Transcript of Joy 101: Rosie Perez

Hi guys.

So I've been thinking a lot about sports, okay? Because I feel like I've been talking to so many different people and these athletes have become sort of their pinup person, the person who they look to for inspiration. So I spoke to Mariska Hargitay a couple of days ago, and she talked to me about Jalen Brunson, who is a star player for the Knicks. And she said one of the things she loved about him was that no matter how great things got or how crummy things got, Jalen was in it for the work. He was in it for the work. It didn't matter how high things went or how low. And she admired that 'cause he has a love of the work. So I started thinking about other athletes who have something similar to that. And they're everywhere. People who are in it for the sheer love of it. Forget about if you get an award. Forget about whatever the thing is. It's just that, do you love what you are doing? And I actually started thinking about my own mom. So this is so crazy. So when I was growing up, my mom always went running.

Okay? Every morning she'd lace up her shoes. Who wants to come? No, no. Nobody wanted to go. She would run. She would run. She would run. Oh, wow. When she turned 60, she decided that she was gonna run her first marathon. Okay? My brother and sister and I were like, oh my God, wait, what? My mom was running the Marine Corps Marathon. So she loved running. She just loved it. She didn't care what place, she didn't care anything. So the three of us, my brother, sister, and I went to watch her run the Marine Corps Marathon. It was burning hot. It was a November day in DC and she was sweating at mile 6. She was like drenched. My sister goes, "My God, Mom is dying. Someone has to get in. Someone's got to get in." My sister had on sandals and my brother had on loafers and I had sneakers on. So I was the one who was elected to jump in the race with my mom. So I get in at mile 6 and start running with her. We're running, we're talking, she's delirious. We're at mile 12, we're at mile 15. I'm in pants or whatever.

It was like one of those weird running experiences, but it was so great. But there's a thing in the Marine Corps Marathon that if you don't get to a certain point by mile 23, they open the roads up, right? So everybody gets to go, all the cars get to come through. And I'm looking at my watch and I know we're close to the time and I see a policeman in front of us and we're at mile 23 or 24 of a 26.2-mile race. We're near the end. We get there and the guy blows his whistle and says, get on the bus. I was like, there's a bus right there. And I see faces of people on the bus at mile 24 of 26, right? So I go, Mom, get it. I go, just follow me. Follow me. We're like such rebels. So I start running past the police officer. My mom's following me and giggling.

It's all—

the highway's open to traffic. So cars are literally licking the side of us as we're running. She's squealing with delight. It was amazing. We get to the bottom of the Iwo Jima Memorial, and I just dead stop. Oh, my God. Up and I watch her. I have a towel in my hand and I'm swinging it around and I watch her run up that hill. And I, my brother and sister on the top of the hill and I see my brother, my sister's crying and my brother's crying, although he claimed he was hungry, whatever. Anyway, she finishes the race and I'll never forget it as long as I live. It's like, if she can do that, I can do this. She's in it for the work, the love of it. Mm-hmm. And the accomplishment, which brings me to the guest we're about to have on. Okay, so my guest is not an athlete, but she loves boxing. Okay? She loves to box. Boxing is a metaphor for her life. It is when you fall down, you get up. When you fall down, you get up. I'm talking about Rosie Perez. You may know her as an Oscar and Emmy nominated actress, She's so much more than that, you guys.

She is the definition of resilience and joy. She is someone who has overcome what I believe to be imaginable things in her youth, and she emerged as this incredible blossoming flower. And I think after you listen to this conversation with Rosie, you will say, "If she can do that, all the things she's been through, then I can do this. So, I hope you enjoy this conversation.

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It's that time to put on your jersey and wave your flag, whoever you root for.

Why do I watch the World Cup? That's like asking me why do I breed. And it's beautiful. The guys are young and cute and fit. It's not just a game, it's your culture. I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force.

From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Echavarri, and this is American Futbol, a show about soccer culture in the US and its underdog roots. Listen to American Futbol on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports, and giving you the real story behind the headlines. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And for more, follow @TimboSliceLife12 and the TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

June is Black Music Month, and on the Drink Champs podcast, we're speaking with the hottest names in the culture, like Sway Lee.

Do you realize how legendary you are?

I appreciate that. I be seeing it, but I'm like, man, I still got like so much more to do. Like Prince, he dropped like 30 albums. We drop like 5 right now. Like, that's the rate we gotta be going.

Yep.

That's a good attitude.

No matter the era, Drink Champs brings you the biggest names and the most unfiltered conversations. Listen to Drink Champs from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Can superstars even exist the way they used to?

2016 was sort of that last era of monoculture where we still Still consumed things in community. Everybody wanted to be Beyoncé at that point. Uh, I don't think we'll ever see another Rihanna.

What does it mean to be Black and eat in America?

You will never make me feel bad for being a Black girl, for being a Black American girl, ever. From music to food to the conversations shaping Black culture right now, Therapy for Black Girls is bringing it all to the mic. Listen to Therapy for Black Girls on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

It just came out.

Jeremy, what did you just do?

You just set yourself up for failure.

I've never heard you tell this story.

I've never told this story.

This must have been tucked deep, deep in the Jeremy Lin files. My name is MC Jin. Excited to tell you about Laugh But Not Least. I'll be chatting with guests from all walks of life about the power of humor when it comes to facing difficult times. These will be conversations that remind us all life is hard, laugh harder. Listen to Laugh But Not Least with MC Jin on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm just gonna say this to you. When I started this podcast, they said, who do you want? And I thought of you immediately because A, you and I have this weird connection, which I have felt since the first time I met you. And secondly, because I think you're one of the most fascinating people I've ever met. So I just wanna point out for people listening, Rosie rolled up by herself. You didn't have like 15 people. You came in, you looked glamorous. Were you in a fender bender or something on the way here?

Yeah.

What happened?

I, I order a Uber.

Yeah.

And, um, the Uber driver got in an accident and, um, and I was like, oh my gosh, I gotta go. Are you okay? He goes, no, I'm not okay. Look at my car. And I go, oh, I'm so sorry. By the way, I'm fine. You know? And then I just hurried up back home 'cause it was just a block away and ordered another one and got in and—

I mean, this, by the way, I just wanna say this is very emblematic or symbolic of how you live your life. Something happens, you're like, okay, fine, next. Like you don't let, someone else would've walked in there and said, oh my God, you're not, you didn't even bring it up. I only knew because you said, I'll be a couple minutes late. I happen to have gotten into an accident. But that's kind of how you navigate life? Yeah.

