Libsyn Directory

Hedda Lettuce on Madonna, Kim Cattrall & Surviving Drag

Release Date: 03/09/2026

Ballroom Culture, POSE & How a Ryan Murphy Show Gets Made (w/ POSE's Steven Canals)

Hot Takes & Deep Dives

Jess is joined by the co-creator / writer / director of the FX series POSE — STEVEN CANALS! Canals discusses the series' inspiration via the landmark documentary PARIS IS BURNING and getting the script into RYAN MURPHY's hands. We discuss ballroom culture, Houses, "Vogue," and the series' music placements. We also discuss the casting of MJ Rodriguez (Blanca), Indya Moore (Angel) and Sandra Bernhard. ⭐ IG: ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the history, mystique & lore of Fire Island —

Amber Martin on Bette Midler at The Baths, Touring w/ Scissor Sisters & more

Hot Takes & Deep Dives

Jess is joined by performance artist and rocker AMBER MARTIN ()! Topics — the origins of her Bette Midler at the Continental Baths show “Bette, Bathhouse & Beyond,” winning the NYC artist housing lottery at Manhattan Plaza, touring with the Scissor Sisters, the Allways Cabaret in New Orleans, working as a flight attendant, radical faeries and more! ⭐ IG: | ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the history, mystique & lore of Fire Island —

Hedda Lettuce on Madonna, Kim Cattrall & Surviving Drag

Hot Takes & Deep Dives

Jess welcomes beloved NYC drag legend , boots on the ground in Puerto Vallarta after the recent cartel attack. Topics — Playing Kim Cattrall’s ex-boyfriend on Sex and the City on stage with Madonna at the 1999 MTV VMAs, neighbors with Quentin Crisp, and cult movies at Chelsea Clearview Cinema. Plus — Shirley Q. Liquor, Heather Locklear at Cherry’s on the Bay, and Hedda’s journey from rock bottom in Provincetown to reigning on Fire Island—and now wintering in Puerto Vallarta. ⭐ IG: | ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the...

Jonah Wheeler on Quitting Broadway to Become a S*x Work Sensation

Hot Takes & Deep Dives

Jess is joined by Broadway composer / orchestrator / adult star JONAH WEELER! (). Topics — blind items about this worst Broadway experiences, music directing Sweeney Todd Off Broadway and the final straw that pushed him toward a full-on career pivot to OnlyFans. Plus: beating Instagram censorship, creating a new cabaret about that pivot with partner John Coons, the origin story of his p*rn name "Jonah Weeler" (he is the artist formerly known as Matt Aument) and more! ⭐ IG: ⭐ ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the...

Culture Catch-Up: Jill Zarin, Twinless, Pillion & Heated Rivalry vs. Queer as Folk

Hot Takes & Deep Dives

Jess is joined by DAMIAN BELLINO & ANNE RODEMAN (co-hosts of “You Might Know Her From”) for a wintertime culture catch-up! Topics — Jill Zarin fired (again), Sandra Bernhard cast in The White Lotus S4, The L Word corner, and why is Heated Rivalry accepted by gay men while Queer as Folk was not? Plus — we review the films Twinless, Pillion & Plainclothes. ⭐ IG: | | ⭐

Daniel Nardicio Returns! Sandra Bernhard, John Waters, Zipolite & Patti LuPone's Rider

Hot Takes & Deep Dives

Jess welcomes back nightlife impresario DANIEL NARDICIO to talk about his latest venture in Zipolite, Mexico and the runaway success of running The Ice Palace in Cherry Grove. Topics — legalities of throwing s*x parties, surviving Patti LuPone’s rider and stories from working with Sandra Bernhard, John Waters, Jennifer Holliday and more! ⭐ IG: | ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the history, mystique & lore of Fire Island — ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the rise & fall of SoulCycle —

Lola Rocknrolla on Dean Johnson: ’80s Genderf*ck Icon, Mysterious Death

Hot Takes & Deep Dives

Jess welcomes LOLA ROCKNROLLA, filmmaker of the brand-new documentary THE BIG JOHNSON, exploring the life and eerie death of DEAN JOHNSON: the 6’6”, genderf*cky, rollicking rock-star frontman who helped define 1980s–90s East Village nightlife. Topics — the still-unsettled details around Dean’s 2007 death, his bands Dean & the Weenies and The Velvet Mafia, being an HIV+ party promoter & more! “The Big Johnson” screens at NYC’s Quad Cinema January 23–29, streaming avail in February ⭐ IG: | ⭐ Jess'...

How Mariah Carey's “All I Want for Christmas Is You” Was Really Made — Co-writer Walter Afanasieff

Hot Takes & Deep Dives

Jess is joined by WALTER AFANASIEFF, the Grammy-winning songwriter and producer behind MARIAH CAREY’s biggest ’90s hits — including “Hero,” “My All,” “One Sweet Day,” and “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Topics — how the modern Christmas classic was written, his professional fallout with Mariah Carey, and how the songwriting biz has radically changed since the ’90s. Plus — producing CELINE DION's “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic, writing with BEYONCÉ and BARBRA STREISAND, and the story of how a record label sabotaged a future American Idol winner....

Inside Celebrity Home Tours: Bethenny, Andy Cohen, Madonna, Amy Sedaris & more (w/ Dale Saylor)

Hot Takes & Deep Dives

Jess is joined by interior designer Dale Saylor () to react to some of our favorite Architectural Digest home tours. Topics — BETHENNY FRANKEL’s Florida move, ANDY COHEN's West Village duplex, AMY SEDARIS’ Greenwich Village funhouse, SARAH PAULSON’s Malibu studio, RUPAUL in LA, NEIL PATRICK HARRIS' Harlem brownstone & KELLY RIPA's UES townhouse. Plus — advice for max impact in small spaces AND Dale critiques a walk-through of Jess' apartment. ⭐ IG: | ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the rise & fall of SoulCycle — ...

Culture Debate: 2025 Theater, Film, Concert Revue (w/ Mark Snyder)

Hot Takes & Deep Dives

Jess is joined by All I Want to Do Is Talk About Madonna co-host Mark Snyder for a 2025 revue of our favorite theater, films, and concerts. Topics— Wicked ambivalence, Kristin Chenoweth’s rough year, a Chess revival, Oh Mary predictions, the Plainclothes film, the Lilith Fair documentary, Mike Albo’s Hologram Boyfriends, Julio Torres’ Color Theories, and Linda Perry’s reunion with 4 Non Blondes. Plus— an in-memoriam for Diane Keaton & Jill Sobule, and major existential Madonna happenings in 2026. ⭐ IG: | ⭐ Jess'...

More Episodes

Jess welcomes beloved NYC drag legend HEDDA LETTUCE, boots on the ground in Puerto Vallarta after the recent cartel attack. Topics — Playing Kim Cattrall’s ex-boyfriend on Sex and the City on stage with Madonna at the 1999 MTV VMAs, neighbors with Quentin Crisp, and cult movies at Chelsea Clearview Cinema. Plus — Shirley Q. Liquor, Heather Locklear at Cherry’s on the Bay, and Hedda’s journey from rock bottom in Provincetown to reigning on Fire Island—and now wintering in Puerto Vallarta.

⭐ IG: @jessxnyc | @heddalettuceofficial

⭐ Jess' docu-series on the history, mystique & lore of Fire Island — Finding Fire Island

TOPICS