Joel Kim Booster
Appearances
Lemme Say This
Secret Lies of Mormon Wives (with Joel Kim Booster) | 53
In the first half of the 20th century, one woman changed adoption in America. What was once associated with the shame of unmarried mothers became not only acceptable, but fashionable. But Georgia Tann didn't help families find new homes out of the goodness of her heart. She was stealing babies from happy families and selling them for profit.
Lemme Say This
Secret Lies of Mormon Wives (with Joel Kim Booster) | 53
Hi, I'm Lindsey Graham, the host of Wondery Show American Scandal. We bring to life some of the biggest controversies in U.S. history. Presidential lies, environmental disasters, corporate fraud. And in our latest series, a young adoption worker moves to Memphis, Tennessee and becomes one of the most powerful women in the city.
Lemme Say This
Secret Lies of Mormon Wives (with Joel Kim Booster) | 53
By the time her crimes are exposed decades later, she's made a fortune and destroyed hundreds of families along the way. Follow American Scandal on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season only on Wondery+. You can join Wondery in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial today.
SmartLess
Bad Dates Season 2 with Joel Kim Booster!
Do you think you got twin switched? Do you think?
SmartLess
Bad Dates Season 2 with Joel Kim Booster!
The story is also very Boil the Frog. Like you're like, okay, all right.
SmartLess
Bad Dates Season 2 with Joel Kim Booster!
So in my head, I'm like, does he sing every time or is it for you? Do you know what I mean?
SmartLess
Bad Dates Season 2 with Joel Kim Booster!
Natalie! Natalie! Yes! I've been sending you the packages. I've been sending you packages, Natalie.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And an action movie would be fun too. You know, I'd love to be in a big stupid, like I'd love to, actually, I really want to be like the tech hacker guy in the van while they're like doing the thing and be like, I'm in, you know?
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
okay if the audience member that you're talking to is getting the bigger laugh and is being funnier than you are then you're posting an l on your timeline right now like even when i'm doing crowd work like i am in control i make sure that i'm saying the funny thing right you know in response to whatever they're saying exactly not like letting them be the interesting you working me at my show yeah no it's like and i like listen that has happened to me before too but i don't post it online
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Nobody needs to know.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Love to hear that. Nailed down and chased. Period.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I have a lot of sympathy for comedians who need to do that. But I'm also like, baby, like, let's let's let's really examine the material.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Well, and it's interesting, like talking. I mean, like we talked about it earlier, but it is a different skill set. Yeah. And I feel like I feel bad for a lot of these people who got came up doing front facing like comedy videos on Tick Tock.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
and now we're being asked or think it's expected of them to do stand up in tandem with that because the touring is really lucrative you know like it's a great way to you know to to get money doing what you love but it is like it's so different and i i recently was on a show where i was backstage and this very i found out like very big tiktoker was hosting the show and it was funny because he had no fucking clue who i was and i had no idea who he was
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
and um but he was like talking to me and he's like yeah this is the first time i've ever performed live in front of an audience and i was like oh that's interesting and of course he bombed and it was like how long was that it was like 15 20 minutes damn it was rough first time 20 minutes i know exactly and my thing was is like i didn't blame him i blame the producers i was like you should never have been put in this position in the first place right exactly because they don't understand i
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
They think like, oh, this person has a lot of followers and is funny online. He'll be great to get butts in seats. Exactly. Yeah, exactly. And then they throw him into the deep end. And then it's just a tragedy. It is. And it's just like, it's a different thing. I know people who do both, but they will cop to this. They use different skill sets to do both. Exactly. Yeah. And so, yeah, I feel bad.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yeah, I mean, listen, I have always loved attention like we all do. Right. And I was like a little... ham as a kid and I remember seeing my sister in a school play and like I was like I don't know like six and I was just like I want to do that and literally from that point forward that was all I was ever wanted to do really like there was a brief moment where I wanted to be a youth pastor so
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
A mess. That will follow you when you've been doing it for 14 years.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I mean, but like you were smart starting with five. Like, yeah, this poor kid, like starting at. That's why I said 20 minutes. I was like, I, you know, it's a you really do not realize how long five minutes is. No, for real. You're up there. I agree. Like and it's like, whoa, this is this is a long time.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
is like that's so real because like quite honestly like post movie post like special and stuff like that like it's i came up when i started touring and headlining in 2016 it was based off of like my one appearance on conan and that was pretty much it i've seen that appearance it was great it's fantastic and you know i would be performing at these clubs for people who hadn't
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
no idea who I was you know and I would have to come out there every single night and like really prove myself and really like win them over you know by the first 10 minutes or I was screwed and like that made me such a strong writer and like such a like word economy and all these things and like getting to the punchline faster and like because you have to get to that punchline fast if they don't know who you are because like they're just sitting there waiting for you to make them laugh and like so you learn that
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And then like now there are moments on stage where I'm like, that wasn't that funny. I don't trust you. I was like, you like me and that's good. But like, also I think you're being a little charitable.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
So I love doing like, my favorite thing to do is like a secret headlining spot at like the store or something like that where like nobody, everybody just shows up and has, and again, like it's like having these moments where like, Most of those people don't know who I am either. Like, they ain't watching Fire Island. I ain't showing up on their algorithm.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And so it's, like, really necessary for me to do that. Yeah, totally. Because, like, it really does pinpoint those spots where it's, like, oh, that was a fan. There was a gas leak in the audience. You guys are drunk. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Coming from Chris Fleming, that's huge.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
One of the all-time greats. For real. It makes me believe that stand-up can be funny and interesting. You're so mean.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
He said that was a brief. Don't know what that was. Yeah. And then I came out and quickly shift gears back over to wanting to be an actor. And like I went to theater school for performance, like musical theater. I did like one summer, a professional like summer stock musical theater and realized very quickly I did not like it enough to watch. to do it for the rest of my life.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yeah, actually, I do. It's so one of the when again, going back to 2016, when I first started touring, the only time I've ever done a comedy club and bombed pretty much all six shows for an hour straight every night was Phoenix, Arizona, the week before the 2016 election. And Who hates you? That puts you up right there.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I was doing this club and I was the last minute replacement for the comic who was supposed to be headlining that week. And I was sitting there and all the old comics, like tabletoppers and poster was still up. And I was sitting at the bar before my first show there.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And this is like before my first show, this guy's sitting at the bar, ordered a drink, looks at the tabletopper and turns to the bartender and goes, this guy isn't too much of a faggot, is he? And I'm sitting there and the bartender knew I was the replacement. And she was like,
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
oh well actually we have a different comedian than that one and like I was just like well here we go you said bad news for you to make matters worse the opener they had chosen for me his closer involved getting the audience to chant lock her up in unison with him and I was like, and of course he was one of these guys who's like, I think they're both bad.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I think they're both bad, but like, you know, he chose to end that way. And then I come on stage and they're like immediately like, you know, my entire person is politicized. Yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And so they're just like sitting there and it was so rough, but like midway through that run of the, uh, of that week that I was there, I was like talking about, I have the joke about how I'm adopted, but my older brother who's biological to my family is also gay and, And we were, I was like talking about that. And I was talking about like, I guess it's nurture, you know?
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And, um, that's my theory. This woman shouts out from the crowd. You wouldn't have been gay if you were breastfed. And I, I turned and what a gift because of all that entire week of bombing, this was the funniest. I was the entire week. The only time I ever got the crowd on my side. Cause I turned to her and I was like, I did not realize there was a scientist in the audience. And I was like,
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Gotta talk to you. And I spent probably like 15 minutes interrogating this woman about where she was getting this and what is the science behind it and what is the belief system that led her to that. And again, even this conservative crowd that hated me hated her more. He said, got you, bitch. He said, I only needed to be one.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
It was the only time I had ever gotten the audience that week on my side for that short 15 minutes. And then, of course, they went back to hating me once they got back to material.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
like i like she i have a joke about her like that i you know right you know that ended up in my my first special and like again like i look back on that and i was like she was a gift sent to me from heaven because a reward yeah no truly for those six days um
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And I still like man I have so many scars from Phoenix they tried to get me they did get me to go back a couple years later by like luring me in by being like oh no this one this shows in historic downtown Phoenix which is like the Brooklyn of Phoenix and let me be clear let me be clear.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Well, cause here's the thing. Like I realized like I'm a, I'm an okay actor. I was an okay singer. Could not dance to save my life. Physically dyslexic. Do not know left from right. And I was like, oh, I'm not good enough at this specific area. Like the thing is I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and like,
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
there is no Brooklyn in Phoenix yeah for real like and historic downtown Phoenix I'm sorry you forget that like the entire west coast is so new that historic downtown Phoenix looks like a Chipotle like it is there is nothing that feels like historic about it at all because I'm like oh this was like from the 70s like it's like this is this place hasn't existed long enough to have history it's like right after they replaced the wallpaper in Taco Bell yeah exactly it's like right after that so what is that 2010 and of course those shows were bad too so
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Never, never going back to Phoenix. Never, ever.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yeah, I will say like Tempe, pretty cool, you know.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Well, shan't be going back to Phoenix.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I ordered a Greek salad at a restaurant in Phoenix. And you know what they brought me out? A bowl that was like a third full of tzatziki, then cucumbers, and then feta on top of that, and then more tzatziki on top of that. And I was like, this is disgusting. This is all the same. It's a bowl of sour cream. Yeah. I was like, yeah, you gave me soup. Like, this is not a salad.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
What do you think a salad is?
