Dese gehls ah bloody great, huh mate?! Josie, Alycia, and Yasmine have a major catch up sesh, chatting about their New Year’s festivities, the media they’ve been consuming (from White Lotus to SZA’s new album SOS…”Kill Bill” does go off), and the cultural differences between the UK and the US.

TRANSCRIPT

[AD BREAK]

Josie Totah: Hello, everyone. [quiet scream in background] [laugh] We are back. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Hi. 

Josie Totah: As you may remember, or maybe you have forgotten me like a mystery or a flash [Aww in background] in the pan of your memory. I am Josie Perkins. [laughter]

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I’m Alycia del Sol.

Yasmine Hamady: And I’m Martha Stewart. [laugh] And this is Dateline. I’m Yasmine Hamady. [laughter]

Josie Totah: And this is Dare We Say. Now we are all kind of back. Okay. One, a big uh well slim elephant in the room– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh. 

Josie Totah: –Is me because I’m back. [laughter] And I– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: It’s me, hi. 

Josie Totah: I came back. I was just away um doing time. I was in– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: No. 

Josie Totah: –Service. I was doing my service. 

Yasmine Hamady: She was doing philanthropy work in a third world country. 

Josie Totah: Yes, I was in the military, military for seven months in Scotland. So I’m back. However fun fact Yasmine is not here. So this is– 

Yasmine Hamady: Nope. 

Josie Totah: –not a reunion eppy. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Josie Totah: Even though we will be catching up today. Yasmine, do tell us and the show why you chose to go to the United Kingdom just six days after I left it? 

Yasmine Hamady: Okay, so here’s the thing. Um. When we do have a reunion, I do want Andy Cohen to lead that. And I do. If our producers can reach out to him from now so we can have that set, that’d be amazing. Um. I left the UK because I needed an out. I needed an out. I was so [breathy pause] tired of the U.S. I’m sorry. I was. I’m over it. I just wanted out. I feel like I’ve been stuck for so long and I haven’t done anything since the panorama. Panda Express. The panoramic happened so I needed to get out and was it a smart idea to go six days after you came? Not at all. But I’m here and I’m queer.

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Per. 

Josie Totah: I’m so happy that you’re there, are you having fun? Like what’s– 

Yasmine Hamady: Oh, my God. 

Josie Totah: What’s the latest? 

Yasmine Hamady: You guys, here’s the latest. Back to it’s Anderson Cooper, 360 on CNN. Um. It is getting dark at 3 p.m. and Josie, you and I talked– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh? 

Yasmine Hamady: –About that today and it’s like it’s camp. Um.

Josie Totah: It’s awful, it’s even worse in Scotland [?] the sun set at two. Like 2:30 the sun would set.

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah and so like, I’m like getting tired. I’m like having to work still and I’m like, yawning. I, I feel like I’m living in a spaceship because everything is so dark all the time that I’m kind of just going through the motions and everything’s artificial light. Does that make sense? 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah.

Josie Totah: It does. What about uh your romantic endeavors? I heard from a little birdie that there may be a romantic interest of yours in the U.K., how has that–

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. You know it’s–

Josie Totah: –been. That you’ve been speaking to you for a while, that you may be, dare I say exclusive with? [laughter] 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. Yeah no. Period we’ll end right there.

Alycia Pascual-Peña: She said that’s it. 

Yasmine Hamady: No. Yeah. No. Um. Yeah. So we are this sounds so insane to say, but we’re finally getting together after months of speaking um over ala cell phone. Um. I’m going to see this person uh next Tuesday actually. Um. 

Josie Totah: What? 

Yasmine Hamady: Flying [?]– 

Josie Totah: What’s the day like? 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Wow. 

Josie Totah: Do you have a whole plan? What are you going to do? 

Yasmine Hamady: No. We have no plans. I think we’re going to go to Edinburgh together, though. Um.

Josie Totah: What? 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes, I know.

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Josie’s hometown.

Yasmine Hamady: Cause this person’s–

Josie Totah: You’re going to my literal origin place. My place of origin?

Yasmine Hamady: I’m going to. I’m going to, I’m going to– 

Josie Totah: My birth place? 

Yasmine Hamady: –your villagen origin story. Um.

Josie Totah: So just to be clear, so I was there for seven months. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Stop. 

Josie Totah: And you’re going to Edinburgh now? 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Please. 

Yasmine Hamady: I because I had two weeks off, I have not had two weeks off this whole time I was here this was the– 

Josie Totah: No, no you’re fine.

Yasmine Hamady: -only time I could go. No it’s not fine. I feel like an awful friend. I–

Josie Totah: No. Let’s make it awkward. Let’s make it awkward. 

Yasmine Hamady: Let’s make everyone uncomfortable. I’m an awful friend. I didn’t go to see you, for seven months. 

Josie Totah: You’re not an awful friend. You’re actually not. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: You took the opportunity when you could go. And I’m happy that you’re [laugh] experiencing Europe. 

Josie Totah: I’m actually, stop right there.

Yasmine Hamady: Can I just say, like, I don’t know how to kiss anymore? I’m worried about, like, when I see this person, do I buck my teeth in their fucking face? 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: No stop. 

Yasmine Hamady: Like I actually–

Josie Totah: Let’s talk about it. Have you been practicing, like, on your pillow, back of the hand? Like–

Yasmine Hamady: You know what it’s kind of reminding me of? Like–

Josie Totah: Are you actually scared about that? 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes and–

Josie Totah: Kissing is scary. It’s kind of scary.

