Join hosts DJ Jazzy Jeff and Crissle West as they talk to co-showrunner Rasheed Newson and actress Akira Akbar (Ashley) about Ashley’s exploration of her sexual identity and why it’s so important to the show to tell stories like hers. Watch as Will’s desire to know more about his father tests long-standing relationships in the Banks family in the ninth episode of Bel-Air, streaming now on Peacock.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Bell Air the Official Podcast is produced by iHeart Podcast
Network and Peacock. Once again, we are back with episode
seven of bell Air the Official Podcast. I Am d
J Jazzy, Jeff and um Chris West is good to
be here again with you. Jeff. We just watched the
(00:20):
ninth episode of Bellair and brother we asked some twists.
It turns I was not into the Okay, I did
not expect to have my box of tissues ready, but
I had my box of tissues ready. Okay. There was
a lot going on. This is really one of the
(00:41):
best shows I've ever seen on television. This was amazing.
I have to agree, if only because first of all,
we're taking an existing concept, flipping it on its head,
making it into a drama. And then we're exploring all
these characters so much deeper, so we get a much
richest story then we would have originally, because we're going
(01:03):
so deep into who these people are individually. We got
to see Jeffrey stick up for himself. We got to
see Phil decide what matters most between family and career.
There was just a lot going on. We are so
so excited to get into it. I just have to say, like,
first of all first and foremost Vim's interview for the
(01:23):
Fellowship Brother. Yes, I love it. That was the first
tier jerker. Was that not incredible? Daphne Maxwell Read who
played you know, light Ski Ain't Viv on the original show,
and then Burning Watson Johnson, who played Vi in the
original You weren't expecting to see the likes of us,
were you? No, Well, it's usually white men sitting in
(01:45):
those chairs, and it's usually a twenty five year old
sitting in yours. Yeah. Well, I guess a lot of
things changed in the art world since I left, and
I suppose both changes represent progress in deed. Shall we begin?
And Helen here? So what was it like for you
to see your old castmates in these scenes? Listen. I
(02:08):
was sitting there looking and I said, oh my god,
this is the remix. You're basically remixing the Fresh Prince
of bel Air with bel Air. This is amazing. I
thought that was genius. When Viv walked into the room
and they were just sitting there, I said, oh my god,
how genius? Was hard saying I really could not believe it.
(02:30):
You know, as somebody who was a kid when this
show first came out, I was just like, oh my god,
these are the women I've looked up to all my life.
You know, they've meant so much to me, and to
see them on this show it just meant everything. On
top of an episode that was so defining for the family,
so much I feel was solidified and and so much
(02:54):
was clarified throughout the episode, Carlton's love for Will and
vice versa, the fair only overall, and their goal in
like bonding and really being a unified, solid, cohesive family.
I just love the way that Jeffrey stuck up for
(03:14):
what's right. Yes, and he was just like, listen, I
just need to let you know that if you keep
going down this path, you're gonna tear your family apart.
Come out, man. You keep going on about me being
an employee, because I love you and your family. I
just can't keep my mouth shot, even if it is
(03:35):
my job by all means, don't stop now. All right,
Your wife's dream drowned underneath yours. Your son didn't even
get a chance to develop his dream because he's just
an extension of yours. Your daughter trading on a very
dangerous territory, my friend, all right, Fred Wilkes, he's a
flawed man, he's also a good man, and you are
(03:55):
going to destroy him because when push comes to shove,
you always do what it takes, even at the expense
of the people who love you. And I was just like,
how much courage did it have for him to say that,
not only to his boss but to his friend. Right,
There's not too many people who will stick up for
themselves in that way and put their job and their
(04:17):
friendship on the line and say, brother, I hope you
proved me wrong, but based off what I know about you,
this is what you're about to do and it's some
bullshit and I just want you to be better than that.
When he hugged him and said proved me wrong. Yes, yes,
where Jeff I was literally shedding tears. I was like, Yo,
(04:42):
how y'all gonna do this to me? Yes, Yes, it was.
It was just such an incredible episode and really has
me wondering what we're gonna see next week. But you know,
today we're gonna be talking about themes of lgbt Q
A identify and coming into your own and we have
(05:03):
to talk about that theme for a bit. You know,
we really see this show exploring you know, the the
l g b t Q issues throughout the character of Ashley, Like,
and that got me, Like, you know, I thought it
was a big step to tackle these issues, but to
tackle them through Ashley was mind blowing. What was it?
(05:26):
Because I felt like gen Z is definitely the one
you're gonna do that with. Yeah, you know what, you
are absolutely right, gen Z. They care about everything. I'm
showing my age. They care about everything. And Ashley was like, Yo,
not only do I care about human rights, I care
(05:47):
about the environment, and I care about voting and I
care about the planet. Like Ashley, it's you know, she
cares deeply about everything. But you're right every we watched her, Yeah,
she doesn't just explore her own sexuality, but she also
you know, she branches out into different ways of how
she can present her sexual identity to the world. You know,
(06:08):
she's really getting the space and the support to do
that from Hillary, who is the one person she sick
shared that with so far. But you know, we also
saw in this episode that she doesn't really feel like
sharing it with her mother is the safest or the
best idea yet. And you can really see viv who
obviously knows something. Yeah, she knows what's going on, right,
(06:33):
but she can't really you know, she doesn't feel like
she can speak up about it or coming out to
her mother, even though her mother knows. So we see her,
you know, struggling through that very real relationship, and I
think it shows just how even kids who have parents
who would be supportive don't necessarily feel safe and coming out.
(06:53):
So I'm appreciative of the Ashley character for for reflecting
that reality, especially because she's speaking. She's speaking about it
in public, but not to her mom. Like she went
and at church and yes, I was just like, okay,
she she felt that more comfortable in going to the
(07:14):
reverend the church to just find out his opinion. Yeah.
And you know what I thought was so interesting about
that is that Ashley was very willing to talk to
the reverend about it at church. But you know, if
you notice, he gave her a very like general response
like oh, we'll look into that. Yeah, and she was like, okay,
(07:37):
thank you, you know, like because she's twelve and so
she thinks that's a good thing. But he definitely gave
her a very like, girl, we'll call you back. Like
it was a very you know, average sort of blog
it out of our face. Yes, yes, not not right
yet exactly that exactly that he was focused on cars
(08:04):
and he was focused on what Uncle Phil was gonna do.