Yeah. I mean, my earlier life was just so chaotic and stressful that when I get stressed now, I just have like a reality check and like, girl, things are not that bad. You know, you know what bad is. Yeah. You know? And so I just kind of have always been an optimistic person. I've always been the person who saw the glass half full, not half empty. I always felt like better things are to come. It used to drive people crazy when I was younger. It would irritate them.

Why? Because they wanted you to feel the pain of life?

They wanted me to feel the pain of life. And then there were others that, well, one of the girls that I grew up with, Lydia, we're still friends to this day. We've known each other since we were 4 years old. And, She said, "I remember the day when someone said, 'You think you're special,' and I was 9 years old. And I said, 'No, I know I'm special, and so are you. Why don't you know it?'" At 9 years old. At 9 years old.

Okay.

And it's just who I was.

So I wanna, let's go there because I just want our listeners to know about you. So people meet you now, you are real. You're an Oscar and Emmy-nominated actress. People know you from a million different types of movies. But if someone had met you, Rosie, at 5 years old, what child would they have met? Picture yourself at 5, where you were.

I was in a convent and being raised by nuns. Some of them were very sadistic, others were great. With all children that I wasn't related to. There was a few that I was, but I didn't know I was related to them. And I was a kid that was always singing, always dancing, and always laughing, and had a bad temper.

Those are all your things.

Yeah.

So you said you were in this convent for children who were unwanted or orphans. But you weren't an orphan. No. You had a mom and a dad. So how did you wind up there?

My mother and father had an affair. I'm a product of a scandalous, scandalous, you know, explains a lot, an affair. And back in those days, you know, if you had the child, you know, 'cause my family was Catholic, you would put them in a convent. Mm. But there was no reason for me to be placed there because my mother gave me away when I was a week old to my father's sister. So I thought she was my mother. And she came back 4 years later only to rip me outta my aunt's arms and send me to this Catholic home for unwanted, displaced, or orphan children.

Wow. So you were raised by a woman you thought was your mom. It was your aunt.

Yes.

And then your mom one day just, Got a wild hair and came in and got you?

Yeah.

So weird, right?

It is weird. She suffered from paranoid schizophrenic. She was a paranoid schizophrenic. I still don't understand it to this day. And I've learned to just let it go 'cause it used to drive me crazy, you know? And so, you know, and being in a place where you're not related to anybody, you start to really understand human nature on a certain level. I can come in a room and I can assess everybody's personality, but I keep it quiet to myself 'cause that was how I learned how to survive. So I could tell who were the bad kids, who were the nice kids, who were the manipulative kids, who were the kids who wanted to be in cliques, who were the leaders, who were their jealous ones, who— You just learned that very, very quickly. And I just gravitated to the— silly nerds, you know? And since I always loved old movies and I would watch 'em with my aunt and everything, and you know, I would just always be dancing and singing all the time.

You had that sunny personality and that you're this bright light. Yet when I think about the way that you were raised there at this convent for— kids who weren't wanted. What, how did you endure? Like, how bad did it get there?

It got really bad. If you can think of the darkest, it was really bad. There were children who were being beaten on a daily. I was beaten a lot because this one nun, I don't wanna say her real name, I call her Sister Renata, but that's not her real name. She always would say, "I'mma beat that spirit outta ya." And then I would just go, "No, you won't." And then she'd smack, smack, smack.

Smack it.

It's still there. Smack, smack, smack. It was like that. And then there were kids that were molested by priests and by nuns and by counselors. There were kids that were heavily medicated. You had to go see a therapist once a week on the grounds. He would, you know, sit there and smoke a pipe in front of a kid. It was weird. It was back then.

Mm-hmm.

And just ask you the same questions over and over. And you were terrified. You were terrified because if you answered incorrectly or if you misbehaved too much, you know that you were gonna be placed on medication. And the, those kids would come back like zombies.

Zombies.

Yeah.

How, how did you endure? I mean, you're a kid. I mean, I mean, I'm just thinking about my own kids. I have a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old. So I think, how does a, I can't imagine them surviving in this kind of environment. How did you?

Through the grace of God. Mm-hmm. Um, and, uh, and through the love of my aunt. And my father, who I later found out was my father, I thought he was my uncle.

Mm-hmm.

And through some of the counselors that worked there, and I had a volunteer, which they call a big sister now, Ms. Claudia. She would take me, she was actually the kindergarten teacher, and she would take me on the weekends if my mother would prevent my aunt or my father allowing me to go home on the weekends. There was Sister Anne, I could say her name. She was so lovely and sweet and young. And there was Sister Margaret Francis that changed my life. She was one, she's the one that pushed me in a positive way. She never hit me. She never berated me, but she was also very stern in a very, very firm but loving way. And she was always the person that's saying, "You need to think about your future." And I'm going, "I'm 9." You know?

Yeah.

And she would crack up. And I remember she was the first person to call me a pip.

A pip?

She goes, she said, "Rose, you're a pip." And I went, "Who is the pip with pizzazz?" There she goes. You know, so that's who I was, you know? So, And she was the one that, she left the order.

Mm-hmm.

She left the convent, which was scandalous. And she came back a couple of weeks later after she left, and she was sitting at the dining room table, and she grabbed my arm, and she said, "Get out of here any way you can. Your ticket out is your brain. Put your head down, study hard, and get out because you can make it." "but you have to do it. You have to do it. Promise me you're gonna do it." And she was squeezing my hand, my arm so hard. And I went, "I promise you." And there was tears coming down her eyes. I've never seen Sister Margaret Francis ever cry. And she was just like, "Promise me." And I go, "I promise, I promise." She said, "Okay," got up and left. I never saw her again.

Never saw her again.

No.

So she changed the course of your life there.

She changed the course of my life.

Boy, one person could do that.

One person.

Wow.

But it's, if you think about it, it also was a village.

Yes.

You know what I mean?

Yes.

