Mom Learns Who Druski Is, Savannah Guthrie, Tyler Perry Helps Fund TSA, WNBA & More | Raised by Her

Ro Nita gets a lesson on Druski's skits 🤣, Oprah’s body language, Tyler Perry’s TSA gift, and the WNBA’s historic win. We’re diving into the headlines you missed this week.

In this episode of Raised by Her, we navigate the complex intersection of celebrity culture, social justice, and personal resilience. We kick things off with a deep dive into the viral Oprah interview, analyzing the body language and the ethics of "platforming" controversial figures. The conversation shifts to the digital landscape as we react to Druski’s latest parody on conservative women, sparking a necessary debate on the history of blackface vs. whiteface.

We also celebrate Black Excellence on Broadway with Megan Thee Stallion and discuss the evolving landscape of women's sports following the WNBA's landmark settlement. Finally, we touch on the heavy realities of leadership and grief, from the Delta CEO’s bold stance against Congress to Savannah Guthrie’s heartbreaking transparency regarding her mother’s disappearance. It’s a raw, honest look at what it means to live—and lead—with courage in 2026.

TIMESTAMPS: 

00:00 The "Raised by Her" Welcome Hook
00:41 Oprah's "Sus" Body Language Exposed
02:59 Why Fashion Week Was "Tiptoe" Comedy
04:17 Druski’s Viral Parody: Did He Cross the Line?
08:00 Blackface vs. Whiteface: The Missing History
13:09 How Megan Thee Stallion Manifested Broadway
16:14 The "Star Power" Takeover of New York Theater
20:19 Tyler Perry’s Secret TSA Mission
22:54 Delta CEO vs. Congress: A Masterclass in Leadership
27:38 How to Actually Move the Needle in D.C.
30:38 The Ulta Beauty Lawsuit: Hair Discrimination in 2026
35:48 WNBA Settlement: The Fight for Pay Equity
42:08 Sterling K. Brown & The Reality of "Success" in Marriage
51:38 Savannah Guthrie’s Heartbreak: Faith Amidst the Guilt
57:10 Finding Peace When Life Gets Real

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

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Thank you so much for joining us on the Raise by Her podcast. It really helps us out. If you download, subscribe, like, and love. And also please leave us a review.

SPEAKER_01 0:20

I'm so glad this spring is finally here. I'm hoping and praying. How you doing?

SPEAKER_02 0:24

I'm I'm good. I and I hope, I also hope and pray that it is here to stay. Because it's like 70 degrees one day and then 30 degrees like it is right now another day.

SPEAKER_01 0:35

So um and it's allergy season and sinuses and so quite the challenge. Yes, yes. But but you know, it's all good. It's all good. Good, alive and well, and as daddy would say, kicking.

SPEAKER_02 0:50

Well, we got some really funny, interesting, awesome uh comments on our podcast from last week. In particular, um, our clip of our Oprah conversation. Um, and so I just want to get your reaction to some of these reactions. Some folks would just like to make the point that her boss was not separated from his wife at the time of their engagement.

SPEAKER_01 1:17

Interesting.

SPEAKER_02 1:18

Okay, yeah. We talked about that though.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

We that was like we Yes, but there was never a point of clarification. It was when she um said that she found out later that some things he had said were not true. I there wasn't a point of clarification of that. So, okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:38

Yeah. Um, and then other another person said she was HR, and ethically it was wrong and not a good example for employees at the company. I agree. Yes, we absolutely agree with that. Yes, yes. Another person said, their body language says that this was something they wanted to hide and it was shameful. The new story is a retelling and a cover-up, and you all know that. Okay. I mean, I actually I agree that the body language was sus, and um, that her story didn't really probably achieve all of what she wanted it to achieve.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

So um so back to your original point, why do the interview?

SPEAKER_02 2:20

Yeah, I well, I know what she's trying to, to this person's point, retell it. My question was, why did Oprah platform her? But we we dug into that. Yes, yeah, we dug into that last time.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

So if you missed last week's episode, tune in.

SPEAKER_02 2:35

Yeah, go back to the back.

SPEAKER_01 2:36

And you can hear what uh our conversation was.

SPEAKER_02 2:38

Um and then just one more, I'll just read one more comment. Um, and this person said, We knew Oprah needs the spotlight now because she is thin.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

I I can't agree with that. I mean, I think Oprah has enough of the spotlight, yeah. But that's funny. She looks great, she does look great, yeah. So uh so kudos to to her.

SPEAKER_02 2:59

And we've watched her at um Fashion Week and all these types of things, and so she's the fashion week clips were funny though.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

They were funny. Oh, well, yes, because at a certain point um she and Gail were sort of tiptoe walking, and so people Oh, they had the shoes together. So people were asking what the problem was, and I guess Gail had some problems with uh her toes, and uh Oprah's shoes were uh a little challenging for her. But anyway, Fashion Week in Paris. That was uh that was great. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:32

I'm in a season of comfort, like of course, fashion when it makes sense, but it must also be comfortable from a shoe perspective.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

I think you've always been that way though. I don't I don't see this being uh a change. Uh you always wanted to be comfortable in your your your fashion sense and the things that you had on. You know what I think?

SPEAKER_02 3:51

I think I'm remembering back to like my college days where we would go out to uh parties or a club and I would wear uncomfortable shoes and just like suffer through it. And I think back and I was like, wow, that was dedication because ain't no way.

SPEAKER_01 4:05

Um I wasn't there, so I wouldn't your experience of me was just comfortable. Yes, so that at least that's the way you presented it to your mother at the public time. So, okay, all right, good.

