Highly Melanated Podcast
Hosted by PJ, Blair & Red A safe space for you to enjoy every bit of your melanin no matter how "melanated" you are in skin tone, we are ALL Highly Melanated.Come enjoy funny and dynamic conversations that people of color face on a day to day basis with various topics such as loving ourselves, knowing who we are as a people and uplifting each other with a mix of class and rachetness (CLATCHETNESS)
Highly Melanated Podcast
Malcolm Jamal Warner's Impact and the Fragility of Life
There's something powerful about returning to a space that feels like home. After a brief hiatus, the Highly Melanated Podcast crew reunites with renewed energy and deeper perspectives on life, legacy, and the impact we leave behind.
The episode opens with celebration as Chris (RED) shares his triumphant debut in classical theater, performing the leading role in Antigone. His cohosts beam with pride, having witnessed his command of complex language and powerful stage presence. Chris's willingness to step into character and deliver a spontaneous monologue showcases not just his artistic growth, but the evolution of someone who's found confidence in exploring new creative territories.
When the conversation shifts to conspiracy theories, what begins as lighthearted banter about moon landings and aliens transforms into a thoughtful examination of information versus misinformation. This becomes particularly poignant as the hosts process the reported passing of Malcolm Jamal Warner.
The heart of this episode beats strongest during reflections on mortality and purpose. Blair's perspective that "everyone is put on this earth for a reason, and when you've achieved that purpose, there's no reason to be here anymore" sits alongside PJ's observation that "how you live in life is how you're celebrated in death." These aren't just philosophical musings but invitations to consider our own legacies.
What makes this episode exceptional isn't just the topics but the genuine vulnerability with which they're discussed. Through personal stories of loss and remembrance, the hosts create a space where difficult conversations feel not just possible, but necessary.
Join us for this soul-stirring return episode, and perhaps take a moment afterward to ask yourself: What legacy are you creating with each day you're given? Connect with us on social media to share your thoughts – your perspective might be exactly what another listener needs to hear.
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What's good. Yes, I got the flower in my hair. Today's my daughter's birthday. She put the flower there, so I'm rocking it. But, um, it's a beautiful day here in Atlanta. I just wanted to shout out and just spread some love and some good cheer. And you know life, life is out here, lifin' right For me and for everybody else. But just wanted to remind you, as I remind myself, that no matter what's going on, there's always a reason to smile. Like, if you just take a minute to stop and take stock, I guarantee you can find at least one reason to smile. And if, for some reason, you can't find a reason to smile, then that's probably the best time to be the reason for somebody else to smile. So, buy a smile for yourself and be a reason for someone else to smile. That's all I got.
Speaker 2:Uh, listen to love, because it's been a minute peace and love I don't know what it is, but I just love being black BJ here.
Speaker 3:What up doe? It's your girl, Blair. You know, my melanin was popping yesterday, it's popping today and it's sure enough going to be popping tomorrow.
Speaker 4:It's your boy, red, and you're listening to the Highly Melanated Podcast hey guys, hey guys, hey guys, welcome, welcome, welcome back.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to another. We're still here. Yeah well, we're here. Yeah well, we're here. Welcome back to another episode of Highly Millionaire Podcast, the safe space where it's okay to realize that you have a king amongst your friends.
Speaker 4:Clock it, clock it.
Speaker 2:But PJ is just excited to be back, just excited to be here and so excited to be queer. Okay, that rhymed.
Speaker 3:It did.
Speaker 2:PJ, PJ on the mic.
Speaker 4:I don't even know what I'm going to say. Pj, pj on the mic. I don't even know what I'm going to say. That rhymed PJ, pj on the mic, dj, pj, oh, dj, pj. That rhymed, that rhymed. Red, aka Creonan, is here, I don't know what I'm going to say, is here and I don't know. I'm tired. I have a cat on my shoulder. Red is here with a cat on his shoulder.
Speaker 3:There you go hey, comet not Comet yawning showing his jowls. Yeah, hey, comet. Not. Comet yawning Showing his jowls. Yeah, blair, I lost the theme. What is the theme?
Speaker 2:I don't know. There is no theme. We're just glad to be back.
Speaker 3:That's the actual theme.
Speaker 2:I'm black and I'm proud Blair, and we welcome you all.
Speaker 4:We, we all black and we're proud including comment.
Speaker 2:Comment okay, y'all know how we do, guys. We've been, we've been gone for a minute, but we back with jump off, oh that rhyme no, it didn't, it didn't but that was a yeah I was about to say where that didn't, but it's okay um, so you know we apologize for being gone for so long, but you know we'll talk about that momentarily. Um, but you know how, how are we doing? How are you? Blair Ladies, first I'm fine, red, wow, what? No, let me go and then I'll you know. I don't know.
Speaker 4:I'm fantastic, red Guys really Come on now. I'm great Thanks for asking both of you.
Speaker 2:So okay, you okay, so great.
Speaker 3:yeah, ladies and gentlemen, he has been right now about what you've been up to oh my gosh, um.
Speaker 4:I don't know why he's acting like he just got here, like he didn't know no well, I don't, I don't, I don't ever know what you guys are gonna do so the people can hear you.
Speaker 3:We need to hear you.
Speaker 4:I don't know. Can you hear me now? Yes, you can hear me. Yeah, I've been great because I just finished up my first classical stage play. It was only one run for a weekend, so this, just this weekend, I just passed uh, I played the leading male role and, um, it turned out to be amazing and I had really, really amazing support. So you had two people that are in this room right now that came out and supported and I I appreciate and really love you guys from the bottom of my heart for coming out and supporting uh.
