each other? Nothing?
• 45:04
  Speaker 2: It doesn't make any sense. And I always, I always
• 45:07
  Speaker 2: would laugh if somebody if I saw that. I mean,
• 45:09
  Speaker 2: I don't read any comments or articles, but like at
• 45:11
  Speaker 2: that time, when like people were bringing it to my attention,
• 45:14
  Speaker 2: I was like, well, what a stupid thing to say,
• 45:15
  Speaker 2: because I'm like, I'm not hindering you from going on
• 45:17
  Speaker 2: and being some toxic masculine black man, like I don't
• 45:20
  Speaker 2: even know you and what And it doesn't say anything
• 45:25
  Speaker 2: about what it means to be a black man in America,
• 45:28
  Speaker 2: has nothing to do with it. I don't even think.
• 45:29
  Speaker 2: I don't I'm not a man, so like I don't
• 45:31
  Speaker 2: even feel like a man. So I'm like, why, what,
• 45:34
  Speaker 2: what's stopping you from going on and doing exactly what
• 45:37
  Speaker 2: it is that you think you should be doing? Nothing?
• 45:42
  Speaker 2: Nothing at all, preach.
• 45:46
  Speaker 1: An preach when what were your thoughts when you saw
• 45:53
  Speaker 1: what de Way Wades now daughter was going through, you know,
• 46:00
  Speaker 1: transitioning into becoming the woman that she is now. Was
• 46:06
  Speaker 1: this something that you could relate to? Did you reach out?
• 46:09
  Speaker 1: Did you have a conversation.
• 46:10
  Speaker 2: Oh, we've met I think twice, not in any kind
• 46:15
  Speaker 2: of like real like intimate setting, but just like you know,
• 46:18
  Speaker 2: at some fashion events, I believe, and I've met obviously
• 46:23
  Speaker 2: Dwayne and we and I think we spoke on Instagram
• 46:28
  Speaker 2: and we're just like, you know, if you if she
• 46:29
  Speaker 2: needs anything, like you know, you can definitely let me know.
• 46:33
  Speaker 2: And we she went to she went to my high
• 46:35
  Speaker 2: school as well, so yeah, we have some similarities. But
• 46:39
  Speaker 2: I mean it was just one of those things where
• 46:41
  Speaker 2: it's like, you know, more power to you. You know,
• 46:43
  Speaker 2: you got to do what you got to do.
• 46:45
  Speaker 1: You know.
• 46:45
  Speaker 2: It's it's one of those things where it's like it's
• 46:47
  Speaker 2: nothing really I can say or do you know, because
• 46:51
  Speaker 2: like that's your journey.
• 46:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 46:53
  Speaker 2: And they also said some horrible and stupid things about her,
• 46:58
  Speaker 2: you know, and the same thing they were so horrible
• 47:00
  Speaker 2: stupid things they were saying about me. So it's like
• 47:03
  Speaker 2: here we are again. But it's like, you know, it's
• 47:05
  Speaker 2: like that's what he's Even when you narrow it down,
• 47:06
  Speaker 2: it's like, I'm not going up against anything that I
• 47:09
  Speaker 2: actually really need to be concerned about, because these are
• 47:11
  Speaker 2: all everybody else's fears and everybody else's you know, concerned
• 47:16
  Speaker 2: and everybody else's viewpoints of the world that are being
• 47:20
  Speaker 2: challenged by somebody living their truth or living their life
• 47:23
  Speaker 2: the way they want to live it. Like it's just absurd.
• 47:27
  Speaker 2: It's just absurd. But I'm happy that she's happy. And
• 47:33
  Speaker 2: I mean, I'm not sure what she's doing with her
• 47:36
  Speaker 2: life at this point, but you know, I wish are
• 47:39
  Speaker 2: the best.
• 47:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah, are you dating now?
• 47:44
  Speaker 2: I am outside, it's totally outside. I had to get
• 47:50
  Speaker 2: a little more serious though, I think in this new
• 47:52
  Speaker 2: year for sure. I think before I was kind of
• 47:55
  Speaker 2: just like enjoying myself and kind of just like dating
• 47:58
  Speaker 2: to date. But now I'm being much more strategic about it.
• 48:02
  Speaker 2: And it's like, if we're not actually going to enter
• 48:03
  Speaker 2: into a relationship, then, you know, and I think that's
• 48:07
  Speaker 2: where you have to put the boundaries up with the
• 48:10
  Speaker 2: so called straight eyes, because they will they'll just try
• 48:15
  Speaker 2: to like put you off to the side or like
• 48:17
  Speaker 2: keep you in the dark, and like I'm not living
• 48:20
  Speaker 2: in the shadows anymore.
• 48:22
  Speaker 1: Have you ever dated somebody that was d L Sure?
• 48:25
  Speaker 1: For sure.
• 48:26
  Speaker 2: I think at the time it's just like you you
• 48:28
  Speaker 2: just are like, oh, well, you know, I'm just trying
• 48:30
  Speaker 2: to be respectful, but really you're not doing yourself any respect.
• 48:34
  Speaker 1: Were they married?
• 48:35
  Speaker 2: No, I've never dated a married man or anybody in
• 48:37
  Speaker 2: a relationship. It's just like they just weren't ready to
• 48:41
  Speaker 2: come to terms with whatever they were doing. But that's
• 48:44
  Speaker 2: what I was saying. I don't need you to come
• 48:45
  Speaker 2: out or anything, but it's like I'm not gonna be hidden.
• 48:48
  Speaker 2: So there's that, you know, and just having that that
• 48:53
  Speaker 2: self respect and just yeah, knowing that, but it's made
• 48:57
  Speaker 2: everything a lot easier, for sure.
• 49:01
  Speaker 1: Have you ever been in love?
• 49:04
  Speaker 2: I think like probably at the time I thought so,
• 49:06
  Speaker 2: but not like now that I'm actually like emotionally available
• 49:10
  Speaker 2: and actually can fall very hard in love if given
• 49:13
  Speaker 2: the opportunity, not in the way that I want to.
• 49:18
  Speaker 2: I haven't experience in the way that I want to,
• 49:20
  Speaker 2: So like that's definitely something I've put into the energy
• 49:24
  Speaker 2: for this year for sure, because I'm ready. I wasn't
• 49:27
  Speaker 2: ready before, you know, And I think that that was
• 49:29
  Speaker 2: just kind of like the maturity of it and just
• 49:31
  Speaker 2: like looking out self instead of saying like, well, why
• 49:33
  Speaker 2: hasn't this happened to me? But it's like you weren't ready,
• 49:35
  Speaker 2: you know, you weren't ready at all. Do you have
• 49:38
  Speaker 2: a type? I don't really like. I don't really have
• 49:43
  Speaker 2: like a strict type. I will say, like, I know,
• 49:48
  Speaker 2: I'm I'm tall, but like I do like the I
• 49:51
  Speaker 2: do like being with a tall man. Yeah that I do.