Yasmine Hamady: It kind of, it is scary. 

Josie Totah: If it’s been a while. 

Yasmine Hamady: It kind of reminds me of I don’t know if this is about I don’t know if you guys went through this when you were a child. But I did like figuring out how to kiss on like the back of my hand and seeing how it– 

Josie Totah: Yeah. 

Yasmine Hamady: –feels like I did that the other night, just was like, how do I kiss?

Josie Totah: Really? Next to–

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

Josie Totah: –Eva while she was sleeping, [laughter] in the same bed as you? 

Yasmine Hamady: Actually Eva and I were practicing. I’m kidding. Um.

Josie Totah: Okay. Yeah. 

Yasmine Hamady: No. 

Josie Totah: I was going to say, are you using her, Lula’s [laughing] [indistinct] 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Ay dios mio.

Yasmine Hamady: No. [?]. But it’s just. It’s just I– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: It’s instinctual. Yas, like, you know, you have, like, a lot of feelings for that person. Like, it’ll happen the way it’s supposed to.  

Yasmine Hamady: I wonder if they’ll ask me to be their girlfriend. 

Josie Totah: Do you think so? 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Mm. Aren’t you guys kind of that already? 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah, but like unless I’m being asked that. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: You right. Mm hmm. 

Yasmine Hamady: It’s not official yet.

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Yasmine Hamady: But any, we’re like Freaky Friday, like I was Jamie Lee Curtis, and you are Lindsay Lohan– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Great film. 

Yasmine Hamady: And now we’ve switched lives. So you’re back in the U.S.. How does it feel? 

Josie Totah: It feels good. I think it was overwhelming at first because I came back and literally was my own secretary. I–

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. Stop.

Josie Totah: –scheduled a lunch and a dinner with a different person every single day for like ten days straight. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Honey’s socially itinerary was crazy. 

Josie Totah: Oh. To the point where like my social [?] I didn’t even know I had a social battery. Like I think I before I moved to Scotland, I didn’t know what a social battery was like I was just on all the time from literally 6 a.m. till midnight. I was just like 100%. And then I somehow learned self-care in the past seven months. And so I think it’s just reteaching myself that I can implement like the relaxing things, the time that I can take for myself the like you know, hour to myself in the morning and the– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Josie Totah: –Self-care practices that I had forgotten in the past. But I learned bringing them back to my life in Los Angeles. But it’s been so nice to see everyone, especially when I saw you when I landed, Yasmine did come to my house– 

Yasmine Hamady: With flowers in hand like a gentleman I am.

Josie Totah: With flowers just. Just after my plane touched the ground. Alycia had the vid. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I did. 

Josie Totah: Oh, my God. Yeah. You didn’t mention that. You had COVID. [laughter] She literally had COVID. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I did. 

Josie Totah: Um. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I did have COVID. It was awful. 

Josie Totah: I went to her apartment though, but I stayed very far away. And I talked to her from her balcony. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah and we talked for two and a half hours. 

Josie Totah: Literally just like in the cold, because I wanted to be like near her and update her and have her update me, which is amazing. Anyway. Yeah, so it’s been great. Alycia and I had the most fun New Year’s Eve though. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yes. 

Josie Totah: We did what what is our dream, which was rented a house in the middle of nowhere and slept for the whole weekend. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Yasmine Hamady: Oh. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: And then I– 

Josie Totah: It was like pretty crazy. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I didn’t get enough sleep. And I love that we spent our new years in a pretty, like, quote unquote, “unorthodox” way. Like, I feel like New Years people associate with, like, turning up like, poppin bottles. That could have not been further from we did.  

Josie Totah: Our friend Jason was horrified because every 3 hours– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: He really was.

Josie Totah: –we like, rung a bell and we’re like, okay guys reflection activity. And we like– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. [gasp]. 

Josie Totah: We did– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Josie Totah: We did like one reflection that was like literally 24 questions and took 3 hours to complete. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Josie Totah: We it was like you had to write an essay response. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Literally the biggest activities that we had while we were in the middle of nowhere during this rainstorm, at that it was like thundering and stuff outside. But it was beautiful because we were like on this, like green hill with nothing else around. We journaled and we ate. Like we journaled and [?] 

Josie Totah: And we didn’t drink at all. And by the way, I’m 21, so I can do that now. [laugh] I mean, we did not consume alcohol despite me bringing several bottles of tequila and like, I literally brought a liquor store there. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: You really did. 

Josie Totah: But no– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: You popped the bottle. 

Josie Totah: No one really– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: But it was for, it was for the–

Josie Totah: No one drank. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –Effect. 

Josie Totah: I popped the bottle and then– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: But nobody drinks. 

Josie Totah: –[?] spray everyone with it. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: So we were all like chill, like literally grabbing on for our lives to try to stay up till twelve like we almost knocked out– 

Josie Totah: No I fell asleep. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I was going to say. 

Josie Totah: I fell asleep at 9 p.m. with our best friend– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Josie Totah: Ally. And–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Half of our group– 

Josie Totah: I was woken up 5 minutes before– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –fell asleep. 

Josie Totah: –the ball dropped.

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Half of some of us, like three people actually never woke up. 

Josie Totah: Yeah. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Like Landry. My cousin Ken. 

