Welcome everybody to Amy and TJ. On this beautiful day here in New York City. It is hot, hot, hot, and I'm not complaining, how about you?
Uh No, it's I think it changes people's moods when the weather gets gets nice like this, and then you get on the subway and you realize attitudes were just the same as they were on a cold day.
Yeah, we did notice that today. Couldn't wait to get back up on the ground and get out of that subterranean mess. It kind of feels like the same every day. It's like drudgery down there. But it's the fastest way anywhere in the city, and so I'll keep taking it and try to keep a smile on my face. Still have a smile on my face from yesterday. And Elise, it's mixed emotions. But my baby, my youngest, had her senior prom and god, it was beautiful weather and it
was Oh. I think everybody imagines what their senior prom is going to be like, and it's pretty cool. She goes to an all girls Jesuit high school here in the city, and so prom's a little different from when I went to high school. The stress of finding a date and then getting the crusage and having the date come pick you up. My daughter decided to basically just go with a group of friends, and I just thought it was so cool to see all the girls out there, and she asked us moms to all come and help
them get ready. And it was just a really joyful, joyful day to see her laughing and care free and just hitting this milestone in her life. And I'm trying not to cry and just being joyful.
Because yeah, it's almost like the end of an era, but I know it's the beginning of a new one.
No, She's had a lot of milestones late. That had her eighteenth birthday, which is on the same day as her last day of high school. That all ended it at the same time, essentially her youth in her high school career. But then she got into Colorado the university. She's a buffalo, got worse. She's going to get to travel overseas study brush. She's had a lot going on
and it's not done yet. So it's just a special time for parents and for kids right about now, who are a lot of graduations all over the country.
Yeah, it's like, oh, I'm ting not to cry, but you have these mixed emotions where you're like so excited for them to go off into the world. But yeah, it's like when you've spent the last twenty plus years taking care of your kids and they're gone, it's it's a lot to contend with. I actually saw Jennifer Gardner posted something on Instagram yesterday because her oldest Violet, graduated from high school and she was a rack.
She was crying. She was like, what am I supposed to do? And I really related, and I think a lot of parents out there do too. Where like and I would never want analyse to see me cry because I don't want that pressure on her. But if I talk about it, honestly, I will lose it. I haven't fully processed it. And yeah, but it was beautif full
to see. And I really was like so happy yesterday watching her with her girlfriends and in their gowns and it was for them and celebrating their time in high school. It was you know, I think one of the girls had a date and the other girl had a friend, but the rest of them, I think there was five girls just all going. We used to call it stag, but I don't think that's even a term anymore. But they all just went with one another and it was
beautiful and I'm leaning into this new normal. But sorry, babe, it's going to be a little rocky over the next couple of months before I actually say goodbye to her in August for college.
She's gonna be a little rocky.
Well, I'm gonna be a little emotional.
I think you're always emotional. No, I mean I didn't say as it is, so I don't. I don't know. No, I know all your levels of it. Like I said, I always say, you don't united different moves, you're different levels. So yeah, no, it's it's it's fun to watch. You're more excited than not excited that she's going to be gone, but you're excited for her, and this is is a part of it, and it's it's been wonderful to watch
from my vantage point. But she's she's a good one, and she's a good one in a way that she does. I've seen it when you didn't weren't even aware of it, where she does the right thing behind your back without you ever knowing. You don't have to tell her to say hey, make sure you say thank you, or make sure you're this kind of polite, or do this thing, or she does it on our own. She's a good kid, she's never great.
That's good to hear. Well. She was also very excited because it was a big another milestone for her. I don't know how other parents handled this, and certainly I wasn't extended this and to each their own, but I made this rule up for Eva, my oldest, on her prom It was the first night of her life that I didn't enforce a curfew, and so it kind of set off this. You know, you're you're going into adulthood.