• 49:55
  Speaker 2: I like the sensation of that. But I'm also like
• 49:58
  Speaker 2: very like intellect surely inclined, Like I love a man
• 50:02
  Speaker 2: who can hold his hold himself and like speak well
• 50:08
  Speaker 2: and like is entertaining and it's like, you know, really
• 50:11
  Speaker 2: highly intelligent, Like I'm a conversationalist like that, so like
• 50:15
  Speaker 2: that kind of like hmm, you know, especially and also
• 50:19
  Speaker 2: like a man with like a presence, like I love
• 50:21
  Speaker 2: a powerful presence, like when you're like, oh he hasn't
• 50:26
  Speaker 2: like that, like I like that.
• 50:28
  Speaker 1: Have you ever did like a celebrity.
• 50:31
  Speaker 2: I've never dated a celebrity. I don't think i've well,
• 50:37
  Speaker 2: I may have like hooked up with one or two
• 50:42
  Speaker 2: in the Shadows rappers. Hmm, I can't tell you all
• 50:51
  Speaker 2: the tea.
• 50:56
  Speaker 1: I don't maybe I know.
• 50:57
  Speaker 2: I know, M I don't think there was a I
• 51:01
  Speaker 2: don't think there was a rapper might have been h
• 51:09
  Speaker 2: because let's that.
• 51:11
  Speaker 1: No, because look, you maybe the places I go, you
• 51:16
  Speaker 1: ain't there heady because you are at the like.
• 51:19
  Speaker 2: Well, there's the thing about you know, like two was
• 51:21
  Speaker 2: having celebrity crushes, Like you can't do that because I
• 51:23
  Speaker 2: actually do meet these people, so like you know, and
• 51:27
  Speaker 2: I've done that before, but like, oh he is so fine,
• 51:29
  Speaker 2: and then I meet him, I'm like, oh, like, oh no,
• 51:33
  Speaker 2: like you are you know, very insecure, or you're very this,
• 51:35
  Speaker 2: or you're very that. So it's like I don't, I don't.
• 51:38
  Speaker 2: I don't crush or glamorize anybody anymore because it's like
• 51:42
  Speaker 2: I always end up, you know, just being like okay, now,
• 51:46
  Speaker 2: I'm just like I'll just meet the person when it happens, okay, yeah.
• 51:51
  Speaker 2: But yeah, I mean, you know, it's it's it's different
• 51:53
  Speaker 2: when you are, you know, coming into contact with the
• 51:57
  Speaker 2: people all the time.
• 52:02
  Speaker 1: And the thing about you you have a presence.
• 52:06
  Speaker 2: I love having a presence, but I like a man
• 52:08
  Speaker 2: with a presence as well, like I like like I
• 52:11
  Speaker 2: like feeling somebody is like powerful masculine energy, like it's
• 52:15
  Speaker 2: it's it's very intoxicating. But I do have a powerful
• 52:20
  Speaker 2: presence which intimidates a lot of men, which is great,
• 52:22
  Speaker 2: but because you know, it keeps the ones at bay.
• 52:24
  Speaker 2: But that's why I can't. I can't do the apps
• 52:27
  Speaker 2: because I can't gauge your energy through the phone. You know,
• 52:34
  Speaker 2: That's why I I. You know, I tried, but it's
• 52:37
  Speaker 2: like I felt like they were so so insecure and
• 52:41
  Speaker 2: just like it just like was not the vibe. But
• 52:44
  Speaker 2: it's very important that I, like I can gauge someone's
• 52:47
  Speaker 2: energy when I meet them in person, because presence is
• 52:52
  Speaker 2: important well.
• 52:53
  Speaker 1: And you have tons of it.
• 52:55
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well that's true, you really do.
• 52:58
  Speaker 1: I know you in a room, I know you be.
• 53:02
  Speaker 1: I can already tell the moment, y'all. Like eyes is
• 53:05
  Speaker 1: ova because you have small you have a very small
• 53:09
  Speaker 1: dering like look and the eye and I know you
• 53:12
  Speaker 1: can eye fuck like a motherfucker.
• 53:14
  Speaker 2: I they I think they do that to me first
• 53:18
  Speaker 2: and then I might like glance back, but like I
• 53:21
  Speaker 2: always that's all I always know when some man is
• 53:23
  Speaker 2: because I always catch him staring and then you know,
• 53:26
  Speaker 2: he like you know, goes back. But like I always
• 53:29
  Speaker 2: catch them staring like it's like because you know, they're
• 53:31
  Speaker 2: just like and then I'm like looking over and then
• 53:35
  Speaker 2: they're like, oh, you know, then they go back back.
• 53:37
  Speaker 2: Like I always catch them when they're staring. I always
• 53:40
  Speaker 2: know because they like literally freeze. It's like Medusa, like
• 53:43
  Speaker 2: they just like turn to stone and I'm like, Okay,
• 53:47
  Speaker 2: well let's see if he makes his way over here.
• 53:50
  Speaker 2: Do they have to or or it's very it's I
• 53:54
  Speaker 2: need you to make an effort because it's like every
• 53:57
  Speaker 2: time I feel like when I go over and I'm like,
• 53:59
  Speaker 2: you know, because I've played the game where I like
• 54:01
  Speaker 2: find something stupid to compliment them about, even though like
• 54:03
  Speaker 2: like oh, I like your jacket even though they're at
• 54:05
  Speaker 2: jacket is ugly, and I'm you know, you know, and
• 54:07
  Speaker 2: then it's like I feel like I get over there
• 54:10
  Speaker 2: and I'm and then it's like he's and I'm like,
• 54:12
  Speaker 2: I don't have time for this. I don't want to
• 54:14
  Speaker 2: do all the work. I'm not going to do all
• 54:16
  Speaker 2: the work. I'm not even gonna say I don't want
• 54:18
  Speaker 2: to because I'm not.
• 54:18
  Speaker 3: I'm not going to do it, Okay, So tall, masculine, available, yes,
• 54:25
  Speaker 3: very available, Yeah, confident, confident, and I need you.
• 54:29
  Speaker 2: To like like yourself, to love yourself. People are so
• 54:31
  Speaker 2: mean to themselves these days.