Yasmine Hamady: You’re lying. 

Josie Totah: Not just like, not just that day. They never woke up cause they’re still dead. [laughter]

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Stop. It’s not funny.

Josie Totah: They actually, they died. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: But but but let me just paint a picture for you guys. We are all sitting after playing games like Mafia and we’re like not really strangers and journaling and people pouring out their hearts. 

Josie Totah: Oh yeah. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Trying to stay up. We’re all in a circle. Nobody is hyped we’re literally playing card games at this point. And Josie out of nowhere takes out a bottle. And–

Josie Totah: That’s not, that you’re not telling the story correct. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yes, I am. 

Josie Totah: Are you lying on purpose to make it funnier? 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I’m not lying. I’m not lying at all. I actually am not a funny person. 

Yasmine Hamady: Okay so alright. 

Josie Totah: No, no. It was lit– 

Yasmine Hamady: Who’s lying? 

Josie Totah: –when I sprayed the bottle, we were all like five, four, three–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh, yeah yeah yeah, that point, that point, that point. But no, no, no. We like, had to, like, fabricate that, like, you know what I mean? Like we were dancing and stuff but we were like, okay, hype up hype up hype up. 

Josie Totah: Right but–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Okay. 

Josie Totah: Okay. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Okay we were not hyped. But then someone was like, I think Micaela like brought out her phone and was like, okay, we literally have like– 

Josie Totah: She like she held up her phone– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah, she held it– 

Josie Totah: –with the countdown.

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –to her forehead because there wasn’t a TV in this living room. 

Josie Totah: And we were blasting music. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. We were playing music and stuff and she was like, Okay, we have to go into the new year like excited and it was like 30 seconds to countdown. And that’s when people started dancing and going crazy. Josie pulls out the champagne bottle. Not only does she just open it, she then starts spraying it like we are in the NBA finals locker room. But we’re– 

Yasmine Hamady: No. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –inside this like cabin of a house like and it starts to get everywhere. Like, it’s on my phone, it’s on people’s bodies– 

Josie Totah: Oh my god no one talked about that. I’m so sorry. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: And then she puts it on the ground and it’s still like just foaming [laughter] and just gets everywhere, so we’re just looking at it. 

Josie Totah: It was giving bodies bodies bodies.

Yasmine Hamady: It is giving– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yes. 

Yasmine Hamady: –bodies bodies body ody ody.

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Austin said that 1000 times and it did kind of– 

Josie Totah: Because we were– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –Scare me.

Josie Totah: –there was also a record storm in the San Luis Obispo Mountains during this time. Like–

Yasmine Hamady: And that’s like climate change. 

Josie Totah: Yeah. Well, yeah. Yeah. 

Yasmine Hamady: Or just winter. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: It was–

Josie Totah: What were you saying? 

Yasmine Hamady: Um I I pride myself, may I say, on not having FOMO. I’m like, I we’re all on our own journey. We’re all on our– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Yasmine Hamady: –all on our own roads. Not I. This New Year’s, I did have fucking FOMO. I–

Josie Totah: Really? 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: No. 

Josie Totah: We were so boring. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: We were so boring. 

Yasmine Hamady: No but–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: You were so lit.

Yasmine Hamady: Of course I was lit. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Can you tell us about your London– 

Yasmine Hamady: I was– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –New Years? 

Yasmine Hamady: I will. But I was looking at videos like there was one video of Alycia on the table with sweatpants on and her hair up and she’s grinding and she’s just, like, dancing on her own, like booty out like–

Josie Totah: That was insane, that video.

Yasmine Hamady: And I was like, I would– 

Josie Totah: That video was illegal.

Yasmine Hamady: I would I would–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I’m like drinking tea. 

Yasmine Hamady: –sell my firstborn, I would sell my firstborn for Alycia to be grinding on me like that on New Year’s Eve. [laughter] And nevertheless, I’m not there. And then Josie’s there. And I saw like everyone’s Be Reals were like they were like all together. And I was like, but I’m the only one not there. And it was just I just feel like that would have been a very wholesome New Year’s. But obviously I’m very grateful how I spent mine. But–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Josie Totah: We missed you. But we can’t wait to have you back and you know it was a few other people too like there you weren’t the only one who–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. You would–

Josie Totah: –couldn’t make it. And honestly, some people couldn’t even go because it was too unsafe conditions to drive there. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: To drive up there. Yeah.

Josie Totah: Like because– 

Yasmine Hamady: Right. 

Josie Totah: –of how dangerous it was. But we cannot wait to have you back. And we hope you had a nice London time. 

Yasmine Hamady: No, I–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: You were there in spirit. And I’ll grind on you anytime, babe. 

Yasmine Hamady: Okay. Well, um no. Well, I did like, you know, you you know, I couldn’t you guys are my my right hand and my left hand, and I couldn’t do anything without both of you guys. Also, this has nothing to do with the fucking cute conversation we’re having. But can I tell you what happened at the bar the other night. 

Josie Totah: Please. 

Yasmine Hamady: Okay. So I was talking I met this person– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: In London town? 

Yasmine Hamady: And this is in London town. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Per. 

Yasmine Hamady: Where the fuck was that accent? But I was at a friend’s birthday and this couple came up to me and they’re like a friend with her. And the girl was beautiful and she was like, Hi, I’m X, Y, and Z. I’m holding your hand right now. Um. [laugh] But she was, I was like, Nice to meet you. And then her boyfriend came up to me and I said, Oh, hi, I’m Yasmine. And he goes, Oh, hi, I’m her boyfriend. And I go, I’m not– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Nobody was checking for you.

