Gayle King Opens Up, Kevin Hart Responds & Lizzo Sparks Debate

In this episode of Raised By Her, the hosts break down major cultural moments shaping media, entertainment, and leadership today—from Hollywood casting controversies and executive accountability to viral celebrity interviews and intergenerational conversations about relationships, legacy, and identity.

We discuss Gayle King’s revelations on Call Her Daddy about infidelity and shame, Kevin Hart’s response on The Breakfast Club, and the ongoing cultural debate surrounding Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey casting and representation in film. The conversation also explores how public figures navigate accountability, authenticity, and public perception in today’s media landscape.

We also examine Lizzo’s approach to brand partnerships and creative control, before closing with reflections on luxury, rest, and connection through a breathtaking Alaskan cruise experience shared across generations.

🎧 In This Episode:

•  Gayle King interview breakdown (Call Her Daddy) 
•  Kevin Hart vs The Breakfast Club interview analysis 
•  Christopher Nolan Odyssey casting controversy 
•  Hollywood representation & cultural backlash 
•  Lizzo brand authenticity & marketing strategy 
•  Media accountability & executive leadership 
•  Intergenerational relationships, sisterhood & legacy 
•  Luxury travel + Alaska cruise reflection

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 – The Nolan Odyssey Casting Secret Exposed
01:14 – Elon Musk vs. Universal Pictures Budget Realities
02:22 – Why Fans Question Lupita playing Helen of Troy
03:34 – From Denzel's Macbeth to Modern Representation Limits
05:32 – Hidden Truths in the PBS W.E.B. Du Bois Documentary
06:44 – The Ultimate Debate: Booker T. Washington vs. Du Bois
08:04 – Kevin Hart Breakfast Club Interview Breakdown
09:54 – Executive Producer Accountability & Leadership Lessons
11:45 – Netflix Roast Controversy: The George Floyd Joke
14:07 – Why Kevin Hart Dismissed Lauren DeRosa
17:12 – Eddie Murphy AFI Tribute & Giving Back to the Culture
19:08 – Gail King Call Her Daddy Shocking Confessions
21:14 – Surviving Marital Infidelity and Shame with Grace
22:57 – 50 Years of Sisterhood: The Oprah & Gail Relationship
27:12 – Celebrating Lifelong Friends and Radical Honesty
36:19 – Lizzo vs. Mary J. Blige: Truth in Advertising
39:39 – Brand Authenticity and Maintaining Creative Control
44:00 – Ultimate Alaskan Cruise Luxury Travel Guide
48:51 – Discovering Alaska’s Hidden Rainforces & Pure Oxygen
51:59 – Saying Yes To New Adventures in Your 70s

🎤 New episodes every week. Honest conversations between mother and daughter on family, womanhood, and navigating life across generations.

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Transcript

0:00

Thank you so much for joining us on the Raised by Her podcast. It really helps us out. If you download, subscribe, like, and love. And also please leave us a review. Welcome back to Raised by Her. Well, yes. Hi there. Hi. How are you? I'm doing wonderful. How are you? I'm doing well. Yes, you look very pretty in your peach. Thank you. Thank you. It's a peachy kind of day. It's a peachy kind of day. Yes. So we got some really interesting and great, but interesting, as we do, responses to our topics from last week. So we usually dive into one of them. I wanted to dive into two of them. If that's okay with you. That sounds great. In fact, I wanted to uh make a minor correction uh on one of the comments I made uh last week. We were talking about the uh the film Odyssey that's coming out in July. And there was a lot of conversation uh about uh various reactions to the uh actors who are gonna be performing. Yes, there was. Uh and uh I also made a comment that um Elon Musk was one of the financiers of the of the um movie. He is not a financier, although being a uh multi, I don't know, billionaire, trillionaire, whatever. He's actually on his way to being a trillionaire. Okay. Um if they IPO SpaceX, but Okay, all right, well, a billionaire for Nathan. That's good, yes. So um he was one of the individuals that commented on the um the lead actress who was gonna be playing uh Helen of Troy. Yep, that's what we were discussing last week. And uh Universal Um Picture Studio is financing the film for $250 million alongside of um Nolan and Emma's production company and the um their state funding coming from the Greek government. So they're all putting monies in. Okay, so you're just fact-checking yourself based on some of the responses because folks are also fact-checking you. Yes, yes, and that's okay. We want you, we want you to to uh to respond. So keep us honest. Okay, great. Well, some other conversation uh that was happening in the comments on our clips. Um I'm actually not gonna read the usernames because there's a lot going on. But one person said the fact that people continue to question Nolan's casting decisions is wild. And we agree because the conversation last week was around how amazing it is that Lapita is going to be playing this role and how inappropriate it was for uh Elon Musk to have any negative commentary about um her selection and her appearance and uh and also how amazing Christopher Nolan is as a director, like he's got this type thing. And so um I happen to agree with that person's comment. I agree as well. When uh Oppenheim came out um as a film, it was um so widely uh received uh around the world in terms of its its uh subject matter and uh the casting for that particular film was outstanding too. No one really questioned his choices there. So now why? Because this is his newest venture, and yet people don't seem to trust him as much. Well, a person doesn't seem to just like his decisions. I don't know if trust is there, but he doesn't like his decisions. Um, another person said, I'm just sitting here thinking about a similar situation a few years back when Denzel Washington played Macbeth. I don't remember anyone complaining about that. What makes this situation any different? Oh, now that is an interesting perspective. So uh and then another person responded to that saying the definition of beauty and the fact that this is commentary on women. Oh yes, blackness and black people, but also women. Well, Helen of Troy being one of the most beautiful women, women, women in the world, um in Greek mythology. And someone can play her, period. Period. Um, and then the last one I'll read on this particular topic. I never care about actors' physical portrayal in film. If the performance is good enough, you absolutely get drawn into the narrative. We will have to wait and see the film to know if they did a good job. I don't see any reason to believe that they won't do really well right