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
That's all they have there. I can't recommend. So sorry to disrespect anybody who lives there currently or is from there who loves it. But, you know, not every city is for everybody, you know.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yeah. I mean, I will say... I haven't really bombed since Phoenix. Thankfully. Thankfully. You're too good. And so like most of the material and I don't change the material really for audiences. I never have even. And like I'm very proud of that. I've gotten some really nasty, like very specific to me jokes like to hit and land.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
But you do have to like really like get them on your side first and sort of like get them to trust you. And then you can do the weirder shit. And that's the stuff that like right now, especially I love to do the most. And like I have a joke right now that like is the build up to it is that like I am in love with a horse and, you know, bestiality is tough, especially in this climate.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Judgment everywhere. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that joke, unfortunately, you know, it really does hit with some of them. If I'm performing for like an alt comedy crowd, you know, who expects it to be weird. Yeah. And it's like, again, like, I think like there's a difference in a crowd that's like comedy literate because they already know what the obvious punchline is. to a joke is.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And so like, we're all trying to stay ahead. And like, honestly, the internet has made it really hard because like you like tweet out a joke and it becomes a meme and it becomes disseminated around and everyone, no one knows who started the joke.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Broadway and like musical theater and like community theater like that kind of stuff was like my only access to that's like my only conception for how you would be an actor yeah like doing musicals and like doing that stuff and being on Broadway and I soon realized like oh I'm not good enough at this like I was good enough to get into the school and I was good enough to like you know get parts in high school and stuff like that but like on a
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yeah. And it's so frustrating because like you do that obvious punchline of the joke you wrote and people are like, oh, that's from the meme. And you're like, no, it's not, bitch. It's from my stand up. It's from me. I'm going to kill myself. No, literally.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And like, it's not always super helpful because if you're performing for a comedy audience that has seen like maybe one or two comedy shows in their entire life, they don't even know what the obvious punchline is yet. So if you're trying to go to step two and stay ahead of it,
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
yeah you just left them behind and they're confused you know and so i prefer to perform for crowds that have seen a lot of comedy and love comedy and like have a lot of context for it yeah um and then like you know you do have to sort of like um when i'm performing here in la especially at some of these clubs where it's a lot of tourists and it's a lot of people who've never seen comedy before yeah i do have to like stay cognizant of that and they may be like i don't change the joke too much i just maybe like will um
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yeah, I mean, it started as like we would go to Fire Island and I would I remember the first trip to Fire Island. I brought Pride and Prejudice with me and I would be reading it on the beach and like kind of look up and be like, wow, this is like really similar to what we're dealing with this week. And everyone was and it started as a bit.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I was like, I'm going to write like a gay Pride and Prejudice set on Fire Island. And they were like throwing shit at me like boo. Like, no, that's a dumb idea. And I every year we would go every summer we would go. I would read a different Jane Austen book.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
It was like my like tradition and like I just like it got in my head more and more and it was like I'm gonna do this eventually and so it was sort of a dare like my friends were like okay to do it and I wrote like a 30-minute pilot spec script that was loosely the same story that would end up in the movie and it was just like you know it was gonna be seven episodes and every episode would be a day on the island and
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And I took that out and no one wanted to buy it. No one was interested. Again, we were talking before we got on mic a little bit about people being like, this is a little niche. And it's like, okay, I know what you really want to say. And it's a slur. Yeah. But then, you know, I met with Quibi.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
r.i.p quibi and say what you will about quibi they were taking some big swings and i was one of those swings and they were like actually though can you make this into like a movie that we can then cut down into 10 quick bites and so i developed it there at quibi got the green light there and we're supposed to start shooting summer of 2020.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
and yeah and we were like in pre-pro we were like trying and there was like a moment before we really knew what deep shit we were in as a country um like we were like maybe we shoot it in north carolina and like shoot it like cheat it for fire island like you know go to one place where that's open and like it quickly became apparent that it was just not gonna happen and then quibi shut down in december and we were like well shit
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
um but they were very kind they gave us the script back right away like they reverted the rights back to me oh that's really nice because they were like we believe in this and we want it to happen if it's not going to happen here and so um we took it out and searchlight was pretty quick to like scoop it up and and um and i really didn't have to make i didn't make that many changes from quibi to searchlight it was like a pretty completed package already um
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And of course, like little like edits here and there as we started to cast and like, you know, originally Margaret Cho's character was like an older gay man. I love Margaret here. It was like, I think I can say this. It was supposed to be Alan Cumming, but then he had to drop because he had to shoot something in Scotland. Damn. We realize now.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
professional level, I was like, I'm not going to be competing with people who could actually blow the roof off this place. Yeah, you're like, this isn't my team. As a young person, as a 20-something and trying out for Broadway roles, you're only ever going to get cast in the ensemble. And that's if you can dance. And I was like, so I'm fucked. So I went back to school. Oh, drop that dream.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
was traitors and I was like oh it all worked out exactly as it was supposed to work out because it was like Alan would have been amazing but like Margaret was made it so much her own and we like it was so funny she reached out to um Andrew and I and our people and the studio and her reps were like she would love to be a cameo in this movie she would like you know this was right after it was announced with me and Bowen starring she was like she would love to and we and we just found out we needed to replace this part and we were like oh like
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
this could be really easily rewritten. I wouldn't have to change that much at all to make this fit Margaret. And so we met with her and like rewrote, you know, the part to fit her. And, um, yeah. And we did that with a lot of the people that we cast.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Like once we, once we had like certain people on board, like, um, you know, we rewrote a lot of it for them to be specific and it was a really wonderful process. And, um, a really quick process, which is not normal because they needed to thank God for Bowen being the busiest man in Hollywood. I have to say, because that made it so like, they were like, we got to rush this through.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
We got to get this shot before Bowen goes back to SNL. Yeah. And so I'm very lucky in that regard. The best thing, experience filming in my life, like just getting to make something with my best friends. Yeah. And like all of these wonderful people, very like low budget. So we were like making a lot of concessions. Like, let me tell you, that rain scene.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
When Keira Knightley shot her rain scene in Pride and Prejudice, I bet the water was heated. And I can tell you... Because she has money like that. Yeah. It was not heated. And it was September. It was the middle of the... It was like 2 a.m. in September in New York. So it was like 40 degrees outside. And we were walking through this freezing cold rain.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And at one point, the medic... We were sitting in this warming van in between takes. And the medic came to take my temperature. And he was like,
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
we have to take a longer break because this temperature is so low it does not register on this digital thermometer and so his lips are blue he's hypothermic like in the like fema like tinfoil blankets like shivering and so like poor andrew like had a lot of different shots planned for that scene and they were like you're gonna have to get it in like a couple yeah and um so let's bring them back to living body but even like moments like that i was like i
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
you know yeah um so it was really it was really exciting and i'm i'm you know really grateful to the response to it too you know like yeah i was gonna say what was that like seeing the response to it it's i mean it's crazy listen not everybody loved it and that's fine but it is like i mean talk about the comment section like i was in the comment section for a while and it's so funny because my my partner and my now fiance then boyfriend was like he's gotten so good like now even i'll be sitting on the couch and he just can tell from my face he'll be like
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Put it away get off get out of the comments. Oh my god me That's crazy. You say that's lame. Yeah, and he's just like no no you don't need to be reading whatever you're reading, right?
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yeah, it's not important and um, but for the most good we need that I saw a lot Yeah, I like for the most part like people were really, you know positive about I will say like no one is more willing to give me a note on that movie than a drunk gay guy at a gay bar and
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
um the way they love to come up to me and say i have some notes yeah no and i'm like okay while it's in the can i'm not contacting hulu to like cut the movie wait let's let's edit the movie actually um what's the most common piece of advice you get for it um i think like people don't like that like um bowen ends up with james like people don't like that like he gets a happy ending
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And so I went back to school and I, um, changed my major to playwriting.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
they're like that's not realistic well art is meant to provoke emotion I know and I'm like I'm making a romcom here like of course somebody needs to have a happy ending and like my character is a little bit more ambiguous like what happens to them and I like that I like being able to show both sides of like you know like sometimes you go on vacation and you meet someone and it's like you're there for life that's how that's what happened to me I met my fiance on vacation sweet in Puerto Vallarta Mexico like having a gay old time and like and I brought him back to the real world and made him my real boyfriend yeah
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Um, because I was like, you know, I've always been interested in writing as well. And I, um, had started to write like, uh, plays that I would direct at school in the student theater. And that's, and it just felt more sort of, um, I don't know, gratifying to me in a lot of ways. Because I did my first one and everyone was like, wow, that was so great.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And then like sometimes you have a really intense like, you know, week with someone and it and that's where it ends. Yeah. And like I wanted to kind of show like both sides of that happening in the movie. And I think like people are like, but that's not realistic. And I'm like, yeah, but sometimes love isn't realistic. You know, like what happened to me and my partner?