I've to your point, I've hopefully instilled all the values I can in you, and now I'm going to give you some freedom. I'm gonna I'm not gonna cut the rope, but I'm going to loosen it a lot. And so
I found out today. They came in at four am, so that was really exciting to them, to her especially, So, yeah, she had her first non curfew, and you know she's going to be in college in a few months anyway, so and she's traveling the summer without me, So it's kind of silly to try to keep that control on a night where I knew she was with her girlfriends. And the nice thing about the city is they're not
jumping into cars drinking and driving. That's just not that's something that doesn't happen in the city because you're jumping in an uber and you're with a group. So I felt a little bit more comfortable giving her that leeway. But she had a Oh she knew what was happening because it had already happened with Ava and she was counting down the days until she didn't have a curfew. So I guess, I guess that's now the new thing, which I'm not sure I'll be totally okay with all
the time. But it seemed to go well. Yesterday they were all in there. It's funny. I knew that they We woke up and I said, let me just see to make sure they made it home. And I just saw a bunch of shoes all thrown in the middle of the hallway. I was like, yep, they're here, they made it back. I'm good. So it was a fun night, and there's gonna be a lot more fun days ahead before she leaves. I know.
Yeah, I saw them when they came in at four, since that's my wake up time.
Anyway, you did not, You're it was the end of it, you know, I.
Was up you wait, But did you really know they got in it for.
No, I didn't. I didn't talk to them. I didn't want to see that mess.
Yeah, they went from prom to they had an after party for prom, which is a thing I guess now, and then they went to karaoke. So it was a full night of fun and singing, and apparently their go to song was unwritten by Natasha Beddingfield, an oldie but a goodie. I was impressed. I was like, I like that song. I listened to that song all the time.
What's your go to hiaoke?
Oh my god, I think it's Paradise by the Dashboard Light. Although I was just gonna say it's an indulgent song, because if you don't know it, you're you're like, what the is going on? But it's meatball, No meat loaf, that's hilarious. I just said meatball, meat loaf. Yes, I was up late. Meat loaf and Paradise by the dashboard Light. You know, it's a whole thing. I know every single word. But the song goes on for like seven minutes, and so if you can find the other person because it's
a duet who knows all the other words? It's really fun. And but if you don't know the words, I'm sure it's really annoying to watch me sing meat loafs Paradise by the dashboard light.
No, I'm sure everybody at a bar at two in the morning intoxicated love was to see a seven minute rendition of a song they've never heard of. By you?
It's great?
Well?
Yes, and how about you? What's your go to karaoke song?
I'm too sexy? Seriously, I have no idea. I just think that almost be you.
But if you had to do karaoke, what would be you?
Gotta give me some time on that. Have no idea, no idea?
What the song? Do you know all the words? I mean, I know they put the words up so you don't have to know all the words, but it helps if you do. Are there songs that you just know by heart every single word?
Uh? Yeah? A lot of stuff by Prince, A lot of stuff by Otis Redding and Sam Cook? Who the hell? Once they hear sitting on the dock of the bay too in the morning.
I mean, you could sway, but the lighter go up. You know, there's a lot of ways you can enjoy that.
I think, how do you enjoy that song? We're talking about the same song. Yeah, that that makes you want to throw a lighter up?
Yeah you know, you know when people in the concerts put the lighter up, it's a slower song. They sway they got the light going.
No, really sad, it's really really I never thought of that song as a sway with the lighter up song.
Okay, maybe it's with your arms around the person next to you and just kind of enjoying the cadence.
Okay, yeah, this is why you don't play otis rating at the carryoka.
All right, all right, all right, we'll have to come up with a karaoke song later. I'm I can't wait to hear.
Okay.
Yes, some of this weather in New York City has been so fun and it's been good to get out and about. And we had a couple of fun nights and one of them we actually were at a gathering where I saw some old friends, friends I hadn't seen a long time, and a friend who works at was once our competing network at NBC and they launched a show over there that competed against GMA three, and I hadn't spoken to this producer since all of that had taken place.