now. Absolutely. And I think that that's what Christopher Nolan really was saying in terms of his choices for all the performers. I'm choosing some of the uh the more positive comments. There are absolutely people um backing up Elon Musk in the comments and talking about um that Helen of Troy was not a black woman and that history described her as a blonde girl, and other people responding. Where is this historic description of a fictional character? So that those are very spirit. And we love that. Keep the conversation going. Keep the conversation going. And what we really want you to be able to do is to to dialogue too about uh how this impacts our world. What does this mean in terms of of culture, of uh creative license uh in terms of performance, in terms of arts and entertainment? Why is this so um so important? It's important because in our world today, as a society, we really should be more accepting. And the evolution of media, yeah, to your point over time, and what role does re representation play in 2026? Um, particularly around fictional characters, but we all have that big fiction or characters. Yes, yes, yes. Um we also got some really great commentary around our conversation on PBS's new documentary on W.E.B. Du Bois. Okay. I'm glad to know that. Yeah, it it was actually one person said R.I.P. D'Booker T and Marcus Garvey. Oh, another person said, I watched the PBS special several days ago and it was very good. Highly recommend if you like historical documentaries. I had no idea Du Bois had lived so long and had been through so much, good and bad. Wonderful. And we want to do that to bring perspectives to you, information to you, and to just sort of do a shout out, especially to those documentaries uh who are providing, I think, not only a historical context, but also gives us some perspective of what's going on today and giving you a chance to be able to maybe apply some of the principles of what was happening way back then and how problems were solved to what we need to do today. Yeah, documentaries, it's how I'm getting some of my history. Okay. So uh definitely shout out to the folks who are making them and um making the history relevant to today. Right. A lot of platforms out there. Another person said Booker T was more about learning trade-oriented jobs than can be that can be used to build a community, construction, plumbing, etc. While Du Bois was much more academic in what he thought we should learn. There is a quote somewhere by Booker T where he says, What's the use of learning to read classical Latin as if we can't build our own homes? I'm paraphrasing. And that was the uh the controversy between Booker T Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. And I I think that um today there's probably still some uh some context to that discussion. Um decide what it is that you can do that you uh need to do in order to live the kind of life you want to live. Um lastly, I'll just read one more comment. Uh white people loved Washington and hated Du Bois. That tells you everything you need to know right there. Oh, alrighty then. Then there was a spirit conversation and make that comment as well. I'm sure, I'm sure. Well, keep the comments coming. We really do appreciate the fact that you are engaged and that you're responding to us, and it allows us to be able to not only explore lots of different topics, but also to be able to um have a conversation and to be able to be engaged ourselves as um we're continuing to explore our world and what's going on today. Mm-hmm. So that was what we want to talk about, specific to last week. But um, two weeks ago, we discussed the Kevin Hart roast, and that conversation hasn't died because he recently went on the Breakfast Club to address some of the backlash um that we discussed two episodes ago. Yes, yes. And um I don't know that he helped his cause. I mean, it was one of those situations I was listening to the interview and I was getting ready for wherever I was going, and I kept having to pop out and be like, wait, what? And then like we're wrong, we're and he said, What? And then I was like, uh Yes. Well, when you sent that um particular episode of The Breakfast Club uh to me to uh to listen to Kevin's comments, um, I thought, oh no, do I have to do this all over again? Because as I said, it it uh the the roast of Kevin Hart um really hurt my ears across the board. I was so disappointed in the content. And I also felt that it was just inappropriate that some of the comedy, the black comedy, the jokes and the things that they were talking about was just uh it was just harsh. Well, it didn't have anything to do with him either. Um no, and that's what he was responding to. Um he said it was comedi, you know, the comedians' license to be able to talk about whatever they wanted to. Um he he said, yes, it was a roast about me, but when um in the world of comedy, you can talk about anything that you want to talk about. And I thought that's not what a roast is all about. So, you know, I I I'm really thinking he was not doing any good, as you said, for his cause. Uh he, as the executive producer, also said that he doesn't sit and decide what the the joke should be or what the comedian should say, and and yet he is the person in charge. Yeah, he's platforming them. I you know, that was one of the things that came up for me halfway through the interview. I was like, did he because he wasn't taking any responsibility whatsoever? Because I so we should also get into our perspectives on lead on leadership, because I was like, this is a a leadership challenge here. Okay. Um, but uh yes, so he I went back and I was like, wait, did he have a role in selecting who the comedians were going to be that were going to roast him? Like that's a call, that's a question that came to me because he wasn't taking any responsibility for any of it. And he actually ended up answering that question. He said, Yes, but he he selected the comics who were going to be roasting him based on the first roast of Tom Brady. And since that roast went so well, that is why he went back and he was like, Oh, they did well. Okay, I'll choose this person, this person. And so in my mind, I'm like, that's all the betting you did was how successful they were last time. You didn't go into what it is they typically talk about, what's their current reputation, how will this align with what it is, what messaging I want to portray as a comedian, as the executive, was he an executive producer? Are you sure? One of the producers. Okay, he's one of the producers. Uh, but as as the headliner, as the headline person who's, you know, being roasted. His name's on the door, if you will, as it pertains to this particular uh roast. And so the fact that