I'm Ara Madison II.

And I'm Louis Vertell. This year, we're excited to bring you new episodes of keep it covering, the holy trinity of awards season, Emmys, Grammys, and the granddaddy of them all, the Oscars. It's like the Super bowl for Hollywood, but with more sequins and fewer concussions.

And we are continually blessed by iconic guests like Michelle Yeo, Tori Kelly, Andy Cohen, and Jinx Masoon.

New episodes of keep it drop every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts or subscribe to. Keep it on YouTube. For access to full episodes and other.

Exclusive content, you're listening to Comedy Central.

Covering the news is exhilarating. You travel the country, meet interesting people and find real stories, but then one day you realize it's a Tuesday in November again. Well, it's election day again.

Got it.

It's election day again because it's. It's election day again. Virginia. As a journalist, I'm honored to be covering this sacred process again. I feel super chill about it. I'm good. It's election day again and we've got another close race on our hands, so you better start clenching those butt cheeks.

Early voting is already underway in the Virginia gubernatorial race with the latest polling showing democratic governor Terry McAuliffe effectively in a dead heat.

Political riding. If Terry McAuliffe doesn't pull out a win, Democrats are privately predicting a collapse on Capitol Hill. Wait, Virginia could go red for a state that went blue by 450,000 votes in the last election. This was a story worth keeping down the vomit. I sat down with Jeffrey Skelly from 538 to help me make sense of this. Sorry about the mess elections, am I right? Why is this race in particular so close? Isn't Virginia blue?

Yeah. So Virginia has been democratic leaning over the last few years, but President Biden is now somewhat unpopular and I think voters are responding to that. And so the electoral environment is better for Republicans. So you've got a close race in Virginia.

Who do you think will actually decide this race?

Young voters are really important because they are basically the most democratic leaning group. Well, one little interesting thing McCall has done is run campaign ads attacking Glenn Youngkin because he was CEO of the Carlisle group, which was involved in the purchase of Taylor Swift's master recordings. And so they've been using this to try to get young people to pay attention to the race because there are a lot of young people out there, 18 to 34 year olds, who really like Taylor Swift.

Virginia Democrat candidate for Governor Terry McCullough recruiting Taylor Swift fans. McCullough reportedly linking his opponent to music executive scooter Braun, who infamously bought Swift's master recordings back in 2019.

After I was denied the chance to purchase my music outright, my entire catalog was sold to Scooter Braun's Ithaca holdings in a deal that I'm told was funded by the Carlisle group.

One of the targeted ads reading, did you know that republican candidate for Governor Glenn Youngkin helped buy Taylor Swift's masters.

Out from under her?

You gotta be shitting me. Taylor Swift fans vote.

I think that's what the McAuliffe campaign is hoping.

If the Swifties are backing McAuliffe, what group of fans are backing Youngkin? Chet Hanks fans. Chet heads.

Well, we don't have any polling on different fan groups of musical artists.

You were 538. What the.

Yeah, that's a real niche.

Could we be underestimating the Swifties?

I think I'd be careful about giving them too much weight. But there are a lot of young people who like Taylor Swift. We know that's true.

Could Taylor Swift fans be the key to the Virginia race? To find out, I had to dive deep into their fandom, no matter how many of her albums I had to buy on the show's credit card. Oh, sorry.

This just happened to me without my approval or consent.

Shame on him. Finally, after becoming fluent in all things Taylor, I gathered a group of her fans of Virginia to see how angry they were with candidate Youngkin. Are you all true fans? Are you true Swifties? Did you buy signed, fearless albums? Taylor version? I actually do have it, and I can pull it up. I also have every single Taylor record on vinyl right next to me if we want to go that far. Yeah. The two most important dates in November is November 2, which is election day, and November twelveth, which is red. Yeah. I'm taking off work for election day, just in case the lines are too long. Are you also taking off work for Taylor's release of Red? Oh, 100%. I need to get through all the emotions of all the songs on that album. I'm taking off work, and my therapist is not getting the day off. While I respect this generation's clear dedication to mental health, could this new base of voters actually tip the scales in Virginia? I'm originally from Texas, and the last three years in college, I voted in Texas. But I just knew that I couldn't just sit by and watch as Youngkin took Virginia.