It was a village and people can change a young person's life. People, you know, that's why I always tell people, give back, give back, 'cause you don't know who, you don't know who you're gonna affect.

Yeah, yeah.

You know?

So you—

This is what you do. Every time I tell you a story, you start crying and I know you're pulling it back. You're really good at pulling it back, but I could see it.

Yeah. Well, I think it's beautiful because I mean, when I look at you right now sitting here, I actually picture the little kid and the idea that through all of that, here you sit, here you sit cast in White Lotus, here you sit in all these movies, here you sit with Oscar and Emmy nominations, here you sit with people on the street going, Rosie, you know, from that little kid to this.

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I love the sounds, the buzzing from the stadium, the chanting from the fans, the announcers calling the plays. Soccer, fútbol, it's home.

Why do I watch the World Cup?

That's like asking me why do I breathe?

I inherited that fandom from my mom.

I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force.

From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Echavarri, and this is American Futbol, a show about soccer culture in the US and its underdog roots. We go beyond the game to the people and the stories that make it great.

A soccer game is a festival.

It's not just a game, it's your culture.

I took an elbow to my head, which cracked my skull.

It is an American game. The Brazilians don't like hearing that though.

Are they the only ones that don't like that?

Actually, nobody likes that.

As we get ready for the Men's World Cup this summer, listen to American Futbol as part of the My Cultura Podcast Network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear, the laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight reel. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice Life 12 and the TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm CJ Toledano. And our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds—

Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luka and Austin Reed.

—and finding ways to win no matter what.

He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before, and he knows without Luka and Austin Reeves, I gotta manipulate the game.

We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

I think Joker's gonna be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randle, and then he has to give us everything he gives us on a night-to-night basis on offense.

And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too.

Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell, get the flying. He running up the court licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick.

Oh, yeah.

Get your ass up and down the court and you gonna get the ball.

So listen to Point Game on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Here at the Happiness Lab, we're serving up some hot takes for the summer. Big ideas that just might reshape how you think about your wellbeing. Like we've been thinking about the loneliness epidemic all wrong.

You can be lonely in a marriage. You can be lonely at a party. I don't think loneliness is actually about solitude. Loneliness is about something much bigger.

Or that we should get rid of small talk altogether.

We talk about current events, we talk about what you do for a living, but not Do you love what you do for a living? Is this your dream job?

Or that the mental health crisis isn't what we think it is, and that kids today are doing better than we assume.

It was really disorienting for us as researchers to be so wrong about our hypothesis. We are so scared that we are going to underreact to a severe challenge that we tend to overreact.

For more surprising ideas backed by psychological science, check out our new series, Happiness hot takes. Listen to The Happiness Lab with me, Dr. Laurie Santos, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

So you wanted to be a, you were in some kind of what, biochemistry? What was it? What was your major? That's what it was.

Biochem.

Biochem.

Biochemistry.

What did you wanna do? What was your goal?

I wanted to be the female Jacques Cousteau.

Oh.

Which wasn't really smart because I didn't like to get into the ocean. I was afraid of the ocean.

Okay.

And I didn't like to get in water 'cause I didn't like to get my hair wet. Girl.

Okay. I just wanna say I feel seen. I feel great. Please, when, if it starts raining, you think there's incoming fire. I am like running, weather sensitive hair. Okay. Continue.

Yes.

Okay.

But I was fascinated.

Yeah.

And it was because talking about half glass.

Yeah.

Half full is because I almost drowned in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. Oh geez. In a riptide. And I kept having these nightmares about all these sea creatures pulling me down. And I loved the show "Jack Cousteau." And so I was like, "I'm gonna be the female Jack." You're gonna be that. "I'm gonna be that. I'm gonna conquer this." It's so funny.

The thing you're the most terrified of, that's what you keep jumping into. Like, okay, so you were doing that for a while, but you are also gifted in so many ways. You love to dance. So dancing, took up a big chunk of your life when you weren't studying, right?

Yes.

Tell me about that.

I used to go to the nightclubs religiously. I would go to the nightclubs maybe 5, 6 times a week.

Okay.

And the only reason why I could sustain that and still go to school and have a job, jobs, was because I was straight edge. I didn't smoke, I didn't drink, I didn't do anything until I met my best friend, Pahet Julie. Yeah. And so it was just like, I was just, I was free.

Yeah.

You know what I mean? I was on my own. I was free. I was going to create my path and I just wanted to enjoy life. Every single moment that I was awake, I wanted to enjoy life. Even if I wasn't doing anything, that had to be quality time of, I love being bored and I have to have quality boredom, you know?

Quality boredom, what is that?

Quality boredom.

Yeah, I wanna know.

Is when you sit on the couch and you turn on TCM, you know what I mean? And you have your favorite cup of tea there.

Yeah, yeah.

You know, or maybe a nice glass of white Sancerre, you know, or some other couture wine. And you know, and you don't answer the phone.

Don't answer the phone.

You don't do anything.

It's free, I love it. Quality boredom. Okay, I'm into that.

It's just that.

Okay.

It's just that.

It's so funny, your discipline. Because you are where you are because, well, you just said, I didn't know you had jobs and dancing and work. How did, like, what was a normal day when you were that age? How'd you do all the things?

Oh, when I was going to college? Mm-hmm. Get up at the crack of dawn.

Uh-huh.

Go to one community college.

Mm-hmm.

Take the bus all the way across town in LA, go to another community college, then take the bus back across town and go work at Sizzler's, which I hated.

Was that the steakhouse?

Yeah, Sizzler's Steakhouse.

Oh, God.

And it was good because then like, while I'm, you know, when someone ordered like the endless bucket of shrimp, I was like, "Yes!" 'Cause I would, "Oh, yeah!" You know, and just, you know, 'cause I was starving. And then after that job, I would go and work at Golden Bird Fried Chicken at the office. And then after that job, I would work at a record store doing inventory on La Brea Avenue. And then I would go home.

And you were, you did your homework in between?

I did my homework in between.

I would do my homework before I went to bed. And then it, I would be finished 'cause I was very, very disciplined.

Yeah.

And then it was like time to go to the clubs.

And you would dance in the night?

I would dance. I would always be at the clubs early, like at 9 o'clock when it was ladies' night so I could get in for free. Uh-huh. And then I would leave the club club at 11. Everybody's like, where you going? I said, I gotta go to bed.