he was anyway, so yes, he did select those people. And he's also like, it, you know, it's it's not me, it's you know, it's um the writers, you know. A lot of these a lot of these jokes were being written by writers that weren't even being written by um the comedians themselves. There are people that came out, right? Michael Shea in particular was like, oh yeah, I was in the writing room, but then I took myself out because I did not like what was happening in that writing room. Well, there was also uh controversy about uh how many of the writers uh were black and how many were white. So I think it might have been zero. Well, what he said was not all of them were shown at the time or something. Yeah, so he like twisted it. He did it directly. No, he did not answer it directly. Um he also did not take um any responsibility for having seen any of the jokes ahead of time. And yet later in the interview, what what he said was that um I I had to know something about who was going to be um presenting. And then there were specific questions about the the jokes, especially with George Um Floyd and his family members who actually came out and had a comment uh about the roast itself and how inappropriate. And what Kevin Hart said was that in black comedy there are inappropriate statements. It can be about um people who um have handicaps or people who have uh a parent who has uh passed away. And he went into the the reasons and excuses why uh comedy gives the license to be able to talk about anything at any point, and that the point of a roast is not to be able to necessarily make social commentary, but to be able to have people to be entertained. Is that oh well absolutely I don't agree with that at all. I two two things can be true. It can be true. And it has to be something, it has to be uh I I I think uh a true statement that you have to take some responsibility for the content that exists. Absolutely. You you mentioned leadership. So if you are in a leadership role, uh you may not be able to absolutely dictate the commentary of what everybody is going to say and do. But you do have the responsibility, I think, of standing up for what you believe in, which is what he did. He stood up for what he believed in. But also when people come back at you and say, I think this is inappropriate, then don't step back and say, Well, that wasn't my decision. There were eight or twelve, eight to twelve jokes that were taken out that weren't uh aired live on Netflix. So that's a part of the challenge too. People are like, why would you allow that Joy George Floyd joke to air? Um and not, you know, like what some of the like there were some jokes around like Trump and some political jokes that they took out. I didn't know that. I mean, it's just and also his his whole demeanor during the interview bothered me. Like, so there's a um, she's not a co-host, but Lauren DeRosa is uh she was one of the people interviewing. Um, she's one of the, what would you call it? Just like a she's not a co-host of The Breakfast Club. She is a commentator. Okay, commentator. And she was one of the people in it as a part of the interview, and he was extremely dismissive of her. And so, for example, because she she interviewed George Floyd's uh brother. And so the she was the one that brought that up, and he was like, I wouldn't watch your interview. Don't ever expect me to watch your interview. Why would I watch your? I mean, it was and it it wasn't just like a moment in time, he went on and on about how irrelevant she was in terms of how he lives his life and how he runs his companies. I mean, he talked about the fact that he doesn't make this decision, that that like his whole role is to just set the direction and that's it. And I'm like, um, okay. Um, yes, and and I I felt uh that he was not respectful of her and her role and her opportunity to not only ask the questions, but also he was making a commentary about how she was going about uh interviewing him and and and uh making excuses yet again. So I believe in the role of leadership. Uh you do take responsibility, you own up to the job and the role that you have. You may not always like all the things that people are doing, uh, certainly in the leadership roles that that I've been in throughout my life. Um, there have been some decisions that some people have made that I I had to be able to say, yes, uh, we're responsible for that, and either apologize, um, I can explain this is what it is, but I also had uh rules and regulations. It doesn't sound like Kevin Hart has very many rules and regulations in terms of how he was sort of managing uh the particular um content of of this particular roast. She went on to talk about um his company and some of the other things that have been said about him being a a manager or a leader or the head of his company, and so he took offense um at those comments. He was taking offense at everything. At everything. So um I ultimately I I didn't feel that he was uh had a strong case for his side of the story. He had his opinion, and he said everybody is entitled to their own opinion. He did say that, but um, it didn't make me walk away from feeling any better about the roast, his roast or Tom Brady's roast, the one before, that I popped up on my Netflix uh screen anyway. And I thought, where did that come from? It has caused a shift for me in my perception of him because I used to see, like, oh, Kevin Hart's a part of something, like, oh, I'll watch her, that should be interesting. So um, Netflix just released a tribute to Eddie Murphy um as a part of the AFI awards, American Film Institute Awards. Does Kevin Hart have something something to do with that? Um, he yeah, he spoke a little bit um as an intro. And as soon as I saw Kevin Hart walk in, and I mean Arsenial Hall, I mean like all all the black folks in comedy. I mean, CB Wonder was there, like all the kind of like the cultural entertainers and everything, yeah. You know, giving tribute to Eddie Murphy and his career. But as soon as I saw Kevin Hart, I was like, mm-hmm. Okay. Almost like, why are you like I don't want to dismiss everything that you've you know accomplished. But also like I, you know, for somebody so rooted in the culture like one of the things he said um on that Breakfast Club interview is I employ over 150 people and I continue to write checks and I continue to help people. So let's think about all the good that I do and the jobs and the families. And so um He might have said that nobody does more for the black community than I do. Oh, I didn't remember hearing that, but uh I think that there would be some question about that, but okay. Okay. Yeah. You know, you know, we often we often say, you know, go do you, um, but uh please don't uh