Speaker 4:But yeah, it was, it was a really good run, it was, it was a, it was. It was a new frontier for me because of the amount of words and and script that I had to memorize and be a, be another character and stuff like that. So, but it was, it was, it was amazing. It was an amazing show. Uh, produced by theater uh, which is a new theater that just started out, and I look forward to seeing and hearing and maybe even participating in more shows in the near future. So it was really great.
Speaker 2:So, before we go any further, would you be willing to give a quick excerpt to our listening audience?
Speaker 4:An excerpt oh, listening audience. An excerpt oh my God. Well, I'm tired. Yeah, bro, OK.
Speaker 2:He's getting into character. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm just no, I'm just OK. He's not even looking at the lines.
Speaker 4:Ladies and gentlemen, no, I'm not looking at the lines, because I remember everything now he's going into his method.
Speaker 2:Okay, Look watch him. Well, you know what? Let me, I'm coming down. You didn't Okay, okay.
Speaker 4:Time to understand the world, isn't it? Know, this Stealed resolve shatters the easiest. You always see the most invincible iron burnt sturdy into fire, rupturing in a crack. You know what I know Even headstrong forces get whipped into discipline by the tiniest bit crammed into their mouth. It's unseemly that you think so grandly when you're simply a slave to everyone nearby.
Speaker 4:It's obvious she studied how to enact lawless insolence, traveling all over the established constitutions. Oh, it's lawless, morrigant insolence. But the second part of her hubris is how she crows and laughs about achieving it. I mean, am I not a man anymore? Is she now the man that we allow to clutch control and power and impunity? I don't care if she's my sister's daughter or anyone closer to blood that worships Zeus at my house's altar. She and her blood sister both want to escape the most vicious fate of death. I blame her sister equally. They must have planned this together. Call out here right now. I saw her inside earlier, raving and losing her mind. The heart loves to be captured before it can conspire to do nothing good in the dark. But I'll let you know. I hate, I hate, I hate when some captive wants to beautify their scene. I'm mad that you guys put me on the spot like that.
Speaker 3:I mean, if you can act on the the spot, then you be acting on the spot when you walk from us, okay, okay, listen.
Speaker 2:We also want to give our listening audience a chance to know the amount of y'all remember in episode 1 to episode 5, all the way till now. This is who he has become an amazing skilled. It's his term to cry y'all. An amazing skilled thespian, an amazing skilled actor. Um, I think and I'll say this to I believe that that role was perfect for you, and the way you enunciate your words, the way you take hold of the stage, the way you remembered every single word, my God today, and just the way you captivated everyone Like I visually saw. I've never seen Antigone. Shame on me. I mean, it's been around forever and I am so glad that I got to see that version of you because it also gives me an idea of what you could be like in a game of thrones kind of setting, or, you know, uh, you know a show like that where it requires you to change your, your, your, um, iambic pentameter. I'm pretty sure I butchered that word.
Speaker 4:Um, no, that's pretty right, iambic pentameter Look at me.
Speaker 2:You are amazing and you do not give yourself enough credit. So we me, I'm giving you credit. Shout out to you.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, yes. And I think the thing that, like, people don't always think about is how difficult it is to do people don't always think about is how difficult it is to do um, greek mythology, how difficult it is to do shakespeare, how difficult it is to to talk in a tongue that isn't natural to us. So like yes in english, but it like it's a different way of speaking that doesn't just roll off the tongue. So there's like a whole bunch of skill that has to go into that. So for you to have, you know, memorize all the monologues and the soliloquies and the conversation and to be able to put context into it and deliver that to an audience is powerful yeah, it's blocking included.
Speaker 4:Yeah been a lot, um, a lot of people have told me that you know they experienced a lot of emotions, that they cried. My dad actually told me. I don't know if I told you guys, but my dad said, like my mom started to fall apart and unravel towards the end and I was just all like what? And he was just like, oh no, she started like sniffling and she started sniffling and carrying on. My dad had turned her and go. You do understand that this is just a play, right? He's like don't get crazy my son's about to die but you played it so well.
Speaker 2:I'm so glad to be there. I'm glad we got to be there with Officer Ron and your mom and your sister Is it fun playing the bad guy.
Speaker 4:I do. I do like playing the bad guy, it's fun playing the villain.
Speaker 2:That's why the legendary herself, Miss Phylicia Rashad look how all this comes together. She's playing villains now, Listen, and she's pretty good at it.
Speaker 3:I mean, she's good at it the opportunity, to be so opposite of who you are, you can just kind of let go and do it, and that really came across in your performance too.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean I really enjoyed it. I told them that and, yeah, do it so, and that really came across in your performance too. Yeah, I, I mean I really enjoyed it. I told them that, um, one of my I don't think I've mentioned this to you guys, but one of the things that I really really enjoy, um is, uh, seeing people who have like a schizophrenic, like you know, multiple personality uh disposition.
Speaker 4:Like I love watching people, that there's a couple of actors that I know that, um, that have done that and I just love watching them because I love them just turning it on and off. And I remember saying to myself when I got this, this role, I want to be able to like turn it on and off, because I came out kind of supposed to being like this, like, oh, he's just like the ruler and like he's just he's just making sure that everything is supposed to be in order and he's supposed to be the protector, and then then I was an asshole and then like I'm I'm in tears and asking and begging for forgiveness. So it was a really great experience begin of that.