Yasmine Hamady: I’m not hitting. I said, in what world was, Hi, I’m Yasmine said, I want to suck your dick. It didn’t. Sorry he has that like [?] haircut where it’s like–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh. 

Yasmine Hamady: You know what I’m saying? And so then we were talking about podcasts because Millie, our friend Millie was like, she’s such a big fan of this pod. And was like hyping me up, and I was like, Stop, like, stop it, stop it, stop it. [laughter] But then he was like, um to be honest, it just doesn’t sound like it’s for me. And I go, Oh, that’s fine. I actually think it, I think it could do you really good. And he’s a white cis het male. Let’s just get that out there from now. And then he says, I was like, who do you listen to? He’s like, Oh, you’re going to hate me for saying this. And I said, Oh, Joe Rogan. And he goes, No, no, no, no. I was like, Oh, well that’s fine. And he’s like, I actually really kind of like some of the stuff Andrew Tate does say. And I–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Cut the cameras. 

Yasmine Hamady: I literally was like, you there’s no fucking way you actually said that out loud. And he’s, like no you know–

Josie Totah: Was he trying to rile you up or did he mean in?

Yasmine Hamady: No. He literally was like, no. And I was like, keeping my calm and everyone, even his girlfriend, was like, the fuck’s coming out of your mouth babes like, what? I literally was like–

Josie Totah: She was like, I’m about to end him. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Serious question. How do you have a partner that says something like that? 

Yasmine Hamady: And and– 

Josie Totah: I hope she broke up with him at midnight. 

Yasmine Hamady: And no. And then he was like and also he was sober at this right and he said, no. Like, listen, he’s a bit of a cunt, right? But he actually said some pretty good things. Like, he actually– 

Josie Totah: I’m literally picturing Harry, like not Harry [?], but the guy who looks like Harry [?] on the White Lotus saying this. 

Yasmine Hamady: Which one? Oh, yes yes, yes, yes yes yes yes.

Josie Totah: He’s like no that’s a lie– 

Yasmine Hamady: No–

Josie Totah: –You know he’s a bit of a, he’s a bit of a cunt. But– [banter]

Yasmine Hamady: The one that fucks his uncle. 

Josie Totah: –you know [banter]–

Yasmine Hamady: The one that fucks his uncle. 

Josie Totah: –he’s a cool person, he’s–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yes, yes. Him. 

Josie Totah: He has some smart things going on for him. He’s not the worst.

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. Exactly. [indistinct] something like that [?]

Josie Totah: No it’s like, you know it’s like really like [?] you know [?]. 

Yasmine Hamady: [indistinct in a bad British accent]. [indistinct banter] And so he literally was like, no, but like, obviously, like, I’m for a woman’s body. She can do what she wants, but like– 

Josie Totah: It’s not that funny. 

Yasmine Hamady: He’s actually really smart in a business sense. And like, I think some of the things he says, like, kind of has a point. And I said, you mean his human trafficking? 

Josie Totah: Was this before or after the arrest? 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: His arrest. 

Yasmine Hamady: After! 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: And then incriminated himself. 

Yasmine Hamady: After you guys! 

Josie Totah: This was after, damn. 

Yasmine Hamady: This was this was last night. And I literally said, you mean the human trafficking or this thing the where he said, that woman is a property? Or you think what he said about um how um a man should be having sex like physical um workouts, but women should only be loyal to one partner, but men can have as many as they want. Or is it the fact that he actually moved to Romania on purpose to get away with–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: He’s embarassing. 

Yasmine Hamady: –crime? Which part? And he was like, No, he’s like, See, I don’t want to get into it. I don’t want to get into it. But and I was like, You’re trying to rile me up. And Eva was like, Yeah, it’s not worth it. Not worth your breath. Don’t let him rile you up. 

Josie Totah: We love Eva for that. So did you– 

Yasmine Hamady: We love Eva. 

Josie Totah: –hook up with him after? [laughter]

Yasmine Hamady: In front of his girl, no. Um.

Josie Totah: With his [?].

Yasmine Hamady: I I literally I said to his girl I pulled her aside after and I said if you [indistinct]–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Why? You don’t know this girl.

Yasmine Hamady: No, I met this girl last night and she’s gorgeous. And I said to her, If you need a place to stay tonight, blink twice. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I– [laugh]. 

Yasmine Hamady: And I meant it. [indistinct]

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Like I’m going to honest [banter] it sounds like you were trying to sex traffic her. [laugh] 

Yasmine Hamady: No!! No like–

Josie Totah: You were trying to Andrew Tate her. 

Yasmine Hamady: –if she needs a safe house. If she needs a safe house [banter]– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I know. That’s really [laughter]. 

Yasmine Hamady: A halfway house, my home. My home that doesn’t exist.

Alycia Pascual-Peña: No, that’s really sweet. But I’m just saying, like, you just put yourself in her shoes. Like a, a girl you just met, like, less than 2 hours ago is like, if you want to stay at mine. 

Yasmine Hamady: Guys this was the first 5 minutes. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Yasmine Hamady: I think we talked about this last episode, but like, it was like any other day, like any other night, this wasn’t like a monumental 2023. What’s your New Year’s resolution? What are you manifesting? I genuinely was like, okay, great. All right, it’s Saturday night. Let’s go next day. Did you guys feel like this was like, okay, 2023, thank God 2022 is over. What was your mindset going in? 