SPEAKER_02 4:17

Okay, so we're talking about some of the clips that we saw. Did you see the Drewski clip of his latest clip that has gone viral? And it's entitled How American Conservative Women Act.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

No, I am not a uh a person who follows Drewski algorithm. I I mean I know that um that he's a comedian and I know that he does parodies, but I no, I did not see the one on conservative women.

SPEAKER_02 4:49

So well, so this latest parody was um well, it was just it was going it was going into just some of the the antics that uh he believes that conservative women have displayed over the past several years, and it got particular attention because shout out to his makeup artist. His makeup artist um he made him up like a like a white woman, it almost looked like how those characters and white chicks look yes, yes, okay.

SPEAKER_01 5:21

So familiar with that, right?

SPEAKER_02 5:23

That's what um he looked like, and then some people thought that he did like such a great job and he was being really specific in calling out Erica Kirk. Um, and I was like, oh man, if if people are sending her that, like I feel like the people who are sending that to her are not her friends. Like if like if you see a parody of me, um, or no, no, if you see a parody of what you think, um, I don't know, like I represent or something, and your immediate thought isn't like, oh, it's a broader thing, but like, oh, she looks like that, or he must be talking about her. It's you know, I I might be offended.

SPEAKER_01 6:01

So, what were the specifics that he was addressing in terms of her conservatism?

SPEAKER_02 6:08

I mean, he he okay, what were the specifics of what he was addressing? I mean, I I okay, sorry, I thought that you at least like taken a look at it or Well, I mean, I I there were some fireworks and you said so you've never seen like some of the um Erica Kirk in particular, but some of the antics were like, you know, sometimes it's supposed to be like a a serious conservative or a serious political event, but now there's fireworks and there's jumping around and there's additional theater going on.

SPEAKER_01 6:41

I see. So what you're saying that he did was um he had several, I guess, impressions of of her and what she does when she's on stage and when she's doing her presentations and when she's having her various events.

SPEAKER_02 6:56

Yeah, I mean, he didn't call her out specifically, though. I mean, now I think it was targeted towards her because um he his makeup and everything kind of like resembled to me her, but it could also be other people too. Okay, you know, and he didn't title it Erica Kirk, he titled it um, you know, conservative women more broadly. And he also called out things like um, you know, how they treat their dogs really well. And like you. Yeah, right. I'm like it's I'm not a conservative white woman, you know, so it's and um there was also conversation that wasn't true um online that she had, at least at the time of this podcast taping, sent him like a cease and desist, and that uh then that came out as not being so it was controversial. Yeah, it's super well, people um folks on the conservative side are like in their feelings, they were like, This is so awful, and it's like actually it's it's just funny. And um also she did respond, albeit not legally. Uh, but she was like, you know, if somebody put on blackface and made fun of a person, then it would really be an issue, was the gist of her feedback. And I was like, oh, there's such a difference, a historic there's some history missing here in the difference between blackface and whiteface. So I mean, um, which I I do think that she probably hasn't done a deep dive into um the history of blackface, which is otherwise you wouldn't make a comment like she did. But you know, it has been the most viral tweet this week.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

So I mean, take a look at it, and then if you Well, you well, you sent it to me and I I looked at it and I said I I didn't under I told you I didn't understand the um what he was trying to say, but you're explaining it a little bit more now. So I mean it's a parry.

SPEAKER_02 8:51

I think it's interesting that you looked at it and because you watch the news more than I do.

SPEAKER_01 8:56

I do, I watch the news.

SPEAKER_02 8:57

Um that you didn't see any similarities between what it is he was doing and how now I know you're probably not watching Fox News on an ongoing basis.

SPEAKER_01 9:09

I do not uh I you know when I'll watch Fox News, I'll watch Fox News when I know that there has been something that has been just outrageous stated, and then I just want to know what the other side is saying in terms of how they're presenting it. So um, but I I think there is a a real challenge today with not only the news, the real news, the fake news, um, the truth, the reality, and maybe even some of the challenges with uh the comedians and how they are presenting some of the news and the situation. So I just feel ill-prepared to in in terms of addressing this particular comedian and how he presented this because I Erica Kirk is not the only one that has, I think, gone a little bit extreme in terms of um how presentations are done, whether it's in the church or whether it's whatever the platform. I I think we see that uh in terms of hype and in terms of getting people excited and in terms of just how they do presentations in general.

SPEAKER_02 10:15

Uh yeah, I mean, I again I don't know if he if he was signaling signaling out her in particular, although that argument can certainly be made, but I it to me, I per the title of the clip, um, it is representative, I think, of at least the perception of conservative white women. Like, so another thing that that was in his parody was the fact that um, you know, they were talking about war and violence, and you know, in his clip, he was just like, you know, prayers. I'm praying for all of them. You know, it's just but you know what he's talking about because you do consume news and you do consume, like you know that that's been the response. Thoughts and prayers, thoughts and prayers. When I was on Capitol Hill, that's all we thoughts and prayers, thoughts and prayers for the same thing.

SPEAKER_01 11:00

What does that do for anybody? What does that do for a family? How does that help the situation? So um, and it's just I think I just found this to be uh challenging.