Speaker 2:Did you ever see split and glass?
Speaker 4:yes, that's, that's what I'm actually referring to. I love that. I was just like oh.
Speaker 2:I can do that. I know I can do it. Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 3:I'm just so.
Speaker 2:I've never been so proud of you in my entire life as I am right now. That's my friend, that's my brother. We're brothers.
Speaker 4:We're just so happy that we're singing them I love my brother oh no, I really do appreciate it and I and I say this like I said with everybody else it's really also because of you guys, because you know, every interaction that I have, every time that I have a moment where I need about things, I need encouragement, and just watching y'all work as well like it all plays a role in me wanting to just be better. So thank you, guys.
Speaker 4:All right, all right all right, this is getting way too mushy. Question of the week. This is getting way too mushy. Question of the week.
Speaker 2:I mean, we're officially in Leo season. So you know, it is time, it is your time, oh, thank you.
Speaker 4:Question of the week. Question of the week. Question of the week your questions as they pertain to you, respectively and introspectively. So I actually just thinking about you know, going through social media and seeing comments that people have on just different posts. My question is to you do you have any conspiracy theories that you believe in, and what are they? Or you could just give me one, of course, but do you have any?
Speaker 2:I actually do believe in the conspiracy theory about um them walking on the moon that they didn't yeah, they didn't right.
Speaker 2:I know it's weird, um, but there are a lot of that makes sense. That makes sense, like how did the camera get there? Who? Who's holding it? You know, I mean not that, but you know that's. That's the first one that popped in my mind. That's not the most accurate one, but I, I have conspiracy theories about people, you know, traveling from their future and like switching timelines and shit like that. Like I, that's that's a main one y'all always constantly hear me talking about we switch timelines. But you know, yeah, okay, we're in a paradox, right, that's what deja vu is. I feel like deja vu is literally you're living, you're reliving a life that you've already lived okay, and okay, so I'll say it like this, like in um spoiler warning.
Speaker 2:uh, for those of you who's watched agatha all along, I feel like we are um the character. Uh, jesus christ, what's her name? Um, you know, google is right there in front of you. All you have to do is go to her and ask Agatha, hey, lepone's character. You know, she's living her life in a circle and every single time she gets these flashes.
Speaker 2:It's like it's coming closer and closer to an end, um, okay, okay, it's a little bit like the more you get them, because I had deja vu while we were watching you, with amanda sitting next to me I mean sitting next to uh blair and our interaction with uh, your character, who was more like donald trump but couldn't be.
Speaker 4:I'm so sorry, are your character. Who was?
Speaker 2:more like Donald Trump. What could it be? I'm so sorry. Your character, who was more like our orange commander in sweat, commander in sweat, our orange commander in what the fuck? America Commander in peach that we just can't seem to impeach. I'm sorry, I have rambled for long enough. Our commander in, get the fuck out.
Speaker 3:sorry I mean, I think that there probably is some kind of some level of truth to every conspiracy theory. I don't know if there's any that I wholeheartedly believe. I do believe that they know more about the Kennedy assassination than they're telling us. I do believe that for sure. I also yeah, I don't know if it's necessarily a conspiracy theory but like a lot of like the black revolutionary leaders that were assassinated, I believe that the government had a hand in that.
Speaker 4:that's interesting that you say that, because that's like one of those things that is like maybe it's not considered to be conspiracy, because it's all like more than likely it it has happened, right, but then like if you take before, so it's not far-fetched so right, but then you have like, um, you know, people who are not from our culture, whatever they may be and they might go. That's a conspiracy theory because they're not as closely attached to it.
Speaker 3:That's an interesting about, like what their perspective is correct, correct.
Speaker 2:I do want to say that I want to. I want to give a shout out. Um, as you mentioned this to you know and ladies and gentlemen, um, this does not happen often, but I do want to give a shout out to a Caucasian woman that I know. Her name is Marina she I helped produce her usable, her usable past podcast, years ago, and she is actually one of the women who is still on FBI watch. One of the women who is still on FBI watch. She's about 75 years old, white woman Obviously I did say Caucasian earlier who helped the black Panthers when they first got here. She's been working in the civil rights movement from the very beginning. So I do want to say that there are those that do care and care about us. I just wanted to bring that up. Yeah, so, like you know, regardless of how I have always, you know, fooled around and Blair has looked at me and say stop, and then Chris jumped in and said please stop, I'm stopping, ladies and gentlemen, I'm stopping Now, today.
Speaker 3:Today, or today Today Because today is about love. Was there.
Speaker 4:Was there a specific conspiracy theory that you um, well, okay, well, it's twofold. I'll tell you the one that I have and then I'm going to tell you what triggered me asking this question the one that you believe, the one that I believe, and then the one that kind of like triggered this question. So the one that I believe is I the one that kind of triggered this question. So the one that I believe is I do believe that aliens have visited before.
Speaker 3:Well, that isn't even a conspiracy. They flat out said yes, aliens are here and have been here.
Speaker 4:Yeah, but I feel like you know, and I think that's only recent- they finally admitted to it recently.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think they've finally admitted to it recently. Yeah, I think they, I think they've only admitted to recently and I think that they still what they do. Is they still shroud a lot of like? I feel a lot of the um, like main evidence and, like you know, they'll say something like that. But does that mean, like, are you still in talks with them? Yeah, are you still in talks with them? Yeah, are you still, like you know, speaking with them, like, are they walking amongst that?