And so that's when I decided to change my voter registration. Wow. Okay, so you just changed your registration. This is dedication. I was in the weird college era as well, where I was kind of voting in my home state, but now I am voting Virginia because of this issue. I couldn't help but pity these young girls. There are so many important issues, but all they care about is Taylor Swift's master recordings. It's not really about the masters, but, I mean, just a couple days ago, junkin came out and know he loves everyone. And when asked if that includes LGBTQ people, he said no. Are there other issues that you care about? Women's right to choose. I'm very passionate about gun violence prevention. Climate change is going to be the biggest issue of our time, so those policies are super important. I'm an environmental engineer, so this is life changing. What would you say to boomers like my aunt Sheila who say, 14 year old girls should stay out of politics and stop stealing my sleeping pills? Desi, I think that's such a weird stereotype of Taylor Swift fans because we're not 14 anymore. We are adults.

We pay taxes, and we vote. Yeah. Do you want to see my thesis paper about congressional legislation? Because I can show you that. Don't underestimate swifties. All right, take it easy, Molly. Geez. I don't want any snake comments on my insta. Yes, they are fans of Taylor Swift, and yes, they are in their 20s. Maybe they can make a difference in this upcoming election, no matter what happens. At least now I'll have some great music to cry to just in time for next election Tuesday.

I'm Aaron Madison II.

And I'm Louis Vertel. This year, we're excited to bring you new episodes of keep it covering the holy trinity of awards season, Emmys, Grammys, and the granddaddy of them all, the Oscars. It's like the Super bowl for Hollywood, but with more sequins and fewer concussions.

And we are continually blessed by iconic guests like Michelle Yeo, Tori Kelly, Andy Cohen, and Jinx Masoon.

New episodes of keep it drop every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts or subscribe to keep it on YouTube for access to full episodes and other exclusive.

Content is a Grammy nominated singer songwriter whose latest album is called Sit Chapel. Please, please welcome Jelly rolly. Thank you. Thank you. That's right. They all wishing you happy birthday. You celebrated a born day on Monday, right? Yes, sir, this past Monday. And you celebrated a number one record with save me. Yes, sir. Man, what a birthday present this week, baby. It went number one on the country charts. And look at me. You know I love save me. Man. You released it what? Three years ago on YouTube? Yes, sir. Three years ago on YouTube. And you posted. I know this is a little different for me, but I'm wondering if this should make the album or not. Y'all let me know below. Why didn't you believe the song should make the album? Oh, man. Insecurity, that voice of negativity that gets in all of ears, man. That one that we fight every day. I'm glad I fought it enough to put it up. Absolutely did save me taking off. Change your perspective on the type of music you do and how you release it, because just three years ago, it came out, but it just went number one on the country charts this week.

Yeah, absolutely, man. One has showed me that sometimes you got to let a song find people. Music meets us where we are. That's the beauty of a Charlemagne, is that music is therapeutic. It's there to help and heal. It's a constant and a life that doesn't have many constants in it. So I'm just glad to see the song finally touch people. I love your story, too, man. 15 years ago, you were in prison, and now you're a Grammy nominated musician. So I guess my question is. So my question is, should everybody go to prison to find success? Yeah, exactly. They're giving it away free, y'all especially. I promise. It's real easy to get there. It's easy. Three hots and a cot, baby. You got a guaranteed bed, three meals a day. It's all good, actually. It's good. Might see a high school friend. And I love your song. She, too, man. Where you address the heroin and fentanyl epidemic? Yes, sir. Why is this song so important to you, man? I think it's important as an artist for us to talk about the things that people are afraid to talk about, and that art sometimes is an expression of what words are even afraid to say.

So I think it's a responsibility as a songwriter to write those kind of songs. And the fentanyl epidemic is sickening. What's happening in America right now is absolutely sickening. I think it's 14 people. Thank you. Thank you. I think I heard a statistic that it's 14 people an hour. Overdose and die in the United States of America. Every hour on the hour.

Damn.

24 hours a day, 365 days a year, 366 in a leap year. I'm that country. And I think if you think about those numbers alone, it shows me that you heard people here sharing that it has affected every household, every side of the aisle. Everybody in America has been affected by this some way or the other. And I think it's time we stand up and do something about it. That's right. What would you tell people who's struggling with that addiction? I would tell them that there is hope. That my biggest message, actually, I had my first viral clip. Charlemagne. I don't know if you know it. Come on. I replay. I know you did. You helped it go viral. And I was talking about how it's so important for us to recognize that our windshield is bigger than our rear view mirror for a reason. Because what's in front of us is more important than what's behind us. That who we were is not who we are. A lot of people may not know, but I read Juicy J's book, so I know you was down with three six mafia. Yes, sir, from day one.