disrespect the lives of those who have, I think, gone on uh and have had some challenges and just be able to help us to celebrate who we are and what we are in general. I agree. Um maybe that's enough of that. Okay, all right, we'll move on. Yeah, but I I um but it's good that he came. I am glad that he came out and said and and even like shaped. Right. And and again, we do appreciate any comments that that uh other folks have because we want you to to be able to think about it and we want you to be informed about many things. Yes. All right, so and I actually I was listening to this before it even kind of hit the the news waves, but did you see because I listen to call her daddy sometimes when I when they uh when she has good guests on, and I saw Gail King's name pop up. I was like, ooh, now this is good guest. Yes. Uh so and they were it was a great conversation from my perspective. And um, so did you see any um news articles that came out afterwards? Because Gail King uh shared some things that I I wasn't aware, like I knew it was I knew she was divorced. I didn't realize the traumatic nature of which her ex-husband cheated on her. I mean, that's she revealed more details, she said, in that interview on accident than she meant to, but she's telling her truth. Alex asked her questions and then she said, I must be in a moment that I just truly want to uh to reveal these kinds of specific details because she uh she did talk uh about um the specifics of uh the particular situation where she caught her husband cheating on her with uh a good friend of hers in her house, in her bedroom where her kids were there. Uh her kids call that woman Auntie about how close they were. So yes, I did see the comments um and some news articles afterwards, and it has been a topic of conversation. The topic of conversation about what Gail revealed, but also the fact of how even today, how she handled the situation uh with Grace and how women are really feeling like we need to be able to just talk about what those deep feelings are when there have been situations of infidelity or when you have been hurt or when you have um not have your your marriage um really respected in a certain kind of way, and the role of what the woman normally has to then play in terms of keeping everything together, because that's what Gail did. She chose to do that. Well, she's she talked about how she felt the pressure to do it, and she also talked about the fact that she it was self-imposed pressure, that she didn't want anybody to know, and that she did go back to her now ex-husband a couple times even after trying to keep the relationship going. For their children, she did that for the uh for the kids, she said at at one point, but also because she loved him and she wanted to be married to him, and she thought he was the one, if you will. Did she say I I listened to a lot of different did she say that she used to run his bathwater? She said she used to run. I've heard that I've heard that comment several times over this past week. I feel like from dear various women of a certain age. I was like, oh, that's a okay. It's a thing. Real look, you're looking at me like of course it's a thing, Donica. Running your husband's bathwater. Well, or your or your husband running your bathwater was it was the thing. It was it was an um an act of uh of love, him doing the bubble bath for you or you doing the bubble bath for him or No, but she said like every day. This wasn't like a special occasion thing. Oh, I I missed that part of the other. That's her. But I but I but I think the the point of that conversation was that's how close we were and how we took care of each other. That's what I took that comment to mean. There are special things that you do for someone that you love or that that person who loves you will do for you. And it's our thing. It's it's what we do. Um, and I I so I took that that particular comment to to say I thought everything was fine. And then I realized that it wasn't, because people also ask her, didn't you know? Because they say you you know something, you feel something, you're aware, and you're just not being honest with yourself. And she said, I didn't know. I really did not know, except that one time when they were playing tennis and um woman looked at her a certain way. Yeah, she also said though that she was so, to your point, so much in it that um sh it would have had to been something as drastic as what happened to get her to realize that it was the truth. Because if somebody would have came up to her and said, you know, your husband's cheating on you or whatever, she would not have believed them. Those are her words. Well, when she called her friend's husband, he didn't believe it. Right, right. One of the things that one of the responses that this story has gotten, um, that I think is really and has really made Gail feel good. Not feel good, but but people this is a relatable story, I guess. And so women are coming out saying, Thank you for sharing your story and the details of your story. This is what either happened to me or this is what I'm aware of. And I felt such shame around it, and you telling your story has allowed me to know that I'm not alone and trying to deal with all of what one has to deal with when they when they go through such a traumatic thing in their in their marriage and or their divorce or whatever, or whatever it is. And that that feeling of shame is one that uh especially more seasoned women can can really um, I think, relate to because it wasn't something that was openly talked about uh many years ago. Your generation, you all talk about things uh more openly, you share things more openly, you're more opinionated, but I think in part because we've seen what harm is done when you don't. Well, that's true. When you when you keep it secrets, when you keep secrets. Halle Berry um came out and and with some comments um because uh one of her former husbands had uh cheated on the former husbands, Lord. That's well, Eric Pinet. No, no, no, no, no, it's fine, just that's well but but she's a 19 former husbands. Well, um Hallie bless her heart. She's happy now though. She that's what matters. She is she's found her happy. She's found her happy and she's she's moved on. But one of the comments that she made was when um she heard the Gail King story, it made her feel like, you know, there's so many of us who are still hurting and still have not talked about it. So maybe this will allow us to be able to share our pain because you can't get beyond the hurt and pain unless you talk about it. You can't get beyond um the infidelity or the particular situation. Someone also um mentioned that handling these situations with grace is hard because you're