So it was a really fun reunion. But she told TJ and me something that was well, a little surprising, maybe even kind of amusing now, but definitely a little shocking. She told us that our show, GMA three, was welcoming NBC into the daytime arena.
There wasn't a show like that. Yeah, so it's like the we had GMA three was with Good Morning America, but this was basically Today's show in the afternoon, and we as a show, sent over a gift to welcome them to daytime. We did not know that they sent over a gift. Had you ever heard of that?
First? I heard it was the other day and apparently this is something that took place almost two years ago now, But no, we had no idea that this was done. I guess you could say on our behalf.
Yes, And so this was the first as TJ just said that we had heard about it. So we said, oh, wow, we sent you all a gift and she was like, yes, but do you want to know what the gift was? And we said yes, Well, it had your faces all over it, and we were puzzled, and she told us that our show apparently sent over to the new NBC show a welcome to Daytime gift package, which was cookies with our faces on them. We were I mean, I was a little mortified. How did you feel?
Well. It took us a while to try to understand if she was serious or not, because we've seen this. It happens in the industry, and people, I don't know, they're competitors, but at the nice like a sporting event, you shake hands with your competitor at the beginning and at the end. But when you're out there on the field of play, your enemies and your battling. It's the same.
In news. Yes, we go at it hard, but we all respect each other and a lot of us are friends for the most part in the industry, so it's not unusual when someone has a milestone, someone in a competing station has a baby, or someone is god forbid, sick or got a promotion. Even you send something flowers and a note, and that's just industry standard.
Right, I mean, when we saw we mentioned this in an earlier podcast, when we saw even Kim Godwin, after all that had gone gone on with us. We decided to send a gesture to send a bottle of champagne. I think those are all things that would be reasonable and understandable. So we were thinking, oh, we sent over I don't know, yes, flowers, champagne something, but no, we sent them cookies with our faces on them. And they were all kind of thrown by that as well, because maybe the.
Intention was was I don't know what would the intention be just kind of like game on welcome, but I don't know.
It doesn't I guess it matters what the intent was. We don't know that. All we can speak on now is how it was received, and we know it was received negatively. It wasn't appreciated and it was not necessarily a laughing matter from what we were explained to us.
I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't hoot and holland at the end of the world because some cookies were sent, but they it was taken at least says its explained to us as a pretty bold and pretty rude gesture, if you will, not funny in the least bit.
So we apologize. We apologized to her on the spot and we said, please, please, please go back to your newsroom and tell them that we had nothing to do with this and had no idea about it, and we're sorry that something with our name, our faces literally on it is something that was viewed so negatively by them, and it was somewhat insulted.
Yes, and so yes, we deeply apologized. But she even told us that they were kind of so taken aback. Maybe that's the way they She described how they received it. It was kind of shocking, and just thought, wow, they went there, they sent us cookies with their faces on it, Welcome to Daytime TV. And they actually took a picture of them with the cookies, and she has it on her desk, and it's maybe it's motivating for them to to keep doing what they're doing. And you know what,
it is a competition, the morning show wars. I'm sure we've all heard about it, and it's all true to your point, TJ. Like it is competitive. We are trying to win the ratings. Everybody wants to be number one. That's just absolutely true. But anyway we were, we were a little I was appalled. I was mortified that we were a part of some gesture that we had no idea, Like no one even told US, consulted with us, asked us if it was okay to put our faces on
these cookies. So we were glad we finally heard the story and that we could actually let her know that that is nothing that we sanctioned or suggested or would have ever wanted to have taken place. So, yes, a formal apology was long overdue, I believe, but we were just made aware of the situation. So that was very That was an enlightening moment, to say the very least, when we when we ran into her and heard all of that. But it was well, hopefully we set the
record straight. Yes, yeah, so we've been we've been what else we've been doing.