Yeah. You performed this hard out there for a pimp at. What was it? Bonnaroo. Yes, sir. Bonnaroo and I actually had the privilege of them going on tour with me and doing five shows, and we did hard out here for a pimp every night. Dude. Y'all was a group, though, right? It was you, little white. Yeah, me, little white. And our guy B. Peasy from Indianapolis, who sadly passed away. Damn. Rest in peace, B. Peasy. Yes, sir. What did you learn from your time with three six? Oh, man. Everything. Little white and three six. Juicy J and Paul. The importance of ownership, the importance of independent music, the importance of making the music for your community, and that all that matters. Representing your people in music, because they didn't care about representing nothing but Memphis. And the fact that the sound went worldwide just shows that how much the problems are common everywhere. So write what you know, don't write what you know. Write what you know. And they taught me a lot through that. But most importantly, the independence and ownership. Yeah. Hip hop has more in common with country music than people realize.

Like, they're both great storytellers. They both talk about their vehicles a lot. You don't think so? They both talk about bitches. It is 2023. You say women, jelly, but, no, I meant dogs. Oh, you meant dogs. I brought a bunch of songs about my dog. What are you talking. You're right. Let me get my mind out. I got my dog with me on the bus right now. Busy. The bus, dog. Speaking of that. Speaking of that, though, it feels to me, and I'm only getting this from what I see you post on social, the more you blow up, the more it seems like you want to be around your family and your dog and your loved ones. Am I reading that correctly? Yes, sir. Man, I want to anchor myself and family. I think it's the root of everything we do. Plus, I'm going to be honest, dude. We're a little tribe, and they're my best friends. Absolutely. My favorite human on earth is my wife. You know what I mean? Period. I love my daughter. I love my relationships. And I was joking a minute ago, but I love my dogs, man. I love my dogs, dude.

They're all with us now. My wife's got one. I got two in the bus right now. What kind of dogs? I got a bassett hound, she's got a bully, and we got a french bulldog. Okay. Yeah, we're dog people. We had a cat. I had a hairless cat, a bald cat. One of them. Listen, it was so ugly. It was cute. It was awful. And this cat just. They used to say about me when I was younger. Yeah, they kind of still say that now. It's better what they said about me. He's cute, but he's fat. But then all you got to do is lose weight, and you unlock that hidden character. Oh, yeah. I told you then I'd be president. You know what I'm saying? That's why God didn't make me skinny. He knew I'd abuse the power. My guest tonight is an award winning singer, composer, and instrumentalist whose new album is called you're the one. Please welcome Rhiannon Giddins. They're great. They're great. Thank you for being here.

Thanks for having me.

Thank you for chatting with us. You're in town to accept the Pulitzer for this opera called Omar, about an enslaved african muslim that you took the memoirs and converted into an opera. Explain this. I mean, we went from banjo to opera. It's all just.

Yeah, it's been really interesting because it was the opposite. I went to Oberlin, learned opera, and then kind of got burnt out and went down to North Carolina, where I'm from, and learned the banjo, and then full circle, came back and was asked to write this opera about Omar ibn Sayeed, who was a senegalese quranic scholar at 37, sold into slavery. And it's just an incredible story because we're talking about, like, who gets to represent the american story, and it's to complicate that narrative. There's all these different kinds of people who represent the american story. His autobiography was written in Arabic while he was enslaved, and it's the only document of that kind that we know of in existence, and it's just a really special story. So I just feel amazingly overwhelmed by the fact that I got to make it with Michael Abels, my co composer, and that for the Spiletto festival and that it's been honored with the Pulitzer. It's just, like, crazy. It's a dream come true.

That's crazy. That's awesome. This is your latest album. It's great. I love this album cover. This is awesome. This album is a little more playful. Is that a good word to use?

Totally.

Than your previous albums. Was that an obvious choice for you? Yeah.

I mean, for the last 15 years, I've been that girl at the party on a Friday night that you back away from. She's going to talk about slavery or the banjo or both. And I'm just, like, really not into this. And I was kind of getting burnt out and I just needed to change things up. And I had these songs I've been writing over 14 years and just wanted to explore the other sides of my artistry. On this album, though, there is one really important song.