SPEAKER_02 11:12

So you know, yeah, I think maybe just his parodies aren't for you because the last one he did that I know you took a look at was around the black church, and you actually had a similar reaction. You were like, uh, and I was like, You had you, yes, there are pastors flying through the air, and you're just like, I just I don't know, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 11:29

Well, you know, I don't I like laughter and I enjoy being able to um to go to a good comedy show, which we've we've talked about. Um, but I have found that there could be extremes, and then I'm also if I'm not understanding why you're presenting it in this particular kind of way, I and that could just be me, it could be my age, it could be where I am in in in terms of how I want to spend my time and my my my laughter. I mean, I I just um so you know, I want to laugh. I there's no way in the world that I would think blackface would be something that uh would be funny uh for white people or black people. I mean, no. So you mean whiteface? Uh well, whiteface, but you mentioned before that um Erica Kirk said, How would someone feel if if this was blackface? And it's it's totally unacceptable.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

Um I think perhaps he's using his comedy to invoke broader conversation. Okay, like a blackface versus whiteface scenario. So and he has a platform to do so. I am not a consumer, uh, an ongoing consumer of Drewski's uh uh comedy or comedy shows and all the different things that I know that he does, but like the hundreds of millions of other views people who view view the his viral clips, I do see them and I'm like, oh okay, this is um you know, this is interesting, you know, and it's a take. Okay. Well shout out to his makeup artist again because that part I did find hilarious. I know you didn't laugh, but I was like, No, I didn't.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

That's okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:04

Well, um, speaking of folks in show business, I'm going to skip out of our order a little bit just because I feel like this is a more seamless transition. Um I wanted to talk a little bit about Broadway. And it came, I mean, we are theater-consuming people anyway. Um, and uh one of my favorite artists, Megan the Stallion, uh, is on Broadway in Moulin Rouge. Congratulations to her. Yeah, and she's doing such a great job and excellent reviews, and she's having a great time. And she, when she was being interviewed, well, she's done several interviews around it, but one of the things that I was like, oh, we should talk about this on our podcast because she talked about how she manifested it. I was like, all we do is manifest our lives. That's exactly right. That is exactly right.

SPEAKER_01 13:53

And good for her. Yeah, yeah. Yes. So continuous shout outs to Megan the Stallion and her broadening her skills and abilities and opportunities and engagements and just kind of taking it always to the what I really liked about uh the story is the fact that she's having such fun with it. She's getting great reviews. But what she said was when she was a little girl, her mother used to take her to plays and have her sort of act out things, and now she's thinking, here I am, a grown-up adult. And wouldn't mommy love this? That's what she said. Wouldn't my mother love seeing me absolutely acting on Broadway, no less. Yes, she would. And so I'm sure she would.

SPEAKER_02 14:37

I watched um Megan Thee Stallion's documentary on Prime, and she's certainly had like a lot of loss, including um her mother and her grandmother. And so for me, I just like this just to me, this also means that she's just like living out what they would have wanted for her to like to keep going on.

SPEAKER_01 14:57

Their dreams, and she's having a good time with it, too. So the the uh you can just sort of feel the joy and and see that. And being on Broadway is I mean, it's no joke. You know, you know, well, I know that it's uh it's a very, very difficult stage, and the expectations are um just really high and standards are really high. You do eight shows a week, and I mean it's just and it's constant.

SPEAKER_02 15:24

So she's also adding like her little spice to it. Now, people are doing what they're not supposed to do and pulling out their phones, which is the only reason that um I've seen this because I have not been to New York to see uh see the show her show yet. Okay, um, but folks are recording some of what she's doing, and so she's incorporating um some of her moves, some of her dance, her signature dance moves, performing like mini concerts at the very end, so people can hear some of the hit songs, and so oh, she's really changed it a little bit. Yeah, so shout out to uh the producers and directors and giving her that flexibility and recognizing the star that she is and the extra touch that she can put on it.

SPEAKER_01 16:02

And maybe that's one of the reasons why today they chose someone uh sort of outside the the normal range of the um the actors and actresses who who perform on Broadway.

SPEAKER_02 16:14

Yeah, I mean I think I'd say so we we we talked about this last week as well, that we won't dive back into the secret lives of Mormon wives um of it all. However, one of uh those cast members has gone on to Broadway as well, and she is starring as Roxy Hart on in Chicago. Yeah, and um, this is Whitney, I can't remember what her last name is, but she's selling out shows as well, and folks are like, oh, she's so amazing. And I'm sure she's doing an excellent job, but a part of what I know the popularity is as well is the star power that she's bringing. Like all these, why I was gonna say young girls, but I'm sure there's a variety of people that listen or that watch um The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and watch them on TikTok, which is how they gained their fame initially. But I'm sure that there's little girls are now like, I want to go to New York and go to Broadway for for the first time because I want to go see Whitney, you know, kind of do her thing. So to yes, I think celebrity and star power and and all of that is certainly play into some of the decisions.

SPEAKER_01 17:18

Do you remember when you were a little girl and I took you to um to New York and see your first Broadway show?

SPEAKER_02 17:25

I don't know if I remember the first one, but we I remember going several times. Was the first one uh was it at Disney? It was Disney Beauty Beauty and the Beast. That's right. Yes. You and one of my friends' mom, so you allowed us to travel up there together. That's right. Yeah, back when travel was a little easier. We'll get into that in a second.

SPEAKER_01 17:44

But travel, yeah, new challenges. But uh, yeah, and and I think to your point, having young people to experience uh, if they can, a Broadway show and to be able to see all the lights and the talent that it takes to really not only perform but also to to be really good at it. So we're talking about musicals, but there are a lot of drama on on Broadway as as well, and you have to be excellent at your your talent and your craft.

SPEAKER_02 18:15

What's your favorite musical?

