Don Lemon's Arrest, Grammy Controversy, & Insights On Jay Z and Epstein
The Reid This Reid That Newsletter
Hello Cousin Nation! Welcome to this week’s Reid This Reid That Show Notes Newsletter. Here we provide you with a quick read about the show as well as additional resources that accompany each episode. If you want to watch this episode after this read, just click the link below.
Welcome/Hello
Joy-Ann opens the show expressing feeling overworked, but grateful. She shares a mantra she has been saying in the mornings: “I am alive and I am here, and that is enough.” To that, Jacque mentions Stutz, a 2022 Netflix documentary by actor Jonah Hill about his therapist Phil Stutz and his unique model for healing. She shares one of Stutz’s therapeutic tools for the anxious moments: saying aloud four or five little things you are grateful for, and then silently continuing the list in your head with 3 or 4 more items.
Jacque demonstrates the exercise: “I’m grateful that it’s warmer today than it was yesterday. I’m grateful that my hair is growing and so this whole natural experiment is working. I’m grateful that my mother is alive and well.” The warmth that gratitude brings, Jacque describes, eases anxious thought spirals. Joy-Ann jokes, “I’m grateful that I’m not Nicki Minaj and I still have my soul inside of my body.”
Joy-Ann and Jacque send their love to their colleague Savannah Guthrie at Today in the wake of the reported kidnapping of her mother, Nancy Guthrie. They are praying for Nancy Guthrie’s safe return, and for comfort for Savannah and her family at this difficult time.
Wine Down
Jacque is sipping her favorite beverage: pomegranate juice with sparkling water and a squeeze of fresh lime (in a mason jar, of course, for the aesthetic).
Jacque is all about television this week–first, she is eagerly anticipating Season 2 Episode 4 of Hijacked on Apple TV, starring Idris Elba. She is also enjoying Shrinking on Apple TV, with particularly high praise for Jessica Williams’s performance. Lastly, she is streaming The Pitt on HBO Max, and while she believes the show’s Black representation leaves much to be desired, she describes the medical drama as “the best of the best that are out there.” Someone in the chat mentions Industry–it is one of Jacque’s faves, and is on Joy-Ann’s watchlist! Joy-Ann shouts out the 2016 Netflix series 11.22.63 starring James Franco, adapted from Stephen King’s hit novel.Jacque is intrigued.
Joy-Ann is on week five of her Invisalign journey! She can feel her teeth getting straighter, very slowly, as the weeks go on. She shares that she has lost weight because of how regimented your eating becomes on Invisalign, and how tedious it becomes to eat a simple snack.
Ish You Need to Know
The ladies discuss the kidnapping of Savannah Guthrie’s mother Nancy Guthrie, who was realized to be missing when she did not arrive at church on Sunday. Just before this live, TMZ and other outlets reported having received alleged ransom notes demanding millions of dollars in bitcoin for Guthrie’s return.
Don Lemon’s Arrest:
Next, Joy-Ann and Jacque discuss the recent arrest of Don Lemon for covering an anti-ICE protest at the Cities Church in St. Paul, MN. Don was taken into custody in LosAngeles and released after appearing before the judge. Journalist Georgia Fort, and two activists were also arrested. Jerome Richardson, a 21-year-old student who provided logistical support to Lemon in his protest coverage, is also being federally targeted. Jacque says that, in this bleak age of censorship, the job of a journalist–merely telling the truth–has become an act of resistance. Joy-Ann adds that MAGA is attacking left-wing resistance so aggressively because citizen journalism threatens authoritarianism, a power system which thrives on the silence and fear of the populace.
Epstein Files:
More than 3 million long-awaited files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigations have finally been released. According to the DOJ, the long delay was necessary for the the agency to redact the private information of those involved. However, the DOJ revealed names, videos, and other private information pertaining to Epstein’s female victims, effectively retraumatizing these survivors.
Big tech industry names were referenced in Epstein documents dating to as late as 2019, long after Epstein’s conviction in 2008. Other high profile figures named in the new releases included Jay-Z, Pusha T, Harvey Weinstein, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Woody Allen, Steve Tisch, and Brett Ratner (director of the new Melania documentary). The ladies share details related to Jay-Z’s alleged involvement with Epstein.
Hot Topics:
Grammys:
Trump has threatened to sue comedian Trevor Noah over jokes the he made when he hosted the 68th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday. Noah mocked Trump for his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein, as well as his efforts to take control of Greenland. The night featured many fiery acceptance speeches, with several celebrities calling out ICE and the Trump administration. Kendrick Lamar, however, did not offer any political commentary in his several speeches that night. Pharrell made a speech that landed poorly with many viewers, in which he encouraged the audience to “never stop working.”
Shaboozey also stirred controversy by claiming in his acceptance speech that ‘immigrants built America’, in a likely well-intentioned but insulting moment. Jacque shares her thoughts on the importance of being well-read before using your platform as a celebrity: “If you’re going to say something, know what you’re talking about. Immigrants did not build this country. It’s almost an erasure of Black Americans who were brought here and enslaved and worked for free. We were not immigrants.”
Joy-Ann agrees, “Sometimes I have to gather my immigrant brethren and sistren because there has to be homage given to African Americans, who built the most powerful culture on earth. There’s no culture more powerful than what AfricanAmericans built.” Jacque says that now more than ever, the scripture “To whom much is given, much is required” rings true. Those with platforms are responsible for taking a stand, but they should do so after educating themselves to ensure they meet the moment.
First Lady Docs:
Michelle Obama’s documentary Becoming is winning, as #1 on Netflix! In the words of Jacque, our “Forever First Lady” will be number one forever and always. Meanwhile, the ladies question media reports that the new Melania documentary performed well. While we only have the first weekend’s numbers for Melania thus far, it seems the media has been overly quick to laud the project a success.
Controversial Casting:
In other news, in a racist post on X, Elon Musk criticized Lupito Nyong’o’s supposed casting as Helen of Troy in the highly-anticipated 2026 film adaptation of The Odyssey. Jacque emphasizes that Helen is a mythological figure, and that she was hatched from an egg after her mother was raped by the Greek god Zeus in the form of a swan.
Guest: J. Anthony Brown
J. Anthony Brown joins the ladies and shares his thoughts on the Melania doc… “First of all, Melania is not stupid at all. Don’t let anybody think she’s stupid. She is getting over like a fat rat… she’s getting bank. But everyone who’s around Trump is getting bank. In my opinion of Trump, he’s not smart enough to be this evil… he’s evil, but he’s not smart enough to be this damn evil. It comes from Stephen Miller and all the other people who are making money.”
J. is not very optimistic about the fate of the US under Trump. “It’s going to get worse, and more people are going to die on camera. More people will die because of this administration, and because these ICE agents have this attitude of ‘I can do whatever I want. I can arrest whoever I want. I can break the glass. I can throw you on the ground.’ So why would they eliminate killing you?”
Book Club:
Purchase the book: If I Ruled The World
The book club has officially launched, with Amy Dubois Barnett’s debut novel If I Ruled the World as our inaugural read! If I Ruled the World is available wherever you buy books, including Black-owned bookstores!
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See you next week, Cousins!
Would love to see you and Joy take Fridays and chat like you did on your podcast.