Yeah. Oh my God. Okay. So you, you wound up on Soul Train, which was like, puts you kind of in the national spotlight. Although you didn't get paid, you were just dancing. What did you like about Soul Train?

Dancing.

Yeah. What did it give you? What's the feeling?

That I couldn't believe that I was on television and that Don Cornelius was right in front of me, you know? And It was just fun. And then you're seeing like your favorite recording artists come on stage.

So how did they find you? How'd you even get that gig?

I was work— no, I was dancing with my girls, with my college buddies at Florentine Gardens. I don't know if it was Hollywood or Sunset.

Yeah.

On ladies' night. And the talent scout from Soul Train was at the club and he said, I want you to be on Soul Train. I went, what? And I couldn't believe it. And I said, can my girlfriends come? He goes, do they look like you? I said, better. And I told my girls to come on over and they did. And, and we all got invited down.

Wow. And that was, that ended up being like a career changer. So you're dancing on Soul Train, people are noticing you, but your dad isn't such a fan.

No, no, no, no, no.

What happened?

Oh man. I thought like, cuz back then Puerto Rico didn't get all the American channels. So I'm thinking he'll never gonna see this, right? He's never gonna see this. 'Cause every time I would go back to Puerto Rico, I had like, you know, the dresses with the collar up to here and the sleeve down here and, you know, and, you know, the good, you know, little Catholic girl and, you know, bendición, papi, you know, like that. And then cut to, dun dun dun dun dun dun, you know? And he was, they said he was mortified.

Oh, he was ticked.

He was so angry.

What did he say?

He called me and he goes, "Allo?" I go, "Hi, Daddy, how are you?" "I saw you." "Where?" "In the Soul Train TV." And I went, "Oh." And he goes, "No, no, no, no, no." That was it? That was it.

You quit?

I quit.

You really respected your dad, huh?

Oh yeah.

Yeah.

Oh yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

By the way, did, was your mom still around? Did she—

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Do you have any contact or—

My father made me.

Okay.

My father made me have contact with her. Yeah. And I resented it.

Mm-hmm.

And you know, in hindsight, I'm glad he, he did.

Yeah. He forced you.

He forced me.

So you, I mean, look, you're a great dancer, but you were made for movies and TV and stuff.

Cool.

And, Spike Lee was the one who found you.

Yes.

Which I love. First of all, I'm just so excited watching Spike on the sidelines of the Knicks. Are you freaking out, by the way, about the Knicks?

Real quick.

Yeah.

Oh!

Yes.

Okay. So Spike sees you and casts you, but how?

Wahumpi wants to say that I was leaving California 'cause I didn't like it.

Oh.

So I was gonna transfer to Stony Brook.

Mm-hmm.

Out in Long Island. And it was my last night in LA. And one of the people from Soul Train said, "They're having this party and they're asking some of the Soul Train dancers to come down so it looks like it's a party. Will you come?" I go, "Nah." And my girlfriend, Marian Wade, goes, "Let's go!" She was never on Soul Train. She was my college buddy. And she was transferring to Howard, and we were gonna fly to DC first and then drive up. To New York. So we went, they're having a butt contest because he was promoting School Daze and the record that was the hit for the movie was Doing the Butt. Doing the Butt, yeah. And so these girls were like bending over and everything. And I said, is this what you want? And I got up on a riser, on a speaker and I said, this is what you want? Don't let, this is what y'all look like. Da da da da. Spike Lee comes over with two bodyguards and I go, uh-oh. And I'm like, "I'm scared." And he goes, "Get down, get down." And I got down and I am trembling.

He can see I'm trembling, that I'm scared, but I fronted.

Yeah.

And I went, "What?" You know, I'm like. And he goes, he starts laughing. He goes, "Where you from?" And I said, "Brooklyn." Yeah. And he goes, he starts laughing again. I said, "What the fuck is so funny?" Yeah. And he goes, "Oh my God, this is fate. Tonight's fate. It's fate." And he starts laughing. So I was gonna go. He goes, "No, no, no, no, no way. I'm telling you, I'm telling you. This is fate. Tonight is fate. You're an actress." I go, "I'm not an actress. I'm a biochem major." And he goes, "No, you're an actress. Tonight is fate." And I went, "Oh, you wish." And he starts laughing again.

You're like totally poking him.

And I'm not getting it.

Yeah.

And my girlfriend Marian is like, Rose, shut up. This is Spike Lee. I go, who?

Oh, you didn't know who he was?

I didn't know who he was.

Oh my gosh.

I didn't know who he was. And then he told his producer, Monty Ross, at the time, give her my card. And I looked at the card and I'm thinking, it's never gonna happen, dude. And it just kept making him laugh. And he followed me out. He says, call me, okay? You gonna call me? You gonna call me? And I said, what is this, a scene from Saturday Night Fever?

Tony, you're gonna call me?

"Tony, you didn't call me!" You know that scene?

Of course.

When he's up on the bridge ready to kill himself. "You didn't call me, Tony!" Right? And so Spike just keeps laughing. I leave the club, and I throw the card into the garbage. And it was one of those tin, round, big things. Marianne dove into that garbage and took it out.

She goes, "Are you crazy?!" "You can't let this one go." And so you get— —You get—

She called him. I didn't. She called him the next morning. He says, "I don't wanna talk to you. I wanna talk to the girl with the Puerto Rican accent." Now in LA, no one could figure out what my accent was.

They were probably like, "What is that?" Right, right.

Yeah. And he goes, "He wants to talk to the girl with the Puerto Rican accent." And that got my interest.

So you were like, "Ah, I'm into this." So you get cast in "Do the Right Thing." It's amazing. And then this shocked me. So you are in this movie. It gets lots of recognition. You don't get another part right away. You don't, no one's signing you. Like what happened? I mean, this was a big deal.

Well, everyone thought it was just a fluke.

Ah.

And it was even a, I remember a reporter said, "She's a fluke." And I saw him years later when he interviewed me for Fearless.

And I said, "Do you remember?" And by the way, we should point out Fearless is where you got your Oscar nomination. So, so this, this guy came up again. Okay. So, um, isn't it funny, by the way, how we don't forget like an ouch that comes even that early in our careers? It's like you can see the headline, you can think about the person.