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Like that was so unrealistic. Exactly. Yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Well, it's funny. I get nagged a lot by guys too. Like the amount of times I've heard like,
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
i don't care what anyone else says i actually really liked your movie and i'm like okay well you could have said nothing yeah or you could have just said i liked your movie yeah but i think like especially with like other gay men like there is this idea i think people have of me that i have a much bigger ego about the movie than i do right there's this need to like oh let's bring him down a little bit before we like right
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
they're like not too much it was all right yeah yeah no i mean truly and i don't think people realize like i'm like pretty chill like whenever someone's like oh like i meet someone and their friends like you know he he was a fire island guy and they're like oh sorry i haven't seen it like and get weird about and i'm like i don't i actually prefer that like it's just fine and like you can like you don't have to do this theatrical performance in front of me i'm like
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Oh, sorry. I haven't seen your movie. Like, I'm like, I don't need that.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yeah, that's crazy. It is. It is pretty crazy. Negging in general is so wild. Like when L.A. opened up, And that day that it opened up, I was in High Tops in WeHo. And they have some bomb salads at High Tops in WeHo, I will say. It's random, but they do. And I was eating this buffalo chicken salad standing up. It was packed because LA had just opened. And this guy comes up to hit on me.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And his opening line, though, was... wow, you really don't eat that salad confidently. And I was like, okay, new insecurity just dropped. Like, what? I was like, I didn't even know there was a right way to eat salad. Like, let alone that I wasn't doing it confidently. And then he proceeded to try and hit on me. And I was like...
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
no like you started off on i thought you were bullying me crazy place and like it was so it's so wild like and i'm sure like you know exactly what i'm talking about yeah men negging yeah and i don't know why people think that this is a viable plan i know what's what's the plan after you to talk to them yeah if i end up standing here longer what happens after you just hurt my feelings i don't know
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I don't want to talk to you anymore.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I'm a Pisces through and through. Are you February, March Pisces? I'm a leap year, baby. I'm a February 29th Pisces. Ooh. So a little extra. Extra special.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And I feel it deep. Do you know your big three? So I'm because of I'm adopted. And unfortunately, this is a scary thing to say in this time. My original birth certificate is nowhere to be found. And so there is no birth time.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And no one had ever reacted to me that way after seeing a performance of mine.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
um so let's choose your own adventure yeah we've kind of determined um so uh i'm a leo moon which is fucked up um and then i they think like based there's like two there were two options based on like where the stars were yeah i was born like if i was born during the day then it was this and if i was born at night which they think based on the description of my rising is gemini
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Like that is, I guess I'm giving Gemini outwardly. But inside I'm like, I'm a Leo. But I really do identify – everything I've ever read about being a Pisces, I'm like, oh, you nailed me. Right.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I bet. It's observing. And the dream – you know, the, like, constantly dreaming and constantly imagining and constantly living in a different, like –
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I was a beater. I was a beater on the play for Hufflepuff. It's so funny, like my first class in college, and it is sort of like, it's tough to talk about now because it's like R.I.P. Harry Potter. I know. It sucks. Thanks a lot, TERF. I know. Sorry, I said that so quickly.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, honestly. And so for the rest of school, I was doing that. I was still taking performance and acting classes and stuff like that, but just sort of dropped the dance and the singing.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Oh, I do. But I mean, and it's just it's like you could have been the most beloved children's author in history. And now your legacy is like terrorizing trans people. I know. Like you did this to yourself. Yeah. But my first class, my first like seminar in college was about Joseph Campbell and the hero's journey. Through the lens of Harry Potter.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And so we were all sorted our first week in college. Okay. And like literally like if you were late, she would be like five points deducted from Hufflepuff. And whoever won as a house at the end of the semester would get up a half letter grade.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
damn i know it was for shit like that's a good ass prize doing like like answering a question in class yeah five points to gryffindor and i was like this is bizarre i'm in college um but she was like it was like it does follow the hero's journey like you know so like i was learning about campbell you know um but it was just like goofy like she made us make wands at one point and i was like how does this have to do with the reading you know that's an art school if i've ever heard one
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I had fun. It was like, you know, it was like a way to be athletic for people who were not athletic. But to feel included. Yeah, I know. My roommate broke her arm playing Quidditch. Why or how? Listen, it was a contact sport at times and she got contacted. Sometimes you're a beater and sometimes you get beaten. Exactly. Were you a beater or were you beaten? Exactly.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
and um and was just writing and like i went i moved to chicago because my first full-length play right out of college was being produced as a part of the fringe festival out there which was cool and i just stayed and there's a there's a really vibrant like storefront theater scene in chicago it's really amazing and um the more i got successful in the scene in the theater scene in chicago
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
exactly the sex that says your first cat was named rock hudson yep um we had a naming convention for all our pets growing up where they were all old hollywood names like so we had like marlena dietrich and errol flynn and like those were like the names of our pets and stuff like that and um Yeah. My mom brought this cat home and it immediately bonded to me.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And so they're like, OK, Joel, this is your cat. Like, what do you want to name it? And I was like eight. And I was like, Rock Hudson down. And they were like, great. And like, I don't think my parents were even aware of the like secret gay life of Rock Hudson. And I certainly wasn't aware, but I think I intuited, you know, and I yeah. And so I had a cat named Rock Hudson growing up.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And and was he a nice cat? Oh, he was. He was a cat who thought it was a dog. Like literally would follow my dogs outside in the backyard and like just sort of like trot on. And every time like they would go to the front window and bark at somebody, he would be there like sort of like trying to make the same noises. It was so cute. And he was so affectionate and so great.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And like, yeah, I loved him.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Four dogs, five cats, two birds and a lot of fish.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
okay noah's ark yeah okay and we and not i think the most we had concurrently was three dogs three cats and one bird um but like over the course of my time yeah at home that that was it was that number um so it was a lot and my mom's a home health nurse and most of them were strays that she would like find on her route and like pick up and like my dad would be like you can
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Like a real boss does.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Like, that was his real name. That is exactly fitting with what my family was. Exactly.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
No. They don't know nothing.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Also, it says on here that you used to work for Groupon Corporate. I was the 70-something employee of Groupon, actually. Wow, you are old. It was my first job out of college. I was a customer service temp. I started as a temp there, answering phones for people who bought Groupons and had problems. And by the time I was 25 and left that job to move to New York,
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I was managing call centers in Virginia, Ohio, and Texas. Damn. And, like, remotely from Chicago. But I would have to go every quarter and, like, visit these call centers. And it was so funny because I was very young. And it's just this thing of, like, back then that was, like, early startup culture. Right. Where it was, like, everyone's sitting on a yoga ball. There's free snacks in the kitchen.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
The more frustrated we get, because, like, I would be doing these, like, really, like, indie, like, plays, like, at, like, 60-seat theaters. Yeah. Getting paid, like, 25 bucks a performance, like, that kind of thing. Yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
There's a ping pong table. You know, like, it was, like, the golden age. Everyone's seeing jobs in the garage. Yeah. Yeah. Google tried to buy Groupon for $6 billion while I worked there, and they said, no. They said, actually, we think we can get bigger than that. And I was like, even then, I was like, okay. I was like... Real confident. Yeah, I was like, do you know what we do here?
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And yeah, and so it was like that thing of like, when you start at a company that early, that grows that fast, like they just start promoting you. Even though I was like a child. And like- Even though you're illiquid.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I like, and the thing was, is that when I had to go visit these call centers, the like 40 something year old guys who like ran the floor on these call centers, who were like the actual managers on the ground, hated me. Because here I, like this twink coming in, I'm like- Being like, actually, did you hit your numbers? And, like, they literally despised that they had to report to me.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I worked... Actually, you know, technically, Gribble was not my first job out of college. My first job out of college was this place called Total Attorneys, and it sucked because it was this place where, like, it was not a scam, but it was just like, do you need a DUI attorney, a divorce attorney, this attorney, whatever?