• 54:32
  Speaker 1: I'm not because of social media, but wants to sort
• 54:34
  Speaker 1: of like compare yourselves to people. Yeah, it's unfortunately.
• 54:38
  Speaker 2: I met some guys who are just like so mean
• 54:39
  Speaker 2: to themselves.
• 54:40
  Speaker 1: I'm like Jesus, like, now you are EJ fucking Johnson.
• 54:44
  Speaker 1: So do they have to have a coin?
• 54:47
  Speaker 2: Well, I have to be. I need to be taken
• 54:49
  Speaker 2: care of obviously. I mean if if I go buddy,
• 54:54
  Speaker 2: if I could, well, I'm not taking care of anyone,
• 54:57
  Speaker 2: Like I'm not a sugar mama. No, But I don't
• 54:59
  Speaker 2: that the girls, you don't, you know, you don't marry
• 55:02
  Speaker 2: to take care of him like he's marrying to take
• 55:05
  Speaker 2: care of you. I mean, it just depends on what
• 55:08
  Speaker 2: you want. But he's not marrying into my system. We're
• 55:11
  Speaker 2: getting married and starting our own system. It's different. But
• 55:17
  Speaker 2: I you know, I just clear about that. But like
• 55:19
  Speaker 2: you know, I I don't want to be like just
• 55:22
  Speaker 2: only thinking about money, but like it is something that
• 55:25
  Speaker 2: you know, I guess a lot of people spend time
• 55:31
  Speaker 2: like obsessing over but honestly, again, it's not like I'm
• 55:37
  Speaker 2: looking for that. But again it's like, like you said before,
• 55:40
  Speaker 2: these are the rooms I'm in, So everyone's either into
• 55:47
  Speaker 2: a coin or made their coin. The coins are there,
• 55:51
  Speaker 2: the rooms are made of coins, So it's like I
• 55:54
  Speaker 2: don't have to like go out of my way to
• 55:57
  Speaker 2: find financially substantial man. That's all I am saying.
• 56:01
  Speaker 1: What are your thoughts on this? Like you touched on
• 56:04
  Speaker 1: it a bit earlier, the whole like NEPO baby and listen,
• 56:09
  Speaker 1: And I've said this publicly, there's nothing more than I
• 56:14
  Speaker 1: love seeing rich black kids because I feel like, because
• 56:18
  Speaker 1: I feel like good good because you don't see it
• 56:22
  Speaker 1: often and when you see it, and I feel like
• 56:24
  Speaker 1: it should be celebrated more. I love rich black kids
• 56:29
  Speaker 1: because I'm like, good, your parents work their asses off,
• 56:34
  Speaker 1: you have a good life, and take that shit and
• 56:37
  Speaker 1: continue to build the generation of wealth. But obviously there's
• 56:42
  Speaker 1: another side globally where people do feel like you didn't
• 56:47
  Speaker 1: earn this, and you know, listen, let's call up about
• 56:50
  Speaker 1: a lot are jealous and a lot of them just
• 56:53
  Speaker 1: feel like it's easy for you.
• 56:54
  Speaker 2: Guys.
• 56:55
  Speaker 1: What are your whole thoughts on that.
• 56:57
  Speaker 2: Well, like I said, it's not easy, you know. It's like,
• 57:00
  Speaker 2: you know, it's not easy because I'm just like either
• 57:03
  Speaker 2: either way, like I was saying about the shadow, it's
• 57:05
  Speaker 2: like the same the same complaint or the same difficulties arrive.
• 57:10
  Speaker 2: Even if your parents are not even famous, they're just
• 57:12
  Speaker 2: very wealthy, like you still have a shadow to work under,
• 57:16
  Speaker 2: and like I didn't even realize that, but like I
• 57:18
  Speaker 2: was talking to a guy whose dad is you know,
• 57:21
  Speaker 2: their older money, but like also his dad was like,
• 57:23
  Speaker 2: you know, very well known producer, and he was like,
• 57:26
  Speaker 2: I hate it. I hate when everyone is like, ohh
• 57:28
  Speaker 2: like I worked with your dad and he was great,
• 57:29
  Speaker 2: or I did this with your dad and he was wonderful.
• 57:31
  Speaker 2: He's like, I hated. I can't stand it. And I
• 57:33
  Speaker 2: was like, well, why it does it bother you so much?
• 57:35
  Speaker 2: And he's like, because like I have my own things
• 57:36
  Speaker 2: going on and nobody wants to talk about that. We're
• 57:38
  Speaker 2: just talking about this, We're just talking about him. And
• 57:41
  Speaker 2: I was like, yeah, I used to feel that way
• 57:43
  Speaker 2: until I, you know, had to get I put myself
• 57:47
  Speaker 2: first in my own life, and then it didn't matter
• 57:49
  Speaker 2: what anyone's saying to me on the street, you know,
• 57:52
  Speaker 2: but I mean, yeah, it's I mean, like it's listen.
• 57:56
  Speaker 2: It's one of those things where it's like a double
• 57:58
  Speaker 2: edged sword, like you can't you can't win. You can't
• 58:01
  Speaker 2: win because on one hand, you get the people who
• 58:04
  Speaker 2: are like, oh my god, that's great you have you know,
• 58:06
  Speaker 2: you have all this money and you have a leg
• 58:07
  Speaker 2: up or you you know, you know, you can do
• 58:09
  Speaker 2: whatever you want.
• 58:11
  Speaker 1: But like.
• 58:13
  Speaker 2: Then you have the people who are like, you know,
• 58:15
  Speaker 2: but you didn't work well, you didn't, especially like you know,
• 58:18
  Speaker 2: the actors, like those kids who come from you know,
• 58:21
  Speaker 2: who have huge parents, are huge actors. Like they can't
• 58:25
  Speaker 2: get it, they can't catch a break because on one side,
• 58:27
  Speaker 2: everyone's loving it. On the other side, we're like, oh, well,
• 58:29
  Speaker 2: you're taking roles away from people who've worked many many
• 58:32
  Speaker 2: years to you know, be an actor, and now you're
• 58:35
  Speaker 2: just getting coasting on, you know, riding it on some coattail.
• 58:38
  Speaker 2: But it's like that's something I can't control. I never control.
• 58:41
  Speaker 2: I can't control who my parents are, Like I didn't
• 58:44
  Speaker 2: control who my dad was, Like I just was born
• 58:46
  Speaker 2: and that was it, you know. So it's like it's
• 58:49
  Speaker 2: all you can. You get it from both ends. But
• 58:51
  Speaker 2: like I just don't even I don't really think about it.