He was not thinking about Ashley and her gaze. Okay,
that was not so we definitely see Ashley coming into
her own in that way, and we also see Aunt
Viv coming into her own. Like I said, this interview
with Lights getting A Viv and the original A Vine
was incredible. I was struck by her speech during this
(08:27):
fellowship interview. Can you just tell me how you felt
about it watching that scene? Well, I think what I
really appreciated is she paused for a second because she
realized that she had the answer that she would always
normally give, and then she decided to tell you. And
I appreciated that because she was like, no, you know what,
(08:48):
this is what I'm supposed to say, this is what
I've always said, but it's really this And I think
that really resonated. You know, them saying that she was
already chosen before she even walked into the office, that
they were going to offer her, you know, this grant,
but her saying those words just really solidified it. She
(09:09):
wasn't expecting them to be like, oh, we're offering you
the job. Girl. We just wanted to see you in person,
and we know you wasn't expecting to black women, but
who we here? We are anyway, you know, Yeah, she
wasn't expecting that in the least, and so to see
an viv come to the place where she can say,
you know, I just want my work to resonate in
(09:30):
the world without me having to define it. I just
want to work. I just wanted to shine, you know.
I felt like that was such a huge moment for her.
And even with you know, Ashley and with Carlton, you know,
breaking down in front of Will and talking about his
anxiety and stuff like that. Mental health issues, sexuality issues.
(09:50):
These were not really addressed in Fresh principal air that
aired back in the nineties. So can you tell me
a little bit about what it's like for you, you know,
as an original cast member watching the show tackling these issues,
because it definitely did get into like police brutality, racism,
stuff like that, but it didn't go quite here. So
this version really tackles them head on, and I would
(10:12):
love to get your perspective on that. Well. I also
think that it's timing. I think this is the perfect
time to really address those issues, and things were a
little bit more tense, you know in the nineties. You know,
they wanted to keep the show very lighthearted and fun
and funny and you know, but also tackle issues. And
I think them flipping this show more on a dramatic
(10:36):
side kind of allows us to address these issues in
a more realistic way, you know. And that was the thing.
You know, I'm watching these episodes and I'm asking myself,
I'm not sure if I've ever seen something on television
that addressed things this real, Like, these are real these
are real problems, These are real issues. We all know.
(10:58):
People like every one of these characters. You know. I
really think that they're doing a masterful job of taking
what was done in the nineties and moving it forward.
I agree, especially because we see these characters that so
many of us grew up with or had as a
present in our twenties and our formative years, where it's like,
(11:20):
you know this family, you know the Banks, you know
Will Smith who moved out to bell Air after he'd
gotten one little fighting his mom got scared. You know,
you know that you know these people, so to see
them evolve from you know, just surface level conversations and
get into the characters real profiles, to get into things
(11:40):
that really affect the family individually, to explore all of them,
including you know, the characters who are kind of on
the outskirts, and to get really into how they feel
about things. I just feel like this, this iteration of
bel Air completely I'm I'm so impressed it the way
they have covered these issues and updated the story of
(12:05):
the Fresh Prince for a modern era, because things are
not the same you know what, no what no cell
phones and social media when you and Will were gonna say,
I didn't have iPhone, I didn't have a BlackBerry, I
didn't have a same what no Instagram when y'all was
(12:29):
doing this back in the day at all. So I
love what they're doing with the show, and I cannot
wait to talk to today's guests about these themes. Today,
we have the honor of talking to a Kira Akbar,
who plays Ashley Banks and Rashid Newson, who is one
of the show's co show runners. Akira is a fifteen
(12:52):
year old actor who has been seen in the TV
show Family Reunion and the films We Are Heroes and
Captain Mark Vell Before becoming an actor, she was a
child model at a ballet dancer. Rashid is a writer, producer,
and novelist. He has written for and produced such shows
as The one hundred Army Wives, Shooter, and The Shy.
(13:15):
He has been working with his writing partner, Bella's other showrunner,
t J. Brady since two thousand eight. I am so
excited to talk to a Cira and Rashid and get
their take. Yes, a bunch of things, but especially the
new addition to Ashley's character. So here it is our
conversation with Akira and Rashid. Mom, Raschid, I want to
(13:43):
start with you. Giving the Ashley character a queer storyline
is definitely an update from the original Fresh Prince. Why
did you decide to make one of the characters a
member of the lgbt q A plus community and why
Ashley for this story? And so there was a feeling
that somebody should represent the l g b t Q
(14:04):
plus community, that reality would sort of suggest that that
that would happen. We liked it for Ashley in part
because the characters twelve. We think of this as a
as a story about her sexual identity, with a focus
on the identity This isn't about her trying to have
sex or being sexual. She's not interested in that. That's
not where it's going. But she's having feelings she has
(14:27):
to recognize and deal with, and so that that speaks
to her identity. And of all the sort of lgbt
Q stories we've seen on television, we haven't seen it
really start with someone this young, and we haven't seen
this part of the process where they're just questioning. Oftentimes,
when it comes to a story like this, um, it's
when the person does have a sexual attraction and they
(14:49):
want to expread that sexual attraction. But these feelings start
way before you get to that point. So to follow
up on that, why do you think it's possible for
us six blore a queer storyline now in a era,
modern era, as opposed to back in the nineties with
the Ashley character or without. You know, it's just not
(15:11):
something we saw at all with any character from you know,
fresh principality of the nineties. So why do you think
things that progress to the point where it feels safe
to take on a lot of fronts has gotten better,
whether it deals with race, religion, or sexuality. I think
on all those fronts. We feel like we understand that
it's important to have representation and it tell those stories.
(15:34):
I also think now people especially watching television, it almost
feels dishonest to not have them. I'm always sort of amazed.
I mean, we've gotten some negative feedback about this storyline
that was expected, but it always sort of amazes me
that people want to twist the idea of acknowledging a
group of people as being part of some sort of
(15:54):
sinister agenda. We have there there are people who are
lgbt few in this world, and the show should reflect that.