We've been watching TV per usual, and we were able to actually sit down and watch not only the it's been out there for a while, but we hadn't actually taken the time to watch Jlo put out her movie.
I always get the names confused. What's that one called?
This is Me Now?
This is Me Now? And then the documentary of the making of the movie, which was the greatest love story never told? And we actually I actually really enjoyed the documentary how about you?
We watched in that order, so we watched the and what does she call it's not a movie? It's not a music video movie. What's she called it not a music movie? She had a specific way she wanted to explain what it what the movie was. So we saw the music movie first and we got it. We understood what she was trying to do there. The documentary, however,
is fascinating. It is one of the most It's one of those It was unexpected for me to see some of the things that they left in, what was going on behind the scenes, and just some of the dynamic with her and her husband an athletics. So I loved, love, loved.
The documentary, and I thought she was I thought she was very raw, very vulnerable, you know, talked about the challenges financially of getting something like this going, but then even getting other celebrities on board. She was trying to incorporate some folks into the to the movie. If you see it, several people stepped up, including the amazing Jane
Fonda to just name one. But what it was like to be rejected by people, to be rejected by you know, financial institutions, by networks or you know, services that would carry this movie. Just the struggles of putting it all together. So and she really opened up about her heart and being maybe even a parody or something that someone laughs at or makes fun of because she's been married four times or had four marriages before Ben correct or is
Ben number four? Ben's number four? But then so we just happened to take the time to watch these two, and then all of these headlines have been popping up about Jen and Ben and it's just for me to watch. It's it's fairly heartbreaking because to see, yes, I know their celebrities, Yes I know they're in the spotlight, but to just see the unbelievable scrutiny of a relationship from
body language, who is he wearing the ring? They haven't been seen together in X amount of days, They're being surveilled constantly, and people always have opinions and comments about their relationship and just the stress that I know that brings.
But I just I just feel like it's become sadly a sport, not just in this country but around the world to to watch people and then to almost I don't want to say people hope for their failure, but almost kind of reveled in reading about the failure or reading about the problems or reading about and we don't even know if there is an issue or if there even is a problem. That's the whole point.
But every headline says there is, and then that's what people believe. And I just, I think my heart goes out to both both of them about just I can't even imagine.
I mean, we had a certain level. There's is a level that I cannot even imagine the scrutiny that they're under constantly.
There's been a lot of celebrity couple I've never been that interested in celebrity relationship news. I can see now where I was dismissive of people in my world who were friends or whatever, who are so invested with what happens to some celebrity couple with I guess Brad Pitt and Angelina, or Brad Pitt and or two of the I guess biggest couples who had so much I guess tabloid scrutiny. But this one, I feel so invested in
their success for reasons I can't really comprehend. I just and more so I think it's my heart is going out to her for a lot of reasons. The woman I'm going to root for anybody who won't give up on love, who keeps trying. I'm going to root for every single time. And I know he's going through his struggles as well. It seems like so much emphasis is put on her given the marriages, but I hate I can't imagine, and I am so disturbed at the possibility
that these two might not make it. And the only reason I think that is why would I even have that in my head? Because everybody's writing the headlines, which not a single one could be true. It's quite possible none of it's true. And you know this, I don't believe anything until j Lo comes in this studio and says, you know what, DJ, this is what's going on. I don't believe anything because I we, from our experience, know better.
And then what happens is once one outlet writes something, then everybody picks up on it. And then if you notice, I know people can read things and read between the lines, it's always sources. The amount of sources that make comments about what is or isn't is remarkable, But what are and who are these sources? That's I think that's the whole thing we've gotten away from. I mean, I know there's a blurred line between mainstream media and tabloid media
and just voyeurism. People who are who have their cameras up and ready to take a picture and then interpret what the body language is. I mean, it's really it's sad, and the scrutiny is unfair, and I just it. I think after our experience, I just feel even more sensitive to it and make a point not to click on it. But you can't escape it even on if you have Instagram or you know, whatever social media you have, If
you scroll through it, it's it's everywhere. And I know that that was part of the reason why they have both said that their initial romance fell apart in part was because of all of the public scrutinies. So I feel for them, and I would just urge people to reserve judgment and to ask yourself, you know, if you care for them, you're rooting for them. I love that, but my god, I just hate to think that people are rooting for people's failure. Like see, I knew it.