Speaker 3:They said that it is current and ongoing. I think the part of that is, again, they're not telling us everything. They've confirmed that, yes, aliens exist. They've confirmed that, yes, aliens are here. They confirmed that, yes, they've been here. And they've confirmed that there are current negotiations or conversations happening with other worldly life forms. What those conversations are, they haven't told us what those uh, like they. We don't know anything, at least as far as I've been updated, because I have a friend who's very, very deep in this um and she believes that she actually dated an alien at one point and I was like my God in heaven. But yeah, at this point it's like it's one of those things where there's so much evidence that nobody was even surprised when they confirmed it. It's like, okay, duh, we've been saying this.
Speaker 4:I think it's just like I said before, that the way that they they package it. Because if you ask the average person like how? You saying like it's not even like a conspiracy, they flat out said it.
Speaker 4:You ask the average person, they'll go no, because nobody paying attention right, no, no, fair, fair enough, but like it makes it seem like, okay, well, is it conspiracy now, still, because the average person doesn't know it? Or is it conspiracy because the, the government is not doing it, you know, or whoever the power that may be, is doing their due diligence to let everybody know like hey, like they're gonna have an alien party tomorrow, like we should all like roll up downtown I'm not going to nobody's roof and nobody's building, absolutely.
Speaker 3:I've learned my lesson. Much again, you end up like Independence Day.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:Make yourself at home.
Speaker 2:No, no. Put me in a hollow tunnel, in some random corner, where, all of a sudden, the flames don't affect a blast. Absolutely not. Before we move on oh wait no, no, no, finish it.
Speaker 4:If it's on this, finish it, but no, no yeah of course okay yeah, yeah, of course.
Speaker 2:uh, I want to say that the most annoying conspiracy theory that bothers me I guess can, can I say that Okay Is the whole like nine 11 was an inside job. I I, as for someone who has lost people in there, it pisses me off. As someone who's seen it, and I think I'm not sure where you, but I think we've discussed this before. Um, I know you said it. Sure, your dad was in the area right this before. Um, I know you said that your dad was in the area right um, during 9-11, um, I think I think he might have been on duty.
Speaker 4:I don't know if he was there, but I think he had to go down there that, just that, that, just like that's just people trying to be difficult.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I just.
Speaker 2:I just I just you know, after seeing documentary after documentary after documentary about the lives, you know like there are certain conspiracy theories that we can just like. Can we not do this today, please?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I was going to say the reason why I ask that is because everything these days is like, it seems like it's a conspiracy theory or it's a conspiracy and sometimes it's not. So you know, unfortunately, one of the things that we witnessed this past week was the passing of Malcolm Jamal Warner. The passing of Malcolm Jamal Warner. Unfortunately he drowned in. You know, he was in Costa Rica and drowned and he was out there with his family. My heart, I'm sure with a lot of other people's heart, was like was broken to hear this, because he's even outside of him playing all of these different characters, most notably as a Huxtable. He just seemed like a genuine and nice and caring individual. So it hurt my heart. But when reading the comments, people were like so it hurt my heart.
Speaker 4:But when reading the comments, people were like, oh, he was just swimming and all of a sudden this grown ass man just drowned. Oh, there's something fishy about that. Oh, there must be an inside job. Oh this, oh that. And that made me wonder. Like when do people not cross that line and let it? It just be what it was? I mean, it's unfortunate, you know, you wouldn't want anything bad to happen, so of course there's that, but things just happen and you know, unfortunately he just drowned. It could have been that he got hurt and he wasn't able to save himself. It could have have been that I think I was reading that he was caught in a current he was in the ocean.
Speaker 2:People don't understand what it means to swim in the ocean.
Speaker 3:The ocean is not for swimming.
Speaker 2:It is not, you know so.
Speaker 3:I'm not I.
Speaker 2:We're not, we're not, you know we're not. We're not attacking.
Speaker 3:We're not blaming, I'm not trying to blame him.
Speaker 4:Right him.
Speaker 3:I'm not saying this is his fault.
Speaker 4:I truly.
Speaker 3:I am somebody who does not swim in the ocean. I do not feel like the ocean is a swimming vehicle for me. If I want to swim, I'll get in a pool.
Speaker 4:Right.
Speaker 3:But that's.
Speaker 2:Or a lake like Lake Michigan Go blue.
Speaker 3:But I won't even get in a lake. But yes, go blue.
Speaker 2:Definitely not Lake Lanier she absolutely the entire fuck not the ancestors said no the ancestors said no.
Speaker 2:The signs at Lake Lanier say no but you know something like it's crazy, because I've said this before you know, like in 2019, my cousin was teaching his son how to fish in Jacksonville and they both got swept away by the tide. Now, when this happened, this was like a week after a hurricane. Obviously, it was not probably the wisest thing to do, but nobody warned him or anything like saying that you shouldn't do this or they didn't stop you from doing it, but he was in the ocean and it just swept them both away. This is very possible, ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker 3:Just as beautiful as the ocean is, it's just as dangerous, and I think we need to keep that in mind.
Speaker 2:That's why you won't catch me on no damn cruise.