SPEAKER_01 18:19

Musical. Uh I really liked Chicago because I I liked all that jazz. I like the the uh the dancing, um, so that's one of my favorites. Uh um I was well, I was actually thinking about one of my favorite dramas, uh, and it was the um August Wilson Fences um performance, and I had a chance to see that with uh Denzel and some other folks. But um I have to think about now what my favorite musical is because I've I've seen a lot. Um what about you?

SPEAKER_02 18:54

Yeah, I have I actually think uh was Fences the one that I saw a few years ago in New York to anyway. That is an excellent one uh for sure. Um I in terms of musicals, my favorite one that I've seen. I think I have to go back to like Disney and like The Lion King. Okay, yeah. Okay, all right.

SPEAKER_01 19:15

So I've always liked Fiddler on the Roof too. I mean, I just like I don't even ever seen like the oh oh um the storyline is one that you can I I think it's timeless and uh Fiddler was was great. Okay, so add that to my list. Uh-huh. Okay, yeah. But uh whenever you go to New York and whenever you have an opportunity to see a play, you can go to off-Broadway and you can see plays, and um it's just an excellent way to be able to, I think, escape and to see some really talented shows. But I've also seen them in new uh not only in New York, but also Chicago. They do a great job. And then um the shows travel so and that's good as we see them.

SPEAKER_02 20:04

Yes, see them. Yeah, it's uh if one has not experienced it, we definitely encourage at least trying it. Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 20:10

Locally, regionally, nationally, several different opportunities. Yes, yeah, escapism, but excellent art.

SPEAKER_02 20:17

So awesome. That's good. So we mentioned um traveling. Oh my gosh, so uh it's awful what's happening with TSA. And one of the news stories that I wanted to bring to this platform though is a more positive one around Tyler Perry and um him really wanting to do what he could to help. And so uh I just wanted to give a shout out to Tyler Perry for trying to first go to the Atlanta airport and give money to some of the TSA workers in Atlanta. Um, got turned away because you're not allowed to do that, but then he went back um to give gift cards because you can give gift cards to the supervisors that will then distribute. And so I know there are a lot of different people that are trying to contribute and help um in a number of different ways, but uh shout out to Tyler Perry for for doing that.

SPEAKER_01 21:19

It's uh uh I think a representative of his heart and him really understanding how individuals feel that are going to work every day to be able to help our country and to help other people go and do things that they're trying to do, whether you're trying to have your vacation because it's spring break, or whether you're trying to go someplace uh in celebration of someone else, or whether you have to go there just to be able to work, to know that the TSA individuals are not being paid, and all of these thousands of people are just going on living their lives and you're trying to help them and The world is not necessarily appreciating the work that that you're doing. So uh kudos to to Tyler and other people too. Because people have been contributing meals and people have been trying to uh to help. Kind of help. But we've lost almost 500 workers in the TSA realm because people have just quit. Oh, I think it's probably much more than that. They've they've been they've just decided, you know, I'm I'm tired of this. We're being used as pawns in this political battle that's taking place um with uh those folks in Congress who don't seem to understand you're impacting people's lives. I mean, hundreds and hundreds of people's lives, if not thousands and thousands. And then their kids, and you know, there's just such ramifications in those situations. Such ramifications.

SPEAKER_02 22:49

And that also, I also wanted to give a shout out to Delta, who this past week um stopped all the perks for members of Congress in their travel um until this is resolved. I I am generally a fan, I think, of um the CEO of Delta and his decisions. And his uh he first for his decision-making and leadership came on my radar during the Black Lives Matter movement because I felt like his corporate letter said um more and was uh just kind of better overall than some of those other corporate letters that I saw go out during that time. And it takes incredible leadership and courage to be the CEO of a company of that size and scale and do something as drastic as uh take away members of Congress's uh perks for their travel. Um and so I just shout out to him, shout out to the government affairs team also, um, that obviously are part of the decision and um advising. Uh and he also went on the news, I think it was like CNBC, and was just he was just on it, you know, in terms of like this is unacceptable. We are doing this because we prioritize our customers' safety, yes, and we cannot ensure their safety when these dramatic cuts and non-payment and this broader disruption is happening um across all airports, and it's unacceptable, like just kind of get it together.

SPEAKER_01 24:28

So, what you're saying is that he absolutely has set an example of what great CEO leadership should be all about for a major, a major um company to be able to not only talk about what should be, but also the impact of what it is that other people have uh have in terms of of their lives and the things that they're doing and how disruptive that is to the point we made earlier, but but then saying, let us take some action. That point I believe that um what he was saying to the congressional realm is that you all can't sit there and mess around with people's lives and then think that other people just want to continue allowing you to have your life because they're still getting paychecks. Uh, Congress, the congressmen and women are still getting paychecks. Um, we're hoping that this is going to be resolved sometime soon. Um, what really disturbed me is the fact that this is the second time in just a few months that we have had to go through this. The second time when we have used our TSA workers in this in this scenario. And I would just be, I'd be tired of it.

SPEAKER_02 25:43

Well, I think folks are across the board tired of it, and uh, that's why you see the folks quitting and um also like we talked about the outpouring of love and support um you know from from others that are just trying to help folks that are going through it unnecessarily.

SPEAKER_01 26:00

Do you think that because you worked in Washington, you worked on Capitol Hill, do you think that the kinds of things that are going on now have any kind of real impact on the decision makers in today's environment? I realize you were there at a at another time with uh different kind of different administration. Different administration, but uh what do you what do you think? Because you were in the midst of how decision makers went about conducting their business.