Yeah. Mm-hmm. Um, that's my childhood trauma.

Yeah.

Because that was like Sister Renata.

Yeah.

You're never gonna amount to anything. And I said, "Yes, I am." Yeah. You know? And so it was that. And I decided to go back to college to finish. And my aunt was so upset. She wanted me to go back and get a job. And I remember she goes, "Do you think you could get a job as the secretary?" And I said, "Oh my God." Like you don't get it.

Yeah.

Yeah. And but when the premiere came out, I sat in the theater and I sat there, couldn't move, tears coming down my eyes. And my half sister goes, "Is it the nudity?" And I went, "No, it's the magic." I said, "This is what I wanna do. Spike Lee was right." Oh my God. And that was it. And nobody, no calls, no nothing, this and that. So I did my research and I started asking, how do actors get jobs? You need an agent. How do you get an agent? Well, that's tricky, you know? I was like, it's a catch-22. And I was like, oh. And then one actor said, well, there's this magazine called Backstage and it's a casting call. And I went on it and I saw a casting for this HBO movie starring Forest Whitaker and Anthony LaPaglia and Jennifer Gray.

Mm-hmm.

And I went out for it. I just went in.

Just cold. You just, where's Rosie? Knocking on the door at the casting call. What happened?

I got the role. I got the role. And then Jennifer Gray goes, who's your agent? And there was this woman at the time that was trying to rep me, but she asked if I could get a nose job and dye my hair blonde. And so I fired her. Yeah.

How many, I, I, I'm trying to think of the number of people who probably tried to change you and you're so perfect as you are, but they probably said, Yeah. Get rid of the accent, get rid of— everyone wants to change everybody. Even in the news business, they're like, cut your hair like this, talk like this, be like that, stand like this. And you resisted all of that.

Yeah. I didn't know that about the news business.

Yeah, they did that early on. They would tell you, get the— you have to have this look, get the blazer, drop your voice 3 octaves. 'Cause you know, everybody had to have this kind of thing. They used to— I had someone who went through my whole closet When I started working at NBC, they were like, no, no, no, no, maybe no, no, no. And I, they took me right to a hair salon and I got this cut that is definitely yuck. But at the time they were like, you gotta get the, but it was everybody trying to make you into something that fits their mold. Just like for you.

Yeah.

So nose job, this blonde hair, you're like, bye. So then, then what?

Jennifer Gray, she said, "Come up to my room." And we were on location in Pennsylvania, in Pittsburgh. And I went up to her room and I thought we were just gonna hang out. Yeah. And I'm thinking, "Oh, this is so cool." Yeah, sweet. 'Cause I liked her instantly. And she said, "Hang on a second." And she called her agent, Jane Balina and Kevin Huvaneh. And said, "You need to sign this girl." And they said, "Who is it?" "Rosie Perez. She was in 'Do the Right Thing.'" And they said, "Signed," right then and there over the phone. And so it was Jennifer Gray. Once again, someone came in and changed my life, you know? And that was it.

Oh my gosh.

Yeah.

Wow. That all happened right there.

Shout out to Jennifer Gray.

Shout out to Jennifer Gray. She just saw in you, it seems like Spike saw it in you, Jennifer saw it in you. Did you see it in you?

I did. I didn't, like when he asked me to be in the movie, I was so scared.

Yeah.

You know? And I had to audition for Robbie Reed.

Mm-hmm.

And she said, "You're good. This is what you should be doing." And I went, "Really?" And she said, "Yeah." And I said, "Okay, well thank you." And I was walking out, I heard her on the phone and she says, "Spy, cast her." Done. Done. And so I didn't see it. I didn't see it. But when I saw the premiere, I saw it, but I also, the person I am also saw the room for improvement. I was like, "Oh, I could have did this differently." Oh, you're already thinking of that. Yeah. And it was, 'cause on the set of "Do the Right Thing," It was Mr. Danny Aiello who told me to come to set every day, even when I wasn't working, and to sit next to him on the days he was working. And he goes, "Let me show you how it goes, kid." And he says, "First of all, you gotta calm down." And I was like, "Okay." And he just was giving me tricks of the trade and stuff.

So you became a student. You were, you seems like you're a perpetual student.

Yes, yes. That's the one thing the convent did well.

What's that? Turn you into a student?

Yes, yes. They were preparing as well as they could have in their way the kids for real life. And so it wasn't just about book learning, it was also about life learning. You know, they taught us how to cook, they taught us how to take care of our clothes, they taught us how to do the laundry and this and clean and this and this not. Because a lot of the children aged out, meaning once they got to 18 years old, they had to get out by law. And we would see that a lot, and it was terrifying. It was terrifying, the pressure on it. But you just ended up— every day was a lesson.

Every day was a lesson. I mean, it's so interesting because, you know, the rejection that comes in your industry, in the acting industry, it's It's all the time. People don't like what you're doing, how you're doing it. Change this, do this, do that. But I was wondering if because of the upbringing, what you've been through, I'm sure rejection felt like a gnat on your shoulder. It's like, oh, they said no. Okay. I mean, how did, how did that prepare you for— because a lot of people can't stomach the rejection of Hollywood. It's too hard. Someone to your face saying you're not good enough. Right.

Yeah.

You're not what we're looking for. You're not right. You know, tell me how you withstood that kind of stuff.

I withstood that because like some of the children in the home got to go to outside school. That only meant public school, which was funny because most of the public kids wanted to be in the Catholic school.

Mm-hmm.

But it was a strategy on the Catholic Church's part to integrate us into public life. And I remember this one teacher who hit me in class, and I was so tired of being hit, so I hit her back. And she dragged me out of the classroom, this is first grade, by my hair. And she told all the children, "She's in that convent because she's a bad girl." And— This is the reason why, and nobody wants her. Not even her mother wanted her. I remember this. I remember this, and I was crying and crying, and all of a sudden, a calm came over me, and it was like, I'm going to show her.

Wow.