Speaker 4:Well, you know, it's funny because I think people I guess this goes back to what I was saying before about people just developing these conspiracy theories People don't have a good grasp or understanding of things, so people just it just all becomes conjecture. Like when I was out on vacation, you know, I was in the ocean. I like being in the ocean, I think in safe settings I don't have a problem swimming in the ocean. But I also know I'm like when it gets to be a certain distance, I'm all like no, I can't, I can't see, I can't feel, I can't do anything. So I'm not going to go out that far.
Speaker 4:I was out in the ocean one time and I got caught in a rip current and what was crazy is, is that what helped me out was that I had on like the snorkel, like you know, just a basic mask and a snorkel tube or whatever, and I had on I don't even remember if I don't even think I had on fins. I was just, you know, just looking at like fish and stuff like that, and I was paddling. I'm under the water and I'm paddling and I'm not moving. I'm paddling and I'm paddling. I was like what is going on and I stopped for a second. I was being pulled out.
Speaker 4:I was like, wow, I said, and I started to panic, but I had to, like I got my mind right. I was like, all right, let's you know, you're supposed to move, I think, parallel to the, to the, to the shore, and I was able to get my foot and I went out, you know, came out of it later, you know, maybe a couple of minutes later. I was so tired and I'm not, I'm not an out of shape person, but I was exhausted. I said, nope, that's enough for me.
Speaker 2:And see, and that's the thing, people panic. I mean. So if you don't know what people was going through in these moments, correct, and he could have probably just panickedicked, and that's the worst thing to do. It's like when you get into a car accident you're supposed to let your body go limb, but who is really, you know?
Speaker 4:I'm gonna do that right.
Speaker 2:We're all tense enough and bones and start gonna crack. But who, like you know, like these are the things that we know we should do sidebar? I like where this is going. I think we might just keep that All right, but in bar, not in bar, in that. But I think that people don't realize a lot of these things that are even attached to conspiracy theories. If you just shut the fuck up and stop trying to make everything something that's malicious yeah, not everything has malicious intent. You know, there are some things that are coincidental. Coincidental. There are some things that are, you know, just common knowledge, but sometimes we don't think about it like we were just saying. And there are just some things that are just like wow, you know? No, it's true.
Speaker 4:It's true, it was just sad to see, because some people just can't let will enough go, like people think, like people are out to get them all the time and I'm not saying that that's not out there there, but it's like he could have just drowned. They found him by, you know the, by the, by the coral, uh, by a coral reef, like who knows anybody who's ever touched coral. But it's like rock, it's like, you know he could easily just hurt himself really badly and then you know, or something.
Speaker 2:Something an eel or whatever could have touched his foot and he could have panicked and started freaking out. And then that's, that's the beginning. It's, it's so easy in the ocean, ladies, and gentlemen.
Speaker 3:Well, the other part of it is, I think, that people are always so quick to draw conclusions without having any or all of the information. Obviously, like we as the general public, are not going to get all the information, we're not entitled to it. And, at the same time, people who don't have the capacity to think outside of what makes sense to them, like you, don't have the ability to be able to think like hmm, maybe it doesn't make sense to me, but that doesn't mean that you know something malicious happened here. If they don't understand how you know recurrence work, like, of course they're going to think something right here, but, like, if you took the opportunity to maybe educate yourself, you might be open to other areas of understanding.
Speaker 3:But at the end of the day, areas of understanding, but at the end of the day, I'm sure more information will come out as they, you know, like, because this just happened, so and, as we know, it takes a while for things to fully like, for the full picture to get painted, or maybe it won't because, like I said, like we as the general public, are not entitled to that man's business, to that family's business.
Speaker 3:Right, you're absolutely right, but at the end of the day, I think the thing that we wanted on just he's touched so many different aspects of life and we, specifically as Black people, are so familiar with him because we've seen him on our television screens and we've seen him, as you know, as an actor, we've seen him as a person, we've seen him as a humanitarian and we always have kind of held him in such a a ray of light that this feels personal to us and we've experienced that so many times, you know, and we're losing tragically, we're losing these people that come to mean so much to us. I know we on the show before have talked about how Chadwick Boseman's passing has affected each of us because of the significance of who they are and what they've done, and this is just, unfortunately, another example of that. And he it's just so tragic because he was so young so like I'm sorry no, go ahead, chris were you gonna say something.
Speaker 4:I think the only thing that I was gonna say was I think what doesn't help about something, something I think the other thing that doesn't help with someone like Malcolm Warner and with Chadwick Boseman is that they often play such virtuosic characters. I mean, they really uplift the community and other communities around because they're putting us in a good light. I don't think that I ever looked at Malcolm Jamal Warner and I was all like, oh you know that villain, Not saying that you can't play that.
Speaker 2:He had the perfect voice. Yeah, Like yeah.
Speaker 4:I mean everything. I'm not saying that you can't play that. I think it just says something. Because it's almost like a beacon of light to be able to see that, because you grow up watching these people.
Speaker 2:You grew up you know, you see all of that. So that's what I wanted to say. There was, ok so, random comparison, not comparison, but there's an example of this. Okay so, random comparison, not comparison, but as an example of this, there's this episode. Don't judge me y'all. There's this episode Too late, the episode of Glee, yeah, where Whitney died and they did a Whitney episode and they were trying to figure out why are all the students so glum and it's not whatever.