Josie Totah: No, I felt like we were at a Buddhist retreat. Like we didn’t even like– 

Yasmine Hamady: Please, please, please. 

Josie Totah: –celebrate. I mean, it’s just like another year, you know? It’s not anything spectacular. It’s just another day. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I don’t, I don’t know. Maybe I’m lying to myself and it’s naivete because I want something to believe in. But even though we spent like New Years in the exact way I would have wanted to. It was very like wholesome and peaceful and intimate. But I, I don’t know. I think I did feel different the next day. 

[Josie and Yasmine together] Mmmm. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I could be lying to myself. It could be the simulation. But I did feel different the next day because I was like, 2022 blessed me in so many ways. 

Yasmine Hamady: Mmmm. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: But it was pretty tumultuous for me. 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: If I’m going to be transparent. It was really confusing. I felt lost in a lot of ways and I think I was stepping into this new year and I currently am not in like a resolution way. I think that those can be fickle, but in an intentionality way, like I really want to take this year, like by the horns in new ways, in new ways that scare me. In new ways that make me feel uncomfortable um and really letting go of, like, a lot in a way that I’m not accustomed to at the New Year. 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Um. So it did feel different for me, but I get it. It’s like– 

Josie Totah: Yeah. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Time is arbitrary and it’s not real and you should want to be intentional and pursue your goals all the time. But I do feel like 2023 is a bit different for me. 

Josie Totah: I love that. I’m proud of you. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Josie Totah: And it is. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Okay, I felt on the outs because everybody is watching White Lotus and I was so behind and I genuinely felt like people were coming for my character. I started it and now I get it. I, I–

Josie Totah: You started it? 

Yasmine Hamady: You get it. 

Josie Totah: You didn’t finish it? 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: No, I started and finished it. I finished it in a week. 

Josie Totah: Oh okay. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: No. 

Josie Totah: Good. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I finished it–

Josie Totah: Was it season one or two? 

Yasmine Hamady: No. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Two. 

Josie Totah: Okay. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I finished it in a week. 

Yasmine Hamady: I literally went over to your house remem– like a month ago when we um filmed that episode. Josie where we’re we talking about like the characters and all of that from White Lotus and I was like, Alycia, you need to turn it on. I physically turned on her TV to start watching it and she’s like, No, I’ll get to it. I’ll get to it– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah, yeah yeah. 

Yasmine Hamady: –one–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: But then I was busy, so I didn’t. So I was late. Pero. I’m really proud that I could watch the like season finale with everybody else, like in real time because I, like, binged it so hard like the week before. I also randomly, which is like so late like Ali was like, why did you just watch that? Like, that show came out a while ago, but Ted Lasso? Have you guys seen Ted Lasso? 

Yasmine Hamady: Shut the fuck up Alycia. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I know I be so late with shit, but can I hear you talk about– 

Yasmine Hamady: Isn’t it so, isn’t so good. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: It’s one of the cutest shows I’ve ever seen in my life. 

Josie Totah: I feel very religiously strong about the fact that Ted Lasso was made for white dads and white dads only like that show is like-

Yasmine Hamady: I couldn’t disagree more.

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I disagree. 

Josie Totah: It’s a good show but it’s just–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I understand. 

Josie Totah: It’s a caucausian– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –Pero no. 

Josie Totah: –like dad show to be like, this is such a good show. Like I just feel like every dad in America is like, have you seen Ted Lasso? Like, [laughter] yes it’s a great show. And all the actors in that are incredible. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Josie Totah: And I– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I’m obsessed with the Nigerian soccer player. 

Josie Totah: Right. 

Yasmine Hamady: Isn’t he so iconic. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: One of the cutest characters I’ve ever seen in a show in my life. 

Josie Totah: Also, I really love that one of the soccer players, like one of the lead soccer players. He’s a writer on it and– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yes!

Yasmine Hamady: Well you know the creator–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Sorry. 

Yasmine Hamady: –Is the guy. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I’m obsessed. [indistinct]. 

Josie Totah: I thought you were going to say something.

Alycia Pascual-Peña: No because I don’t want to talk over you. I didn’t think you were done. 

Josie Totah: He’s super talented. And also Hannah Waddingham is incredible. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: So good. 

Josie Totah: And I love her even though I was nominated in the same category against her and lost–

Yasmine Hamady: –she’s– 

Josie Totah: But I do love her. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: That’s such a flex that you can say that. 

Josie Totah: And she’s amazing. And I–

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. That’s actually really– 

Josie Totah: –Look up to her. 

Yasmine Hamady: –sick. 

Josie Totah: She’s she’s from the theater Yas. 

Yasmine Hamady: No, you don’t think I’ve watched her in so many of the shows that she’s done like. But I’ll tell you, I watched Taken last night. 

Josie Totah: [?] Taken one or? 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Taken the movie? 

Yasmine Hamady: I’ve watched it three times. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Who wrote I don’t like it?

Yasmine Hamady: But can I just say there’s I have a controversial thought. She’s a fucking idiot. She’s a fucking idiot for getting taken like that. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Uh– 

Yasmine Hamady: Going on a trip and not telling your fucking– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Not you victim blaming. 