• 58:55
  Speaker 2: I don't really think about it. But I you know,
• 58:56
  Speaker 2: for myself, even as I'm like acting as definitely on
• 59:00
  Speaker 2: my it's on the top of my list for this
• 59:02
  Speaker 2: year to do to get into way more of But
• 59:04
  Speaker 2: like in my time off, I've been in acting classes
• 59:08
  Speaker 2: and I literally I told myself, I was like, you're
• 59:11
  Speaker 2: going to need to like really train because they will
• 59:14
  Speaker 2: say that about you. Yeah, they will be like, oh,
• 59:16
  Speaker 2: you're only here because and there were kids in my
• 59:18
  Speaker 2: acting classes that that, well, you don't really need to
• 59:20
  Speaker 2: be here, you don't really have to do that.
• 59:22
  Speaker 1: They will say that today they know yeah.
• 59:24
  Speaker 2: No, I mean like in my acting class when I
• 59:25
  Speaker 2: was yeah, yeah, they were like, oh, girl, you don't
• 59:27
  Speaker 2: have to be here because like you know, you'll get
• 59:29
  Speaker 2: booked regardless, you'll do you know, you already have it made.
• 59:32
  Speaker 2: And I'm like, yeah, but like number one being booked.
• 59:35
  Speaker 2: To just get a booked is not my goal. Like
• 59:37
  Speaker 2: I want to be great and that's why I'm here.
• 59:39
  Speaker 2: But I but also because like I want to do
• 59:42
  Speaker 2: the work, you know. It's like I want to be
• 59:44
  Speaker 2: the best I can be. This has nothing to do
• 59:45
  Speaker 2: with just writing a coattail. If I knew, if I
• 59:48
  Speaker 2: really believe that, then I wouldn't be here, you know.
• 59:52
  Speaker 2: I would have just been calling all our connections and
• 59:55
  Speaker 2: agents and all of our friends who you know, our
• 59:56
  Speaker 2: family friends who are producers, are in the industry, like
• 59:59
  Speaker 2: you know. But I didn't do that, you know. So
• 1:00:01
  Speaker 2: it's like it's just one of those things that like
• 1:00:05
  Speaker 2: you you you know, you can use however you want
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 2: to use it if you you know, use you know,
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 2: use your your connections if you want, and then leave it.
• 1:00:17
  Speaker 2: Cause it's like, you know, it doesn't matter what the
• 1:00:19
  Speaker 2: public is thinking, because they're always going to They're always
• 1:00:21
  Speaker 2: going to be those two sides of the street. Yeah yeah, listen,
• 1:00:24
  Speaker 2: and I'll say this public, so I'll give a shit.
• 1:00:27
  Speaker 2: I want more Black meple babies to use their connections
• 1:00:29
  Speaker 2: like I like because because the thing is this, listen, Historically, historically,
• 1:00:35
  Speaker 2: you know, the white kids did it, and I'm not
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 2: and let's be clear, I'm not mad at it do it,
• 1:00:41
  Speaker 2: but I do feel.
• 1:00:42
  Speaker 1: Like when it comes to our community.
• 1:00:44
  Speaker 2: Do you think that they're not using it? They are
• 1:00:46
  Speaker 2: using it? You know the black kids. Though you think
• 1:00:48
  Speaker 2: they're not using their connection.
• 1:00:50
  Speaker 1: Well, I feel like the thing is they're not using
• 1:00:55
  Speaker 1: it and being like fuck you like have no fucks
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 1: to get if you are, like, for example, Laurie Harvey,
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 1: who obviously Steve Harvey's daughter, and she recently appeared on
• 1:01:13
  Speaker 1: the Hulu show Reasonably Doubt, no doubt and did a
• 1:01:17
  Speaker 1: great job, like, did a wonderful job. But to me,
• 1:01:21
  Speaker 1: it's sort of like, sure, did she get a leg
• 1:01:24
  Speaker 1: up app so fucking lutely, like we're not gonna pretend
• 1:01:28
  Speaker 1: like that wasn't the case. But in her defense, everybody
• 1:01:33
  Speaker 1: EJ was like, oh, this bitch can add and they
• 1:01:37
  Speaker 1: were pleasantly surprised by it. Right, And she did an
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 1: interview I believe it was on the real Jennifer Hudson
• 1:01:43
  Speaker 1: and she acknowledged that, look, he is my dad, I
• 1:01:48
  Speaker 1: get it. What do you want me to do?
• 1:01:52
  Speaker 2: Yeah? I think for me, it was just one of
• 1:01:54
  Speaker 2: those things that's like, listen, you can you can book
• 1:01:58
  Speaker 2: me on a roll because of my last Like that
• 1:02:00
  Speaker 2: is completely you're right, you know, the casting directors, the
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 2: producers or whatever, you can you can book me. However,
• 1:02:08
  Speaker 2: for whatever reason you want to, but it is my
• 1:02:11
  Speaker 2: responsibility to give an unforgettable performance, to give a powerful
• 1:02:16
  Speaker 2: performance that is remembered and so they can say, oh
• 1:02:19
  Speaker 2: that bitch really can act. That's my job. So I
• 1:02:23
  Speaker 2: did my part like I've worked. I've done the work,
• 1:02:26
  Speaker 2: like I'm confident in my skills and my talent. So therefore,
• 1:02:30
  Speaker 2: when the camera starts rolling, I'm ready. Now you get
• 1:02:33
  Speaker 2: and in the comment section you can say whatever you please,
• 1:02:36
  Speaker 2: like you know, that's on all of you. But it's like, again,
• 1:02:39
  Speaker 2: there's nothing I can do. You know, it's like he
• 1:02:42
  Speaker 2: is my dad whatever, like you know, same thing in
• 1:02:46
  Speaker 2: her case. It's like what do you know, It's like
• 1:02:49
  Speaker 2: people just need to be mad about something, to be honest,
• 1:02:52
  Speaker 2: like everyone needs, you know, they always have to be
• 1:02:54
  Speaker 2: mad about something Shale in the comments, Like it's very sad.
• 1:02:57
  Speaker 2: I feel sad for those people. I really do, yeah,
• 1:03:02
  Speaker 2: because I mean it's just like wow, So you're okay.
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 1: So the goal for you in twenty twenty six you're
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 1: an acting class is so movies, TV shows, you want
• 1:03:15
  Speaker 1: to do everything?