Look at this. Look at this.

Look at this shot. Well, the other thing is that I'm 46 and this is the first original record I've ever, like, all original songs that I've made. And. And it's like my first solo album was when I was 36. And so it's kind of like you do it on the time that it's time to do it. You don't do it on anybody else's. You take the opportunities as they come. So this was a really amazing project with producer Jack Splash to just explore and to also say, bleep the categories, bleep the genres. Right? I'm just saving your guys to trouble later. Just like, forget what is blues and what is jazz and what is country. It's all the same thing. It's all coming from the same american. Well, of cross cultural collaboration. So I just like, yeah, put it in whatever box you want. It's just fun music.

I'm really inspired. I just had two acts. They didn't clap once for me. I'm really inspired by what you just said because it feels like everything that I've looked at with your work has true integrity. But then we're also mixing in the commercialism of the industry. And as someone who's trying to be a comedic artist, this make money and also stay authentic and make your work have integrity is near impossible. I've sold out, of course, but everyone wants to put you in a box. They want to tell you this. Oh, this is your demo. You sell to these people and this is speak to them. How are you navigating that? How would you advise a younger artist to navigate that?

It's really hard because it's antithetical to making art is the capitalistic system that we forced artists to work within. So we're all having compromises. We're all having to figure out where's our line. And so my line for a long time has been pretty far out. And it's like, I just want to tell these stories, and I've just been really lucky with the opportunities that I've gotten. And I stuck to my guns. I said, I'm doing what I need to do to make the world a slightly better place or to add to the positive conversation. And I come back around, and here I am doing it exactly as I want and getting the MacArthur and being able to do so. I tell young people, you got to tell, what is your story that you can tell that nobody else can tell and get people around you who believe in you and your story and who aren't out for what money you can make them. And so I'm surrounded by an amazing team, red light management, none such who believed in me and waiting for this record. They let me do projects that I really felt passionate about.

And so it's really a give and a take, and you're part of a team, and you just have to have people around you who believe in you.

Yeah. And the passion then comes out in that project, and then it's way better because you're enthusiastic. Well, this is it.

And this is what people are actually looking for. They might say they're looking for something else, but they're looking for that energy, that brightness, that passion, which you can only get when you're following your arrow and not trying to be what other people want you to be. And you see that a lot in the industry. And I was just like, you just got to do you.

I love that. I love that. I love that.

I'm Ara Madison II.

And I'm Louis Fertel. This year, we're excited to bring you new episodes of keep it covering, the holy trinity of awards season, Emmys, Grammys, and the granddaddy of them all, the Oscars. It's like the Super bowl for Hollywood, but with more sequins and fewer concussions.

And we are continually blessed by iconic guests like Michelle Yeo, Tori Kelly, Andy Cohen, and Jinx Masoon.

New episodes of keep it drop every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts or subscribe to keep it on YouTube for access to full episodes and other exclusive content.

Michelle Obama, welcome to the daily social distancing show.

It's my first time being on your show. It's just, you know, I'm sad that it's not in face to face or in person, but I'm glad to be.

I'm sad, too, but I don't mind. You're still here. I've gotten used to this being here for me.

Okay.

All right. It's still you. You're going to tell me, like, your personality changes?

No.

When you're in person, it does not. Maybe I'm more silly in person, but I've gotten silly in Zoom, too. I can do it both now. Just plain silly.

Before we get into talking about your projects, let's talk a little bit about that. I would love to know on a personal level what your life has felt like since you left the White House. Because I remember, and, I mean, I was one of the fans, maybe because I've also had hair journeys. I remember everyone just being like, wow, michelle, the afro and the hair's coming. And everyone is just like, she's got a different swag about her. Was there a weight that's lifted from your shoulders when leaving the White House as first lady?

Absolutely. For so many reasons. Being the first lady, it's a huge responsibility, and being the first, we felt a deep responsibility to do it right and to do it better, to be careful with our words. All the things we thought were important things like thinking about what you say before you say it, telling the truth, getting your facts right, all of this. We worried for no reason. We could have done it so differently. It could have been easier. But no, we were doing the traditional thing. It was a big responsibility, a big weight on our shoulders, but it was an honor to serve, and we kept our eye focused on just every day, trying to show up right and push the ball forward on the issues that we cared about. But we were also doing it while raising our kids. All right?