That one of the show runners happens to be gay
also probably brings it to the forefront as well. When
you're in the writer's room, Rashi, we spoke earlier and
you talked about how working on bel Air, because of
(16:14):
the makeup of the director, to writers, the actors, you
didn't really have to explain certain things that are inherently
the black experience. Has that been the case with expressing
the lgbt Q plus experience as well? It no, no,
because there there aren't as many people of the l
(16:35):
g b t Q. As part of this conversation, um,
I mean, we we had to talk about this in
terms of just Ashley and where we started this story,
because I think the natural urge for most people would
be will you start the story when she wants to
come out and tell her parents? And I was explaining, well,
wait a minute, there's there's they're often years between when
(16:57):
you might recognize that you are gay and when you
tell somebody that you have these feelings. Um, and we
also I also point out that most people don't tell
the authority figures in their life. They tell a friend,
they tell an older sibling. So that's how we got
to Hillary. So now there was a lot of explaining
I had to do, but I was happy to do
it because I wanted this story. And why would actually
(17:19):
choose Hillary of all people in the family to open
up to? In terms of watch she chose Hillary, I
think she chooses Hillary because Hillary is sort of the
most expressive liberal. I'd imagine that Hillary has several friends
in the l g B t Q community and hangs
out with me. I think I think Hillary, you know,
(17:39):
Hillary is probably very connected to that community and has
fans there and friends there. I do think that the
story was important, especially and when it comes to like
the black community, because while a lot of us are
very accepting an understanding on this issue. The black community
as a whole has some problems there. There's a lot
(18:00):
of like latent homophobias that's there. So just to drop
a few numbers, I won't get to to us statistical,
but I just looked at this and it's the two
thousand and nineteen Black and African American Youth Report from
the Human Rights Campaign. They did a survey of six
queer black kids across the country. Forty seven percent of
them have been taunted or mocked by their own family
(18:22):
for being l g b t Q. Sevent have heard
family members say negative things about l g B t
Q people. So we got a lot of work to do.
So that's why mean I think this story needed to
be important. I thought it was great doing with Ashley
because she's already beloved. You know, she's already somebody you
know and you have feelings for, and so to say
(18:45):
that she's questioning her sexuality, it makes it a little
real for people. I get the and Akira, I would
like to open that question up to you. Why do
you think your character Ashley chose Hillary to open up to,
but you know, not her own mother. Does she think
that Viv won't support her or understand her. What's her
trepidation there? I mean, I still think Ashley is still
(19:07):
trying to figure her cell phone. You know, I can't
speak for other people, but I do feel like it's
probably harder to tell people when you don't fully know.
And so I think she told Hillary because she wanted
to tell somebody. But her and Hillary have this connection
where they could just tell each other things and they
give each other advice, and so Hillary is like her,
(19:29):
probably go to I mean I can see that because
Hillary was very calm and supportive. You know, she doesn't
make a big deal out of Astley revealing this, whereas
Viv was like a lot more like, hey, baby, let
me talk to you. What's going on. You know, if
there's anything gay in your life, you can tell me
about it, you know. Yeah. I was just noticing that
(19:50):
you've gone from promoting climate change to championing lgbt Q causes.
And I'll just checking in about that. Silver rights and
climate change are both varying vital social issues. I agree,
and I haven't treated one for the other. I'm just
advocating on multiple friends. I get that. In fact, I
love it. I was just wonder if there's a reason
(20:12):
why gay rights has become more important to you seriously.
I mean, the real question is why aren't the human
rights of any social group at the top of everyone's concerns.
Of course, I mean that's why your father and I
donated to marriage quality, although those issues have advanced beyond that.
I just want you to know that you can't talk
(20:34):
to me about these issues or other issues. I mean,
whatever is on your mind. Okay, hmm, okay, it was
very secretive. Um. I also feel like her she just
doesn't think her mom would understand her as much as
Hillary did. Yeah. I can see that because she you know,
when she was on the phone with Jenna, she was
(20:56):
saying that as she was walking around hiding secrets because
she thinks she can't handle it. So I think that,
you know, maybe through their different reactions, the Ashley character
is looking to portray different things. What do you think
you're trying to portray through those two different characters. I
think the message actually is trying to send is that
(21:17):
don't be afraid to speak your truth and tell people.
I mean, even if it's not your parents. Right away,
because I feel like I feel like that's not the
people you would go to the first time, like you
come out like is your parents. I feel you would
probably go to your siblings because they're the most supportive.
So yeah, I think actually just telling people to don't
(21:38):
be afraid to speak your truth. I have a question
for you, a cure. Can you share what it was
like when you got the call that you were cast
for this role, especially as the iconic Ashley. What was
your reaction? Oh my, I was so excited, Like my
mom she picked me up from school and then she
told me to call my manager and at first was sinking, like,
(22:00):
oh my gosh, mine in trouble, like what happened? And
so when I called her, she was like, how do
you feel to be the next Ashley Banks? I was like,
stop playing with me, like you're lying because it is
so crazy, Like I just think. I was like literally
beyond excited, and the first thing I thought about was like,
oh my gosh, I can't wait to portray her. I
(22:24):
can't wait to um start filming. And so when I
started filming, I was it's been crazy ever since. Yeah,
I can imagine because you are only fifteen years old,
you're definitely coming into your own yourself as a young woman,
much less as portraying this character. Can you speak a
little bit to how you and Ashley maybe, or how
(22:46):
those things collide in similar ways, or how they differ
with UM causes around human rights and the environment, things
that actually is really passionate about. Can you talk to
us a little bit about how you come into your
own as someone who is part of gen Z and
(23:06):
and these causes are super important to you as a
very young person. I think mental health is really important.
There's some people in my family where, you know, they
struggle with mental health, and I really want to help
people in UM that way. And I think Ashley is
the exact same. She's always there to listen to people
and help them with their problems. And I mean we're
(23:28):
just similar in that way. And I think we kind
of love people in the same way. We really love
our family and want the best for them. So the
show overall is very outspoken, like I said, about certain
social causes. Do you think that the show has a
responsibility to these causes like climate change and UM sexual
(23:48):
identity and the rights that go along with that UM
l g B t q I A, especially trans viewers
what do you hope viewers take away from the explorations
that the show dives into. I mean, I think we
do have a responsibility to touch on those issues. I
mean there's the you know, there's doing it for goodness sake,
but also I think you've got to do it so
(24:09):
the show feels authentic. That's sort of that's that's the
world we're in. Those are the conversations people are having,
and then you want to be able to reflect that
through the show. I hope we do stir a conversation.
I hope people sort of just take another look at these.
When I look at the Ashley Stir line, I've thought
about what I want the audience to feel or what
I want people in Ashley's position to feel, and it's
(24:31):
either it's actually what I'm hoping for is if you're
a young person and your question your sexuality and you're
trying to figure out who you can go to. I
hope this scene is a litmus test open people you're
around watch it and if if they have something negative
to say about it, you know that's not the person
for you. And I think that was a really sweet,
(24:52):
maybe opening, Maybe you found your safe harbor. So I
would love it to. I hope the scene does that.