• 1:03:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, I've been I've been training since like twenty eighteen,
• 1:03:21
  Speaker 2: so it's been like seven years now or eight years now,
• 1:03:26
  Speaker 2: So yeah, if they've gotten to the point where I like,
• 1:03:28
  Speaker 2: I'm ready to do to handle bigger roles and bigger opportunities.
• 1:03:31
  Speaker 2: But yeah, definitely television movies. Like you know, I've got
• 1:03:36
  Speaker 2: my eye in a couple of projects that are casting
• 1:03:39
  Speaker 2: currently and soon and so I'm just going full forest.
• 1:03:42
  Speaker 2: I'm just like super excited about it.
• 1:03:44
  Speaker 1: Do you know what I see you doing? What all's fair?
• 1:03:50
  Speaker 1: I see you being like a pairalegal.
• 1:03:53
  Speaker 2: I didn't I didn't watch it.
• 1:03:55
  Speaker 1: Oh you know watch it?
• 1:03:56
  Speaker 2: No, I didn't watch it. I okay, I no, I
• 1:03:59
  Speaker 2: mean some peop like it.
• 1:04:01
  Speaker 1: I love it is camp but I'm saying.
• 1:04:03
  Speaker 2: It's very campy.
• 1:04:04
  Speaker 1: I see you, baby, being a pair of legal and
• 1:04:09
  Speaker 1: you are like that pairalegal who was like very stern
• 1:04:15
  Speaker 1: and the fashions there and you know, like like this
• 1:04:19
  Speaker 1: character or no, so Ryan Murphy, please take it. But
• 1:04:23
  Speaker 1: like I see you being like how Diane Carrol was.
• 1:04:26
  Speaker 2: But that's that's my character. Like I want to be,
• 1:04:29
  Speaker 2: like I want to be the Dominique Devereux of like
• 1:04:32
  Speaker 2: some show. Okay, you know what I'm saying, Like we
• 1:04:34
  Speaker 2: need that, we need it, we need it one place
• 1:04:37
  Speaker 2: where we really do need it. We need it on
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 2: white lotus. We need a rich black bitch like really badly,
• 1:04:42
  Speaker 2: Like we need that. I mean, come on, Like, I
• 1:04:47
  Speaker 2: love Natasha, love it that she was working there. I'm
• 1:04:50
  Speaker 2: glad she added color. But we need the rich black
• 1:04:52
  Speaker 2: bitch like really badly because they exist, because they exist.
• 1:04:55
  Speaker 2: But I think that they're afraid because they don't know
• 1:04:58
  Speaker 2: that world because there's so few of us in the
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 2: world who actually like really move and groove in that way.
• 1:05:03
  Speaker 1: Did you feel like that growing up, Like weren't a
• 1:05:05
  Speaker 1: lot of black kids in the schools you would go
• 1:05:06
  Speaker 1: to our oplications?
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, like there was a few, but it's
• 1:05:10
  Speaker 2: like number one, it's like we all knew each other
• 1:05:13
  Speaker 2: like growing up, especially like you know, like a lot
• 1:05:16
  Speaker 2: of us, especially the ones who were like in the
• 1:05:17
  Speaker 2: same age group, Like you know, like we all kind
• 1:05:20
  Speaker 2: of grew up together. So even if we didn't go
• 1:05:21
  Speaker 2: to school together, like we knew of each other, like
• 1:05:23
  Speaker 2: the Waynes or like the Washington kids and I are
• 1:05:27
  Speaker 2: like close in age Denzel Washington. Oh yeah, so I
• 1:05:30
  Speaker 2: grew up with his daughter Olivia. We're like a year apart.
• 1:05:36
  Speaker 2: The Jackson's Samuel Jackson's daughter is a couple of years
• 1:05:39
  Speaker 2: older than me, Like we're very close, like you know,
• 1:05:41
  Speaker 2: like I grew up with all of those kids. And
• 1:05:45
  Speaker 2: also like some I came to to yeah to know later,
• 1:05:49
  Speaker 2: but like it's honestly like this, yeah, and like I said,
• 1:05:53
  Speaker 2: like we all know each other, We all know the players,
• 1:05:55
  Speaker 2: like you know, if you know, everybody goes to everybody's
• 1:05:58
  Speaker 2: birthday parties and like events and stuff. But it's like
• 1:06:01
  Speaker 2: very it's very a very small community. But it's like
• 1:06:05
  Speaker 2: I just you know, the writers and the producers like
• 1:06:08
  Speaker 2: they just don't know, you know. And I think we've
• 1:06:11
  Speaker 2: always just like missed the opportunity for wealthy, for rich
• 1:06:14
  Speaker 2: black people, affluent black shows. And I want someone want
• 1:06:16
  Speaker 2: something so badly, Like every time I watch one, I'm like, no, no,
• 1:06:23
  Speaker 2: this is not it, This isn't it. It's like, you know,
• 1:06:26
  Speaker 2: Empire was a little more street, it was it not
• 1:06:29
  Speaker 2: the refined the refinement of it all, which was fine,
• 1:06:32
  Speaker 2: which was fine. And then there was a British one
• 1:06:36
  Speaker 2: I watched on Amazon which was also I did just
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 2: like about the haircare. Yeah, yeah, I wasn't right that
• 1:06:44
  Speaker 2: one didn't read and that one and that was supposed
• 1:06:46
  Speaker 2: to be up to Hampton's I'm like, this is not
• 1:06:48
  Speaker 2: how people of this caliber behave, Like, no, that's just
• 1:06:54
  Speaker 2: not There's no the class isn't there, the refinement isn't there,
• 1:06:58
  Speaker 2: the you know, the the language isn't there, like you know.
• 1:07:05
  Speaker 2: And also, as I'm also getting into writing to I
• 1:07:07
  Speaker 2: think I just have to write my own I.
• 1:07:09
  Speaker 1: Was gonna say, I'm reading why is not there is?
• 1:07:12
  Speaker 1: Because what you said, First of all, you're right, you
• 1:07:14
  Speaker 1: have to have a live experience even know that that exists.
• 1:07:17
  Speaker 1: And number two is because you haven't written yet.