hurt, you're sad, you're angry, and you want to have some kind of emotional reaction. But if you have children or if you have family, you also want to be able to um respect the father of the children or or whatever. And then there's that situation I I I mentioned it to you um one other time where um Jada and Will Smith uh had to deal with their public situation with the um the young man that Jada had the affair with. And um so, you know, but men feel it too, and Will Smith is still with her. Mm-hmm. I mean, I don't know if I find those two to be analogous because um You mean men um having to deal with with um No, the Jada and and Will scenario where Jada um had an affair with her son's best friend. Well, I think there's some other nuances there. But I I understand your overall point. The point is that it hurts, it happens, people deal with it in their own way, but you have to deal with it. That is my point. You have to be able to express yourself, you have to be able to share your truth, and you also have to be able to feel the pain so you can get beyond it. Because healing is what Gail King has been doing over the last 30 plus years. I didn't realize that she was 71 years old. I know something she looks great. That's what she's. I mean, y'all are rocking in your 70s. Hey, hey, how about that? I tell you, best decade ever. Best decade ever. You know. Um, one of the things that uh once I finished the interview, my one of my main takeaways was her, obviously, we know her friendship with Oprah, but I loved um kind of diving into some more detail around like the different moments of time of their friendship, and because that was a moment in time in their friendship, because Gail was obviously going through um a massive thing and figure and finding out about the infidelity in her marriage, and her very first call was to Oprah. And uh so Oprah's like, okay, tell me what's going on, and you know, Gail was like, so real quick on the story. So once uh she found um her ex and her um friend in bed, the ex-husband was like, Okay, I'm going to go take your friend to the bus station because that's where her husband is going to pick her up because he thinks that she's on a work trip and then I'll be right back. And and Robert was like, wait a minute, he left you? You know, I I hurt all over again for her when she said that. I mean, your husband is leaving you with the woman that he just had an affair with, and you just realized this, and he's leaving you. I I mean that that pain, it just hit me all over again. Well, I I don't think that it hit her though. Oprah was like, No, it didn't hit her. So much bigger than you that's right, than you realize. That is absolutely right. Whole host of other issues uh that you're gonna have to deal with with him because he had also asked that she not call that woman's husband. Right. And Oprah was like, you better call that man. Like he's not dictating your response to this, you dictate. And so she was kind of speaking power into her friend and um had to continue speaking power into her friend for a number of years. Yeah, for a number of years. And Gail even said, like, at some point, Oprah was like, whatever, stay with him. I don't want to hear about it anymore. Like so it's I was like, oh, that's so relatable in terms of long-term friendships. You just like ebb and flow. And well, you do, you you ebb and flow, and and really what I I know Oprah was saying is, Gail, I love you anyway. This is what I see. I'm going to tell you the truth, but you're not ready either to hear it. Yeah. And and sometimes we're not. You know, I've had friends in my lifetime that have said things to me um that I was not ready to hear, but then I thought, you know, I am so thankful that they did. Just recently I had a friend say to me, you know, you need to ask the honest question about what's going on here in a situation. And I thought, oh, I thought I did, but no, I hadn't. I hadn't asked the question because then you have to then respond to the answer to that question. So I think ultimately what you want is a friend like Oprah who can say, I'm gonna stick with you because I love you, sis. I will stick with you. But you need to be able to get through the honesty of the situation. So I feel like you appreciate friends like that. I appreciate friends like that. I don't know if all women appreciate, and maybe it depends on where they are in their life and what stage and and what they're going through. But I I it's a because it's a conversation that pops up in women's circles. Should I tell her this? Should I tell her that? You know, I don't want to disrupt our friendship. I don't know if she's gonna be able to handle the truth, you know, like all these things are at play. And so, whereas you and I are like, give us the truth, and then we'll just like do I but not everybody's like that. Well, no, I think it has to do with the messenger, and I think it has to do with the relationship of the messenger, because the Oprah Gale friendship is it's 50 years old, and it's been going on and on and on. And yes, we do have friends that we have had since we were younger, much younger. Much younger. Yeah. But if it's a new friend, if it's a different relationship, I I think it it absolutely depends upon the closeness, the trust level that you and that other person have. That's true, and the depth of honesty that you all have had within your friendship. And the credibility. Yes. And because not everybody is um, and I hate to say this, not everybody is out there for your good. And not everybody is going to give you the best advice. And there are a lot of women who pretend to be out there, but there's something in it for them. And we know women like that too. I know. And and and honestly, I can I can say that I've had some women in my life that have befriended me, not because they were befriending me, but because they had another goal in mind, another situation in mind, something else that they wanted because of what they thought either I could do for them or I had within uh the realms of um my particular role to be able to play a positive um. Yeah, you've been through some things. That is one of the ways I know that I can probably get through it. Because I'm like, oh well, I feel like every time I call you a situation, you're like, hmm, you you address it with me. You're like, I also let me just tell you this story about 19, whatever. And you tell me something that's actually from my for me like 15 times worse. And I'm like, what? It's and I got through it. And you got through it, I'm like, Lord, because you lived. Well, well, I've lived. This is what I believe. I think that God gives you the strength to be able to get through it, but you have to be honest about what it