It was that. And then when I did so well in class and I couldn't be denied, She had to change. And plus I told on her. I went to the principal of the school and I said what she did. Mm-hmm. And so it's kind of like, okay, that's over, let's move on. 'Cause I gotta get good grades, I gotta do well or else I'm back in the Catholic school and I have to do this and I have to do that or this is going to happen. And then it's like, so I didn't get to go home on the weekend to see my father or my aunt. Okay, so what are we gonna do? And then like Lydia, what are we gonna do? 'Cause we were stuck a lot by ourselves. So what are we gonna do? So it's like, it was rejection being pushed out constantly in my childhood. And it was like, what are you gonna do about it? We used to see the kids who would just get consumed by it. And it's sad because I mean, you know, not everybody's that strong and it's not their fault. Mm-hmm. You know what I mean?

It's the adult's fault and the circumstances that they were in. But it was also kind of like, well, what are we gonna do with the rest of the day?

Gosh.

Let's just keep it moving.

That's pretty remarkable, which explains a lot about you because when I was reading and knew this from before, but you love boxing. And I always thought, wow, that's interesting. Rosie likes boxing. She likes to go to the matches. She likes to watch people box. And you like doing it, not competing, but doing it. But it all makes sense. Boxing is your life. It's like you get smacked down, you're down, flat on your back and you pop up. I mean, has that been kind of the theme?

Oh yes, 100%. That's why I loved it.

Yeah.

That's why I loved it. It's like when I saw Ali get knocked down by Frazier and everybody was shocked and he rose like Lazarus. Everybody's like, "What?" You know? And I remembered that as a young girl, like, I mean, it just made me just like, you know, the— A lot. Television, you know, and that's why I love boxing because also it takes discipline and dedication and hard work to step in the ring. Not everybody gets to step in the ring. Not everybody gets a shot at being champion, you know? And even when you become champ, you gotta sustain, you know what I mean? And that's also another thing about Hollywood. It's like a lot, I see a lot of people, you know, Hollywood is like these, you know, your career goes up, it goes down and this and this and that. And one thing that I got from fighters, professional fighters, you can't let anyone see you sweat. You just gotta keep going, you know, until the next bout. Okay, you took an L on this one. All right, start training for the next one. And you just have to, that's what I mean. It's just like rejection is a part of life.

It sucks. I'll get down for maybe, well, my manager, Tarek, goes, "You're weird." I'm like, "What do you mean?" He goes, "You're my only client." You go, "Oh, that's—" Sucks. I'm so sad. Yeah. And then he goes, and then you call me the next day and go, hey, did you see this on TV? What else am I supposed to do?

So that's the secret. If you're, if people are listening and going like, I'm going through some really bad stuff, is that really it? Just getting up and clean slating it kind of?

No.

What?

You have to take care of your mental health.

Yeah.

I have therapy, I have medication. I, you know, you can't do it alone. You know, I have, meditation, you know, I have time by myself. I have, you know, on the phone with my sister Carmen every single day. It takes work. It takes work to rise above things.

Right.

But once you get into kind of a routine of things, then you know how it goes. And also, it was one day, my aunt used to be very, very depressed. She was clinically depressed. Funny, lively woman, but severely depressed. And I remember I said, "Tia, what's wrong?" "Ay, Rosie, I'm so depressed." And I said, "Yeah, I'm so sorry." She goes, "Ay, yes, but you know, tomorrow's another fucking day." And that's my motto. That's my motto.

That's it.

That's it.

That's it.

That and Helen Thomas, when I saw her accept her Matrix Award.

Yeah, yeah, what?

She was talking about she went to France to cover Jackie Kennedy.

Uh-huh.

And she was so nervous and she was doing all this prep and she bunks with this like older French journalist woman. Yeah. And the woman goes, "You need to relax. You're overprepared." And she said, "This is a chance of a lifetime." Yeah. "Just chill out and let's celebrate the moment. Go downstairs into my wine cellar and bring me a bottle of wine and let's just—" uncork it. And she said, okay. Helen Thomas says she goes downstairs and she goes, oh my God, there's so many expensive bottles. She picks out the cheapest one.

Yeah.

She goes back upstairs and the journalist tells her, Helen, life's too short to drink the house wine. Go downstairs and get the good stuff.

I love it. I love it. So that's it. That's your, that's, that's how you, that's how you navigate life.

Yeah. I mean, you could get down.

Yeah.

You could get depressed. I'm not like Superwoman. Yeah. You know, I have my moments, I have my dark days and everything like that, but it's like, it's like the alternative is what? I've seen it, I lived it, I've watched it with all these children that had such an unfortunate life, as did I, but they didn't have an aunt.

Hmm.

They didn't have a dad. You know, they didn't have anyone telling them they're special. You know what I mean? So I could see how darkness can come and take you. And I know that, I know that. And I wanna keep darkness at bay as much as possible. You know, 'cause some days is not easy, Hoda. Some days are not easy, you know? And so what do I do? I text my therapist. I got her out of retirement.

You did?

She told me she was retiring. I go, "You can't!

I need you. I need you." So on a, On a dark day, tell me what you would do if someone's listening and thinking, I wanna get out of this funk that I'm in. What do you do?

Well, everybody's diagnosis is different.

Yeah.

I have dysthymia, which is a low-grade chronic depression. It never goes away. I have PTSD and I have high anxiety. So what I have learned is cognitive therapy, which is one, you have to train yourself to recognize, "I'm depressed, okay." So if you can't get outta bed or you're slow to get outta bed, or if you're slow to get your coffee, or you feel blah for no reason, or you feel a sadness for no reason, those are the signs. You know, you're like, "Okay, click, these are the signs." You know what you have to do. So what do I have to do is I have to go and tell myself, "You're depressed." Mm-hmm. And I go outside in the backyard and I have to have light. It's light therapy. Sun. Yeah, beautiful. I have the light therapy and I like, "Oh." And then I have to go upstairs and I get on the elliptical and I start moving.

Exercise.

And exercise to pump the endorphins. And sometimes it still doesn't work. And so that's when I call my sister Carmen and I talk it out with her or I tell my husband or I text my therapist, "I need an emergency session." You know, or sometimes she goes, "You're fine." do this, do that, and we'll talk tomorrow. It's all those things. You have to be proactive.

Don't ignore it and shove it under and think you'll go through the day.

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I love the sounds. The buzzing from the stadium, the chanting from the fans, the announcers calling the plays. Soccer. Futbol. At home.