• 1:07:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm working on it. I am working on it
• 1:07:22
  Speaker 2: for sure, but it is It's very true because it's
• 1:07:26
  Speaker 2: like no one would really know because it's like the
• 1:07:29
  Speaker 2: doors are closed for anybody to find out like what
• 1:07:32
  Speaker 2: it really looks and feels like, to be honest. But
• 1:07:36
  Speaker 2: a lot of it has to do with also learning
• 1:07:39
  Speaker 2: how to flourish in the white world because like you're schooling,
• 1:07:43
  Speaker 2: and you know, those communities you're going in with like
• 1:07:46
  Speaker 2: the elite of the white world, the Caucasian worlds as well,
• 1:07:50
  Speaker 2: and that's very important to learn how to not only
• 1:07:54
  Speaker 2: be but also flourish because these are the kids you're
• 1:07:58
  Speaker 2: competing with these are the kids you're learning with, These
• 1:08:00
  Speaker 2: the kids you're growing with. Like, and that's a whole
• 1:08:02
  Speaker 2: other stratosphere.
• 1:08:05
  Speaker 1: You have to write this.
• 1:08:07
  Speaker 2: I'm working on it. Okay, Okay, I am working on it.
• 1:08:09
  Speaker 1: Is fashion still your passion.
• 1:08:12
  Speaker 2: Fashion Room also doing big things in twenty twenty six
• 1:08:14
  Speaker 2: as well. I'm working on some more products, projects and products,
• 1:08:20
  Speaker 2: I guess, but for But what I'm really coming to
• 1:08:24
  Speaker 2: terms with is like it's a legacy, this is gonna be.
• 1:08:28
  Speaker 2: The stuff I'm working on is a long burn. I'm
• 1:08:31
  Speaker 2: building companies and empires and things of that nature. This
• 1:08:34
  Speaker 2: is not just like, oh, here I am being cute,
• 1:08:36
  Speaker 2: or here I am launching this stupid product, or you know,
• 1:08:38
  Speaker 2: selling some bullshit on Instagram, Like I'm not that girl.
• 1:08:41
  Speaker 2: Like I really am interested in having powerful dialogues and
• 1:08:45
  Speaker 2: creating meaningful companies that are actually really going to benefit
• 1:08:49
  Speaker 2: you know everyone, not just you know, the fashion community.
• 1:08:53
  Speaker 2: But also we don't have a queen, we don't have
• 1:08:56
  Speaker 2: a rain and Queen coming to talk to everybody, tell
• 1:08:58
  Speaker 2: everybody what's cute, what's not cute, what's ugly, and what
• 1:09:00
  Speaker 2: you know, what works and what is not working. And
• 1:09:03
  Speaker 2: I have been waiting, and I've been praying for someone
• 1:09:05
  Speaker 2: to come along for many years now. And then finally
• 1:09:08
  Speaker 2: I looked at myself and I was like, bitch, I
• 1:09:10
  Speaker 2: think it's you. And I'm like, damn it, Like I
• 1:09:12
  Speaker 2: don't want to do it, but what I know I
• 1:09:15
  Speaker 2: have to do. I have to do it. Yeah, we
• 1:09:17
  Speaker 2: don't have anybody. Anna's out, everyone's out passed away, I know.
• 1:09:23
  Speaker 2: And like I really wish him, like girl, like if
• 1:09:25
  Speaker 2: I could just like bring you back and give you
• 1:09:27
  Speaker 2: the crown so then I don't have to do the
• 1:09:28
  Speaker 2: work like I would, I'd rather that. But I think
• 1:09:31
  Speaker 2: he's like I think about him a lot, and like
• 1:09:33
  Speaker 2: I've read a lot of his books and read his documentaries,
• 1:09:36
  Speaker 2: and like I feel like that bitch is like guiding me.
• 1:09:38
  Speaker 2: Like I'm feeling he's like, you got to go get
• 1:09:41
  Speaker 2: to work, bitch. I'm like, all right, bitch, I'm doing it.
• 1:09:43
  Speaker 2: But he's I mean, wow, yeah, wow, what a talent
• 1:09:47
  Speaker 2: I am. I actually bought one of his jackets at
• 1:09:50
  Speaker 2: auction a couple of years ago, right after he passed,
• 1:09:52
  Speaker 2: and like it's one of my most prized possessions. I
• 1:09:54
  Speaker 2: love it. It's really beautiful.
• 1:09:57
  Speaker 1: No, but The thing is this, I feel like this
• 1:10:00
  Speaker 1: is your time and your season. It is you know,
• 1:10:03
  Speaker 1: you took when when e J and the City did
• 1:10:06
  Speaker 1: not come back again. What I love about you is
• 1:10:11
  Speaker 1: there's not a thirsty bone in your body.
• 1:10:13
  Speaker 2: No, do you know what I mean?
• 1:10:15
  Speaker 1: Like you allow yourself to just like enjoy life and
• 1:10:17
  Speaker 1: be a human. And I feel like in the past
• 1:10:22
  Speaker 1: recent months, your Instagram is back activated. The photos that
• 1:10:30
  Speaker 1: thank you, honey, the photos the portfolio you're building. Yeah,
• 1:10:34
  Speaker 1: well that's what I wanted it to be.
• 1:10:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that was my first goal was to get a
• 1:10:40
  Speaker 2: handle on that, because that's why I hated posting for
• 1:10:42
  Speaker 2: so long, because like, you know, I did that. I
• 1:10:44
  Speaker 2: was at the forefront when people were posting looks and
• 1:10:47
  Speaker 2: like I was at the beginning of that before it
• 1:10:49
  Speaker 2: was even like a thing. You know. It's like so
• 1:10:51
  Speaker 2: like I couldn't continue on just doing it to do it,
• 1:10:53
  Speaker 2: and I wasn't going to compete with all these other girls,
• 1:10:55
  Speaker 2: you know, the other bitches who think that they're bombing
• 1:10:57
  Speaker 2: and they're not bombed, And like I just had to
• 1:10:59
  Speaker 2: find a way to do to tell the story the
• 1:11:02
  Speaker 2: way that I wanted to. And I was like, oh, well,
• 1:11:04
  Speaker 2: you know what we what don't we have? Oh, we
• 1:11:06
  Speaker 2: don't have a fabulous fashion magazine anymore because like you know,
• 1:11:08
  Speaker 2: nobody reads and you know, we don't have there. These
• 1:11:12
  Speaker 2: magazines are not putting in the budget and the effort
• 1:11:14
  Speaker 2: to create these beautiful magazines that we grew up with.