is. And I think what God also wants you to do is to learn the lesson because everybody is gonna have challenges. I mean, when I always go back to the the fact of, you know, when Jesus was on that cross and, you know, he was asking, asking God, he said, you know, Father, they know not what they do. And he's on the cross. What he's saying is that sometimes you just have to be in that forgiving mode, but you have to take the pain with it. And that's what I what I see there. I think that we have to be able to live our lives in our truth and honesty, but we can't make other people do the right thing. We can't sure. We can't. They're they're gonna be whoever they are. And if you're blessed to have that one friend, that Oprah Gale kind of friend, or if you're blessed to have two or three other people who care about you who can be honest in your life, then you have it all. Yeah, I agree. Really do have it all. Because there are some people in the world who really don't have anyone, they haven't given of themselves, but they also haven't been honest. That's true. You do have to be a friend to have a friend. That's absolutely right. Yeah, that's absolutely true. And then you go through the ebbs and flows, you know, marriages, and yes, divorces, and you know, deaths, and you know, all the things, all the things. Yeah. And if I let you into my space and into my heart and into my family unit, what I'd like to think is that you're going to be real and authentic and be able to then help me when times are challenging, because they're gonna be. That's the hope. Anything else you want to say about um that particular interview or the responses that we've seen to that particular interview. I continue to just um give Gail King uh a lot of kudos for her telling her her story and going through all the healing um that she's had to go through. And um, I'm glad that she's seeing in real time how her sharing her story has helped other women. I was so pleased to be able to hear that what she has been able to do with her life is to be able to live her best life moving forward. I mean, she's oh yeah, she skyrocketed. She did, and so she was able to take that pain. And he was complaining about her star. He was complaining about her. In the marriage. And it's like, oh my gosh, you know, how was that question? How long are you going to be Gail King? Yeah, something like that. Something like that. And I'm thinking, what? Come on. And so then her star really began to rise. And um, so what I what I took away from it, not only her authenticity, and I watched the CBS uh morning news in addition to the today's show. I kind of go back and forth. But I I was able to say that uh having listened to this interview on Call of Your Daddy, and I don't watch it or listen to it as much as you do, but I liked the way that Alex related to her as a woman. I like the advice that Gail King gave. Um and but I also like the fact that she's able to say, you know, and my star just went on to just move up and move forward. And I still haven't found love, but I'm still here and I'm still open to it. To me, that was the best lesson of what that whole interview was all about, too. Yeah go through the pain, deal with it. Um she had a forgiving heart, he is still the father of her children, and he was very much in her kids' lives, and he apologized. Yeah, I wanted to say that. He did. And he was a good thing. And gave her the credit too. And he's like, I shouldn't have done. I'm you know, I'm sorry. You know, yeah. And so what else can you say? And then and then you have to move on and live your life. So uh yeah, wonderful. All right, yes, yes. Okay, well, so another thing that popped on my feed uh this week was I was scrolling through Instagram. Oh, really? You were scrolling through Instagram? Yeah, I was. Okay, and then I saw this jingle from Lizzo um around baby back ribs for chili. Chili's restaurant, yes. And I was like, wait, I just saw like some conversation where Mary J. Blige was talking about how difficult it was uh for her because she did a jingle for Burger King, um talking about chicken and got roasted by the black community, so much so that Burger King had to end up taking that at a very short period of time. They did. She's still talking about the pain and suffering um that that whole experience caused her. And so I was looking, I was like, that's really interesting. I think Lizzo, first of all, did a really great job. People feel people there's been a lot of conversation because people see the synergies, and then other people are like, no, this is how it's different and why it's working better. But I was like, oh, this is a really interesting kind of media and advertising conversation. So Lizzo looks great. Um, she she has not only uh a certain kind of um persona, but when she is doing that that particular commercial, Lizzo is she's just right on it. She's rocking and rolling that that role. Um, you know, ribs are not my thing, but I know ribs are a thing. And uh it is something popular in the in the black community. The difference between the way that the commercial was done when Mary Blige John Mary J. Blige did it years ago was it wasn't a celebration of uh sort of life and eating and and love the way that Lizzo has taken on it. It was it was a commercial, but it wasn't quite as well done as as this particular commercial. And it appeared that Mary was was um saying chicken because chicken is one of the things that is relevant in black culture. I mean, that's the way it was presented or the way it was received. I'm not I'm not really really sure. So it's and it's a difference in time too, Donica. We are more today very um, I think, open to the entertainers and the artists kind of doing their things and putting their spin on whatever it is. I'd like to know what Mary Mary J. Blige thinks about Lizzo's commercial. Yeah, me too. I'll let you know it. Okay. When you're going through when you're going through, yes, when you're going through the I think I think I I I agree with you. I think a part of the reason, like Liz, she was very upfront, like the beginning of the jingle. She was like, I wouldn't do this. And then she's like, You're gonna pay me how much? And then she went into it. Right. And then it wasn't like Mary J. Blige's commercial was her listing off a bunch of ingredients, standing in the middle of, and but Lizzo, it was she made it like one of her songs. I was like, Oh, this is catchy. She brought in, I'd never seen a rib flute before, you know. I'm like, oh, so she brought in a flute play. You haven't seen that commercial. Let me just say, you need to you need to Google it because it is it's a great commercial and it's a lot of fun. And I also like she had had um she'd been talking