Why do I watch the World Cup? That's like asking me, why do I breathe?

I inherited that fandom from my mom.

I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force.

From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Echavarri, and this is American Futbol, a show about soccer culture in the US and its underdog roots. We go beyond the game to the people and the stories that make it great.

A soccer game is a festival.

It's not just a game.

It's your culture.

I took an elbow to my head, which cracked my skull.

It is an American game.

The Brazilians don't like hearing that, though.

Are they the only ones that don't like that?

Actually, nobody likes that.

As we get ready for the Men's World Cup this summer, listen to American Football as part of the My Cultura podcast. Network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight reel. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice. On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And for more, follow Timbo Slice of Life 12 and the TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds—

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He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luka and Austin Reeves, I gotta manipulate the game.

We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

I think Joker's gonna be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randle, and then he has to give us everything he gives us on a night-to-night basis on offense.

And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too.

Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell, get the flying. He running up the court licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Oh yeah. Get your ass up and down the court and you gonna get the ball.

So listen to Point Game on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Here at the Happiness Lab, we are serving up some hot takes for the summer. Big ideas that just might reshape how you think about your wellbeing. Like we've been thinking about the loneliness epidemic all wrong.

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Did you, after your upbringing, I mean, I happen to have been at a Broadway show called Every Brilliant Thing and saw your daughter-in-law.

I know, Tara.

I know, she's so sweet. But then I was just thinking about you, 'cause you're a grandma, right?

Yes, I'm a grandma.

So I was thinking about you just as a mom, just wanting, did you, given your upbringing, I think other people might've chosen not to go down the road of having children. And I've heard that multiple times, not after what I went through, I'm not doing that. What made you wanna become a mom?

I don't know. No one's ever asked me that. I don't know. I don't know. But it was the hardest job I ever had.

Mm-hmm.

And the most rewarding job I ever had.

Mm-hmm.

It was very, very difficult. You deal with a lot of guilt because of your career. You know what I mean? You wonder if you're being selfish.

Mm-hmm.

Wondering if you did enough. Did you do things right? You know, but then the laughter and the joy sitting on the couch under the blanket watching TCM, you know, film noir, you know. This is Burt Lancaster, he's a hunka hunka burnin' love. But Barbara Stanwyck, oh my God. You know, and then, you know—

Right.

Just moments like that. And then like even with my grandson, you know, teaching him how to breakdance at the age of 3. He's hilarious.

Does he really know how?

Yeah. Yes, he does.

So crazy.

Not crazy, but we don't tell him that, you know? But all I have to do is go, "Dickie, Dickie, boy, boy." And he goes, you know, and he got the moves and stuff and he does the face.

I love it.

You know? And I was telling Kaley Cuoco when I did Flight Attendant, that's another game changer in my career.

Kaley Cuoco in Flight Attendant.

Kaley Cuoco.

Yeah.

For her to offer me that role. And I said no. And she goes, I'm on a plane. And she met with me and she says, you have to say yes. And it was what my career needed at that time. And I'm very grateful to her. I really am.

You have so many guardian angels.

I do.

That are just, they see you. Yeah.

Yeah. And, and I told her that when we were in second season on the cliffs in, in, in Iceland. And I just started crying. I said, thank you, Kaley. Thank you.

By the way, you almost didn't take that job because you hate flying.

That's right.

And I just want— which brings us back to White Lotus, which is where we started. Okay. First of all, when I heard you were in White Lotus, I was like, "Perfect." And then I said, "Where are they shooting? And is Rosie getting on a plane?" So, you do not like to fly. And that can sometimes be a deal breaker for you.

Yep.

But yet, it was not for White Lotus. What made you say yes?

I almost said no to that too. Yeah. Yeah. It's that I, it's when Mike White called me. And it's a small role. I said, "There's nothing here, Mike." Yeah. "What am I doing this for?" He goes, "Well, first of all, I didn't know that I was gonna get you." Yeah. And he says, "And second of all, I love you. I imitate you at dinner parties." I go, "This is weird, Mike. All right? You're being weird." And he's laughing. I go, "I'm fucking serious, Mike. Stop laughing." And he's just laughing. And I said, "No, 'cause like, look at it." At this line, he goes, "Don't tell me what to write. I got you. I got you. Yes, I can't give you more scenes, but I'm gonna give you a scene. Please trust me. Don't say yes now, but please trust me." And I went, "Ah, okay!" I said, "But—" But he goes, "I always wanted you to be in White Lotus." I go, "Well, why didn't you cast me before?" Right? And he just couldn't stop laughing. And I was like, "This man is crazy." Wow. And I go, "And I love him!

I loved him!" And that's why you did it.

And that's why I did it. I believed him. I believed him.

I mean, I'm so fascinated. Your career is like, you always are— Good stuff just keeps happening to you. It's like, when they said your name with White Lotus, I thought, "Of course." But when I think of you and Do the Right Thing and all the iterations since, why do you think It all keeps coming. Why do roles keep coming? Most people are starving for roles. I feel like you're getting them and thinking about rejecting them.

I don't reject everything, and I don't get everything. So I just want people to know that, especially like actors who are struggling. And it's not an easy job. It isn't. And you do have to deal with a lot of rejection. And I hate when other actors act like, "Uh, you know, I only get offers." Oh, shut up. You know, it's just like, shut up, 'cause this is hard.

It's hard.

You know, there's only less than 1% that it's easy for. You know, so 99.5% of us, it's a job. And I look at it that half of my job, I tell Tara, my daughter-in-law, I said, "I'm working to get work right now." She goes, "What does that mean?" Yeah, what does it mean? And I said, "I get up, I call my manager, Tarek. What's on the agenda? What's out there?" Anytime he says, "Read this," I don't wait. I can't believe actors wait. Like, "Oh, I'll get to it next week." Next week? I'm reading it tomorrow. I'm reading it today. You know, I exercise and try not to become like a blimped whale, which I can, 'cause my family's full of fat cells, like enlarged fat cells. I have so much sympathy. God bless Manjaro and Ozempic. It's a goddamn miracle. Godsend for people. People don't understand when you're born with enlarged fat cells, it's hard. It's hard. I have a Spank on right now that's killing me, you know? And, but I digress. But you know, it's work. It's not like I'm, like Keenan said, some actors are like, they think it's like they open the door and go, "Job?