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And they would fill out these forms, and then they would... We would call them, and they would think that we were, because we were called Total Attorneys... the person who was going to give them legal advice. And a lot of these people were in jail, like in processing, holding, whatever, and they needed an immediate help.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And our business model was like, Oh, we'll connect you with one of the attorneys in our network. And like, just basically, and they'd be like, Oh, so I could have just Googled this.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
and like oh so you're useless yeah and it was hey why do i need you for that heinous it was just a heinous job and i worked from like four to midnight like that shift and it was just like so you were getting like you really were getting the duis that were like people in jail shit and like yeah it was dark oh my god horrifying like a month and then i switched over and that was definitely beyond anything else like the worst job i've ever had and then you started cracking the whip over at groupon yeah you started working it like the navy over there
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
But then as I slowly started to, like, get, you know, more successful in that area and get called into, like, shows at Steppenwolf or The Good Men or something like that, like, the big theaters, this was, like, hmm. 15 years ago. Like, so it wasn't, we were not having the conversations about diversity and casting that we're having now.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yep. I was homeschooled until I was a junior in high school. Damn. Yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Bad. I mean, I was homeschooled for religious reasons primarily. They did not want me learning about sex or evolution. And they sent me to school when I was 16, junior year of high school.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And within the first month of going to school, a public school, came out of the closet, smoked weed for the first time, smoked a cigarette for the first time, drank for the first time, sucked a dick for the first time, chocolate for the first time. Like did it all. It's like you cannot keep a child under lock and key for that long. Damn, they unleashed you on the world.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And then give me a little bit of freedom. It was like over. Too much slack on the leash. Yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Suckin' a dick by night. So yeah, it was honestly the best thing that ever happened to me was being able to go to public school because I don't know where I'd be. That was the period where I was like, maybe I should be a youth pastor. Um, so like going to public school and like be like tasting freedom and like really be who I am and myself and being able to like be who I wanted to be. Yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
It was like life saving. I think. Damn. Oh my God. I know exactly what my life would have looked like if I were a youth pastor. I would have been on the deal on grinder hooking up with musical theater majors home on break behind the target in my Subaru. You know, like that is that what that is the picture of that life. And I know that because I was a musical theater major home on break. Yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I saw a lot of them.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Don't let him in.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yeah, no, it was...
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
it was real deep and it was like honestly like because i was like really like i want to go to college and like i need to take the act's and like prep for that and like at this point no one was like managing my my schooling at home yeah like my parents both went back to work so i was just like home chilling like reading and like that was your getting the math answers out of the back of the book and like not learning at all so by the time i went to public school i was like
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
light years ahead of people in reading and writing, but so far behind in math and science. It was really jarring for me. I just actually told my partner this, but I really didn't understand how to do homework or study for tests until I was probably a sophomore or junior in college. That skill set was just lost on me. I did not know how to study. I was a terrible test taker.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
great like any writing portion like nailed it you know like that's it but like taking a test and doing like homework I was like wait but like I just was at school for eight hours like now I have to do it more like you mean I have to take this home yeah I was like I did not like it was just so strange I was like why aren't we doing this in school like why were we talking about this shit you know like um but yeah so it was a rough transition um academically for me in a lot of ways but
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And so the more higher up the parts that were, the less interesting they became. They became more about like, just like caricature-y and like just not interesting parts, you know? And so I was working on a play called Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche as a writing assistant. It was an original play and it's exactly what it sounds like. And the comedian Beth Stelling was starring in that play.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
My sophomore year of high school. Damn, you were on those marble slabs? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. The Ghia is what it's called. Thank you very much. The technical term for those slabs. Don't want to disrespect your craft. And, like, the Cold Stone at this time was, like, the Underground Railroad for gay teens in my...
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
basically like they all worked at this Cold Stone and so like that was like my first intro because they were like I would be telling them like what I was doing in homeschooling and they'd be like that's crazy you need to go to school if you want to go to college and so that job really influenced like everything you know like I went to school because I was like pressured by Cold Stone creamery employees to do so and
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And gay people. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Exactly. And the best thing that ever happened to me.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I remember getting the call. I was in Portland actually sleeping in a hostel in a bunk bed in a hostel and And I was like doing a show out there and I had just done like a showcase for TBS and like in L.A. actually. And like it was like a really it was like I had like really crafted this five minutes of stand up material and like like I knew like it was like.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
all of my best jokes that from like the however many years i'd been doing stand-up at that point um like four or five and like i knew that it was like just a killer set and i i crushed that that showcase and from that showcase they booked they the conan booker was in the audience it was like we want you to do that exact set on conan and um yeah a couple it was like a couple weeks later i did it and like um it was life-changing it really was yeah i was gonna say the reception after i'm sure it was crazy no it really was like i i remember watching it on youtube
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I don't think anybody like the response from like the Asian community, the Asian community, the gay community, the adopted community, you know, it was like a big deal because like so many people had not seen anything like me. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. In 2016. I'm very grateful that I'm not the only one holding the torch by any means now, you know, and it wasn't at the time either. Yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
But like, you know, there's just like there's so many of us now.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
and it is like really demonstrative of like the breadth of our experience as like weird people or people of color whatever what have you yeah and like i'm so glad that like you know i'm for the first time in my life i'm on lineups with other gay comics not the only one with other asian comics not the only one and like it just feels great because it's like
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yeah, me and Matteo Lane, who started, like, a week apart from each other in Chicago and were friends in Chicago when we were coming up and are friends now, obviously. But, like, we had this moment where, like, early on we realized we were not getting booked on the same shows because people assumed that we were just, like, the same person, basically. And we were like, fuck that.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Right, you guys look so much alike.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
no and it was like we talk about completely different stuff like our material did not overlap at all yeah it really like bonded us together and they like made us like really good friends because we were like okay this is bullshit yeah like we don't agree with this and like we started like demanding to do shows together because we were like we're friends and like we are different and like
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And she's, like, a pretty big comedian, especially if you're a comedy nerd, like, right now. And she was the one who was, like, you know, you write and you perform. You should try stand-up if you're really frustrated with, like, you know, the parts that you're getting called in for. She was, like, you can just, like, do it yourself. And she was the first person who suggested that.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
yeah anymore because like the internet has made it possible for you know like if you're seeking out a queer comedian you can find a treasure trove of us on the internet now and like seek out and find us and like i perform in a lot of different rooms but like um it is so refreshing to be on the lineup of all gay comedians and like i can do one of those shows like once a week and they're packed and sold out you know and like and good natured yeah they're always really fun and they're down to laugh yeah for the most part which is nice
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
You're going to need to really work, get work to get them on your side. Exactly.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Well, I mean, all respect to you for being self-aware enough. Cause many people would not. I know.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
There's many of them in the room. Yes. Yes.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Don't put yourself in a position like that.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Especially early on. Exactly. You need to feel the wind a little bit to lead you through those moments of bombing, you know?