I agree. I mean I went on Twitter and I
saw people talking abow like how the scene inspired them
and they get to see themselves on screen, and that's
(25:12):
I really enjoyed that. I think that's what's really important too. Yeah,
I agree, it's important for people to see themselves. Representation
is UM super vital, and keeping with the theme of
coming into your own, we see a lot of characters
in this episode stepping in a direction we may not
have seen for them before. Ashley and her mother having
(25:34):
this uncomfortable conversation, Carlton opening up to Will about his
anxiety and his struggles with that um, and of course,
obviously Peel deciding to step away from the d A
race so that viv can pursue her passion and he
can take a step back and take care of the family. Today,
(25:56):
I'm withdrawing from the race to be the next district Attorney.
I need to be a dependable husband and father more
than I need to be district attorney. And because I'm
no longer seeking public office, I'm asking that the press
respect the privacy that my family and I cherish and deserve.
(26:16):
I would love to hear from you, Rashid in a
care if you have anything to say about what this
means for these characters who previously have been focused on
family as much as it means pleasing the dad, pleasing
the patriarch and what his goals and dreams are as
opposed to doing what's best for everyone. Well, it was
(26:40):
oddly this episode was sort of a coming out episode
for a lot of people, even though Ashley doesn't come
out to her mother. And that's the thing with a
lot of these social issues, anything that makes us different,
anything we might be struggling with, when you share it
with another person, you're coming out. When Carlton tells Will
about his anxiety and talks about his mental health issues,
that's coming out because you're trusting somebody with information about
(27:04):
you that is sensitive and dear to you. And we
loved playing that. Um. When Phil steps down, what he's
recognizing in part is that viv needs the room to
be who she is and that can only happen if
he does step back, and so it's a it's a
big act of love. I mean, we we talked about
(27:25):
in the room of just trying to make it clear
that yes, he does it to protect Will. He does
it maybe to protect himself, but ultimately he does it
so that his wife can have the life she deserves
and express herself the way she needs to. She can
embrace her identity. Yeah, because she has given up so much. Yeah,
(27:46):
she's done it for him. And there and there's and
you know that's the I mean, I'm married. One of
the things in marriage is like there has to be
some give and take. You know everybody that you know,
you can't always stand in the sun. But in a
good may urge, everybody gets enough. You know, you let
people have their time, and I think it was important
to show that across the season. Really, Raschid, I have
(28:09):
a question, um, what kind of direction do you guys
give a cure for scenes where Ashley is kind of
questioning you know, where she's at, what direction she's going
when when that's the focal point, What we normally start
with is we want to see what a Kira does naturally,
and then you might you might come in with the
(28:29):
suggestion or say because you want to see what the
actors bring and at oftentimes they'll find a moment you
didn't even plan for, but you go, well that's gold.
So how do we how do we? How do we?
Weren't that in there? I mean, yeah, I mean that
also happens, and it happens a lot with humor. It
also happens a lot with pathos, and so there are
(28:52):
times where they bring in intensity to it. I don't remember.
I mean I was there for a lot of these scenes.
I don't remember having to have many notes for Cure.
I thought she was great. Um, what we were looking
for in the audition is what she has delivered on screen,
which is that it's just very natural and it just
sort of it glow and emanates from her, which makes
(29:13):
it very easy. You know, you just sort of let
her go, let her do her thing. Yeah, I was
gonna say, I think that radiates through for the viewers
because this Ashley character, you know, she's very sweet, innocent, fun,
easy to love, just like the Ashley of the nineties.
And yet, um, just like I've said before to Jeff
and on previous episodes of the podcast, we get to
(29:35):
dive so much deeper into Ashley as a person than
we ever got to in the original version of Fresh Prince,
and so I really love that the show is taking
these risks and delving into these areas where we've not
explored before. I mean we felt we had to. I
mean there's you know, when you're a reboot, you sort
of have to justify your existence the original show. We've
(29:57):
got the original show, So what are you gonna do?
You have to tell us that's me, that's true. You know,
we could not just rest on sort of referencing the
original because you're not going to top that. So we
as part of people are like, oh, were you scared
to go off in this new direction? We had to? Well,
we would say in the room, I mean all these
(30:17):
details are different, and you know, the storylines are different.
The love is the same. That's all. You had to
keep this great. I mean, part of why it is
natural is because the Kira and Cocoa and Cassie and
Adrian and Ali and Jabari are wonderful and and love
being around each other. It might be one of the
(30:40):
silver linings of COVID is that they've been in a
bubble together because they when when they it's the weekend,
who can you trust to hang out with except the
other people you tested went on state? So that's really
they got closer than the cast might normally get. Oh
Man here, it's like, yeah, once I tested negative, I
(31:01):
was not gonna hit them streets. You know. Yeah, everybody's
sticking to their bubble and doing what they had to do.
I'm sure that brought the cast closer together, and again
it completely shows through on the bel Air broadcast itself.
The cash just seems like they are such a tight
knit group, both on screen and off and I cannot
(31:25):
wait to see what y'll do next week. I want
to ask you for spoilers, and now you're not gonna
give us none, but I wanna know, So what can
you tell us? I mean, it's you know, we've been
telling a story in which there's been family secrets sort
of underneath everything, and it's got to be addressed. It's
(31:46):
gotta be addressed in the finale. Well, that's just mysterious
enough to be intriguing. Rashi, thank you so much. Wow,
once it in, What an incredible conversation we've had with
cast members people associate with the show. Thank you so
(32:07):
much again, Akira and Rashid for joining us on the
Bellair Podcast. Next week, as season one comes to a close,
we'll look back at highlights from the season with co
Sean Runner. I know I can't believe it. I feel
like you do this before I did. But season one
is coming to a close next week and we will
have t J. Brady and Rashid back, plus find out
(32:30):
what we can expect from season told. That's right, girl,
we got ride down. Make sure that you check out
the final episode of bel Air Season one streaming on
Peacock next Thursday, and come back to the podcast on
Friday to hear more stuff. Bellair, the official podcast is
(32:52):
produced by iHeart Podcast Network and Peacock. This show is
hosted by Me DJ Jazzy Jeff and by Me Chris
the West, supervising producer Mike Tascarelli, producer and mastering engineer
Bahid Fraser. Executive producers from I Heeart are Nicky etre,
Anna Stump and Miles Gray. Executive producers from Peacock are
(33:13):
Lindsay Vogeman and Amber Ferguson. And special thanks to Will
Pearson from I Heeart and Michael Scogin from Peacock
Bell Air the Official Podcast is produced by iHeart Podcast
Network and Peacock. Once again, we are back with episode
seven of bell Air the Official Podcast. I Am d
J Jazzy, Jeff and um Chris West is good to
be here again with you. Jeff. We just watched the
(00:20):
ninth episode of Bellair and brother we asked some twists.