about chilies generally, you know, like throughout time anyway. So it's you there was like that authenticity there. You're like, oh, this is a brand, uh like they know each other, and they gave her the the flexibility to be able to make it her own clearly. Whereas with Mary J. Blige, one of the things that she said in terms of her experience is that that commercial was leaked and so was the unfinished product. And so it um, you know, it it was first of all a rough draft, and second of all, she wasn't able, because of some of the restrictions that her management things had put on it, she wasn't able to make it her own in the way that she had wanted to, which might have been better received. So, in the advertising uh industry, there is something that's called the truth in advertising, and um, it's not that anything and everything goes. So, one of the things that we really would like for our artists, our entertainers, our athletes, and those individuals who are doing commercials is to feel the authenticity. That's what helps to sell the product. Now, the people who are hiring you don't always care about that side that part of it, but if you are oh okay, all right. But if you truly um have a brand and if you have something that you believe in and your image is going to be a part of it, then make sure that this is something that you can embrace in a way that makes some sense. Advertising is about selling the product, and advertising is about representing the product. But when you can make it your own and when you can have a lot of fun with it today, it works. It does because you're going across many generations and you are attempting to be able to sell that product. I think that's why that particular commercial is working for um for Liza. Yeah, I would say overall I think it's it's right. I mean, she's certainly getting some backlash, of course. Um but you know, she I also didn't realize, I didn't remember. I do remember. Last time I really looked, she she was vegan. And so she uh Lizzo used to be a vegan, like I'm proudly vegan. And so like this speaks to her evolution in her um in her food journey or whatever it is. Well, okay, so if if someone said to me, um, would you do a commercial uh representing eating watermelon? Because watermelon is some cultural things, uh uh cultural uh fruit for caricature for blacks. And so I would have to give that some thought. Now, watermelon is it tastes good and it is something absolutely, and it has uh a lot of water, so that's good for you know our healthy and so um but it's how it's represented. What is the message you're trying to bring, and what else are we trying to sell besides just the watermelon? So just kind of keep that in mind when we think about authenticity. Yeah, I mean, I um I don't I also had the thought where I don't think it should be a blanket statement like black black entertainers should not do anything that might be perceived as um becoming uh negative stereotypes of the culture. Because I think to our point, like Lizzo's um jingle and commercial did a good job of staying true to um her brand and what it is that she's choosing to represent at this time, and I think it would be a real miss financially uh to say, like, oh, you should never like re represent these brands because of XYZ. But I think the specifics to your point and the nuance absolutely matter. And so make sure that you maintain some creative control and that it's truly authentic to um who you are, because otherwise you absolutely can get yourself in hot water, which people have done. And then you'll have something out there forever that doesn't truly represent you. We'd like to know what you think. Um, those of you who are either listening to our podcast or watching our podcast, uh, how do you feel about that truth in advertising and how the uh entertainers and athletes uh represent themselves and represent the products? Mm-hmm. So keep that in mind. Uh it's it's uh It's a whole thing. It is a whole thing, especially today, it's a whole thing. So that's right, you know. That's right. As things become more democratized. It does, it does. At least in this instance. Um all right, so we've talked about all things pop culture. Well, not all things, but some things pop culture. Pop culture. What have you been up to this past week? Oh my goodness. This has been one of the most wonderful weeks of my life. And a very special thank you to both you and your husband for uh continuing to celebrate my 75th year on this earth because we just got back from a week in Alaska. We had a cruise, and let me just tell you, ladies and gentlemen, uh it was simply magnificent. It was not only beautiful because it was Alaska, it is uncharted uh territory in many instances, because of just the environment, but also um the cruise ship that we uh that you all chose and that we went on was just it was a beautiful setting. And we had an opportunity to do some things that we had never done before. And we like adventure, we like trying new and different videos. And um clearly it was um people said, well, was it cold? Um it was cold um on the um on the the docks and going on and off the city, but it wasn't it wasn't freezing. It was windy, it was very windy, it was very windy, but it wasn't freezing. Temperatures between um 30 and 50 some degrees, depending on which city we were in. But we were prepared. We were very prepared. We weren't the folks in shorts and shorts. No, we looked like little Eskimos actually, with our hats and our multiple layers and and the coats. But um the uh from glaciers to whales, um, to looking at the rainforest and and just being able to experience um the journeys of people from all over the world on this particular uh cruise and cruise line. It was magnificent. So God bless you and your husband Hugh, and thank you for celebrating me and continuing to show your love in a way that I truly will remember forever. Well, thank you for being you and you deserve it, as I say so often. Happy 75th birthday. Yes, yes. What was your favorite? Thanks again. Um spending. I think you can pick one. Well, I I I think it was uh sort of twofold. Uh we went on this uh this whale watching um yacht, and it had only eight people. So thanks to my daughter here for choosing something that was very exclusive. Oh yeah. And it was beautiful. It was a luxury. It was a luxury. Well, because um you're out in the water to be able to uh experience the whales. And so we were up close and and the whales were, you know, 30, 40 feet away. Pump back whales. They were uh and there was a mother and her her her baby, and the baby was just feeling it was a beautiful day. It was one of the warmer days uh in in the 50s, and the baby was just experiencing life and was doing all