Speaker 2:Um, and the psychologist that was on set um, I mean not on set, but in the school was saying that this is like probably the first major death of someone who has impacted their childhood and it's starting to come into reality that you know we are all on this earth. For a short time, like I look at this as, like you know, this is another one of our, and I will say that Michael Jamar Warner is a childhood hero. I didn't understand what dyslexia was. I'm dyslexic, and so, like, looking at that on screen and watching that and understanding, and then me and my parents having conversations about, like maybe we need to get you tested because you know even the funny moments of trying to okay, thumbs up, even the funny moments. Zoom, at the moment, agreed with what I was saying, because I don't even think I put my thumbs up. I might have. I'm just moving around, okay.
Speaker 3:I see what it is. Yeah, yeah, that's it. I recognized it.
Speaker 2:But like even the funny moments of like when Theo was trying to talk about living in the real world, and like putting that in perspective of what that might be like. And obviously he's reading from a script, but he played that character so well and for that to be his breakout role not his first role, but his breakout role and seeing what that really means. And then my parents doing some sort of similar exercise during the summer with Monopoly money and let's see, how do you think you're going to survive in the real world If you don't? You know, what do you think you need? Here's this, here's that. And literally watching that scene as a family and then having conversations afterwards.
Speaker 2:He was such a afterwards, he was such a, he was such a prominent figure, especially being the only boy in the world of women, you know, and I have brothers, but I have also, I was really raised with my female cousins, so I I related a lot to Theo and that character. So it's sad, it just it really is sad. But I think that we we're beginning to really understand. I think, especially if you're a man or a man or a woman of a certain age, that life is fragile and we are not invincible people. You know that anything and I've learned this working in funeral industry literally anything can happen, and I don't want this to be all somber and shit, but that's the thing.
Speaker 3:But I think it teaches us that, like exactly what you said, like life is fragile, um, it is delicate and it should be appreciated. And I think the thing that we can at least be happy or joyful about is, you know, we always, again, he's a public figure. We only know about him what we see, you know, through the public lens, but anytime I've ever seen him on television screen or in an interview in a magazine, whatever, he has always been radiating positivity. He had this platform of being this. What's the word I'm looking for? Not role model, but, yes, role model. He knew that people had a nostalgic kind of like persona attached to him and he did not take advantage of it. He did not take it lightly. He really did a great job of maintaining that integrity that was upon him and gave it back to us. He was very much, you know, living his life and doing his thing, but also still had autonomy to the general black public, the black culture, the black population and beyond, but specifically as black people speak from that perspective, um, and it's just so significant and meaningful to to see Like he really just seems like a well-rounded individual.
Speaker 3:I'll tell you when I first heard or learned of his passing.
Speaker 3:The first thought that crossed my mind, because all the information that I got was that he had drowned. I didn't have any of the details, it was just, you know, malcolm Jamar Warner, you, you know, dies of accidental drowning, and my first thought that went through my head was oh no, I hope it's not another situation like with matthew perry, meaning like some type of like drugs or accidental something was involved, and I thought I I was. That was my first initial thought. And then, just as quickly as it went in, it went right back out because it did not seem like a likely scenario to me, given what I have, what I know about him. It didn't. That would be the case with him and I'm so glad, at least right now, to find out that that was not the case with him and I'm so glad, at least right now, to find out that that was not the case you know, you know he was an accidental drowning, and I say that to say like he was somebody who grew up as a child actor.
Speaker 3:You know and we, we see what happens with child actors all the time. Right, it's rough for them it'd be rough and they don't always adjust into adulthood well at all. But he did and he did and he did it well. And so to lose somebody like that is just tragic.
Speaker 4:I mean, I mean, in due time you'll find out more information if there is more information. But I also felt right right, right, right right, hopefully there's not, but just like how you thought about it, and it went in one ear and then out the other. That's how I felt too, you know. I think what makes this this particular you know, passing so tragic is the fact that he was one of the people that just did like what they were supposed to do. And, like you know, he's there, he just with family. He's just, like you know, spewing positivity, and it's just so. It's so hard to find that sometimes you're just, you're just looking for just good people that just did what they did, that there was what they were supposed to do. No, no fuss, no muss. And, like you know, and because he did that, it's like why him? You're good, I mean, I don't wish death upon anybody, but it's all like you, you got all these other people in, like I mean, why, why him?
Speaker 3:but you know, and I think that's what a lot of people are having a hard time coming to terms with- I think, and you know, it's actually pretty um fortuitous that we're talking about that specific angle on this week, um, because, I agree, I think a lot of people are going to be asking themselves why him? Why did this have to happen to him? I went through a very similar experience when my brother passed away and his birthday is actually this Saturday.
Speaker 3:This would be his 38th birthday, um, but I went through the same thing when he passed I was like. I don't understand why him like he was a person.
Speaker 3:he, um same thing radiated joy and positivity and you know, everybody loved him and it was just like, why did this tragic thing have to happen to him? And the thing that got me through and the thing that made me be able to put some type of like understanding to it is sometimes God has these kinds of things happen to do exactly what we were saying before to make sure that people understand how precious life is, how important it is to live a life that's in glory of him and live a life that you know serves a purpose. But most importantly, I think the thing that really kind of like resonated with me when I was dealing with my brother's death is everybody's put on this earth for a reason, and when you have achieved your purpose, there's no reason for you to be here anymore.
Speaker 3:So maybe that's the case with him, like, maybe, whatever his purpose was like, whether it was you know his family, his career, his you know aspirations, whatever it was, he accomplished what it was that he was put here to do and now everybody else can kind of look to him as an example, and that happens at many different times in life.