Yasmine Hamady: No. I’m not– 

Josie Totah: Is this like [indistinct]?

Yasmine Hamady: I’m not victim blaming. I’m not victim blaming, but I will be victim blaming this bitch because I’m like, you are getting taken. You are not telling anyone where you’re going and you’re like taking selfies in front of everyone, having your arm stuck out at a random place, having everyone just coming to swoop you. What? And also, of course, the villains are Arab terrorists. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Don’t like that. 

Yasmine Hamady: [indistinct] human trafficking [?].

Josie Totah: Taken. I love kidnap movies. I love the movie– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: That checks out. 

Josie Totah: What what is it called, The Call? With Halle Berry? 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Of cour– [laugh] 

Yasmine Hamady: The call. 

Josie Totah: That that film is so good. Like I love when she gets thrown in the [?]. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Have y’all seen on Black Twitter that be like, yo, [slamming fist down] like [laughing] Halle Berry pays her rent with these kids being stolen cause she does she’s done like a bunch of movies, like, kind of, like, with the same premise. But we’re obsessed with her. She’s a icon.

Josie Totah: I I think she’s incredible in it, and it’s really moving. Um. A show that I watched [cough] that literally is akin or one that is, I would say is like an autumn scarf and a like iced mocha personified into a series is the television program Tell Me Lies, which is the most cheugy show early 2000s. It’s it’s like kind of really good. I don’t here’s the problem that I have with it though, and I think you guys should watch it because it does give like heightened premium CW vibes, like early 2000s. Like– 

Yasmine Hamady: Love. 

Josie Totah: It’s written, okay. And like the characters are somewhat good. Everyone looks genuinely like 48 years old– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Who’s in it? 

Josie Totah: And they’re all supposed to be playing college students. It’s a girl who was in nine perfect strangers. They look like they’re should be on the cover of AARP. And I’m like, why are you a freshman in college? Also, they’re just so beautiful. And do you ever feel like when you’re watching people on camera and they know they’re on camera and the lead girl in that, I think she’s really talented, but I’m like, she’s almost too pretty. To be like– 

Yasmine Hamady: I hate people who are too fucking pretty. 

Josie Totah: Do you know what I mean? It’s like, I almost don’t believe it. 

Yasmine Hamady: I hate people– 

Josie Totah: It’s like, do I believe it? I don’t believe it.

Yasmine Hamady: And also when you know you’re pretty. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: No. 

Yasmine Hamady: I’m all for being confident. I’m confident. I need you to be a little insecure sometimes. [banter] [indistinct]

Alycia Pascual-Peña: No stop. 

Josie Totah: Can you just, like, hate yourself a little bit? 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Stop. 

Yasmine Hamady: I want you to cry like once a week.

Josie Totah: But no I I think she’s really talented. I think she’s really talented, and but she’s just super beautiful, um which is not a problem. But I think the show is good. It definitely is cheug, and I definitely think the love interest in that is not attractive. Why am I shitting on this show for no reason. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I don’t know. But I’m glad to hear [laughter] your thoughts. I actually love hearing people’s recs. 

Josie Totah: No, but I think you should watch it. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I–

Josie Totah: Also, the movie that I watched, Decision to Leave is so incredible. It is Hitchcockian, um I believe done by a Korean filmmaker’s take on the sort of cat and mouse love chase of like the pursuiter and like, the detective. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Josie Totah: And it is such a great film. It is so well written. I think it’s one of the best films I’ve seen this entire year. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Josie Totah: And yeah, I just think it’s super good. It’s like super sexy and the editing is so well and it’s like so perfectly done that like, you’re confused for like a straight 90 seconds, you’re so confused. And then immediately like, you get told or it’s shown and then you’re understood. So it takes you on a little bit of a like an escape room ride. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oooh. 

Yasmine Hamady: I– 

Josie Totah: Also after so– oh, sorry what? 

Yasmine Hamady: Um. We haven’t talked about the elephant in the room. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: What? 

Yasmine Hamady: SZA’s album. I, listen. My thing is Control walked so S.O.S. can run. Let’s just put that out there from right now. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Really? 

Yasmine Hamady: I thought Control was better, but I thought they were both– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Okay. 

Yasmine Hamady: –equally amazing. I thought her leaning into her pop camp rock, little alt girl moment of fuck to forget was iconic. Um. [laugh] It was–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: It was such an eclectic album for her. Like– 

Yasmine Hamady: It was amazing. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: As an R&B girlie, like- 

Josie Totah: Yeah I thought it was really diverse. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I loved the risks that she took. I love how she’s true to herself. I love how she addressed certain things– 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: That were like controversy, controversial publicly, like in the album and was like, Listen, I’m going to do what I want. Like, this is my body. This is my voice. Um. And I also think like she has a really triumphant story in regards to like releasing the album. I don’t know if you guys saw those videos from her backstage with SNL. 

Yasmine Hamady: No. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Um. And essentially they were trying to tell her that she couldn’t drop the album this year, that her numbers were going to be bad, that it’s the holidays. And then for her to be like this Black woman that’s dealt with so much controversy in regards to like, oh, when are you were releasing music or whatever it may be, right? Um. Her body and like agency over her own life. For it to come out and like break records the way she did, I thought was really, really special. 

Josie Totah: I think SZA’s album was amazing, and I loved how she was just such a gender bende– I mean genre bender. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Josie Totah: And, [laughter] I’m a gender bender. 

