Characters
Diving deeper on the characters we love to consume! Laura Diez hosts guest conversations and shares stories exploring the portrayals of real people on reality tv, fictionalized women that stay in our memories, and pop culture legends. New episodes Tuesdays and Fridays.
Episodes
October 13, 2026 • 61 mins
After years of legal battles, financial uncertainty, and being made into the butt of late night talk show jokes, Anna Nicole had the opportunity to reinvent herself once again. The Anna Nicole Show allowed audiences to fall in love - until they fell out again. Then, her iconic TrimSpa diet pill partnership gave her "a makeover" the public couldn't get enough of. During this time, she begins dating Larry Birkhead, who would be the ...
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October 6, 2026 • 41 mins
Nearly 20 years since her passing, the life and legacy of Anna Nicole Smith continues to play in the public's imagination. In this part, we're discussing the conflicting stories of her upbringing (was she really born in Mexia, Texas?) and how she crafted her backstory for the public, plus how the name Anna Nicole came to be. Plus, all about her billionaire husband, J Howard Marshall II and the battle for his estate, that went on fo...
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September 29, 2026 • 24 mins
After a soldier on duty in Vietnam purchased a lifetime subscription to Playboy, the brand had to follow through on an offer made years prior - that the first issue of a lifetime subscription would be hand-delivered by a Playmate. Jo Collins, Playmate of the Year 1965, was requested... and in January 1966, she flew to Saigon and spent three days touring combat areas. We're overviewing her history with the brand - from Miss Septembe...
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September 22, 2026 • 27 mins
Shannon Tweed lived 14 months at the Playboy Mansion, 1981-1982, as Hugh Hefner's girlfriend. Her story begins on a mink ranch in rural Canada, and a string of odd jobs in her youth, that led to her winning Miss Ottawa beauty pageant and testing for Playboy magazine three times. After being named as Miss November 1981, she finds herself at the Mansion for her first Midsummer Nights Dream party ... she later moves in and starts the ...
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September 15, 2026 • 61 mins
Book club!! We're recapping and reflecting on Izabella St. James' memoir, Bunny Tales: Behind Closed Doors at the Playboy Mansion. As one of the girlfriends in the final group of seven, leaving just before the Girls Next Door era, Izabella reflects in this book on the benefits, drawbacks, and misconceptions about living as one of the Seven Girlfriends of Hugh Hefner. I'm highlighting anecdotes and pointing out some differences in w...
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September 8, 2026 • 33 mins
Gloria Steinem's 11-day undercover stint as a Bunny in Playboy's New York City club was the subject of a bombshell essay that changed her career. The impacts of her exposé absolutely impacted the Bunnies working across clubs - from the pay discrepancies, mandatory gynecological exams, and regular harassment from customers. However, a lot of the women working alongside Gloria, while she was posing as "Bunny Marie," had mixed feeling...
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September 1, 2026 • 43 mins
Hugh Hefner publicly dating multiple women was a smart way to get the public talking about him (and the Playboy brand) after his marriage to Kimberly Conrad. We're are overviewing the transition from the Brande/Sandy/Mandy group to the infamous Seven Girlfriends of Hugh Hefner. Expect to learn about some of the more prominent women in this microcosm, their interactions with the Playboy brand, and allegations about them made by othe...
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August 25, 2026 • 15 mins
Legally Blonde is, on some level, a film about friendship - showing up for people in the way you'd want them to show up for you. As Elle Woods is navigating a new world that doesn't respect her, she is continuing to show up fully ... and her kindness and respect is ultimately what brings her success! We'll overview some of the relationships Elle builds in Legally Blonde, and how her friendships add to our understanding of her overa...
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August 18, 2026 • 23 mins
Jill Badlotto joins us to discuss the first two episode of Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th! We share opinions on the casting choices, confessionals, and drama we've seen so far. You can find Jill Badlotto across platforms @JillBadlotto.
Linktr.ee/LiterallyLauraD
Time stamps:
00:00 Favorite Franchises
03:08 Motherhood on Housewives
05:06 Vicki Gunvalson's insurance
06:26 RHUGT Cast
09:27 Lisa Barlow's t...