Speaker 3:It happened to my brother when he was 19. It happened to Malcolm Jamal Warner when he was 54. There's no specific timeline for when you accomplish what you were put here on this earth to do.
Speaker 2:Let's take a, let's not.
Speaker 2:Nope, we're good good but you know, something like because next week is tamika's birthday, my cousins and like this is all you know. So like her death, um is, this will be year three, now four. You know it's just, time moves so fast and there's so many things that can happen to us. And you know like losing my cousin was like one of the realizations that me and her sister, my cousin Siobhan, who is three months older than me, we have these conversations now we're about to be 45, the age that Tamika was, and it can happen to us, it can happen to anyone younger. And like we're not trying to be all somber or anything like that. Really, really we're not. But life is like precious and like the thing that switched for me was the idea of how much Tamika meant to her coworkers, her friends, people who knew her outside of us, being family, and the impact that she had on just them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, my whole perspective on how I view death and like how I view life, you know, and not to To take life so callously and casually OK, I put my hands down, zoom keeps saying thumbs up but like to really understand that.
Speaker 2:Yes, I do agree with you, blair, in reference to like our purpose and what we're here and called to do. I think that we, we each have a reason and our reason is our season. I rhymed again and I, I rhymed again. And as much as I don't want to have this conversation, these conversations are important because we don't really talk about this stuff, we kind of brush it under the rug until it directly affects us, and I think us as a community. We've seen enough of our heroes. I think the last one that impacted me in a way was Michael K Williams, and for those of you who know, that's the one who was in Lovecraft Country, the one who was in the Wire. He was actually a man of community. He's from here in Brooklyn. He was such a cool guy and to be gone so soon when he's about to do something so great for the community, you know, like all of our fallen angels cannot be forgotten, especially when we see them on television or in music or things like that.
Speaker 3:So was that the thing is like with celebrities?
Speaker 2:like we do get to still experience them their, their work is still here for us to be able to absorb and consume, and so we still get to have a piece of them, which is nice, you know I love the most about Michael Jamar Warner was the fact that Theo was a huge character of his career and he's done so much more, but he's never, ever and I think you said this earlier he's never, ever shied away from the impact of Theo to people. As opposed to some like, oh my God, I've done something else since then. Can y'all like think of me as somebody else?
Speaker 3:like he's embraced and I think that that's another beautiful thing about life like embrace your gifts, embrace how we come into people's lives, how you started, you know, the thing is he has such like and again this is speculation, but it seems like he has such an understanding of the impact that the Cosby show made on Black culture and community and we talked about that, you know, in our last episode like how much you know Black television can impact and direct culture and I it seems to me that he understood that and he, he, he kept that in mind with how he interacted with people because he knows that they had this particular experience of him and you know he did not want to shatter or crush that impact that was made.
Speaker 4:Which is funny, which is why they always say don't never meet your heroes, but I wouldn't mind meeting him. I think he would have been a dope guy.
Speaker 3:He was so funny. I've never seen an episode of Parks and Rec, but I know TikTok is something else, man, but I I I saw this clip from an episode of parks and I think it was parks and rec. Is that the show that donald glover was on?
Speaker 2:yes, okay um no, no, no, no, no, no, that was community ah, thank you okay oh yeah, thank you thank you.
Speaker 3:Thank you, so it was a. It was a clip from an episode of community with donald glover and like, he was like in a room and he was. He was crashing out, like crashing out, and he was screwed with the top of his lugs. Um, I forget whoever it was like. Let's just say it was uh, um, I don't know what's. Oh, my god, why am I blanking on names? Um, the, the guy who played, I know him as geordie laforge, but I guess other people know him from, like, reading rainbow. What's his real name?
Speaker 4:um, oh, um, um, oh my god yeah. Lavar burton, oh my God yeah.
Speaker 3:LeVar Burton. Thank you, my God in heaven. Levar Burton. Wait, how could you forget LeVar Burton? He's Jordi LaForge to me.
Speaker 4:Because he's Jordi.
Speaker 3:He's Lieutenant Jordi LaForge.
Speaker 2:As we were earlier Live long and prosper.
Speaker 3:Live long and prosper Again. I think this is the again. I've never seen an episode of Community and I can't remember the clip exactly. I think that's who he was talking about, but he was crashing out and screaming at the top of his lungs talking about I just wanted an autograph. I told him not to bring him to meet me, I only wanted an autograph.
Speaker 3:They say never meet your heroes, like that I guess like he didn't have a good interaction with him and he was afraid of exactly that happening. And exactly what he was afraid of happening happened, and so now he was upset because his whole illusion was shattered. But that just shows you the extremes that we go to. To you know, we idolize these people on television. To you know, we idolize these people on television and yeah, so anyway, it all just kind of boils down to, at the end of the day, the impact that a loss like this has on us. And again, I think I'm somebody who always tries to find the meaning in everything, to be able to make sense of a senseless tragedy.
Speaker 2:So, while making sense of a senseless tragedy, all right. So as we're talking, I am going into our distant cousin, chatjipita, our distant cousin, uh, chat jipita um, and I am asking chat jipita um about, you know, just like what, can you something about markham's war warner? And what it says is that there are no actual reports of his actual death. And I'm sitting here, a screen, like you hear the click in the background that's me sending a screen. So I was like, uh, hello, are you? I? I'm sorry we're going to cut that out. It was just I'm just like so confused. And it says there are currently no credible reports or verified sources confirming that Malcolm N Warner has passed away, including by drowning. As of now, it is to believe that he is active in his career Chachapitoo, conspiracy theories there you go.