It turns I was not into the Okay, I did
not expect to have my box of tissues ready, but
I had my box of tissues ready. Okay. There was
a lot going on. This is really one of the
(00:41):
best shows I've ever seen on television. This was amazing.
I have to agree, if only because first of all,
we're taking an existing concept, flipping it on its head,
making it into a drama. And then we're exploring all
these characters so much deeper, so we get a much
richest story then we would have originally, because we're going
(01:03):
so deep into who these people are individually. We got
to see Jeffrey stick up for himself. We got to
see Phil decide what matters most between family and career.
There was just a lot going on. We are so
so excited to get into it. I just have to say, like,
first of all first and foremost Vim's interview for the
(01:23):
Fellowship Brother. Yes, I love it. That was the first
tier jerker. Was that not incredible? Daphne Maxwell Read who
played you know, light Ski Ain't Viv on the original show,
and then Burning Watson Johnson, who played Vi in the
original You weren't expecting to see the likes of us,
were you? No, Well, it's usually white men sitting in
(01:45):
those chairs, and it's usually a twenty five year old
sitting in yours. Yeah. Well, I guess a lot of
things changed in the art world since I left, and
I suppose both changes represent progress in deed. Shall we begin?
And Helen here? So what was it like for you
to see your old castmates in these scenes? Listen. I
(02:08):
was sitting there looking and I said, oh my god,
this is the remix. You're basically remixing the Fresh Prince
of bel Air with bel Air. This is amazing. I
thought that was genius. When Viv walked into the room
and they were just sitting there, I said, oh my god,
how genius? Was hard saying I really could not believe it.
(02:30):
You know, as somebody who was a kid when this
show first came out, I was just like, oh my god,
these are the women I've looked up to all my life.
You know, they've meant so much to me, and to
see them on this show it just meant everything. On
top of an episode that was so defining for the family,
so much I feel was solidified and and so much
(02:54):
was clarified throughout the episode, Carlton's love for Will and
vice versa, the fair only overall, and their goal in
like bonding and really being a unified, solid, cohesive family.
I just love the way that Jeffrey stuck up for
(03:14):
what's right. Yes, and he was just like, listen, I
just need to let you know that if you keep
going down this path, you're gonna tear your family apart.
Come out, man. You keep going on about me being
an employee, because I love you and your family. I
just can't keep my mouth shot, even if it is
(03:35):
my job by all means, don't stop now. All right,
Your wife's dream drowned underneath yours. Your son didn't even
get a chance to develop his dream because he's just
an extension of yours. Your daughter trading on a very
dangerous territory, my friend, all right, Fred Wilkes, he's a
flawed man, he's also a good man, and you are
(03:55):
going to destroy him because when push comes to shove,
you always do what it takes, even at the expense
of the people who love you. And I was just like,
how much courage did it have for him to say that,
not only to his boss but to his friend. Right,
There's not too many people who will stick up for
themselves in that way and put their job and their
(04:17):
friendship on the line and say, brother, I hope you
proved me wrong, but based off what I know about you,
this is what you're about to do and it's some
bullshit and I just want you to be better than that.
When he hugged him and said proved me wrong. Yes, yes,
where Jeff I was literally shedding tears. I was like, Yo,
(04:42):
how y'all gonna do this to me? Yes, Yes, it was.
It was just such an incredible episode and really has
me wondering what we're gonna see next week. But you know,
today we're gonna be talking about themes of lgbt Q
A identify and coming into your own and we have
(05:03):
to talk about that theme for a bit. You know,
we really see this show exploring you know, the the
l g b t Q issues throughout the character of Ashley, Like,
and that got me, Like, you know, I thought it
was a big step to tackle these issues, but to
tackle them through Ashley was mind blowing. What was it?
(05:26):
Because I felt like gen Z is definitely the one
you're gonna do that with. Yeah, you know what, you
are absolutely right, gen Z. They care about everything. I'm
showing my age. They care about everything. And Ashley was like, Yo,
not only do I care about human rights, I care
(05:47):
about the environment, and I care about voting and I
care about the planet. Like Ashley, it's you know, she
cares deeply about everything. But you're right every we watched her, Yeah,
she doesn't just explore her own sexuality, but she also
you know, she branches out into different ways of how
she can present her sexual identity to the world. You know,
(06:08):
she's really getting the space and the support to do
that from Hillary, who is the one person she sick
shared that with so far. But you know, we also
saw in this episode that she doesn't really feel like
sharing it with her mother is the safest or the
best idea yet. And you can really see viv who
obviously knows something. Yeah, she knows what's going on, right,
(06:33):
but she can't really you know, she doesn't feel like
she can speak up about it or coming out to
her mother, even though her mother knows. So we see her,
you know, struggling through that very real relationship, and I
think it shows just how even kids who have parents
who would be supportive don't necessarily feel safe and coming out.
(06:53):
So I'm appreciative of the Ashley character for for reflecting
that reality, especially because she's speaking. She's speaking about it
in public, but not to her mom. Like she went
and at church and yes, I was just like, okay,
she she felt that more comfortable in going to the
(07:14):
reverend the church to just find out his opinion. Yeah.
And you know what I thought was so interesting about
that is that Ashley was very willing to talk to
the reverend about it at church. But you know, if
you notice, he gave her a very like general response
like oh, we'll look into that. Yeah, and she was like, okay,
(07:37):
thank you, you know, like because she's twelve and so
she thinks that's a good thing. But he definitely gave
her a very like, girl, we'll call you back. Like
it was a very you know, average sort of blog
it out of our face. Yes, yes, not not right
yet exactly that exactly that he was focused on cars
(08:04):
and he was focused on what Uncle Phil was gonna do.