SPEAKER_02 26:35

It's a different crop of folks that are up there now, for sure, as we saw, kind of the mass retirements and um all of that. What I can say about my experience is that they they should be able to make this decision based on the impact of their constituents and the fact that they feel the latitude to um behave in this way. When I say behave in this way, I'm saying um if they choose to leave for Easter break without um funding TSA, um then it means that their constituents need to leverage their power. When I say constituents, that means each and every person that lives in any district, everybody has to be able to do that.

SPEAKER_01 27:25

Voters have to take their voting power and and be able to make sure that they are going to not accept these kind of decisions in our foreseeable future. Yes, what I hear you saying.

SPEAKER_02 27:38

Absolutely, absolutely, but not just waiting until um the election cycle, like are make sure that you are calling your elected official on an ongoing basis, sending letters, the organizations that you're a part of, have them send letters, build broader coalitions, go in for meetings, organize whole days where folks, even if you can't go up to DC or to the district offices, like constant communication. Um, that does move the needle. And it lets members of Congress know kind of really what their constituents are feeling. Because if your voice is not heard, there are other voices that are heard, and so they do well, it really depends on the person. I've heard all types of wild things, but um, that to me is kind of the best way to help address this.

SPEAKER_01 28:28

That's very important information, and I thank you for sharing that because I remember when you were working on Capitol Hill and I would ask you, tell me how your day was, or I would ask you, what is it that you're working on, and you would be talking about the meetings that you had with constituents from, in your case, Ohio, people who had come into the office to talk to the congresswoman that uh that you represented, or people coming into the office to complain about something or ask for help and assistance, and the staff took the time to be able to address what the issue was. The staff took the time to be able to take note of whatever the concern was, and then there was another step then in terms of being able to address the concerns of the people who took the time to do exactly what you described.

SPEAKER_02 29:17

Yeah, absolutely. A part of a legislative director and a senior policy advisor's job is to be able to inform their member about the feedback they're receiving from uh the community that's being represented. And also there are whole people that are rep that uh work in the offices, legislative correspondents whose job is to look at the mail and batch the mail and uh use that as kind of a vehicle for which way should we consider voting based on what our constituents are saying?

SPEAKER_01 29:50

Yeah, I think that's uh important to know. Yeah, there are whole people dedicated to it. So make sure your voice is heard. Yeah. Back to the beginning of the Tyler Perry scenario. Um, it would be great if this was an example of then some other individuals, and maybe there are other celebrities, other people with money and resources, also taking a stance and deciding that they're going to help those individuals who are helping to keep us safe in our our travel.

SPEAKER_02 30:19

Until the folks who have the responsibility decide to actually act. Yeah, yeah. I I I know that's uh it's important. So speaking of laws and legislation and things being broken, I also being broken. Yes, okay. Things being broken. Um, I saw a story um out of New York where this black mother and her seven-year-old daughter um were going to a hair appointment at Ulta Beauty. And when they went in, the and they went in, their hair was covered, so the the people um in the store couldn't see the hair. And they said, Oh, you know, we don't do hair like yours. And then they became um there was broader conversation, but they were like, why didn't you tell us your hair texture over the phone? Um, you know, this is why would you just assume that we do you all's type of hair? And um the seven-year-old girl was very embarrassed and started crying, and she was like, you know, well, if I see pictures of girls that look like me on the walls, you know, why wouldn't they do my hair? And she was also she actually she actually asked her mom that question. She was like, Why wouldn't they do um hair that looks like mine? And I was like, Oh, I mean, I had several reactions. Um, anyway, this came on my radar because um that mother and the daughter are now suing Ulta um beauty for discrimination, and they are which because it is, and um, it's discrimination federally, at the state level, and locally violates all types of laws to discriminate baseball.

SPEAKER_01 32:12

Well, when I when I read um this particular story, I thought to myself, okay, again, 2026, are we still dealing with this? Now we you and I talked about black hair several times on the podcast. So, how do you have someone that is not only working in your environment, and this is the public service that you were doing that you're paid for in terms of hair care, to be able to say, well, what the woman said. But beyond that, if you are not comfortable, then what you do is say to the person, excuse me, I might not be good at this, let me find someone who can accommodate you. I I'm I'm sorry, I can't do the apologize. You know, I mean, there's a way to be able to handle this in terms of customer service. And and you know, I always said to you, we have to be able to not only stand up for ourselves, but we also have to be able to make sure that we are being treated right in this kind of environment. And so these customers were not treated right. So congratulations on them taking the next taking. You know, I mean, really, yeah, you know, because some people would just be intimidated, some people would say, you know, okay, and just leave. They had an appointment also, and they had something else that they were going to be doing. They're both professional models, they were heading to the publishing. And so now they had this appointment, and now that the person didn't give them exactly what it is that they needed at the time, so it's impacting their lives, it's impacting the little girl and how she's feeling about herself, and it's impacting money out of their pocket, not being prepared for their um their next gig.

SPEAKER_02 33:53

And this was in New York, it's not even you know, a city that's like one percent black or you know, like the rural, you know, middle America or anything. It is unacceptable, generally speaking, actually, I think, to not be able to do different textures of hair in 2026, particularly if you're working in a salon, like an Alta that services a variety of types of people. And they didn't even take a look at their hair, like their hair was covered. It's one thing for because I think you and I have both been in this situation where you get in the chair and the stylist takes a look at your hair and she's like, Oh, I'd recommend this, I can do this, I specialize in this, I'm not that great at that.