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August 17, 2026 • 24 mins
Vanna White, national treasure best known as the longtime cohost of Wheel of Fortune, had to pay her bills pre-fame with some jobs she isn't particularly proud of (like many aspiring stars!). In 1982, just before she landed her role on Wheel of Fortune, Vanna White modeled for lingerie catalogs. She beat out 200 other models, earning her spot on Wheel later that year. In 1987, however, at a career peak - those photos came back arou...
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August 11, 2026 • 23 mins
Sandy and Mandy Bentley were two of the most iconic women of the late '90s, early 2000s - brought into the public eye as twins dating Hugh Hefner at the same time, during his first group of multiple girlfriends. We'll overview how Sandy and Mandy landed at the Playboy Mansion, and the unfortunate crimes that followed them afterwards - including a Ponzi scheme, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jewels, and the untimely murde...
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August 4, 2026 • 17 mins
The Queen of Versailles is a 2012 documentary that begun focused on a billionaire family's construction of the largest private residence in the US - a 90,000 sqft replica of the Palace of Versailles in Orlando, Florida. However, the film unexpectedly turns to the documentation of the Siegel family's fall from billionaire status in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The documentary has continued to serve as a cultural touchpoint...
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July 31, 2026 • 13 mins
Our newest RHOC, Carmella Garcia, joins a decent group of Real Housewives that have a history with Playboy Magazine. We are overviewing Carmella's time with the brand: from her appearance as a contestant on "Who Wants to be a Playboy Centerfold?" to becoming Playmate of the Year 2004. Plus, why we all loved her on Girls Next Door, and her time as a WWE Diva. We'll then go through the eight Real Housewives that appeared in Playboy M...
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July 28, 2026 • 48 mins
Comedian and creator Tyler Bender joins us for a conversation all about the rise of "trad wife" influencers - the dangerous rhetoric encouraging young women that their only role should be in the home. We chat about our opinions on this content's rise, the most concerning threats today, and our takes on more experienced women's warnings against this mindset. We're also discussing books we love - like Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke ...
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July 24, 2026 • 18 mins
Now that The Ultimatum season four has wrapped, let's try to unpack what made this season particularly difficult to watch. While some couples certainly demonstrated growth throughout the experience, some only left me more frustrated by their choice to get engaged on the final episode. I'll overview my thoughts on all six couples from the season (including those early dismissed ones that came back for the reunion!). Plus, I'm airing...
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July 22, 2026 • 13 mins
Singer, actress, and all-around Old Hollywood legend Ann-Margret has always been a woman shaping her narrative and in charge of her image, starting in the 1960s. And one "bit" the public has always known about Ann-Margret surrounds her love of motorcycles. Her famous purple Harley Davidson sold at auction last month - over 20 years after a bad accident prompted her to get the new bike. We're overviewing Ann-Margret's crafting a pub...
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July 17, 2026 • 22 mins
Now that we officially have our winners (and our evenings back), let's recap and reflect on the most recent season of Love Island USA. We'll talk character arcs, editing choices, couples I love and couples I didn't... and my thoughts on some deeper divides within the cast, ranging from generational to cultural.
Find me everywhere: linktr.ee/literallylaurad
Time stamps:
00:00 Intro, Overview
01:22 Were islanders too Young?
...
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July 14, 2026 • 9 mins
We're discussing what it means for a beloved icon from many of our youths to show up as her full, adult self. I'm sharing my experience seeing Hilary Duff on her Luck or Something tour - her outfits, the stage, and the audience! We'll discuss the very mature themes of her most recent studio album and the honest journey she's shared in rebuilding her confidence performing at arenas. Plus, how public figures like Hilary Duff and Mile...
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June 30, 2026 • 13 mins
Financial conversations have always been part of shows like Real Housewives, documenting the aspirational lives of real women. And over twenty years, the lesson of Housewives seems to be: life goes on! Financial security storylines have varied significantly over the years and franchises, allowing audiences to learn from and see themselves in unique situations. We'll go through some recent financial stories we've heard: Atlanta's Pi...
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June 23, 2026 • 11 mins
We're examining the spectrum of how reality television shows today handle the "performance of reality." From casts opening acknowledging that they're filming a show, like Real Housewives of Atlanta and Potomac ... to shows that grow alongside their casts' rising fame, like Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. We'll touch on Hulu's new show, Million Dollar Nannies, as a case study in performative reality: are these nannies truly paying ren...
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