He was not thinking about Ashley and her gaze. Okay,
that was not so we definitely see Ashley coming into
her own in that way, and we also see Aunt
Viv coming into her own. Like I said, this interview
with Lights getting A Viv and the original A Vine
was incredible. I was struck by her speech during this
(08:27):
fellowship interview. Can you just tell me how you felt
about it watching that scene? Well, I think what I
really appreciated is she paused for a second because she
realized that she had the answer that she would always
normally give, and then she decided to tell you. And
I appreciated that because she was like, no, you know what,
(08:48):
this is what I'm supposed to say, this is what
I've always said, but it's really this And I think
that really resonated. You know, them saying that she was
already chosen before she even walked into the office, that
they were going to offer her, you know, this grant,
but her saying those words just really solidified it. She
(09:09):
wasn't expecting them to be like, oh, we're offering you
the job. Girl. We just wanted to see you in person,
and we know you wasn't expecting to black women, but
who we here? We are anyway, you know, Yeah, she
wasn't expecting that in the least, and so to see
an viv come to the place where she can say,
you know, I just want my work to resonate in
(09:30):
the world without me having to define it. I just
want to work. I just wanted to shine, you know.
I felt like that was such a huge moment for her.
And even with you know, Ashley and with Carlton, you know,
breaking down in front of Will and talking about his
anxiety and stuff like that. Mental health issues, sexuality issues.
(09:50):
These were not really addressed in Fresh principal air that
aired back in the nineties. So can you tell me
a little bit about what it's like for you, you know,
as an original cast member watching the show tackling these issues,
because it definitely did get into like police brutality, racism,
stuff like that, but it didn't go quite here. So
this version really tackles them head on, and I would
(10:12):
love to get your perspective on that. Well. I also
think that it's timing. I think this is the perfect
time to really address those issues, and things were a
little bit more tense, you know in the nineties. You know,
they wanted to keep the show very lighthearted and fun
and funny and you know, but also tackle issues. And
I think them flipping this show more on a dramatic
(10:36):
side kind of allows us to address these issues in
a more realistic way, you know. And that was the thing.
You know, I'm watching these episodes and I'm asking myself,
I'm not sure if I've ever seen something on television
that addressed things this real, Like, these are real these
are real problems, These are real issues. We all know.
(10:58):
People like every one of these characters. You know. I
really think that they're doing a masterful job of taking
what was done in the nineties and moving it forward.
I agree, especially because we see these characters that so
many of us grew up with or had as a
present in our twenties and our formative years, where it's like,
(11:20):
you know this family, you know the Banks, you know
Will Smith who moved out to bell Air after he'd
gotten one little fighting his mom got scared. You know,
you know that you know these people, so to see
them evolve from you know, just surface level conversations and
get into the characters real profiles, to get into things
(11:40):
that really affect the family individually, to explore all of them,
including you know, the characters who are kind of on
the outskirts, and to get really into how they feel
about things. I just feel like this, this iteration of
bel Air completely I'm I'm so impressed it the way
they have covered these issues and updated the story of
(12:05):
the Fresh Prince for a modern era, because things are
not the same you know what, no what no cell
phones and social media when you and Will were gonna say,
I didn't have iPhone, I didn't have a BlackBerry, I
didn't have a same what no Instagram when y'all was
(12:29):
doing this back in the day at all. So I
love what they're doing with the show, and I cannot
wait to talk to today's guests about these themes. Today,
we have the honor of talking to a Kira Akbar,
who plays Ashley Banks and Rashid Newson, who is one
of the show's co show runners. Akira is a fifteen
(12:52):
year old actor who has been seen in the TV
show Family Reunion and the films We Are Heroes and
Captain Mark Vell Before becoming an actor, she was a
child model at a ballet dancer. Rashid is a writer, producer,
and novelist. He has written for and produced such shows
as The one hundred Army Wives, Shooter, and The Shy.
(13:15):
He has been working with his writing partner, Bella's other showrunner,
t J. Brady since two thousand eight. I am so
excited to talk to a Cira and Rashid and get
their take. Yes, a bunch of things, but especially the
new addition to Ashley's character. So here it is our
conversation with Akira and Rashid. Mom, Raschid, I want to
(13:43):
start with you. Giving the Ashley character a queer storyline
is definitely an update from the original Fresh Prince. Why
did you decide to make one of the characters a
member of the lgbt q A plus community and why
Ashley for this story? And so there was a feeling
that somebody should represent the l g b t Q
(14:04):
plus community, that reality would sort of suggest that that
that would happen. We liked it for Ashley in part
because the characters twelve. We think of this as a
as a story about her sexual identity, with a focus
on the identity This isn't about her trying to have
sex or being sexual. She's not interested in that. That's
not where it's going. But she's having feelings she has
(14:27):
to recognize and deal with, and so that that speaks
to her identity. And of all the sort of lgbt
Q stories we've seen on television, we haven't seen it
really start with someone this young, and we haven't seen
this part of the process where they're just questioning. Oftentimes,
when it comes to a story like this, um, it's
when the person does have a sexual attraction and they
(14:49):
want to expread that sexual attraction. But these feelings start
way before you get to that point. So to follow
up on that, why do you think it's possible for
us six blore a queer storyline now in a era,
modern era, as opposed to back in the nineties with
the Ashley character or without. You know, it's just not
(15:11):
something we saw at all with any character from you know,
fresh principality of the nineties. So why do you think
things that progress to the point where it feels safe
to take on a lot of fronts has gotten better,
whether it deals with race, religion, or sexuality. I think
on all those fronts. We feel like we understand that
it's important to have representation and it tell those stories.
(15:34):
I also think now people especially watching television, it almost
feels dishonest to not have them. I'm always sort of amazed.
I mean, we've gotten some negative feedback about this storyline
that was expected, but it always sort of amazes me
that people want to twist the idea of acknowledging a
group of people as being part of some sort of
(15:54):
sinister agenda. We have there there are people who are
lgbt few in this world, and the show should reflect that.