• 1:11:17
  Speaker 2: And I was like, that's what we're gonna do. I'm
• 1:11:18
  Speaker 2: just gonna make a very high editorial, you know, all
• 1:11:21
  Speaker 2: of the Popper's bazaars and the folk shoots that I
• 1:11:24
  Speaker 2: was obsessed with as a kid, and I'm going to
• 1:11:27
  Speaker 2: tell the story and also show this highest version of
• 1:11:30
  Speaker 2: myself through that lens that I've always loved. And that's
• 1:11:34
  Speaker 2: that's that's where I kind of got on that. And
• 1:11:37
  Speaker 2: so now I'm going to start adding video component. So
• 1:11:40
  Speaker 2: now we'll do some more talking, We'll do some more
• 1:11:43
  Speaker 2: you know, kind of showing and educating, because I think
• 1:11:46
  Speaker 2: that's also very important. People are really missing the mark
• 1:11:49
  Speaker 2: right now. Like I'm glad everybody's at the table, you know,
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 2: social media and the fact that like you know, everything
• 1:11:53
  Speaker 2: kind of just blew up and like you know, everyone's
• 1:11:55
  Speaker 2: at the at the at the table with fashion big before,
• 1:11:58
  Speaker 2: like especially when I was like you know, moved here
• 1:12:01
  Speaker 2: in the you know, twenty ten. In college and in
• 1:12:04
  Speaker 2: the early blog days, it's like that door was like closed. Yeah,
• 1:12:07
  Speaker 2: like if you you it was impossible. You had to
• 1:12:09
  Speaker 2: get you know, Nana winch Ars somebody to come and
• 1:12:11
  Speaker 2: be like, oh you, you can come in. But everyone,
• 1:12:14
  Speaker 2: you know, everyone was very like oh no. And so
• 1:12:17
  Speaker 2: now that that all blew up and everyone's here, we
• 1:12:19
  Speaker 2: have to now we have to start talking about a
• 1:12:22
  Speaker 2: dressing appropriately for everybody and finding what works for everybody,
• 1:12:26
  Speaker 2: and you know, telling a different story because you know,
• 1:12:31
  Speaker 2: we're gender inclusive, we're body conscious and all of these
• 1:12:34
  Speaker 2: things now, which is lovely, but like, you know, let's
• 1:12:38
  Speaker 2: let's let's let's start, you know, finding the best version
• 1:12:42
  Speaker 2: of ourselves and our best styles, which I think is
• 1:12:44
  Speaker 2: being missed because nobody I don't think has the eye
• 1:12:47
  Speaker 2: or the knowledge of the capability to really have those conversations.
• 1:12:54
  Speaker 1: You need to be the met gala.
• 1:12:57
  Speaker 2: I mean, it's all of that. It's such a certain
• 1:13:00
  Speaker 2: right now, like oh my god, the outfits are so
• 1:13:02
  Speaker 2: bad Jesus Christ. But I told myself, I was like,
• 1:13:07
  Speaker 2: should the invitation come, we can go just once, just
• 1:13:10
  Speaker 2: to just to go. But it's really horrible, like the
• 1:13:14
  Speaker 2: red carved. I know, I'm like the only one who
• 1:13:18
  Speaker 2: really like it looks at this with such a strong eye,
• 1:13:20
  Speaker 2: but I'm like, I cannot.
• 1:13:21
  Speaker 1: But that's why we need you, because again we don't. Again,
• 1:13:23
  Speaker 1: I know you have the eye and you need to
• 1:13:25
  Speaker 1: be part of the of the committee.
• 1:13:27
  Speaker 2: I just can't with the Halloween costumes. Like I'm really
• 1:13:29
  Speaker 2: over it. Not Halloween, I'm really over it. No, it's
• 1:13:32
  Speaker 2: it really is. It's like the Halloween parade. It's it's
• 1:13:34
  Speaker 2: it's not cute. It's like, you know, like take me
• 1:13:37
  Speaker 2: back to like you know, Rihanna showing up in the
• 1:13:39
  Speaker 2: giant yellow silk coat with the fur rim Yes, like
• 1:13:43
  Speaker 2: that time when everyone was really doing it respect to
• 1:13:49
  Speaker 2: that met Ball.
• 1:13:50
  Speaker 1: What girl is doing it for you right now in
• 1:13:52
  Speaker 1: the Passion apartment.
• 1:13:53
  Speaker 2: I have to give it only to myself because like
• 1:13:55
  Speaker 2: I'm the only girl. I swear, I'm the only girl
• 1:13:58
  Speaker 2: that I can gag myself. I'm sorry to everyone else,
• 1:14:02
  Speaker 2: I can only give the crown to me. I'm I'm
• 1:14:06
  Speaker 2: I'm very very sad about that because I wish I could.
• 1:14:09
  Speaker 2: I really wish I could give it to somebody else.
• 1:14:11
  Speaker 2: But like honestly, like I'm the only person where I'm like, yes, bitch,
• 1:14:15
  Speaker 2: you're really doing it. But even when I put this
• 1:14:17
  Speaker 2: outfit together, I was.
• 1:14:18
  Speaker 1: Like, yes, I do everything. Why Sun, I was like,
• 1:14:23
  Speaker 1: I need I'm loving man, you are bad bitch.
• 1:14:28
  Speaker 2: I'm sorry.
• 1:14:28
  Speaker 1: I know.
• 1:14:29
  Speaker 2: I mean, like I just like I have to give
• 1:14:30
  Speaker 2: credit where credit is due, you know what I'm saying.
• 1:14:32
  Speaker 2: Like right now, it's like I'm at the point where
• 1:14:35
  Speaker 2: I'm I'm kind of just like giving homage to the
• 1:14:38
  Speaker 2: to when everybody was at their height, you know, Like
• 1:14:42
  Speaker 2: I'm not a person who's like, oh god, I hate
• 1:14:44
  Speaker 2: that bitch because she never gets it right, you know.
• 1:14:46
  Speaker 2: But like I'm just like, like you know, early Rihanna, Yes,
• 1:14:52
  Speaker 2: you know, like twenty ten to like twenty like seventeen, Like, yes, yes,
• 1:14:58
  Speaker 2: those looks I I like to look back on. I
• 1:15:01
  Speaker 2: like to look back on those looks a lot. They're great,
• 1:15:05
  Speaker 2: you know. And I mean a lot of people talk
• 1:15:07
  Speaker 2: a lot of shit about Kim and and you know,
• 1:15:10
  Speaker 2: I just but she had that one period from like
• 1:15:14
  Speaker 2: twenty fifteen to like two thousand and seventeen were you know,
• 1:15:20
  Speaker 2: you know, blessed Kanye. I don't know what's going on
• 1:15:22
  Speaker 2: with him. But when he was a part of it,
• 1:15:24
  Speaker 2: it looks were great.