Right.

They were ten and seven when we entered. They lived in the White House longer than they lived in any house they've ever lived in.

Wow.

So they were growing up right in that spotlight. And so we had that pressure of getting through the adolescent years and the teen years and sending a kid to college. So we were exhausted and stressed because not only are you trying to get it right on the big picture level, but you're trying to get it right as a parent. And now we're on the other end of that, literally on the other end of all of that. And our kids are about to be 23 and 20. Our oldest is graduating from college. They are alive. So all of that being at the end of that part of the journey, I am in a different place. I feel freer. I feel more at peace. I'm also older, so I'm even more comfortable in my own skin.

I can imagine.

Living in the White House is like living in a nice, older hotel where you can't get out unless you call 20 people.

It almost feels like you were living a sort of quarantine life before all of us.

This is what I tell people. This is why we're fine. Barack and I are like, what? You can't go out just when you want to. It feels like we've been doing that for eight years. You've got security with you at all times. You can't make a move. And you have to think about how your movements impact the rest of the world. Every time we went out, we had to think about it. It's like, who's going to have to shut down what gate? How is this going to disrupt this whole community? Because the presidential motorcade is coming through. We have to worry about agents and not doing something that will put them in harm's way. We're good in quarantine. We're like, welcome to our world, everyone.

You've been somebody who has been not just an icon, but somebody that people have followed so passionately from the beginning. What I loved about reading your book and talking to your husband is that is getting into the familial side of things, the personal side of things. I've always wanted to know from your perspective, because a lot of people may not think of it like this because of president, but you're the cool one in the. So, like, Barack was like this, like you say in your book, who's this Barack dude? Who's this dude? You know what I mean? And yes, he's Mr. President, don't get me wrong. But I mean, to you, he's still Barack. Is there a part of you that when it was done, you were like, all right, finally the power balance can go back to what it was?

Well, he's still pretty cool.

Oh, definitely. But I mean, you, I mean, let's be honest, it's like a game of chess. You don't want to lose the queen.

I'm going to use that at dinner tonight.

But what's fun to see is how it feels like you are each other's biggest fans. The way you show your love towards each other, you've never been afraid to do that. But at the same time, there's also a healthy competitive spirit. I mean, whether you're selling books, whether you're releasing your work on Netflix and creating documentaries, is there a little bit of that where you look at your numbers and then you, you know, you go like, Barry, you're doing well, but is there a little bit of.

He's.

Brock is super. Let me. I am, too. So, yeah, there's a little bit of, you know, you can do that. Know, your partner holds their own. It's a nice, funny, mean, if he wrote his book and nobody bought it, we wouldn't be joking about it, right? We would be like, honey, you're doing a great job. Oh, yes.

Great book. Great book. We love it.

Tell your dad how much you like his book. But he's written like 1000 books. He's like, yeah, I've done this before. You're the newbie. He fed us on his books for a very long time. So it's a funny joke when it's not true, when it's not fully true. The kids are actually joking. They're talking about, know, mom's doing a lot of work out there. Dad, you're at home looking kind of know. They're like, you're now the cute one.

That is hilarious. You are the cute one. Mr. President.

Mr. President.

Mariah Carey. Welcome to the daily Social Distancing show.

Thank you. I'm glad to be here.

When we think of Mariah Carey, I don't think I would be remiss if I said, or I don't think I'd be incorrect if I said that black people have claimed you from the beginning. But something I took for granted is that so many people have always just gone like, oh, Mariah makes music that black people enjoy, everyone enjoys, but she's not black. And you lived this. And you talk about this in the book where people who you wanted to belong to sometimes didn't even know that you were part of the tribe. What I would love to know from you as a human being is when you were searching for your identity, how hard was it to infuse that within your music? Because that's something I think everyone will enjoy in the book is reading how the record labels, for instance, like Sony at the time, kept on pushing you to push all of the hip hop out of your music. They're like, Mariah, this is too black. Mariah, this is too black. And you're going, this is me. This is what I love. Tell me a little bit about that journey of trying to connect with something that you felt was a part of who you are and really made who you are.

