This week on Take It Personal, Steph, Will, and Jamie unpack Netflix’s Sean Combs: The Reckoning — and what it feels like to watch a documentary when you already know too much.

Steph comes in with a long memory (and a clipboard), Will is hit with visceral nostalgia and discomfort, and Jamie watches once as a bystander and again as a skeptic. Together, they trace how Bad Boy Records shaped an era — and how power, contracts, charisma, and silence shaped what came next.

The conversation moves from vanished artists and exploitative deals to damning Miami footage, jury bias, cult-leader dynamics, and the uncomfortable truth that celebrity doesn’t just distort justice — it can become the strategy.

This isn’t a recap. It’s a systems conversation about abuse, authorship, nostalgia, and what happens when the mythology finally collapses.

Related reading: Steph explores these themes in greater depth in her Substack essay, “No Way Out, No Way Back,” which reflects on growing up during the Bad Boy era and reckoning with what that legacy means today:

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YouTube is the super-app that has already won the streaming wars. Jamie, Steph, and Wil dig into watch habits, Shorts vs. long-form, creator economies, live sports, policy risks, and why YouTube feels like “groceries” while prestige TV is dessert.

Segments

• 00:03:00 YouTube as a media “super app” (UGC + TV + music + rentals + podcasts)
• 00:10:00 Social detox → intentional YouTube viewing vs. doomscrolling
• 00:14:00 Modularity: Shorts, 10-min vids, 2-hr essays, and live streams
• 00:18:00 Are creators the new networks? (Terrell Grice, Hot Ones)
• 00:25:00 The live-sports moat; “Venue” bundle shoutout
• 00:27:00 Global scale: India, U.S., Brazil user bases
• 00:33:00 Money talk: asset-light payouts vs. studio risk; Alien Earth cost example
• 00:37:00 Policy & platform risk (FTC fines, FCC attention)
• 00:40:00 Public pressure & corporate modulation (Kimmel/Disney, Target)
• 00:49:00 Would-you-rather: Gen Z feed for a year vs. never rewatch again
• 00:51:00 Boycotts & ethical consumption (Nicki Minaj, MJ, R. Kelly feature control)
• 00:56:00 Beyoncé x Ivanka gala seating kerfuffle (light; meta branding chat)
• 00:58:45 Wrap + follows: @takeitpersonal_podcast

Links

• The Terrell Show — channel home | Coco Jones — comeback vlog | Performances
• Youglish — youglish.com
• YouTube Premium / Music overview
• YouTube TV — NFL Sunday Ticket

We’re kicking off our new one-topic deep-dive format with the obligatory (!) Taylor Swift episode. Will argues that much of Taylor’s catalog reads like fictional storytelling rather than diary pages, Steph pushes back (All Too Well hive, rise), and Jamie brings the generational context — from Harry Chapin to how upheaval fuels creative renaissances.

What we cover

• The format change (single-topic episodes moving forward)
• Taylor as a fiction writer: with nods to Dennis Linde’s “Lindeville” world-building
• Folklore/Evermore, as explicitly fictional case studies, the ‘gym teacher/English teacher’ caption
• Why the Eras Tour felt like a template for fan reinvention
• Vegas residency speculation, The Sphere, and business tie-ins with Travis
• Artist archetypes: Taylor’s approachability vs. Beyoncé’s aspirational mythos
• Hot takes: a coming music renaissance; and why Cardi B can drop fewer albums and still eat

Chapter markers

• 00:00 — Intro: New one-topic format
• 00:38 — Icebreaker: Predictions that aged poorly
• 06:35 — Hot take: ‘Diary of a Showgirl’ as last album? + Vegas residency
• 09:20 — Main thesis: Taylor as a fiction writer
• 16:13 — Folklore/Evermore as fictional; engagement caption talk
• 22:15 — Eras Tour = fan reinvention template
• 31:32 — Vegas, The Sphere & business tie-ins
• 33:32 — Theater ‘release party’ discussion
• 45:40 — Jamie’s hot take: creative renaissance incoming
• 46:19 — Steph’s hot take: Cardi B’s quality cadence
• 48:41 — Wrap + where to follow

Folllow Us On

• TikTok/IG/YouTube: @takeitpersonal_podcast / @takeitpersonal_podcast / youtube.com/@takeitpersonal_podcast
• Show hub: https://linktr.ee/takeitpersonal_podcast

Credits

Hosts: Steph, Will, Jamie | Producer: Lindsay

Notes

Opinions are our own. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists mentioned.