I knew she couldn't handle it. I knew celebrity couples can't last. I know, celebrities, you know, don't make it it's almost as if you're rooting for that, and I just that's what makes me feel sick. So I just, I don't know. I just we just wanted to say and send some love to both of them and maybe just ask folks to reserve judgment.
Okay, what do we That's a weird thing this when it comes to judgment about those two, it feels like a I think I've mentioned this song before. It's an old song. YA won't remember it, an older song meaning Tia and Usher, my life you're entertainment. You heard me talk about this song. I've been listening to it for years and years, but I didn't really understand it until the past two years. Maybe. But my life you're entertainment. You watch it while I live it. You're waiting on
me to lose it. I guess I'm just here for your amusement. Wow is the line, and this is Ti and Usher're singing in the song. They of course have dealt with all kinds of stuff impressed over the years and time, but it does feel like that to me that we often watch as sport. This is their life.
This is a life, a real life that has an impact when you click it has an impact when you read and then you spread and you want to go put up a TikTok video and then put the hashtag, and people jump on it because it feels like the more you pound on them, the more followers you can get, or you're in with the in crowd, or you're part
of this conversation. That part is really I urge, folks, and everybody's out there, not a bad person who does that, but we get caught up in it and not realize sometimes, well, just my one post isn't gonna make a difference. Well if you and a million other people do it, it does have an impact. And they say themselves that this type of scrutiny was part of the reason for their break up the first time. So it does have an impact.
It does, you can actually and it had an impact for sure in all world in how people decided to start to scrutinize and talk and make fun and things just kind of spiral out of control to the point that it did. We ended up, our lives were severely or greatly impacted by this type of thing. So we just please, if you can just keep that in mind when you're laughing or clicking or reading or spreading or tweeting or whatever you may be doing that it's not
just your one post. It collectively has an impact, a real world impact.
And I'm always amazed at just because somebody makes their living singing, acting something in the public eye, and just because they've done well and have money from that talent or skill that they have shared with the world, somehow that makes them other people's I don't want to say property, but just that they have to just take it on
the chin. They have to expect people to have whatever comment they want to have about them and then make it public and then that's okay because they have money, and because they chose to be in an artistic field that has publicity attached to it. I just think that's an unfair You know, you deserve it, or you should be able to take it because you know dot dot dot. I'm curious, what would you say, I mean, and we
were at a completely different level. This is you know, I don't even want to compare where you know, Jlo and Ben are and where we were, But would you say that knowing that people were not only taking pictures and looking at every single facial expression we had or everything we did, or everything everywhere we went. Do you think that that affected our relationship in any way.
No, we didn't worry about it being when we were out because you and I decided not to be out very much. So we it was the worst part. When we went to Miami. We were actually trying to get away. We were got out of here to hide and make sure we weren't in the public eye. And somebody, yes, at a restaurant, some family of four, I'll never forget those folks took some pictures of us at at lunch.
They get word to some press outlet, photographer comes, pictures are taken of us, and then we get scrutinized for look at them, they're flaunting or I can't remember, you remember, you know what I'm talking about. But the words that were used were attached to it were the exact opposite of what we were trying to do. We went there to hide, and the only reason we were found out is because a family of four sitting next to us
with their two infant children decided to take pictures. And so that is the part I guess with you when you ask about did it affect our relationship? We hit so we didn't do anything different in the public eye. So I never felt like we had to put on or make sure we always put on a good face. Wet I shouldn't say caught. We were seeing photographed at times when we didn't know anybody was watching. And I'll be damned, we looked happy all the time. That's weird,
but that was just us. But I know our relationship. I never I've said to you, I felt some kind of respond like, I feel a like folks are looking and waiting on you to either get married or break up, and that feels weird.