Speaker 3:So, as somebody who tries to make sense out of senseless tragedies, I think the thing that I'm taking away from this is to tell your loved ones that you love them, let them know how you feel about them, try your best to be the type of person that you want to be remembered for. I think that's big for me, especially like just seeing now, like how everybody's speaking so fondly of him people who know him and people who don't know him. You know everybody has kind words to say about him and so that just kind of shows you like the impact that he has had on you know people who are close to him and people who only know him through a television screen. But I think those are the two biggest things that I'm taking as a lesson from this to be able to find some type of comfort in something that is so tragic. What about?
Speaker 2:you guys.
Speaker 2:I'll say this. I said this numerous times, time in and time again the things I have learned the most about working in the funeral industry is how you live in life, is how you're celebrated in death, how you touch people, is how they will remember you. You know, um, but like it's important to, I think in my mind to just understand that literally this story could be anyone. No one is immune from what is to come. We all must go at some point. It's just jarring when it's a public figure. It's just jarring when it's someone who is young, and it's jarring when you think that you're invincible, but you're really not, because we're all human.
Speaker 4:So I don't really have anything to say. I mean to this extent, because death has always been very sad for me. I mean, I'm sure, with everybody else right, like I'm really no different, but I typically kind of avoid. I typically avoid it because I don't want to think like you know, you know all of the bad stuff, but what I do find myself doing is reminiscing about the good things and and and saying to myself, when those people pass away, what was really good about them? How can I make sure that I take the parts of them that were treasured and loved the most?
Speaker 4:Like I remember when my grandmother had passed, my mother's mom it's just so weird how things work out she was in hospice and I remember her being there and I remember you know, you know me, I'm always busy and I was like I got to get there, I got to get there, and I can never find time to get there and I was like, and then something just told me, like no, you must go now. And so I went up there and, you know, saw her there and was, you know, just, she wasn't herself, but what was interesting is that she still remembered a lot of her, some of her favorite songs and I would play that and you can tell that she recognized that or whatever, and a couple of days after she had passed. Now I say all of this to say I don't ever. I know I have dreams. I hardly ever remember them to wake up, but I don't, and I'm like that for like a long period of time. But since then I've had dreams of her and I clearly know that it's her.
Speaker 4:And even in my dreams I don't typically know that, I don't typically see them as people. They're kind of like, I don't know, silhouettes, I guess, if you will, but I knew it was her and we just spent this whole time of like, you know, I guess, going, you know just reminiscing, you know, thinking about like when she was around and stuff like that. It was really weird. But all that to say is that I look to people like that who have passed and say she did this really well, people like that who have passed and say she did this really well. How can I make sure that I put that in my tool belt of things that I need to do to be better? And I think seeing someone like Malcolm Jawohl Warner, as well as many of the other greats that have been on television. I look and I go. Well, how can I live up to that?
Speaker 3:But yeah, I mean, like it impacts everybody differently. You know it makes everybody think about life differently.
Speaker 2:so I think, I think to piggyback.
Speaker 2:That's important is that we're all thinking we all, we all take something from it I think that I think, from what you just said, uh, chris, I think that to piggyback off of that really quick, we want we should not just not really find a way to live up to someone else's, but find a way to live up to the path that's destined for you. Like, create your legacy. Like we just lost a legacy member, a legacy in our community. Like you know, like it's now what, what, and I know I've become so. You know, occasionally I'll be get so gloom and I'll think about this. I even just had a conversation with my mom about like, um, life insurance policies. Like do you have? She does actually, um, and so like this is also another conversation that we need to have y'all about. Like, get your, get your affairs in order.
Speaker 2:Get your affairs in order because, literally, you never know you never know so on that note, not on that note, on that note, I would like to give a special, special, special shout out to the one, to the only Amanda. You know who you are, amanda. Amanda has thoroughly said how she is going through withdrawals, since we have been off the air for a little bit because Chris is a celebrity, whatever. Stop it, you know, and you know we're back, but let us ease into our motion. But we're glad to be here. So shout out to Amanda for actually saying those wonderful things about us. And yeah, yeah, yeah, yes, my girl, all right, all right, love Amanda. Yes, my girl, one of the key factors in a lot of the productions from hey girl, hey, hey, girl, hey, at the airport the other day and I turned around.
Speaker 4:That's funny. That's never going to. That's never good.
Speaker 2:That's always going to follow you around that's never gonna, that's never good, that's always gonna follow you around it's. I mean if, if memory serves me correctly, that is what you said in your jc penny commercial I said, I said it first.
Speaker 3:Maybe not first, but I said it a long time ago he was like okay, that is, you know what I like that I do.
Speaker 2:I like it but on that note, guys, thank you for taking the time to listen to another episode of highly I don't even know if I can say it right now Motherfucking.
Speaker 3:Melanated. There you go. Why did you ever doubt yourself?
Speaker 4:I knew you could do it.
Speaker 2:The safe space where it is okay to really start thinking about what your legacy is and how you live in your life. Are you living it well? Are you living it not so well? The safe space where it's okay also to say fuck conspiracy theories, Stand up for the truth. And the safe space where it is okay for us to be in the presence of a king period clock it, clock it. On that note, guys peace, love and legacy legacy legacy, legacy and Legacy, legacy, legacy, legacy, legacy. I like her too.
Speaker 4:No, okay, go you.