Yasmine Hamady: You’ve been sitting on that. You’ve been sitting on that. 

Josie Totah: No, I actually wasn’t. That was actually an accident. She was such a genre bender, it genuinely was, like myself. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I know, but it was just this– 

Josie Totah: Also like me. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: It was just this side eye, you’re like–

Josie Totah: But um. Gender. Okay. 

Yasmine Hamady: So there it is. 

Josie Totah: I’m going to have a seizure. I had like a seizure. [laughter] Transgender. No I am– 

Yasmine Hamady: Happy pride, guys. 

Josie Totah: [indistinct] 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: What? 

Josie Totah: Okay. So basically all that I have to say is that she genre bended. I love that she went from country to R&B to alt rock. She did the whole thing. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: She did. 

Josie Totah: And everything but the kitchen sink. And she gave also Fletcher. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Hmm. [pause]

Yasmine Hamady: [singing] Are you in love like we were? [music break]

Josie Totah: You guys, I have been gone for such a long time. Honestly it’s a federal crime and since I’ve been in Scotland, a lot of things have really made [?]. Okay, you guys– 

Yasmine Hamady: Whoa. 

Josie Totah: I’ve been gone for such a long time, and I’m I’m very, very happy to be back. But I would be remiss if not to mention that I am being culture shocked at every which way, every left and right turn because I feel like there’s so many not and also I knew I was going to come back and be that study abroad girl that Yasmine was when she came back from London– 

Yasmine Hamady: Oh fuck off. 

Josie Totah: –Sophomore year and was like, when I was back abroad and when I was doing this and that. And whatever, it’s like I knew I was going to be as annoying as that. And honestly, here I am doing exactly what I said I wouldn’t do, which was talk about all the culture shock that I am experiencing now. Number one, ice. Tell me why there’s just no ice in the UK. It’s as if–

Yasmine Hamady: Seriously! 

Josie Totah: It is as if they like don’t understand science. Like put that shit in the fucking freezer and call it a day. Like, I remember my cast, we had to protest to have ice on our set and it took months. It literally took legislation. We were working, we started a grassroots org. To get to the floor. The fighting [?]– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I can’t. 

Josie Totah: And I mean, call me Klobuchar because bitch, I was Klobuching. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: You’re–

Yasmine Hamady: I’m done with you. 

Josie Totah: And I finally– 

Yasmine Hamady: I’m done. 

Josie Totah: — I finally got the ice. Another thing is that the freedom to shit does not exist in America. And what I mean by that is one time I was in the car with my driver. Shout out Stuart. And we had just seen the cows in like the fields or whatever he had shown us around. You were there. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yes. Oh, my gosh. Yes I actually was there. 

Josie Totah: You were visiting me. And I was literally was like Stuart I’m so–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh, my Gosh. 

Josie Totah: –sorry, I was like Stuart I’m literally about to explode. Like, you need to pull over. He pulled over and it was like this nice ass steak house. I walked in there and I let them know, like, I’m going to explode. But before I could even finish describing what was going to come out of me. They were like, just use the restroom of course. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: It was a close one. 

Josie Totah: I didn’t even need to explain it to them. They just were like, Yeah, use the restroom. Like, You don’t even need to give them an explanation. If I go into a Starbucks here and I’m like, I have to literally give birth and like shit blood. They’re like sorry babe. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: They’re like no code. 

Josie Totah: Buy a venti latte first. And it’s like– 

Yasmine Hamady: Please. 

Josie Totah: It’s, it’s honestly cruel. Especially with the girls who have stomach issues. Also, another thing is that I remember when my brother Omar came and visited me in Scotland, which by the way, why the fuck did he visit me the day before I left?

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Right before you left. 

Josie Totah: And also if any of my cast is listening to this right now, none of them knew that he came because I just didn’t tell them. Because I just thought that was like so much [?] to explain like on– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Josie Totah: –the last day that I was like, I’ll just see him and then– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

Josie Totah: –Whatever. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: But Omar’s trifling. 

Josie Totah: I didn’t tell a–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: He comes at the very end. 

Josie Totah: Do you love that that I didn’t tell a single person? 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I didn’t know that. That’s so funny.

Josie Totah: I didn’t tell a single person, anyways.

Yasmine Hamady: Also, he didn’t tell anyone that he was going either. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. He, I didn’t know he was going. 

Yasmine Hamady: He like actually. He was there and then I saw on his story. He’s like, I’m actually in Scotland right now. And I was like, Are you with–

Josie Totah: Yeah. 

Yasmine Hamady: –Josie and he’s like, who else would I be staying with? 

Josie Totah: He is literally ill. But anyway, I remember when he came and he saw me pouring him a glass of water, he was like, you’re drinking out the sink? 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh. 

Josie Totah: The sink water there is literally God’s like urine. It is amazing. It tastes delicious and it’s so hydration. And–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: It’s so hydration. [laughing]. 

Josie Totah: And I literally love it. Like, you can literally drink water out of any tap there like as dirty as the tap looks like you know, that water is going to come out like the best fucking mountain spring. Like, Oh, my God, this says mountain spring. I’m literally drinking mountain spring right now. But it literally tastes like [laughter] mountain spring water. It does. And it’s amazing. Also, the last thing is that the police literally there are like so they’re like yogi workers. They’re literally like employees of like a silver like rug company. 

Yasmine Hamady: I love. 