Well, it was a very difficult journey. But the interesting thing about it, to me, when I look back on, particularly, like, the vision of love era, my first single, that song went number one on the r and b charts, which were then called the black charts first, before it went number one on the pop charts, because it really isn't a pop record. And especially at that time, it wasn't what other r and b singers. Pop singers. It wasn't what most people were doing. It's a different style. The record is like a six eight vibe, and it's got all these backgrounds and all these layered vocals and stuff, so it was geared for an r and b audience, and that's where I wrote it from that place. But after that, it was like, we need another pop ballad. I know how to do that, too. I know how to write middle down the middle. I get it. So when you're asked and you're a 19 year old girl, well, we need another pop ballad. Rather than have them impose a songwriter's idea of what that is on me, I just said, okay, they want a simplistic ballad.

I wrote love takes time, which I now like and enjoy. But at the time, I was like, okay, it took me an hour. We're done. It's cute, and it'll do what it needs to do. But I think the journey that you were referring to in terms of hip hop, that was a long. I don't want to say struggle, but I secretly snuck in loops on dream lover. There's like the eight, no half stepping loop, and people like, I remember Qtip was like, we're listening to another song. And he was like, you realize you're the catalyst for all this, right? You realize. And he knew this before fantasy. He knew it just from listening to dream lover, which is very. It was slightly whitewashed, rather know when we put the organ solo and all that, it's nostalgic, but I know that that's there because I wanted a rapper to be on that part, but nobody was ready for. So, you know, when I finally was able to work on fantasy with ODB and in the audiobook, that's one of my favorite parts, because we hear his voice and rest in peace, ODB. But that story, and especially when some people were like, I could do that.

I don't know if you know what I'm talking about, but there was a moment that was pretty freaking hilarious because there was no understanding of, like, oh, this collaboration with a member of the Wu Tang Clan, old dirty bastard, no less. This is a huge moment. This is a huge moment. But I had to fight for it so hard because nobody understood it. But had they heard his album or even seen the front cover of his solo album, I'm sure it would have gotten squashed. I snuck that one in.

There are so many rappers who would attest to know, rappers who are included in the book, rappers who were featured on your songs, rappers who would attest to the fact that Mariah Carey gave me my big break in the mainstream because you were adamant, you're like, I'm going to make a remix. They might not let me make the original like this, but there's always going to be a remix. And hip hop seems like it was such a huge part of your life. Why do you think you had such a connection with hip hop, or what was about hip hop that connected with Mariah Carey, where you're like, this has to be in my music?

Well, I think that element has always been there because ever since I first heard the biggest hip hop records as a child, be it anywhere from, obviously, every little kid has always heard Sugar Hill, the Sugar Hill gang, like, one of the first songs you ever hear all the way through, like Eric B and rock him, slick Rick, all different rappers. And I ended up working with Slick Rick last year, which was amazing and just knowing him because I was such a fan of his when I was in high school, and still am. But I could continue to name all the different hip hop artists and people that inspired me. But I think when you ask, the question that you asked was, what was it about it, the music itself, the freedom in the music, the artistry in the music. And I think that was where a big disconnect happened with the label because the executives did not grow up listening to hip hop, so they didn't understand it and they thought it was a fad rather than an element that I wanted to integrate more into my music. So I continued to do it.

Like you said, I did remixes. I love a lot of the remixes that I did, particularly with Jermaine Dupree, and we were able to use. Some people may not even know those remixes, but they'll know, like, oh, we belong together. That's a big record. They wrote that. But that's also inspired by, in its own way, it has its own hip hop influences just within the cadence of the way that I'm singing. Certain parts, some parts were more Jermaine's idea. I'm like, yes, because Jermaine always makes a joke. He's like, she's the rapper. I'm the diva. Because I'm always like, can you make it more grimy? Can you do that? And he's like, I just wanted her to do it together. But we end up getting to a good place together. So that's one of the positive things.

Explore more shows from the Daily show podcast universe by searching the Daily show wherever you get your podcast. Watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount. Plus, this has been a Comedy central podcast.

I'm Ara Madison II.

And I'm Lewis Fertel. This year, we're excited to bring you new episodes of keep it covering the holy trinity of awards season, Emmys, Grand Emmys, and the granddaddy of them all, the Oscars. It's like the Super bowl for Hollywood, but with more sequins and fewer concussions.

And we are continually blessed by iconic guests like Michelle Yeo, Tori Kelly, Andy Cohen, and Jinx Masoon.

New episodes of keep it drop every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts or subscribe to keep it on YouTube for access to full episodes and other exclusive content.