these um wonderful jumps, and we were watching the tails, and you could see the little tail, and then you could see the mother's um big fins. And it was and uh so watching that show that was put on as our tour guide set just for us and the other seven other people on that um, yeah. The baby was definitely putting on a show. I one of the things I think is really cool is that throughout the trip, uh, when we would have different tour guides for different tours, they were like, this just never happens. So I was like, I didn't realize the humpback whales jumped out of the water like dolphins. They were like, they don't. And this baby would not stop. It felt like we were at SeaWorld. It kept we kept saying, like, this is our own little little show. So um, so that was one of the um the best memories. And then I really enjoyed when we went over to the the glacier area, it was called the Dawes, D-A-W-E-S. And so I was kind of related relating to it because of being Hawes. So I figured, you know, we were just a few letters away from having our own glaciers. Yeah. Yes, yes. But in that in that part of Alaska, looking at the glaciers and being able to go up close to it, and again, it was one of those beautiful days that the people kept saying, This is a um in May, it's the beginning of the cruise season for going into Alaska. So we're just a couple of weeks in, and it was one of the most beautiful days. You know how I know that is because your birthday is actually in March. And so I was having ongoing, we'll call them conversations, not arguments, with the different cruise lines. And I was like, but her birthday's in March, so we have to cruise in March. And they were like, now, ma'am, we can't cruise in March because everything's ice. Okay, and much colder, much colder. We don't start until May. So I, you know, I appreciate that extra research that um that you had done. And at the time when you were first asking me all these questions about are you available this week and that week in in in March? I was, you know, trying to figure out what you were thinking about doing. But um, so that was one of the the best times. But then the other part, I love rainfalls, and so when we left the glacier, um, we were in this rainforest area. I didn't realize that so much of Alaska was rainforest. Yes, yes. And so being kind of the rainforest of the Amazon. Right. I wasn't familiar with the rainforest area. I was not familiar with that either. And so and because we were on this smaller um boat, now not the ship, but the smaller boat, we were able to get really close to the rainfalls. And the air was just very crisp and clean and magnificent. I mean, when you would breathe it in, you just felt like no pollution at all. Well, it was 90% oxygen. Because I asked somebody about that. I was like, I don't know what it is, but the air smells and tastes different. And they were like, oh, this is the most pure oxygen that exists. It's in the top 10% of the world. Really? Yeah, well, because there's very few people, there's no pollution, and you have nothing but these massive trees interacting with whatever's going on with the glacier and the water, but it's just yeah, it was more pure. Wow. I know that's why my sinuses are clearing. Yes, it was it was great, it was wonderful. And um again, so it was a fabulous week, and we're just getting back and we're sharing it with all of you. So yeah, yeah. Okay, so any recommendations that you would have for folks who might be interested in going to Alaska or on an Alaskan cruise, or even like your thoughts on people who haven't thought about it at all. We saw a good amount of black people. I was I was pleasantly surprised by that. I we didn't feel like the only. I really feel that uh initially this was not um on my bucket list. And then several years ago, um, one of my colleagues at work um was talking about going on an Alaskan cruise with his wife, and um he said, This is something I've always wanted to do. I said, Really? Alaska? And he said yes, and he started talking about the reason why was because not only was it our 49th state, but it was uh a place in the world that was still pretty much unexplored, and you can feel like you're sort of one of the pioneers or the the people that are in an area that uh truly has not been overpopulated and to your point that doesn't have any any pollution, but that it it's just natural, the natural beauty that is there. And so my my advice is don't take anything off the list as uh something that you would never do, because I would have missed out on this experience had I not listened to what Mr. Hubbard, God bless his soul, had said at that moment, and then decided, you know, I I think I'd like to do that. And then later on we had a conversation about the possibility, and we had a plan to do it uh back before the pandemic, and then you know it happens at the right time. So I think that's um that's one of the the areas of advice to just make sure you you think about it. And it's not as cold, you're not going into um snow and ice and uh and freezing. Um it it can be it can work for you and your family. The other piece of advice that I have, and this is just in in terms of of life and living adventures, um, say yes more because if you say yes more, you will experience what God has in store for you. I wouldn't have missed this for the world. Oh sweet. That's great. Well, okay. That I think that's really good advice. I think my piece of advice would be um it's uh it's a really cool experience that's on par with traveling internationally. Like I put this up with my international travels based on the uniqueness of that part of the United States. And also there is a stark difference, I think, between experiencing it more luxury versus more basic, if you will. So I would also advise like if you are able and have the means, um, splurge a little bit um on uh this particular trip because it would be well worth it. You won't regret it. You won't regret it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So it was wonderful. All right. Well, then I'm actually curious how many of you all have been to Alaska or done an Alaskan cruise, and what was your experience? Uh we we want to hear it. We want to hear about all the different experiences and be able to share in that with you. Or where in the world have you been that you think is just a magnificent adventure and you believe that it's something that you're just really glad that you said yes to? Yes, yes. And so on that note, please continue to live a life you love, and we will see you next week. She's got wisdom, she's got sex, she's got questions, she's got class. Two voices collide like waves in the sea, mom and daughter. That's the key, always a mother and daughter.