• 1:15:25
  Speaker 1: Can I tell you something and this is me telling
• 1:15:28
  Speaker 1: you the Gottan is true. I was literally talking to
• 1:15:30
  Speaker 1: somebody maybe two months ago, and for some reason one
• 1:15:36
  Speaker 1: of Kim's looks came to my feed and I went
• 1:15:40
  Speaker 1: down the rabbit hole of these iconic looks that were
• 1:15:44
  Speaker 1: hit of his time. Like one time was like a
• 1:15:47
  Speaker 1: latext dress and I'm just like and it was hot pink,
• 1:15:50
  Speaker 1: and I'm like and like avia the glasses and I'm like,
• 1:15:55
  Speaker 1: wait a minute, this was like everything And then and
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 1: then I was like, oh, this is the Kanye era.
• 1:16:02
  Speaker 1: Who listen. I'm only talking about his genius in terms
• 1:16:05
  Speaker 1: of like fashion County.
• 1:16:06
  Speaker 2: I have to give the credit when it's due, and
• 1:16:08
  Speaker 2: he really and I mean that's what I'm saying. I
• 1:16:10
  Speaker 2: don't know what's going on with him. I have no idea.
• 1:16:13
  Speaker 2: I'm not, you know, condoning any of the messaging that
• 1:16:15
  Speaker 2: he's been putting out. It's been just ugly and crazy. Yes,
• 1:16:21
  Speaker 2: but it is the loss of a great you know,
• 1:16:23
  Speaker 2: it's almost like a passing. You know, it is almost
• 1:16:26
  Speaker 2: like a passing because he was an incredible eye for style.
• 1:16:28
  Speaker 2: You really couldn't beat it. He was. He had an
• 1:16:32
  Speaker 2: incredible eye for style and fashion. He looked at his looks,
• 1:16:36
  Speaker 2: the looks he put her in at the time, like,
• 1:16:39
  Speaker 2: I mean wow, Like he really was brilliant. It is
• 1:16:43
  Speaker 2: just you know, it's just a morning all of a loss.
• 1:16:45
  Speaker 2: To be honest, it's just like, you know, wow, it's
• 1:16:48
  Speaker 2: really unfortunate.
• 1:16:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah. No, I had the count sign that one.
• 1:16:50
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 1:16:51
  Speaker 1: I literally was talking about that recently.
• 1:16:52
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Go, it's it's really that just like for her,
• 1:16:55
  Speaker 2: it's just that one fashion week. Unfortunately it was the
• 1:16:56
  Speaker 2: fashion week she got robbed. But the looks of that
• 1:16:59
  Speaker 2: fashion week. I have to go back and loo dressed, dressed, dressed.
• 1:17:09
  Speaker 2: I so eat Jay.
• 1:17:11
  Speaker 1: Let the girls know what is next for you. How
• 1:17:15
  Speaker 1: can they support you? Follow you all those things?
• 1:17:18
  Speaker 2: You can follow my Instagram, keep on keep keep your
• 1:17:22
  Speaker 2: eye on me. Yeah. Like I said, it's like, there'll
• 1:17:24
  Speaker 2: definitely be some acting moments coming very shortly. They've got
• 1:17:29
  Speaker 2: video content coming in on the socials. Right now, I
• 1:17:33
  Speaker 2: just have Instagram, but I've been talking about about adding
• 1:17:36
  Speaker 2: like a TikTok and some other things. So I think
• 1:17:38
  Speaker 2: that that's probably somewhere down the line as well, but yeah,
• 1:17:43
  Speaker 2: totally keep involved because we're literally just getting started. Like
• 1:17:48
  Speaker 2: there's just like so many fabulous things that like we're
• 1:17:50
  Speaker 2: getting ready to do and like both in the short
• 1:17:53
  Speaker 2: term and the long term, so all the terms are covered.
• 1:17:58
  Speaker 1: Products, projects, the whole thing. You're not here for a
• 1:18:02
  Speaker 1: short time, here for a long time. Yeah, And I
• 1:18:05
  Speaker 1: love that about you, Like you're again I keep saying this,
• 1:18:09
  Speaker 1: but I think in a world where people feel the
• 1:18:11
  Speaker 1: need to just put themselves out there for the sake
• 1:18:14
  Speaker 1: of being out there and afraid of being irrelevant, I
• 1:18:18
  Speaker 1: love the fact that you're more focused on like building
• 1:18:21
  Speaker 1: a foundation that lasts, you know, even at the years
• 1:18:25
  Speaker 1: of you And that's amazing.
• 1:18:27
  Speaker 2: Yes, I think right now the world is so focused
• 1:18:31
  Speaker 2: on fast everyone fast money fast. You know. It's all
• 1:18:33
  Speaker 2: about like the people who are rich for a day
• 1:18:37
  Speaker 2: or a year and then nothing, you know after that.
• 1:18:40
  Speaker 2: And like it just dawned on me because I'm coming
• 1:18:43
  Speaker 2: up with a lot of amazing ideas and I'm like, wow,
• 1:18:46
  Speaker 2: a lot of these ideas are going to take some time,
• 1:18:48
  Speaker 2: but like they're going to be massive. But it's like
• 1:18:50
  Speaker 2: that's when it dawned to me. I was like, oh,
• 1:18:52
  Speaker 2: These are legacy things. These are these are companies, these
• 1:18:55
  Speaker 2: are empire things. These are things that are going to
• 1:18:58
  Speaker 2: last a long time after you're gone and also will
• 1:19:00
  Speaker 2: be a gift, you know, to humanity. Something you can
• 1:19:04
  Speaker 2: just be like, here you go. Now I'm I'm gonna
• 1:19:06
  Speaker 2: go do something else, or I'm gonna retire. I'm gonna,
• 1:19:08
  Speaker 2: you know, just go on with my life with being
• 1:19:09
  Speaker 2: fabus of something that I can just be like, I
• 1:19:12
  Speaker 2: gave I created this and now I'm gonna give it
• 1:19:15
  Speaker 2: to the world and move on. But a lot of
• 1:19:18
  Speaker 2: the stuff that I'm thinking about, and a lot of
• 1:19:19
  Speaker 2: stuff that I've already put pen to paper and started
• 1:19:22
  Speaker 2: having early meetings on.
• 1:19:23
  Speaker 1: It's very that yes e j jah Sai y'all. Reality
• 1:19:33
  Speaker 1: with the King is executive produced by me Carlos King,
• 1:19:38
  Speaker 1: produced by Lizzie Mimics, and a partnership with the Lack
• 1:19:42
  Speaker 1: of Effect Network. You can also find us on my YouTube
• 1:19:46
  Speaker 1: channel at BI Carlos King Underscore