That one of the show runners happens to be gay
also probably brings it to the forefront as well. When
you're in the writer's room, Rashi, we spoke earlier and
you talked about how working on bel Air, because of
(16:14):
the makeup of the director, to writers, the actors, you
didn't really have to explain certain things that are inherently
the black experience. Has that been the case with expressing
the lgbt Q plus experience as well? It no, no,
because there there aren't as many people of the l
(16:35):
g b t Q. As part of this conversation, um,
I mean, we we had to talk about this in
terms of just Ashley and where we started this story,
because I think the natural urge for most people would
be will you start the story when she wants to
come out and tell her parents? And I was explaining, well,
wait a minute, there's there's they're often years between when
(16:57):
you might recognize that you are gay and when you
tell somebody that you have these feelings. Um, and we
also I also point out that most people don't tell
the authority figures in their life. They tell a friend,
they tell an older sibling. So that's how we got
to Hillary. So now there was a lot of explaining
I had to do, but I was happy to do
it because I wanted this story. And why would actually
(17:19):
choose Hillary of all people in the family to open
up to? In terms of watch she chose Hillary, I
think she chooses Hillary because Hillary is sort of the
most expressive liberal. I'd imagine that Hillary has several friends
in the l g B t Q community and hangs
out with me. I think I think Hillary, you know,
(17:39):
Hillary is probably very connected to that community and has
fans there and friends there. I do think that the
story was important, especially and when it comes to like
the black community, because while a lot of us are
very accepting an understanding on this issue. The black community
as a whole has some problems there. There's a lot
(18:00):
of like latent homophobias that's there. So just to drop
a few numbers, I won't get to to us statistical,
but I just looked at this and it's the two
thousand and nineteen Black and African American Youth Report from
the Human Rights Campaign. They did a survey of six
queer black kids across the country. Forty seven percent of
them have been taunted or mocked by their own family
(18:22):
for being l g b t Q. Sevent have heard
family members say negative things about l g B t
Q people. So we got a lot of work to do.
So that's why mean I think this story needed to
be important. I thought it was great doing with Ashley
because she's already beloved. You know, she's already somebody you
know and you have feelings for, and so to say
(18:45):
that she's questioning her sexuality, it makes it a little
real for people. I get the and Akira, I would
like to open that question up to you. Why do
you think your character Ashley chose Hillary to open up to,
but you know, not her own mother. Does she think
that Viv won't support her or understand her. What's her
trepidation there? I mean, I still think Ashley is still
(19:07):
trying to figure her cell phone. You know, I can't
speak for other people, but I do feel like it's
probably harder to tell people when you don't fully know.
And so I think she told Hillary because she wanted
to tell somebody. But her and Hillary have this connection
where they could just tell each other things and they
give each other advice, and so Hillary is like her,
(19:29):
probably go to I mean I can see that because
Hillary was very calm and supportive. You know, she doesn't
make a big deal out of Astley revealing this, whereas
Viv was like a lot more like, hey, baby, let
me talk to you. What's going on. You know, if
there's anything gay in your life, you can tell me
about it, you know. Yeah. I was just noticing that
(19:50):
you've gone from promoting climate change to championing lgbt Q causes.
And I'll just checking in about that. Silver rights and
climate change are both varying vital social issues. I agree,
and I haven't treated one for the other. I'm just
advocating on multiple friends. I get that. In fact, I
love it. I was just wonder if there's a reason
(20:12):
why gay rights has become more important to you seriously.
I mean, the real question is why aren't the human
rights of any social group at the top of everyone's concerns.
Of course, I mean that's why your father and I
donated to marriage quality, although those issues have advanced beyond that.
I just want you to know that you can't talk
(20:34):
to me about these issues or other issues. I mean,
whatever is on your mind. Okay, hmm, okay, it was
very secretive. Um. I also feel like her she just
doesn't think her mom would understand her as much as
Hillary did. Yeah. I can see that because she you know,
when she was on the phone with Jenna, she was
(20:56):
saying that as she was walking around hiding secrets because
she thinks she can't handle it. So I think that,
you know, maybe through their different reactions, the Ashley character
is looking to portray different things. What do you think
you're trying to portray through those two different characters. I
think the message actually is trying to send is that
(21:17):
don't be afraid to speak your truth and tell people.
I mean, even if it's not your parents. Right away,
because I feel like I feel like that's not the
people you would go to the first time, like you
come out like is your parents. I feel you would
probably go to your siblings because they're the most supportive.
So yeah, I think actually just telling people to don't
(21:38):
be afraid to speak your truth. I have a question
for you, a cure. Can you share what it was
like when you got the call that you were cast
for this role, especially as the iconic Ashley. What was
your reaction? Oh my, I was so excited, Like my
mom she picked me up from school and then she
told me to call my manager and at first was sinking, like,
(22:00):
oh my gosh, mine in trouble, like what happened? And
so when I called her, she was like, how do
you feel to be the next Ashley Banks? I was like,
stop playing with me, like you're lying because it is
so crazy, Like I just think. I was like literally
beyond excited, and the first thing I thought about was like,
oh my gosh, I can't wait to portray her. I
(22:24):
can't wait to um start filming. And so when I
started filming, I was it's been crazy ever since. Yeah,
I can imagine because you are only fifteen years old,
you're definitely coming into your own yourself as a young woman,
much less as portraying this character. Can you speak a
little bit to how you and Ashley maybe, or how
(22:46):
those things collide in similar ways, or how they differ
with UM causes around human rights and the environment, things
that actually is really passionate about. Can you talk to
us a little bit about how you come into your
own as someone who is part of gen Z and
(23:06):
and these causes are super important to you as a
very young person. I think mental health is really important.
There's some people in my family where, you know, they
struggle with mental health, and I really want to help
people in UM that way. And I think Ashley is
the exact same. She's always there to listen to people
and help them with their problems. And I mean we're
(23:28):
just similar in that way. And I think we kind
of love people in the same way. We really love
our family and want the best for them. So the
show overall is very outspoken, like I said, about certain
social causes. Do you think that the show has a
responsibility to these causes like climate change and UM sexual
(23:48):
identity and the rights that go along with that UM
l g B t q I A, especially trans viewers
what do you hope viewers take away from the explorations
that the show dives into. I mean, I think we
do have a responsibility to touch on those issues. I
mean there's the you know, there's doing it for goodness sake,
but also I think you've got to do it so
(24:09):
the show feels authentic. That's sort of that's that's the
world we're in. Those are the conversations people are having,
and then you want to be able to reflect that
through the show. I hope we do stir a conversation.
I hope people sort of just take another look at these.
When I look at the Ashley Stir line, I've thought
about what I want the audience to feel or what
I want people in Ashley's position to feel, and it's
(24:31):
either it's actually what I'm hoping for is if you're
a young person and your question your sexuality and you're
trying to figure out who you can go to. I
hope this scene is a litmus test open people you're
around watch it and if if they have something negative
to say about it, you know that's not the person
for you. And I think that was a really sweet,
(24:52):
maybe opening, Maybe you found your safe harbor. So I
would love it to. I hope the scene does that.