This week on Take It Personal, Steph, Will, and Jamie discuss the platforms they trust—and how podcasts have become the most influential mic in the room. From Taylor Swift’s 12th album release via Travis Kelce’s podcast to Marc Maron’s impact and the decline of traditional media, the hosts examine the cultural shift toward unfiltered voices.

Then, things get personal. Jamie shares about doing bedtime math and realizing he might be losing 200 days with his partner. Will reflects on his 40th birthday and Marcus Aurelius. Steph talks about how losing her parents early made her more direct—and more liberated. The group discusses physical changes, weight gain, old routines, and how mortality affects your mindset.

Finally, the episode ends with a local report from D.C., commentary on political theater, and the return of the Take It Personal “What We’re Looking Forward To” roundup.

For More From T.I.P. Crew, check us out on TikTok & YouTube.

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This week on Take It Personal, we’re talking about what real power looks like. From WNBA players rewriting the rules to a dead uncle’s cookbag going viral, we’re unpacking culture, chaos, and clarity. We break down the Stud Budz livestream, NIL power moves, why gas stoves are canceled (per Will), and why the new Clipse album might just be scripture for grown folks. Oh—and someone definitely got caught cheating on a kiss cam. It’s a little messy, a little meaningful, and always personal.

This week, we’re talking about change—when it’s freeing, fake, messy, or just weird. Steph unpacks two Beyoncé concerts, from pit seats to suite tears. Jamie’s colonoscopy prep collides with right-wing outrage over Superman’s immigration status. Will introduces us to “Chit,” a viral TikTok series that might be the future of sitcoms. We get personal about JoJo Siwa, Billie Eilish, queer identity, and how hard it is to figure yourself out online. Also: AI, NVIDIA, and wombats playing tennis. You know, just another episode of Take It Personal.

In this episode of Take It Personal, things become raw, quirky, and almost sacred.

Steph, Jamie, and Will explore the grief of losing Jamie’s foster dog Mugsy and ponder big questions: Do animals have souls?

Can grief be sacred? Should we trust advice from genuinely caring people? They also discuss Tina Knowles’ memoir Matriarch, the pain and awkwardness of past journal entries, and the excitement—and fear—of making friends through online gaming.

A lively debate about Tolkien versus Harry Potter, a summary of political narcissism and taco diplomacy, and a sidetrack into NBA 2K Discords and petty college football rivalries are included. Plus: Bible verses, Kraft cheese, and a bold opinion on why Big T might finally crack. Enjoy the jokes and group chat therapy—this one’s dedicated to Mugsy.

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In Episode 2 of Take It Personal, Steph, Jaimie, and Will dive deep into everything from the NBA playoffs to the ethics of separating art from the artist. It’s a wide-ranging and heartfelt conversation on reality TV, political corruption, housing market chaos, and cultural accountability—with plenty of laughs (and gasps) along the way.

Topics include:

• Jason Tatum's legacy and the Celtics' identity crisis
• Chrisley pardons, Below Deck, and reality TV rabbit holes
• The ridiculousness of the housing market in ATL and DC
• Crypto corruption and what it means for democracy
• Wrestling with childhood memories in the wake of Diddy allegations
• Should art made by problematic people be archived or erased?

Plus: conspiracy theories about Stone Mountain, Top Chef nostalgia, and a 200-pound dog named Pickle.

This episode is a messy, meaningful, and very personal exploration of how we make sense of our culture—and our place in it.