SPEAKER_01 34:36

That's exactly right. But they didn't even they didn't have the con have the conversation. You know, what what what I think about here is how if I am going to a salon and it is not a traditionally black salon, I'm in another city, or I need what whatever the reason is, I will ask for a stylist who does black hair, or I will let them know this is what I want. Sometimes it was just a wash and a condition, and then I could go and do whatever else I need to do. Sometimes it might be um just a trim because I needed whatever it was, but not even to have that conversation was totally unacceptable. But I'm just wondering who the person was that felt like they could decide not to do anything at all.

SPEAKER_02 35:22

The wrong person.

SPEAKER_01 35:23

Well, that that's true.

SPEAKER_02 35:25

It's about to cost this company a whole lot of money.

SPEAKER_01 35:28

A whole lot of money.

SPEAKER_02 35:29

So I mean, I go to Sephora over all to anyway.

SPEAKER_01 35:32

So good for you. Yeah, good for you.

SPEAKER_02 35:37

Yeah, I was like, oh, I I I don't like this. And hopefully this can serve as an example for other organizations to just can we just lay back on the discrimination of it all?

SPEAKER_01 35:48

Yeah, well, it it makes me think of another lawsuit that uh this week um was settled, and that's the WNBA uh lawsuit that had been in the courts for quite a while, and the WNBA players really have not been treated the same way that the NBA players. Now we've known this. We know that women athletes have had to fight time and time and time again, regardless of the sport, for some kind of equity in pay. But there was a settlement uh that their governing board decided on uh this week to be able to move the WNBA forward. And I think it is just a major step forward. The WMBA has been around for 30 years, and what they found was that not only as the sport has become more and more popular in the last few years, and there's more of an audience and more money was being made, the players were still not getting any kind of um particular compensation that was representative of the kind of money that their owners are now making.

SPEAKER_02 36:59

Hmm. I mean, I first of all, excellent. Yes, yes, yes, for progress in pay equity and equality for women generally, but then also certainly women in sports, because I know it's a continuous conversation and a part of the pushback that I've heard people have, men in particular, but people have, is that women will get paid more when they can deliver um the viewership, the engagement, and all of that that men's sports do? Now, I think that was kind of bucked in the head when in the realm of soccer. I know we're talking about basketball, the realm of soccer, because the soccer um, you know, women's team is dominant, they win all the things and are excellent and bring in excellent viewership. And so I'm just wondering though, did that conversation as you were looking at this story and and seeing the story, did that piece of the conversation come in at all?

SPEAKER_01 37:59

Well, what came in um had to do with the fact of some revenue sharing. So as there is going to be more money made by the the owners of the teams, um, it's not going to be equitable to the men yet. Sure, sure, sure. Yeah. But what they they indicated that they did, I thought this was a very interesting um sort of negotiation point. They took a look at where the NBA was at their journey in uh in the terms of the sport cycle. Okay. And they said, okay, um, you're right, you do need to be paid more. So the salaries will be going up. You do need to have some revenue sharing. So that is going to occur. Um, and as the uh sport grows, uh then there's going to be an opportunity for compensation to continue to rise. They also have in uh in this most recent agreement that uh women who are retired for the last uh few years, I think it was four or five years, will be um given some uh money because of how they were mistreated in the past. So I think that's uh that's good. And some protections for the future. One area that was also talked about was health and wellness and the fact that the women, it appeared, in some of the different teams were being penalized if they got pregnant during the time of their season. Well, that's not fair. I mean, there was there wasn't that five yes, so they had a law. So they had to they had to um write in on this particular um uh agreement, uh collective bargaining agreement, the the CBA, that there would be some protections. And I know, I know. Well, there was a lawsuit filed last year about that because and one player was then traded to another player. But anyway, um at that time uh there was a a real challenge with the differential, and and that has to do with not only the sport. I don't know if you've been watching, but you know I'm a basketball fan. So I've been well, let me just tell you if you had been watching some of the girls' uh NCAA games, now they were as thrilling, if not more thrilling and exciting um during this tournament season um as the as the men were. And I mean, I'm all into it, so yeah, yeah, I know you are.

SPEAKER_02 40:23

You're watching your own type of drama kind of play.

SPEAKER_01 40:25

Well, that is true, but maybe that's why I didn't know about Drewski and what was going on there. So uh but uh uh along those same lines, I I think it's very important to understand that we have to to be, we women have to continue on an ongoing basis to fight for our fair share because the owners are making more and more money. Uh sports is just it's continuing to just move forward. The revenue that people are making today is it's almost outlandish in in a sense, and there are more ways to be able to see sports. So you can turn on television anytime at any hour of the day, and on any streaming services, any networks or whatever, and you see sports. And they're not just having it there just for the fun of it or just because we love that, it's because money is being made.

SPEAKER_02 41:17

Well, I love the fact that there's now an opportunity for us to keep our excellent WMBA players in the US versus them feeling a need to go abroad to work for money because they get paid much more outside the US um than they do here. So I that's awesome. I'm I'm thrilled to thrill to hear that. And and I I didn't know. So and that's that's a plus in terms of the um you know the women's sports of it all.

SPEAKER_01 41:45

So it's it's it's good. So I I have been uh I have been enjoying the women's sports and congratulations um to the uh bargaining association for having won the lawsuit and and being able to move the WNBA and the sports forward. I'm I'm really excited about that. So there is something else I've had a chance to watch, just a little bit of, not as much as you. That's the series Paradise.