I agree. I mean I went on Twitter and I
saw people talking abow like how the scene inspired them
and they get to see themselves on screen, and that's
(25:12):
I really enjoyed that. I think that's what's really important too. Yeah,
I agree, it's important for people to see themselves. Representation
is UM super vital, and keeping with the theme of
coming into your own, we see a lot of characters
in this episode stepping in a direction we may not
have seen for them before. Ashley and her mother having
(25:34):
this uncomfortable conversation, Carlton opening up to Will about his
anxiety and his struggles with that um, and of course,
obviously Peel deciding to step away from the d A
race so that viv can pursue her passion and he
can take a step back and take care of the family. Today,
(25:56):
I'm withdrawing from the race to be the next district Attorney.
I need to be a dependable husband and father more
than I need to be district attorney. And because I'm
no longer seeking public office, I'm asking that the press
respect the privacy that my family and I cherish and deserve.
(26:16):
I would love to hear from you, Rashid in a
care if you have anything to say about what this
means for these characters who previously have been focused on
family as much as it means pleasing the dad, pleasing
the patriarch and what his goals and dreams are as
opposed to doing what's best for everyone. Well, it was
(26:40):
oddly this episode was sort of a coming out episode
for a lot of people, even though Ashley doesn't come
out to her mother. And that's the thing with a
lot of these social issues, anything that makes us different,
anything we might be struggling with, when you share it
with another person, you're coming out. When Carlton tells Will
about his anxiety and talks about his mental health issues,
that's coming out because you're trusting somebody with information about
(27:04):
you that is sensitive and dear to you. And we
loved playing that. Um. When Phil steps down, what he's
recognizing in part is that viv needs the room to
be who she is and that can only happen if
he does step back, and so it's a it's a
big act of love. I mean, we we talked about
(27:25):
in the room of just trying to make it clear
that yes, he does it to protect Will. He does
it maybe to protect himself, but ultimately he does it
so that his wife can have the life she deserves
and express herself the way she needs to. She can
embrace her identity. Yeah, because she has given up so much. Yeah,
(27:46):
she's done it for him. And there and there's and
you know that's the I mean, I'm married. One of
the things in marriage is like there has to be
some give and take. You know everybody that you know,
you can't always stand in the sun. But in a
good may urge, everybody gets enough. You know, you let
people have their time, and I think it was important
to show that across the season. Really, Raschid, I have
(28:09):
a question, um, what kind of direction do you guys
give a cure for scenes where Ashley is kind of
questioning you know, where she's at, what direction she's going
when when that's the focal point, What we normally start
with is we want to see what a Kira does naturally,
and then you might you might come in with the
(28:29):
suggestion or say because you want to see what the
actors bring and at oftentimes they'll find a moment you
didn't even plan for, but you go, well that's gold.
So how do we how do we? How do we?
Weren't that in there? I mean, yeah, I mean that
also happens, and it happens a lot with humor. It
also happens a lot with pathos, and so there are
(28:52):
times where they bring in intensity to it. I don't remember.
I mean I was there for a lot of these scenes.
I don't remember having to have many notes for Cure.
I thought she was great. Um, what we were looking
for in the audition is what she has delivered on screen,
which is that it's just very natural and it just
sort of it glow and emanates from her, which makes
(29:13):
it very easy. You know, you just sort of let
her go, let her do her thing. Yeah, I was
gonna say, I think that radiates through for the viewers
because this Ashley character, you know, she's very sweet, innocent, fun,
easy to love, just like the Ashley of the nineties.
And yet, um, just like I've said before to Jeff
and on previous episodes of the podcast, we get to
(29:35):
dive so much deeper into Ashley as a person than
we ever got to in the original version of Fresh Prince,
and so I really love that the show is taking
these risks and delving into these areas where we've not
explored before. I mean we felt we had to. I
mean there's you know, when you're a reboot, you sort
of have to justify your existence the original show. We've
(29:57):
got the original show, So what are you gonna do?
You have to tell us that's me, that's true. You know,
we could not just rest on sort of referencing the
original because you're not going to top that. So we
as part of people are like, oh, were you scared
to go off in this new direction? We had to? Well,
we would say in the room, I mean all these
(30:17):
details are different, and you know, the storylines are different.
The love is the same. That's all. You had to
keep this great. I mean, part of why it is
natural is because the Kira and Cocoa and Cassie and
Adrian and Ali and Jabari are wonderful and and love
being around each other. It might be one of the
(30:40):
silver linings of COVID is that they've been in a
bubble together because they when when they it's the weekend,
who can you trust to hang out with except the
other people you tested went on state? So that's really
they got closer than the cast might normally get. Oh
Man here, it's like, yeah, once I tested negative, I
(31:01):
was not gonna hit them streets. You know. Yeah, everybody's
sticking to their bubble and doing what they had to do.
I'm sure that brought the cast closer together, and again
it completely shows through on the bel Air broadcast itself.
The cash just seems like they are such a tight
knit group, both on screen and off and I cannot
(31:25):
wait to see what y'll do next week. I want
to ask you for spoilers, and now you're not gonna
give us none, but I wanna know, So what can
you tell us? I mean, it's you know, we've been
telling a story in which there's been family secrets sort
of underneath everything, and it's got to be addressed. It's
(31:46):
gotta be addressed in the finale. Well, that's just mysterious
enough to be intriguing. Rashi, thank you so much. Wow,
once it in, What an incredible conversation we've had with
cast members people associate with the show. Thank you so
(32:07):
much again, Akira and Rashid for joining us on the
Bellair Podcast. Next week, as season one comes to a close,
we'll look back at highlights from the season with co
Sean Runner. I know I can't believe it. I feel
like you do this before I did. But season one
is coming to a close next week and we will
have t J. Brady and Rashid back, plus find out
(32:30):
what we can expect from season told. That's right, girl,
we got ride down. Make sure that you check out
the final episode of bel Air Season one streaming on
Peacock next Thursday, and come back to the podcast on
Friday to hear more stuff. Bellair, the official podcast is
(32:52):
produced by iHeart Podcast Network and Peacock. This show is
hosted by Me DJ Jazzy Jeff and by Me Chris
the West, supervising producer Mike Tascarelli, producer and mastering engineer
Bahid Fraser. Executive producers from I Heeart are Nicky etre,
Anna Stump and Miles Gray. Executive producers from Peacock are
(33:13):
Lindsay Vogeman and Amber Ferguson. And special thanks to Will
Pearson from I Heeart and Michael Scogin from Peacock
Host
DJ Jazzy Jeff
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