Yeah, and we did look happy most of the time, but there were times I remember where like it was cold outside and so you're grimacing, and you know, then they, you know, they make a comment about what that says about our relationship. They even have body language experts, and I see them doing it to so many celebrities about how you're walking together, how you're holding hands, if someone's
holding more tightly on the other, it's it's remarkable. And then people you read it and it feels like that must be what is And I just I would urge everyone to just not believe what you read and not believe unnamed sources and certainly don't give any real credence to body language experts who are claiming this, that and the other. But I mean, I just if anyone could have, if anyone could imagine what that would be like for
them personally, I don't. It's not fun at all. And I think then there's the the s there's a a belief that somehow, whether whoever, whatever couple it is, even we were even accused of this, of them calling the paparazzi on ourselves to get attention, because we constantly just want attention and we're trying to prove something that this, that or the other. I cannot imagine that goes on
as much as people think it does. I mean, we certainly never once ever wanted, let alone leaked where we going to be or how we wanted to be photographed. I mean, that's laughable to me that people really believe that, But they do, and it's out there, and I just I hope that we can all just be a little bit better about letting people live their lives and really allowing people to have private lives. I mean, I really believe everyone deserves a private life.
See that's what everybody will a lot of folks will object and shut you down. Because she put out a movie that's an hour and a half of her promoting her relationship. She put out a documentary about that movie. She's got four hours of content in which she is putting her personal life out there. Now, obviously there are
music critics. They can say whatever they want about her music, but she is putting herself out there in such a way that is Criticism is one thing, you know, but bullying and hate and that's a totally, totally different thing. We are not sitting here endorsing you should never say anything about her just because she's in the public eye. No,
I don't know. She put herself out there, but there is an entertainment value that comes to trying to tear somebody down and to constantly gossip, which we've talked about plenty privately, but also here on this The gossip is one of the most toxic things out there, and we have all been guilty of it, but we just I would encourage everybody, and I've had to get better about it, and I'm you gotta stop being a part of that
cycle of contributing to tearing somebody down. It's making fun of her I'm not gonna make fun of her because she's had four marriages. I'm not gonna make fun of her because she's had three failed marriages. You know, just cracking a joke about it. Is it seems me and folks say, ah, you got thicker scan, you can handle it. Okay, fine, is it?
Girl's got really thick, much thicker skin to me, give me what she's done. She does, absolutely, But how we have we ask yourself, how are you contributing to tearing down another human being? How are you contributing to the fodder, the gossip, the foolishness, and the entertainment of somebody's private life and pain?
Yeah, I mean I think we've seen it happen. It's going to continue to happen, obviously, because there's money to be made. I think that's the other thing, this idea that every time you're clicking or every time you're reading, you are contributing to someone profiting off of someone else's pain or potential pain, or even created false pain. But
whatever it is, it's not something positive. So I just I I after everything I've learned in the past year and a half, I have I have learned to do better and be better when it comes to literally even clicking on these stories. Oh but yeah, we just wanted to We just wanted to throw some love out there and just remind everybody that what you read is not
almost certainly not. It's what's going on, and there might be there could be a there could be a small small part of it that that's true, and none of it could be true. But just to suspend judgment and to remember not to believe what you read and to
get people a break. And we're all humans. We've said that so many times, but no matter who you are, no matter what you do for a living, we all have feelings and it matters, and what you say, what you think, and my god, what you write, what you post matters, anonymous or not, you still put it out there. So just please please, please be kind.
Be kind to us too. By the way, that's really all this episode was about. We're just getting back to us and what we're trying to say is no, folks, no, we appreciate you listening as all the ways. You can find us on Instagram official page four. The podcast is at Amy and TJ Podcast. We'll see ye'l s in the Two Things