Job?" No, it takes, it takes—

But I like that you have, even on your non-working days, you are working. I'm working. You're working, you're talking to your manager, you're exercising, you're putting yourself where you wanna be.

I'm coming up with ideas. I'm making like, oh, so-and-so wants to speak to you. Let's set it up.

Good.

God bless America for Zooms. 'Cause I couldn't stand like going out and doing the hair and makeup and stuff. No, no, no. So like, I look good from here up. That's all I have to worry about.

By the way, that's such a smart thing to do if anyone's like in between jobs, but work like you are working.

That's right.

Get up, start your day, have your breakfast, do your exercise. Start looking at whatever's out there and then make efforts like you're doing it. It's funny 'cause Maria Shriver and I were at a retreat and I was interviewing her and a lady raised her hand and I remember it because she raised her hand and she said, "Maria, I am lost. I'm an empty nester. My husband and I, we're not really connecting. I'm lost, I'm lost, I'm lost." We were at this retreat. She goes, "Can you help me?" And Maria said, "Well, I don't know you, so I can't give you advice, but I will give you, I'll give you a tiny bit of advice." And she said, "Words matter." She said, "You're not lost. You're here. You're not lost. You're seeking. You're not out of work. You're seeking. You're not unemployed. You are in search of, un or in search of." Mm-hmm. So I was thinking like when you are in a position where you don't have work, what you're doing, you just put into words exactly what she was saying, which is, I'm a seeker right now. I'm seeking work. Are you out of work?

No, I'm seeking work. I'm not out of work.

Yeah.

I'm gonna get it.

Yeah. And also I do charities, charitable work that takes up a lot of my time. You know, so I'm not just sitting and moping and wondering why things aren't happening. I do a lot of voiceover work.

Yeah.

Which is so much fun. So fun. So fun. No hair and makeup. You know?

Enjoy.

You know, that's, that's, that's been such a blessing. You know, I, it's, that's, you just have to keep moving forward.

Forward.

You have to keep moving forward.

Lastly, as we wrap up, sadly, I'm so bummed. I don't, I, I could do this conversation all day, but what in this season of life brings you joy? Like what, what lights you up? What turns you on? These days?

That's easy. My grandson.

Oh.

My grandson. FaceTime.

Ugh.

You know? And I primed him to get used to FaceTime.

Yeah, good.

Because I was on always on location.

Yes.

So I made up a song and it went, it's Abuela in the phone, it's Abuela in the phone, and she's gonna rush her home to see Declan. And so he got so used to it. Tara says, you're the only one that he goes, I want to FaceTime Abuela.

Because he knows the song's coming and you're coming. He knows. He's 4 years old. Oh, my God.

He's 4 years old. And we FaceTime every day. Every day.

Rosie, you bring joy. I love you. Thank you for coming on my podcast.

Thank you for having me.

Okay. I'm just saying, wow, that interview with Rosie Perez was everything to me. I mean, when I look at her and I think of what she endured in her life and Her superpower, like, I think something we can all take from this, her superpower is when she gets knocked down flat, if she gets rejected, if she gets— if something bad happens to her, she pops back up. But it's not like she's not like, oh, I swallowed a happy pill and I'm up and yay. She doesn't do that. She puts in the work, which I think is so important. It's like she takes time. She does her meditation. She does all kinds of things. She doesn't expect it to be in her DNA, but which is such a great thing for all of us. So if you don't wake up happy all the time or joyful all the time, it's okay. There is a way to get there. And I think what Rosie does is she shows us that path. And listening to her childhood and what she endured and what she had to live through, the rejection and all that pain, and to be sitting here opposite me talking about what a beautiful life she has.

She's chosen it. She's chosen joy. And she's just someone who does all that. My God, I'm going to practice all of Rosie's things after. Okay. You know, I love a poem. How about this one? This is a poem by Raquel Franco. It's called "You Are Alive." It's almost summer and the swings are empty, their braided chains creaking, waiting for joy to come and sit with them. You are alive. And yes, there's always something to be sad about, but joy's always wanting. We are creatures with mighty lungs that love to lick the air. You are alive, and you could be one green light, one good cry, or a stack of pancakes away from bumping into her. Raquel Franco. I hope Rosie's words stay with you like they're gonna stay with me.

Thank you.

It's that time to put on your jersey and wave your flag, whoever you root for.

Why do I watch the World Cup? That's like asking me why do I breathe. And it's beautiful.

The guys are young and cute and fit.

It's not just a game, it's your culture. I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force.

From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda I'm Ale Chavarri, and this is American Futbol, a show about soccer culture in the US and its underdog roots. Listen to American Futbol on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headlines. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And for more, follow Timbo Slice Life 12 and the TikTok podcast podcast network on TikTok.

June is Black Music Month, and on the Drink Champs podcast, we're speaking with the hottest names in the culture, like Sway Lee.

Do you realize how legendary you are?

I appreciate that. I be seeing it, but I'm like, man, I still got like so much more to do. Like Prince, he dropped like 30 albums. We dropped like 5 right now. Like, that's the rate we gotta be going.

Yep, that's a good attitude.

No matter the era, Drink Champs brings you the biggest names and the most unfiltered conversations. Listen to Drink Champs from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Can superstars even exist the way they used to?

2016 was sort of that last era of monoculture where we still consumed things in community. Everybody wanted to be Beyoncé at that point. Uh, I don't think we'll ever see another Rihanna.

What does it mean to be Black and eat in America?

You will never make me feel bad for being a Black girl, for being a Black American girl, ever. From music to food to the conversations shaping Black culture right now, Therapy for Black Girls is bringing it all to the mic. Listen to Therapy for Black Girls on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

It just came out. Jeremy, what did you just do?

You just set yourself up for failure.

I've never heard you tell this story.

I've never told this story. Story.

This must have been tucked deep, deep in the Jeremy Lin files. My name is MC Jin. Excited to tell you about Laugh But Not Least. I'll be chatting with guests from all walks of life about the power of humor when it comes to facing difficult times. These will be conversations that remind us all life is hard, laugh harder. Listen to Laugh But Not Least with MC Jin on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.