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And I still a lot, but, you know, slightly less.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And, like, up till this point, like... I didn't know that standup would be like a place for me. Cause like when I was in high school, like the biggest name in standup comedy was Dane Cook and no disrespect to Dane Cook made me laugh, but like nothing about what Dane Cook was doing said to me, Oh, this is for you. You know? And like,
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yeah, it feels that way now, but like once you're there it will feel I know I just I you fascinate me like I was like that is so like to stay on subject stay on time I like go off book a lot and that wastes time right before my prepared material Well cuz like I'll tell you what like when I was coming up in New York again like very like a big time where a lot of people were trying to do stand-up and so I would wait like upwards of two hours to do 90 seconds of material at an open mic and
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
and like when you've got 90 seconds you learn what 90 seconds feels like and you learn how to get three jokes and three punch lines in get your word economy down and like and that is a skill set that i've kept with me and that i think like a lot of these a lot of i think that's like the big issue with some of the like tiktokers that we've talked about right yeah is they don't have that innate sense of like getting to the punchline exactly um it's very like
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
meandering and like sort of like telling a story but not writing punchlines around certain moments in the story it's just like oh like I saw this comic recently and I was just like this is a good interesting story but you've done nothing but tell the story what's your POV on what happened to you and tell me that and like that's what's missing I think from a lot of what I see in young comics today
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
specifically the great british baking show and i'm so um i mean i got prue and paul and um we were in the english countryside in the the tent i need you to know i have butterflies and it was one of the most fun experiences i've ever had even though i kind of flopped the final um
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
like hey but you made it i made it yeah uh everybody did but um it was like it was just like a one episode thing one yeah like and it was like marshall lynch me darcy carden um like it was putting you and marshall lynch i know i know it was crazy yeah um but i had a lot it was like so much fun and the thing is i was really reticent to do it because when they called me i was like I don't bake.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
every time I'd been to a comedy club, it was like, I'd never felt like, you know, the joke straight. Yeah. No, I never felt like in on the joke with them. I felt like a part of the joke. So, um, and then I went and started seeing like really like all comedy in like bars in Chicago and like real and seeing people like Beth and Kumail and like, you know, people who were in Hannibal in Chicago.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I've never baked day of my life. Yeah. Like I don't know that I could do that show. And they were like, listen, like this is not nailed it. Like we're not here to like see you flop. Like we don't want anyone to feel embarrassed. They have culinary producers on that show and they have them on the main show, too. And they aren't there to like do it for you. But it was a lot of like.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Hey, does this consistency look right? Can I put this in the oven now? And they'd be like, yeah, yeah, yeah. And so I had a lot of help and a lot of prep time. I basically met with those producers beforehand, and they were like, so what would you want to bake if you could bake? And then we will sort of find a recipe that you can do that is close enough to what you have in your head.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
That's what I need. Yeah, and it was really great. And so I didn't actually practice ever, but I did watch the YouTube videos many times over. And yeah, I got a handshake from Paul in the first round.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And that's all I really needed. That was the win for me.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
It is it is Bachelor in Paradise meets the Housewives. Basically, it is literally four housewives and a bunch of men. And we say unleash them upon them. And it's it's it's it's really going to be a fun show. And it's like a really interesting. I love that they're taking the housewives out of their natural environment and putting them in.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
this different setting because you're used to seeing the women in conflict with one another. And on this show, like they really do become this like sisterhood and like, there's plenty of drama on the show, but it's all between the women and the men, very little between the women.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Thank you so much for having me.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And I was like, Oh, this is what standup could be. I was like, I had no idea. And so I started doing it and doing well. And it slowly became like it started as this outlet for me to be like, get creative, get creative again and like sort of like, you know, feel like myself on stage. And then it just slowly took over and became way more interesting than anything else I was doing.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And it's so nice to like get to see them like sort of be, you know, um, sort of there to support each other and not there to like, um, you know,
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
do the drama that you normally see on Housewives for our benefit you know it's just like they were in a you know out of their element and so they really did sort of like hold on to each other because they were all like doing this new thing and so that's like a fun aspect of the show that I think people can look forward to and like
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
uh it's it looks really luxe it looks really different from um the housewife shows and yeah it's just it's a new it's a new thing and i think like they picked four really funny ladies and like yeah it's it's it's it's funny i think it's real a lot of the time um you know i yeah i it's it's it's gonna be interesting and it's the first time i've ever done something like that
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
um because like true tea the reason i got this job is because i was originally offered trader season three and i turned it down and it was so hard because i love traders i love it so much i've seen every international english speaking season uh and but i was like i don't want to be a contestant on a reality show that's not like
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
you know like bake off is one thing yeah but like it was for charity yeah you know but i also was like you know i i didn't want to work necessarily with an editor who was not maybe looking for my best takes and like and my boyfriend my fiance put it out he told me this and i think it's a great point traders is so huge especially this season that just aired the season i would have been on was so huge that i run the risk of being known especially to a lot of straight people as that guy from traders
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And I didn't want that, you know? That's so real. Yeah. And so I was like, but I was like, you know, sort of like clocking what Alan was doing. I was like, I would host a reality show. And they were like, oh, that's interesting you say that. We have this one that we think you'd be really great for. And I'm a huge Bravo fan. And so it was, yeah, it was an easy sort of like yes to make.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Like a lateral move.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
yeah and like again like i um trefari williams our our ep and showrunner taught me how to do that job like i had her in my ear the entire time and um she came from like queen's court and bachelor nation and stuff like that so she was a pro she knew what she was doing she didn't know the housewives though and so like we were like a really great team of like i was like i know this world you know that world yeah yeah yeah and so and she was amazing and i think she created a really incredible show
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And I hope they continue to do it because there's so many iterations of the show I'd love to see. I'd love to see Heather Gay on the show. I'd love to see like Sonia on the show. You know, there's so many single women in the Bravo world that I think like everybody needs to see, like sort of be able to like have their pick of these characters.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
So I moved to New York like two years in to like really pursue it and like.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I'm so excited. I hope your listeners know that you do shoot in a haunted elementary school. Yeah, I do. Many different sets.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
My boyfriend referenced Who Gonna Check Me Boo recently.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yeah, that's Housewives. It's like the one thing, the one show I'm allowed to watch without him. And so I've actually picked up a lot of Bravo shows that I normally didn't watch because I'm on the road and I'm like, oh, I can't watch our show without him. And so I'm watching Below Deck now. You're all up in Vanderpump. Yeah, exactly.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
way you've lived a thousand lives it's crazy like you're just mastering talents and then moving on no i mean like you're mastering these skills and then you're like well i'm at the top and it's boring up here i actually wasn't at the top when i moved to new york in chicago in fact a lot of people told me they were like you're too green to go to new york yet like you haven't done yeah xyz show in chicago you haven't done this theater in chicago blah blah blah
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Joggers. September, spring, summer, September.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
You are conquering them all. I'm trying. I'm trying. I'm so happy for you. Multi-hyphenate to my bones. In period.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yeah, I'm trying to think. I would love to do two things, be in an action movie and be in a horror movie. Those are two things I would love to do. That's so cool. Especially horror. That's priority number one for me. I would love to be murdered. Like, please, daddy, murder me. And like I, you know, have had a couple of opportunities come up that haven't worked out or haven't aligned yet.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
But like I'm really waiting for that. And again, it might be like something that I'm like, maybe I need to write this myself, you know, period. And and you can and you will. and an action movie would be fun too.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Oh, you know, I'm a scream queen, baby.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I mean, I said it earlier in the podcast. It's just be prepared for when your moment arises, you know, like come to the table ready. And it's and it's it remind yourself that like you're doing this work now for free on your own time.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
and it's an investment in yourself you know like it is not useless busy work it is an investment in yourself and so um just push yourself to do it it's really hard to do it's really hard to self-structure and self-motivate to do that kind of to write an entire script when no one's asking for it you know it's like it's hard because writing sucks man like i love having written yeah but writing but
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I mean, the thing is, is like, I am so grateful every day. I never imagined I would be where I am at. And that's actually like what my struggle is. And it's a champagne problem again, is that like, I am now moving the goalposts for myself because like, you know, like my dream, my goals were very modest when I started out and I've accomplished a lot of those goals now.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And so now I'm trying to be like, okay, but like, what's next? What's reasonable for me to expect for myself? Like what,
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
you know like and so it is about like it is i'm so grateful and i'm so blessed to be in the position that i'm at but like it is now like a lot of like thinking of like okay um so i did that and now what you're like i need to re-motivate myself yeah no it's true i think that that speaks to your spirit as an artist like you constantly are looking for inspiration which i think is a beautiful thing and when i had alana glazer on she was telling me too like
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And the thing about that for me was is I kind of like figured this but like I moved to Chicago or to New York with a bunch of like the top people in Chicago at the time like people many classes above me. And the thing is no one gives a shit what you did in Chicago once you moved to New York. Yeah. You know, like we all started from zero. Yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
uh it's wonderful to like take breaks in between projects and stuff because you get to go live life and that's what refills your cup exactly as a creator and that's the thing about stand-up too is that like i it's harder now because like when i was struggling when i was working 50 hours a week at a day job and then going to do these shitty open mics at night in new york like i was writing material yeah all the time because i was miserable yeah and now that i'm happy
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And for me, I was a lot closer to zero than some of these other people I moved with. So it wasn't as big a blow to the ego. I was like, oh, I'm going last at the open mic. That's my life in Chicago, too. No, I love that about you. Yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yeah. And I always tell people move a little bit before you're ready.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
yeah before before the people you know above you say that you're ready or before you even feel ready right i think it it behooves you like you know to have like the base skill set but like you know i no one thought i was ready to move to new york and i'm so glad i moved to new york because i got a lot better a lot quicker yeah and like really you know honed in on um things and um yeah and the rest sort of history like i was in new york um grinding it out like doing a lot of open mics and just like slowly over time there like
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
um started doing like festivals there was a time in comedy where every major city had a comedy festival yeah and like that was like a really exciting time in comedy i'm so lucky i came up when i did because it really did feel like the golden age of stand-up comedy and um so cool because like so many people were into it and like i don't know like there was the economy for every major city to have a comedy festival which is not the case anymore yeah and like
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And, like, it's so funny because what I was doing back then in, like, 2014 was, like, considered alt comedy because I was, like, a marginalized identity talking about my life on stage.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Um, cause you weren't talking about hitting your wife. Yeah, no, I was referred to a lot as an all comedian and I came up with a lot of like true actual all comedians like Julio Torres and like people like that. And like, it was so funny cause like what Julio was and is doing is all like, it is very much left to center.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
What I was doing was like standard, like storytelling, like, you know, observations about my life and the lives of others. And it was just happened because I was gay in Asia and people lumped me in with
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