SPEAKER_02 42:13

Oh, yay, you finally did.

SPEAKER_01 42:14

Well, I've I've watched just a little bit of it. And are you hooked? Um yes, I'm hooked too. But you have these hesitations. I know, I know, I know.

SPEAKER_02 42:22

Um Paradise and hook you in that first episode.

SPEAKER_01 42:25

Yeah, well, you know what? Sterling came around this, you know, hooked up. Hooked you in, yeah. He's just so outstanding. And uh and there's been a lot of press around season two starting, and so I thought, okay, well, I can't watch season two if I haven't watched season one. Yeah, you guys are at the beginning. Really, and so I need I need to know what all the hype was about. And I thought about you telling me about it way back in the beginning, and I said, okay, all right. Even though I have not, I wasn't hooked early on, but listening to the conversation and listening to um the uh just how excited people are about season two and watching Sterling K. Brown and his wife, uh Raya Michelle, uh, who I guess uh has is in an episode and she was able to um have uh a role. Um I don't know if that was well, maybe that wasn't season one, maybe that's upcoming in season two. Um but uh they have been on some some talk shows uh talking about uh this uh series and it's just been real, real exciting. I mean, you're talking about the thriller, and you're talking about the excitement of writing that is just superb. And what I heard him say was several of the uh producers, directors, several of the individuals involved in the series This Is Us, which is when I became familiar with Sterling K. Brown. Okay. Um, are also working on the the Paradise series. That's why it's so fantastic. Because this is us is also I watched that on an ongoing basis and it was uh it was award winning and the writing was excellent and the characters. So so that helped hook me in too, but um it's it's good.

SPEAKER_02 44:21

I'm thrilled to to uh have the opportunity to at least talk to you about one of one of my shows. Um because yeah, I think that you will enjoy Paradise. And I did see, I have seen him more, so I guess that makes sense in terms of their promos for season two, and actually him and his wife. I was listening to them on an episode of, in my opinion, Michelle Obama's uh podcast, and they were talking, they were talking about a number of different things, not so much about the show in particular, but they were talking about their relationship and how they've navigated marriage because they've been married for a long time. I'm gonna have to look up to see when his wife is in one of the, in one of the episodes. Um, and then it one of the things that stuck out to me, it's one of the few things that one of the few details I actually remember from that particular podcast episode that they did. I don't know if the question was asked or if they just started talking about it. Um, but they were being very honest about what's currently difficult or one of the difficult difficult seasons in marriage for them. And now Sterling K. Brown's star has continued to rise and he's getting all these amazing opportunities and delivering. Yes, yes, he is. Um, and his wife is also, I guess, in the same industry.

SPEAKER_01 45:44

Yes, she's an actress, um, and she has uh been in some uh various episodes, but her star is not quite shining as much as his at least not right now, um, or not yet, you know. She's a beautiful woman, too. I mean, yes, she's very graceful in how she presents herself. So go ahead, I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_02 46:04

Um, but they were talking about the difficulties of that in navigating your partner's success um in marriage and kind of what that does to a relationship as different people are more successful at different times and the time commitments and the uh the financial part of that as well, and just kind of all of what that means in terms of the constantly shifting dynamics. Whenever you're married for, I mean, I guess it could happen quickly in a short-term marriage, but particularly in a long-term marriage where things inevitably shift on an ongoing basis.

SPEAKER_01 46:39

They met in college and um they were together and then they they broke up, and then he realized the era of his ways. And so then he pursued her again, and she finally said yes, and they've been together ever since then. So they've been together a long time.

SPEAKER_02 46:55

Yeah, they have, and I appreciated their honesty. Actually, I I enjoyed that episode of them so much that I went because they have their own podcast. I went to go listen, then I did I I stopped. Um, but I mean it's uh I I really like them um as a couple, and obviously I really appreciate his work. He has such a big personality, though. I I shout out to her because that's um that would also be kind of difficult to be married to.

SPEAKER_01 47:24

Well, uh, I I did see an interview with the two of them actually on the Sherry Shepherd show. So that's so uh, and what she said was what has helped her, and at least in that um in that interview, was the fact that he has um such a giving heart and spirit, and that has helped her to be able to navigate some of the challenging times. And she said he also has a sense of humor. And what he was doing is he was really complimenting her and calling out her excellence and her expertise uh on the show as well. So they were really complimenting each other. And uh one of the things that that I just sort of noticed, based upon what you were just saying, is not only the love for each other, but the understanding of where they happen to be at a given time. I think that's what's helped in in terms of their relationship and and the challenge. His success has allowed them to be able to do certain kinds of things. Her understanding of the industry has allowed them to be able to navigate through some of these challenges as well. But they seem to be genuinely happy for each other.

SPEAKER_02 48:37

Yeah, yeah, that definitely came across. And I think maybe it was such a good conversation because obviously Michelle Obama and Barack Obama can't, or he, yeah, her husband was not there, but Michelle Obama can relate um to that in terms of being in a long-term marriage and the different shifts that um have to occur on the other.