Josie Totah: They’re all so Zen like Xanax’ed out. I’m so confused by it. I saw this girl literally punch another girl on the street. True story. And I watched the whole thing run down. I saw the police come the way the police were, like, calmly talking to her while this girl was, like, kicking and screaming. Kicking the police officer and this, like, white, like Scottish girl was like screaming at him and like kicking him with her heels, literally he showed us marks on his body, like her heel kicking him. 

Yasmine Hamady: Wait. 

Josie Totah: And I was literally like I was literally like, shoot her in the face, get her, get her. And they were like, No, we don’t do that here. We don’t have guns here. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Ay dios mio. 

Josie Totah: And I was shocked, honey. I was shocked. Like the way that they don’t even have tasers, they–.

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I love it. 

Josie Totah: –don’t have batons. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: It’s how it should be. 

Josie Totah: And mind you, it is how it should be. We have an epidemic in this country of police brutality against our Black and Brown members [laugh] members– 

Yasmine Hamady: Members of a club. We’re actually members of a–

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I’m so grateful to be a part of this club with you of America. 

Yasmine Hamady: Alycia, Alycia being like– [banter]

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I wish we got more access to the pool. 

Josie Totah: And the police here need to be stripped and they need to be demilitarized and they need to be [laughter] de-weaponized. 1,000,000%. A million million–

Yasmine Hamady: Josie, you’re sounding like you’re literally right in front of fucking congress. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I love the [?] that we call Dare We Say.

Josie Totah: No no they do. They do. But I’m sorry. But if it’s a white Scottish girl who is yelling racist things at a bodyguard. A bitch should get hit. Okay, a bitch–

Yasmine Hamady: I, I– 

Josie Totah: –should get hit.

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Talk shit get hit.

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah talk shit get hit. [claps] Listen here’s a thing. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yay. That was awful.

Yasmine Hamady: This is very maybe like traditional of me. Get out, get out a fucking leather belt. [whipping sound] Do what you want to that bitch.

Josie Totah: I know, that’s so Arab. 

Yasmine Hamady: I know. 

Josie Totah: I always got the belt. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Do you guys have a name for it? For us it’s just Correa. 

Josie Totah: Do we have a name for it? 

Yasmine Hamady: No it’s– 

Josie Totah: We probably do we’re just– 

Yasmine Hamady: I think the name is– 

Josie Totah: –really whitewashed. 

Yasmine Hamady: –just shut the fuck up. 

Josie Totah: Yeah and–

Yasmine Hamady: I think the name is just shut the fuck up and behave. [indistinct] [puking sound] 

Josie Totah: But we literally, also my mom would put dish soap in my mouth. 

Yasmine Hamady: Same I once said. Do you want to know a funny story? [laughing] When I was younger because I couldn’t swear like I would get in trouble for swearing. But like I wanted to watch Harry Potter and my brother was like, No, but I want to watch this other show. And my mom sided with my brother and I was like less than ten years old. And I would go into my dad’s office and I would start being like, you stupid fucking little bitch rat. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh my god. 

Yasmine Hamady: Like start swearing over and over again. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: What? 

Yasmine Hamady: About who I wanted to swear out. Or like swearing I’d be like that stupid fucking little bitch rat. I would start hitting myself. [laughter]

Josie Totah: And no wonder they thought that.

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Stop. 

Yasmine Hamady: Anyways. Where was that? 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I need to [?]. 

Yasmine Hamady: Why did I say that? 

Josie Totah: What is it, what? 

Yasmine Hamady: All of that. 

Josie Totah: What? 

Yasmine Hamady: Like, I don’t know why that story came to my mind when [indistinct]–

Josie Totah: I don’t know why you said that [?] [laughter]

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah that’s [?] [laughing]

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Because you said dish soap, and then you thought, Oh, this is what I used to do. 

Yasmine Hamady: Oh Alycia explained.

Josie Totah: Is Alycia on drugs right now? 

Yasmine Hamady: You guys– 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I’m trying to make you feel seen. 

Yasmine Hamady: [?] delusional.

Josie Totah: Okay. Okay, guys. Well, that is our show. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: That’s our show guys. 

Josie Totah: I’ve been shocked. I’ve been shivered, I’ve been flocked, I’ve been frivored. But I’m home. I’m here. America, take me home. My country road. Yamine, we miss you, we love you. We can’t wait to see you. We pray for you. Alycia. We’re back, baby. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Ahh! 

Josie Totah: Dare I say? [shriek] Goodbye. [music break] Dare We Say is a Crooked Media production. 

Yasmine Hamady: Caroline Reston is our showrunner, producer and Mommy, and Ari Schwartz is our producer and show daddy. Fiona Pestana is our associate producer and Sandy Girard is the Almighty Executive Producer. 

Josie Totah: It’s hosted and produced by me, Josie Totah. 

Yasmine Hamady: And me, Yasmine Hamady. 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: And me, Alycia Pascual-Peña. Our engineer and editor is Jordan Cantor. And Brian Vasquez is our theme music composer. Our video producers are Matt DeGroot, Narineh Melkonian, and Delon Villanueva and Mia Kellman. 

Josie Totah: Lastly, thank you to Jordan Silver, Gabriela Leverette, Jesse McLean, Caroline Heywood, Shaina Hortsmann, Deisi Cruz, Danielle Jensen, and Ewa Okulate for marketing the show and making us look so damn good.