the the brooklyn alt scene and they put you under other yeah well and the thing is is i i did feel more comfortable doing those rooms yeah totally for the audience for the audiences yeah you know because like it was like people who were like into comedy and like comedy nerds and like we're not like we're just interested in like are you funny and yeah not can you how bad can you punch down for 40 minutes straight yeah
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
um yeah and at one of those uh comedy festivals in portland i randomly that's where my eight my manager saw me for the first time at like performing a 10 minute spot at a gay bar in portland and like i got back to new york and he called me and he was like let's meet when i'm in new york and um i saw your set and i really enjoyed it and this is what i will always say to people yeah
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
who asked me like, what can I do to really like make it? Like, how did you get where you are? Like, how did you do it? And the thing is, I always say like, you cannot create the moment that the door opens for you. All you can do is be ready for when that moment happens and be prepared. Because when I sat down with that, my manager, who's still a manager to this day, he said the set was great.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Do you have a tape of you doing like 15 minutes? Do you have a spec script, like a writing sample? Do you have like X, Y, Z things? And I was able to say, like, no, no, truly. But like the thing was, is I was sitting at my day job on my lunch break writing that script. And like, you know, running around the city with like my my fucking digital camera, like making sure that I got those clips.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And I was able to say, like, when he when he sat down with me, like he was basically saying, like, are you ready to go? And I was able to say, yeah, like, let's do this. Like, here's all.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
my my my multitudes in front of you yeah and um so like that was really and like everything else like just sort of like started to happen right after that yeah and so yeah it's just like you can't you have to be you know it's so random how it happened like you know of all the places for him to be hanging out that night like watching the show yeah and like Yeah. It's just like it's so random.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
But you control how prepared you are for when it happens. I agree. It's hard. It's hard to do that work when no one's asking you for it yet. Yeah. It's hard to keep going. Exactly.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
wow that's a little fucked up that i went uh haunted elementary school and then some it's like a rorschach test you know like whatever you see is like what you are inside i guess yeah you found out enfj yeah over there well i'm so excited to have you i think you're an icon oh thank you so much and we i've been trying to nail you down for a while oh my gosh right i've been chasing joel for a minute i'm so honored i'm a little horny now
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And I mean like, You say it's different, but like it is very similar being like what you do with social media and stuff like that. Because like, listen, you were putting stuff out on the Internet before anybody gave a shit. You know, and it takes like a lot of time to build that momentum and get to where you are now.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And like I keep like all respect to you for that, because like I try to do the social media thing. And during lockdown, like I was like, oh, I need to pivot to TikTok.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
and boy do i not that is a different skill set that is a different skill set that i do not possess and so i respect you all the more my brain is rotted from the inside of tar on the inside of my brain crack it open and like melted chocolate but like no i don't i don't i don't have it so um you know um
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I will say, like... Stand-up is very different. I use a very different part of my writer brain for stand-up than I do when I'm writing scripts. I will say the transition from plays to screenwriting wasn't that big of a leap. You can be a little bit more dynamic and a little bit in certain ways, and you can be a little bit more experimental in theater.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
sort of like the confines of like theater make it really exciting to write for, because like, it's like, if you want to do something really interesting, and this is my thing about theater now is like, I don't want to see a play where it's just like two people talking and like somebody's cutting vegetables and doing laundry.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Like, like these, like, cause I'm like, this could be a movie, like anything that I'm like, this could be a movie. Like what makes it so immediate and so special as a play, as a piece of theater? Like,
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
because it's like i see so many plays where it's like oh you wanted to be your screenplay you know yeah what about it like makes it special in this space like in front of a live audience you know like what can you do like work around that and so i you know it's it's different in that regard but like the fundamentals are the same in screenwriting playwriting so
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Yeah, because it's like I go up and I like I'm not somebody as a stand up who like sits in a coffee shop and like writes down the jokes verbatim in my notebook and then goes on stage and says, you know, word for word from the notebook. Like I write down little like premises and ideas and thoughts and things like that. And then so much of my writing process as a comedian is about writing on stage.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
Like I get up on stage and like I have very little idea where I'm going when I'm working out new material. And so much of it is about like working in conversation with the audience and figuring out what the joke is and what the angle is and what the funny thing about whatever I'm talking about is. And like I it's just I record every set and I listen to it back and I said, oh, hey, that hit.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And then I write it down, you know, and then I like start to like craft it.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
a little bit more so it's a little bit less precise than i think like yeah there's like a little bit more script writing ways yeah improv yeah kind of oh that's so interesting because i do anybody who's seen my show like i do a lot of crowd work yeah um which is my one of my favorite things to do i've seen a lot of your crowd work on tiktok yeah and it wasn't posted by you someone else was clipping it well i love to hear that because i don't know how yeah
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
And yeah. And I think like the thing is about like this is like we are living in the moment where every comedian is posting crowd work clips like everybody's got to. And I understand that like it's a necessity.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166
I'm very lucky that I did not come up in an age where I had to post content of myself doing stand up, whether it be a joke that you're burning for the Internet or crowd work that you're posting because you have to put out like a new clip every week and you don't want to burn that material. But I see a lot of crowd work where I'm like,
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
You know, it's interesting you bring that up, Nick.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I mean, we chatted about this a little bit before I came on, but there were a few episodes, I think, where you, where my name was dropped and you, in fact, said the complete opposite of me, of you being a fan of mine. And we, we sort of worked it out on the remix over DM, but so no hard feelings. And also I kind of like,
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
if there's anyone who understands um popping off in the moment and um that's what i was hoping for um i think i completely understand that and i think um yeah no and listen i you know what did i say because i do i think i owe you up an apology but i want to know what i'm apologizing for You said that is not the kind of person I would want in my orbit. I used to be a fan. I am no longer a fan.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
And when I did the apology, this was the only thing that was a little confusing to me. You said it was a weak move and little boy shit or something like that. And and this is what I will say about that is that like and I'll show you the text messages from executives asking me not to apologize and let it like die on its own.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
So I did genuinely want to do that because I did genuinely like took the time. It was a lot going on after that all went down. And it took, trust me, like no one was more upset with me than my fiance. And that was like a really rough time. And so I regretted it pretty much immediately. But it took me like those two weeks to sort of really find the words to really like
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
How do I accept responsibility for this and take accountability for this without trying to like shift it in any sort of way? And, you know, maybe I wasn't super successful in that, but it was not a mandate for me to do that. And it was something that I did want to genuinely do because... And I said it like, listen, I'm not going to sit here and say that's not me because clearly it is.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
That is a part of me that is...
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
not a part that i want to access all the time and i work very hard not to access and so that was the only thing you said because like when you were saying the other stuff to share like in shannon's presence i was like well you kind of got to play ball in that way but that was like i was like i i think i really did want it to come off like i was taking responsibility for it and so well
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I was too harsh.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
It was precipitated by real things, but the stuff that I said, I was saying shit that I didn't mean. Of course I'm not feeling for John Jansen. He's a monster. That's so clear, but I just was digging deep to say the most hurtful things I could in that moment. It just wasn't something that I'm proud of. And it's like an unfortunate little asterisk now to my entire career.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I think the first host of a reality dating show that has come after a contestant before the show has aired. And that's always going to be on my Wikipedia now. And I have to live with that. And that's a bummer for me.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Yeah. Listen, amongst Bravo fans, my inbox was crazy. And actually, the trailer dropping has re-upped that. But the Venn diagram of Bravo superfans and people who want to bring back the word mongoloid is much...
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
i'll take her circle than you think it is um they were like people were really upset and i think with good reason and especially i mean you can't watch that season of oc and not like be a little bit of a shannon stan i mean i went into filming the show like a huge shannon stan because i that half the season had aired already by the time i got there and she was having an amazing season uh in part because so many of the other women were being such
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
assholes so like how could she not you know and yeah so I think it's interesting I don't know how much it will affect the show and and if that I regret it mostly because the show's gonna be really fucking good I definitely don't want to watch
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
any less yeah no and like well and unfortunately for people who are expecting to see conflict with between me and the women there is no conflict between me and the women it all happened after we wrapped in fact I think there are moments and scenes where I like connect deeply with each of them and it is like very genuine.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
And that is, you know, it's, it's a small part of the show, but it's, you know, the feedback I've gotten from the, like the people who are cutting together these episodes, I start getting episodes this week, so I'm going to see it. But, um, is that, you know, they're happy with the job that I did. And I think like the show is going to be really good.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
And I think it bums me out when I see people being like, I'm not going to watch this because I hate that guy. And I'm like, you know, we're watching, we're watching guys, guys, guys, you're,
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
You know, I did send her a personal apology as well, because, you know, inevitably we're all doing press for this show right now. I don't think I'm doing any like duo press with Shannon anytime soon. But, you know, I understand her reticence to want to take that at face value. I, of course, understand that. And I think like we can probably coexist.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I think we'll have to in the context of this show.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
uh and doing the work for that i think part of the reason why they were like trying to be like hey maybe don't publicly apologize for this is that the news cycle is quick it over there at bravo and people i i'm sure she will find someone to be way more mad at than me in the history of the internet we joke about this i have never seen anyone in the internet go oh
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I think it'll be whatever. I don't travel to the OC very often. I don't think we hang out in the same circles. I think it's probably something that I will be able to leave behind. Again, it's just going to be this weird asterisk thing.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
And that is the thing is that there were ways I could have addressed the behavior that precipitated this in a professional way and not given her the opportunity to be you know sort of added on top of like all of the other shit that she has been you know been piled on her um and yeah well thanks for addressing
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
And the thing is, is like, I think I would have had I'm glad that we talked about it before I came in. I didn't. You know, there was a part of me that was like, maybe I'll just go and like bring it, you know. And but I was like, I also just like I wanted to know that this wasn't going to be like some sort of like ambush. And I wanted to explain myself to you specifically because like.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I think that what you said is not unfair given the context that you had, you know? And so I, yeah, I was, I was a little anxious coming here, but, um, yeah, more than I can say for other people that you mentioned before we started recording that you were in the
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
process of planning a wedding yeah we I spent all night my sympathies go out to you watching uh Real Housewives of Atlanta while creating a wedding website and sending out the save the dates um to all of the many people the much larger list of people that we ended up how yeah it always happens how how what where are you in the plan so um just sent out the save the dates it's a new year's wedding so it's this new year's and um
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Yeah. So that's kind of like, we're kind of good for now for that. We've like at the venue, you know, we're just, you know, sort of figuring out all of the like food now and that, but it's, you know, 276 days away or something like that. What's your relationship with all the vendors? It is going to be interesting. We have like a really great wedding planner.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
And she is like sort of dealing with a lot of that, but it was funny. Cause like my branding rep, like, and my PR person, as soon as I announced that I was engaged, we're like, how much of this wedding do you want covered? And I was like, huh. I don't necessarily want it to be like Joel and JM's wedding brought to you by Clorox, you know?