SPEAKER_01 48:57

Well, I think you you know what, that that's a part of growing to uh understanding your partner, understanding what the the shift might be. And uh I remember years ago talking to a friend who um was married, and um her husband had decided now to become a minister, and that was not a part of what she thought was going to happen uh in their in their marriage. And so uh we just happened to be getting together after he had made this decision of kind of moving in this direction, and I kept saying, What's wrong? What's wrong? Because I knew something was was bothering her, and she didn't want to go into it at that point, and then finally she just started talking about how this is his desire now. She loves her husband, uh, and she was wondering how is this going to impact my family? Absolutely, uh, and how is this going to impact me because my thought process had never really, in terms of my roles in life, had to be the role of the first lady, and how is that going to impact which is a whole other job in itself. It is, and it it and it's there are expectations. We've talked about the first lady role, and so uh long story short, um, she was able to talk to some other first ladies, she was able to uh have an honest conversation with her spouse about um what this was going to entail, and then she was able to, as she says, go inside and and do her own prayer work and then decide exactly um, you know, I can do this because I can support my husband. I can I can do this. My husband has supported me and helped me through different challenges and changes, and so I can I can do that. And so I think that's how you move and navigate, whether it's um Sterling, K Brown, and his wife, or whether it's uh Michelle Obama, or whether it's Donico or Ronita. I mean, you know, that's a lot of life.

SPEAKER_02 50:55

I um my husband's in the room. I just if I can make a PSA, sir. Um, not that I want to tell you what to do with your life, but if we could just steer clear of becoming a character. I mean to add the job of first lady in Jamaica.

SPEAKER_01 51:13

He's he's a part of this production team, and I don't think this was on his uh his radar, but he has been able to step into this role in a wonderful and magnificent way. So we can we can we can appreciate that. So there are chips in pages, you know.

SPEAKER_02 51:26

And so yeah, that that just a lot.

SPEAKER_01 51:30

Yeah, well, I mean, yeah, it is it it is a lot. So um I did want to also uh mention this week the interview that uh Hodokopi had with Savannah Guffrey. Okay, and I wanted to just say that um as Savannah Guffery and her family have gone through the challenges of the last couple of months with um what they believe is the kidnapping of her her mother, and how she and her family have had to navigate life in the midst of all the other things going on in um in her life and in her family's life. In this interview that she did with um with Hoda, she talked about not only her faith in God and how the strength of what she's been through is um has provided her um with challenges and really taken a lot of courage, but also because there's so much speculation about what happened to her mother, I I can't imagine not knowing. I mean, just completely and totally not knowing what occurred. And she thinks about those last moments of what her mother must have experienced in her home by herself and just all the difficulties. And I I I'm not gonna go in through the the speculations, but I will say to you that what really touched my heart was when she was talking to Hoda and she said, I feel so guilty as a daughter because there is speculation that my success may have caused this uh kidnapping and or pain for my mother. And Donica, I'm I'm sitting there and I'm I'm listening to her, and I said, Oh no, you you you you don't want to embrace that being on you. I mean, that this is your fault.

SPEAKER_02 53:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:28

Um but I I I think that I I understood her feeling that way, but I know her mother would not want her to feel that way because what we what mothers want, what parents want, mothers and fathers, for their children is to to have the life you want to have, to be your best self, to be able to be accomplished. And you don't think that someone would then reach out and and uh do something that could be detrimental to your your mother, your father, your family in any way, but that's where our world is today. And so uh I I just wanted to say that um that's not a feeling that is one that I I know she's gonna be able to get rid of anytime soon, even with her strong faith and and the blessings from God. But um guilt, we don't know. It's on the person who did this or the people who did this. That is where the feelings of guilt should be, but not becoming your best self and and being very successful in her her career. She said, you know, I think about the times that my mother was on the show with me, and people began to see her and recognize her.

SPEAKER_02 54:48

My heart just goes out. Second guessing. Yeah, I mean, I it's a devastating story. I can't imagine. And I know they're going through deep grief, but then the added um the added peace of not knowing is a whole a whole other, I think, layer of grief, and then um the guilt that she said that she's now feeling, which um which is what kids do, you know, regardless of age. And uh yeah, I mean, it just our prayers are with them, you know. There's really kind of no words for it. I she's uh made the decision, I think, right, to come back to the Today Show. And so um I I give her a lot of props for that, for um, because that's a level of of perseverance and kind of uh getting back to it in a certain type of way, even with the weight of what that show now kind of means for her and at this point in her life. And so um, yeah, I mean, I didn't watch that full interview, and I just saw a little bit of clips here and there, but um, I you could see the the power of the friendship between Hoda and Savannah, even in the short clips that I saw of the interview. And so I'm really happy that she has a strong support system, both her family, but then also her friends around her to help her as she, you know, continues to navigate this probably for the rest of her life in a certain type of way.

SPEAKER_01 56:18

I believe that that is that is the case. And what she said is that uh I have to move myself forward because I'm not gonna let whoever did this to my mother then take away my children's mother and take away our our family and take away all of our joy. So I'm going to move forward and really try to live my life as an example of what courage means here, and each and every day with the hope and the prayer that um there will be some breakthrough. But there may be or there may not be. But I need to try this.

SPEAKER_02 56:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 56:56

I need to try this. Yeah, find a way to find some version of peace. Some way, some version of peace, and some because what we want for everybody is for them to live a life that they can love.

SPEAKER_02 57:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 57:11

I I feel like we we usually want to end on a higher note than than that, but we do, we do, you know, but but that's real life, and there's a lot going on in real life today. That's true, that's true.

SPEAKER_02 57:23

Well, um, thank you for the conversation, and I will see you here. I will see you in between, of course. But yes, I will see you on this couch again next week.

SPEAKER_01 57:34

Sounds great.

SPEAKER_02 57:35

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 57:36

All right, bye. Bye.

SPEAKER_00 57:49

She's got wisdom, she's got sex, she's got questions, she's got lets. Two voices can lie like waves in the same moment. That's the key of the mother mentor.