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
But like, if, you know, a liquor brand wants to pay for the bar, then like, I will post an Instagram story about it. I'm not too... Listen, the price tag on this thing is wild. And we're fine. It's coverable. But it is kind of like, oh, damn. One night, huh? Maybe we should just go to the courthouse.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
We've just done our circuit of weddings. And it's weird because most... I feel like my friends who stayed close with their friends from high school go to weddings constantly. And I speak to no one from high school. So, like, I've only been to, like, a handful of weddings in the last couple of years. God bless. And, like...
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
It did sort of like we were taking notes a little bit and from some of these weddings. But again, it was like, oh, I don't care. All I cared about was like the food. And so like, you know, the snacks are really important. The meal is really important.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
And it's like just as long as like creating because for me, it's like I just want to like throw have a really good experience for the people that I'm asking to fly to San Francisco for this wedding, you know, and like, yeah, it's going to be a really good party.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Neither one of us, when we entered the relationship, were gay marriage guys. I think the expectation for a while was that we were just going to be those weird 55-year-old boyfriends who've been together for a million years. And I think there's something shifted when I think we realized to say in front of... It's like when you tell your friends you're writing a book.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
It's like, well, now you have to write the book. Because they will ask about it forever. And it is that thing of like...
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
when we really decided that like you know because my assumption for so long was that I would meet someone I would fall in love with that person and be in love with that person for the rest of my life but we had this conversation three years deep where it was like wow in three years we have both changed so much and you are not the person that I fell in love with you are different I'm still in love with you though this version and I am pretty confident I'm going to be in love with the next iteration and like iteration four will suck but we'll ride that out into iteration five and like
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Once we had that realization, it was like, oh no, I really want to stand up in front of my friends and say, I'm going to do the work. Falling in love was not my choice. It just sort of happened. But the work of staying in love, these weddings that we've been to over the last couple of years, that's really a powerful thing. And we're not religious people. It's not about that.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
It's about sort of like... us, you know, sort of like asking our friends to keep us accountable for promises we made.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Yeah. You know? Oh, I fucking hate saying fiance though.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
It's a mouthful.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I just like, no. But my husband is going to ring. My husband is going to be great.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Do the work. Yeah. Like how you get your grade used to. I don't know how much communication was going on in that relationship. It seems unclear.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
it is so frustrating because like last season with lindsey and carl we knew that relationship was dead on arrival you know but it was still fascinating to watch unfortunately i don't find the credit i i just want page's single season now you know like i don't i it's just so frustrating to watch him not hear any like not absorb so you're definitely team page oh for sure
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
It is very Shep and Santa in a small way.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
This is where I will be on your side a little bit, is that I'm not sure. I do think she was pretty clear in the conversation they had at the Australian restaurant about her career and stuff like that. But she is being way more forthright in that fucking bed. Yeah. Thank you.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Thank you.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Thank you.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Thank you. Thank you.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Thank you. Thank you.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Thank you. ,,,,
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
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The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
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The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
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The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
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The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
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The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Yeah, gotta get out of the bed.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I think it's a boy thing because I've never even thought about my outside clothes being on the bed. Like shoes, certainly never, never. But I am reminded of it. But like, I don't think I've ever thought about.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Yeah. I'm going to think and meditate on that for a long time. And I want you to do that. Yeah. And I do. For moving forward for sure. You'll think about it the next time you go to get in bed. I'm now suddenly like, oh my God, these are my outside clothes?
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I really am obsessed with your outside clothes today. You found those on Instagram? Yeah. No, I was saying before like Instagram got me again, girl.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I will figure it out. Oh, I think it's like cost actually. Oh. I think it might be as simple as that, yeah.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Yeah. But we'll confirm after the podcast.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Ew, no, never. I am not a feet guy at all. And also, like... What are you doing in there, Jesse? They really got him when she was like, why did you take your socks off? And then...
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I gotta say about Jesse, it's frustrating. I preferred Jesse so much more last season when he was like, I am a fuckboy, this is who I am, and was so charming, and you didn't care. At least he's being honest about who he is. I think this season, I think because of the cancer stuff from last season, he has made this arbitrary decision.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
He kind of even admitted to it with that conversation with Craig and Amanda, I think, when he was like, well, isn't it time that I start to do this? And it's like, no, baby, it's clearly not time for you to do this. That is not who you are yet. And that's okay. He's under 30, isn't he? No, I think he's like 31 or something like that.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
yeah but a cancer scare he I think that made him think like oh I should like be settling down now but it's so clear that he's not and here's what I will say I would be way more upset about that conversation with Sierra than I would about the toe yes like I think like the toe is whatever I mean I'm a gay guy so like
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
my bar is set a little bit differently but like that conversation with sierra i would if i like she she finds out about the toe on camera but like she's gonna see that yeah and that would be so shitty to watch like it's just it's a it's on a different level and i also just i don't think that he wants to date sierra either i think he's just somebody who needs
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
That's the thing is I think like most monogamous couples are like, there's this line and as long as I don't cross this line, it's not cheating and I'm good. And I think he did cross that line with a toe. But I think like looking at your relationship from a 360 perspective, like so many people just think as long as they don't cross the sex line, they're good, you know?
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
And for me, like I'm in a non-monogamous relationship. It's so much more about like the emotional like And like, you know, connective stuff like I could care less who sucks his toes, honestly. But like if you were like sitting down with someone being like, wow, you're the one that got away. Like, you know, I would be like, OK, fuck my drag.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Emeril, I think, is so interesting. Like, I love that he operates like a gay guy, but is straight. But I will say, like, he gives the energy of, like... like a B tier level Netflix dating show, like a too hot to handle or something like that. Like that's where he belongs. Cause right now he's using the show as a platform. Like we don't even see these women.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Like talk about him. He's covering the camera. He needs to get out of the bed too. You know? And like, I, I just, um, you know, he had that, like, it sounds like he has a very interesting backstory that I'd love to hear more about, but he doesn't talk to anybody else. He just goes out and brings back strange girls that we never see there. Uh, anything. No one's signing any releases. But you know,
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Yeah.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
They sort of gave us a peek behind the curtain last time when Carl was like, she was on my list last weekend. So it sounds to me like they each get an allotment of people they're allowed to invite. And, like, they're on so-and-so's list.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Right. And it's just you're like checking in with the randos at the table. You're like, what's your experience of this?
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I think she's having a really tough season. Now I've met something out socially and she was so nice and so lovely, like surrounded by gay guys. And I think she thrives in that environment and is the best version of her experience.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I, I, I don't love what's happening on this season with her a lot. And the Garcelle leaving because she's so clearly much more interested and invested in her friendship with Kyle than she is with Garcelle is kind of a bummer. I think Garcelle, though, is leaving... quite honestly, at the right time because I think the tide was about to turn on Garcelle a little bit too.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
And I think, yeah, I think she's leaving at like the height of her popularity and that's the smartest move that any housewife has ever decided to do for themselves. Makes sense, yeah.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
And Dorit. And Dorit, and I think, like, what I read was that Bose, like, really comes for her about the staged break-in of it all.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
And, like, that really comes back to bite her at the reunion, is that they all sort of go in on, like, that sort of comment, which is, like, she says some, like, she says some pretty shocking things sometimes in a way that is, like, Garcelle, in a way that's, like, I'm glad she says most of the stuff she says, like, when she's, like, can we just call you a lesbian? Like, are you... It's, like...
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I don't think Dorit knew anything about it, but it is a little sus. I don't put it past PK. Don't sue me, please. Allegedly. Allegedly, we don't put it past PK. Allegedly. Let's bookend it. But yeah, I think she was voicing what a lot of people were thinking. Now, do I think she should have? That's a different question. I'm not sure I'm equipped to answer yet.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
But to answer your question, I'm not necessarily Team Sutton right now. Again, in real life, I hope to run into her at high tops again. But I just think I really didn't love the wallet comment. That's tough. And like, listen, do I do I stand Dorit in any way, shape or form? No. Do I think we're finally seeing a little bit of like who Dorit like when she lit that cigarette?
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I was like, that is who you are. Finally, we are seeing who you are. And like, I am glad for that, like at the very least, because this was kind of a boring season.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
That was mean.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
You know, it's never, SNL is not calling anytime soon either. Um, it was like not a good impression even. Um, but yeah, I, um, It is strange. Like, I just think that, like, Sutton really wants to be friends with Kyle. And I think it drives her nuts that she can't get in there. And I think, like, it's very much like cool girl table. Like, it's a little Heather Gay, you know, too.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Like, in the way that she sort of rides for Lisa in a kind of, like, transparent way.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Yeah. I hope for and pray that it'll be interesting. In the same way it's been interesting to see Giselle without Robin, I think it'll be interesting to see Sutton without Marcel for a minute and see how that sort of plays out.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
It is. And I think like, it's so sad that Crystal never really brought it in the way she needed to bring it because knowing her in real life, she's very funny and very sharp. And I think like at the beginning of the season when she had that little tiff with Sutton, I was like, yes, okay, this is gonna work.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
And then I think she got so scared because Sutton was so much more popular than her that she really dialed it back. But I was like, I like you. Oh, you're that girl. Like I was like, yes, get in there. Like, let's really unpack this. But then she really just, I don't know. I think she, she, she like dialed back because she was, she got spooked. But yeah.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I do too. I talked to her. I guess part of the reason was, and I don't know if this is the complete full truth, was that they really wanted a season of all single women. And that didn't necessarily play out or pay off in an interesting way.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Nobody's married. Yeah, nobody's married.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
That's the problem is that like, they think, I think they wanted like the fun single season to be this season, but none of them have worked out those, their exes yet. They're still in divorce mode. And so I, I'm hopeful that maybe next season we'll see. I think Boze is a fun addition. Like she really, they finally, she finally broke the one season wonder curse on that show. I think she is awesome.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I've never seen someone I've,
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
yeah but it's also like that's not even the best dick talk about making some hey erica at least someone had a peak i mean that's what garcelle's peak is like yeah yeah and like and now like she is like doing like she's back in a big way and like that's part of my frustration honestly with garcelle's storylines it's like i don't need to hear about another movie or how busy you are like
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
You're at work now. Focus on that. But I'm so happy for her success. I'm glad that she's leaving the show. Like the human, we're happy for her choices.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
yeah exactly and that is the central conflict of any of watching any of these shows is like do you want like an interesting person or do you want like a cool nice normal person no I would be devastated if Lisa Barlow left
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
um i know and yeah and i don't know if i could i don't know if i trust to be her friend right you know like yeah um you said you were wedding planning watching real housewives of atlanta how are you loving this new season i am so like stoked about this season i think the soft reboot is exactly what it needed i think shamia like i'm so like
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I don't know why I'm surprised, but like her being sort of the center and our entrance into this new era of the show. I think it's like she's great. She's like put in the time. I think she earned that peach and like she's been doing like I think I find her to be wonderful. I did not know that HVAC sales was so lucrative. Right.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
And I have not yet learned or been able to, like, remember most of the names other than Brit. And Brit, Angela, Kelly, right?
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Angela in a marriage that is, again, like, doom's day. Angela Charles. Like, that conversation was hard to watch. When they say things on camera, like, 10 years is a long time. I'm like, babe. Yeah.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
That's your that's your like on camera like filter. Yeah. And like what what are you saying to this woman behind closed doors?
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
We're able to squash it. I love Portia Williams. She's one of my all time faves. And I am really excited for a new season with Portia. Yeah.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Yeah. I mean, yeah, you kind of have to be. Again, Drew seems fine as a person, but I don't engage well with her storylines on the show. I'm worried for her ankles constantly. I'm like, what bone is she going to break next? She's always broken.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
And that's, like... And, like, why is this hot dog man, like, producing music now?
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
It's so strange. Like, it would... It would make more sense to be on Drew's side if he was a very successful music producer that could rocket her career to the next level. I would have a little more sympathy for her. But it seems kind of random and honestly, it does not seem like it's going to be a flexion point in her career working with Dennis.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
And next week's the big... Well, we ended with Kenya Hardy. I know. And the thing is, is if Kenya didn't do, like, didn't do what she did, Like, I'd almost be on her side a little bit. Like, if I didn't know what was coming after this episode, I would sort of be like, she is doing a lot right now.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
I know, but she, I mean, talk about taking it to way too far. Like, I don't know, like how she goes from like marching band at to revenge porn. Like it's such a big leap.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
for a second yeah if none of us knew like after this last episode if none of us knew what was coming in the next episode I think we'd all be unanimously behind Kenya 100% you know again love her hate her like she is great TV and like she's still tweeting too my first housewife pairing on Watch What Happens Live And I'm going on again with an Atlanta housewife closer to the premiere of Love Hotel.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
And it will be my third Atlanta housewife that I've been on with. I got Kenya Marlowe and now hopefully, hope against hope, Portia. But I would also love Shamia too, I think. I love those ladies so much.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
uh love hotel yeah let's talk about it a little bit uh what can we look forward to um you know this is this is like on the honest truth the the most pleasant thing i think and surprising thing about this show and i think it's primarily because of the makeup of the women is you do get to see these women like really become friends and really like have their back there is conflict there is drama but it is all between the women and the men and it is nice to see them like just be
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
friends you know like it's nice to not see like the conflict between the women like take over the show it's so that i think people will be pleasantly surprised by and i think like luann is just it is like so it is exactly where you want to see you almost want to see luann as like the only one uh you know like
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
um she is there is like i i know for a fact that like the music they will play behind some of her scenes of it will be so goofy because she is like tenfold the comic relief of the show um in every episode she is just so wild but yeah it's interesting to see all of them i i'm excited like i hope the show continues and we get to see like heather gay on the show and like a different mix like
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how this format sort of moves forward after this season. And I think it's going to be well received. I think it's going to be it's really a fun time. And there are some real like real thing.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
coming up a few weeks away.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Yeah, I mean, like I said, like, I have some sit-downs with them, and it, like, it gets, like, real vulnerable from people like Giselle, too, who, like, I think I have probably not said the kindest things about Giselle in the past.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
and i think she knew that coming into the show and we at by the end of the show like despite the fact that she recently said my dick was uh too small on her podcast we are like good i texted her about that and i was like hey what what why did you say that and like um we ended up but the end of the conversation i was like hope the girls are great like like it
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
she did really like we did really get like much closer like she said to me at the end of the filming she was like you know I thought you would be like kind of a little bitch and like I you know we hugged it out and it was like you know great and she all of them I think were gave me a lot of grace after it all went down do you think it's like just hearing you talk you know and watching all these women and all these different shows
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
It does feel like I flew a little too close to the center a little bit. It's all fun and games when you're separated by a television screen. But it is a little bit jarring. And like I said, they were all super fun while we were filming with me. And so I don't have any direct beef with any of them.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
But like it is it is just like, yeah, it honestly like I couldn't when I got home, I didn't really watch Bravo for a second because I needed like a minute because it did like it just like re sort of contextualizes a lot of what you're seeing. And like suddenly it's like, oh, yeah, you know, it is funny when Ramona shits on the ground.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
It just, yeah, it changes. I have now since like memory hold my way back into loving everything I'm seeing on Bravo. So it wasn't that traumatic.
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
Love Hotel premieres April 27th we will be watching it checking it out do so as well thank you again man anything else you want to promote where people can follow you I have a podcast called Bad Dates that comes out every week I actually truly don't know what day it comes out and Loot season 3 will be premiering later this year as well which I would love
The Viall Files
E910 - Joel Kim Booster, Grant & Juliana, Temptation Island, Summer House, Southern Charm, RHOBH & RHOA
catch up on great show our friend nick lehman writes for it yes love nick love nick um and in fact like much of my character is based around nick so um yeah it's it's great and this season is so funny and like i'm uh it's just a joy to work on so i'm really excited for people to see that and um check out like my instagram for tour dates here and there i hate joel kent amazing uh well thank you for coming joel you've been such a