Yenta!

omg we actually can't believe this week we have the one and only queer reality tv celebrity + comedian + icon Bridget Matloff! We Yenta about:- Bridget being too emotionally stable to get enough screen time on reality TV- Whether queer fame means people should or should not talk to you in LA- The difference between being gay, lesbian, bi, queer — and culturally queer- Bridget’s Jewish upbringing, Hebrew school trauma, and parents who immediately abandoned synagogue after the b’nai mitzvah years- The Rachel Maddow haircut to mullet pipeline- Queers reclaiming Jesus, religion, and things that “shouldn’t” go together- Egg freezing, Orthodox fertility loans, and the most Handmaid’s Tale synagogue event of all time- Getting your first period at Hebrew school and suffering alone with toilet paper- Bridget pretending to be a journalist to talk to queer musicians- Age gaps, Cherry Jones dreams, and whether 50-to-30 will feel insane later- The first-ever Yenta wedding: matchmaking, officiating, secrecy, rabbis, mikvahs, and family management00:00 Bridget’s fake journalist origin story00:38 Welcome to Yenta00:55 Introducing Bridget Melo, queer internet icon01:12 The Queer Ultimatum and being a “bad casting choice”02:40 Reality TV does not make you rich, sadly03:13 Meeting Bridget and Kyle in the wild03:33 Queer fame, LA awkwardness, and talking to fans04:32 Queer queers vs. straight queers05:44 Cultural deprogramming and seeing beyond the matrix06:26 Internalized heteronormativity in queer relationships07:14 Lesbian weddings that feel straight08:32 Weaponized incompetence, but make it gay09:16 Where the queerness lives in Bridget and Kyle’s relationship10:44 ADHD cleaning hacks and inviting people over11:01 The classic Jewish segue: mental illness and OCD11:18 Bridget’s Ashkenazi mullet and Jewish upbringing13:47 Parents who force Hebrew school, then quit synagogue15:37 Collective effervescence, religion, and Celine Dion16:37 Chabad, college grants, and Torah money for weed17:50 The Love Island Hebrew tattoo payoff18:20 Flexing the Jewish card in non-Jewish rooms19:00 Bridget’s incredible androgynous fashion20:21 Rewearing outfits on reality TV21:08 The custom embroidered reunion outfit22:20 Setting the androgynous fashion tone23:38 Coming out, going super masc, and the Rachel Maddow haircut24:17 Nails, masc rules, and queer fashion policing25:07 Looking like a bar mitzvah boy by accident26:42 Queers reclaiming Jesus29:06 Reclaiming religion after leaving it29:40 Reform Passover seders and current events30:50 Ancient scripture, bacteria, and demons31:34 Let’s talk goss31:40 Egg freezing enters the chat33:29 Jewish fertility loans and Orthodox synagogue economics34:08 The Handmaid’s Tale fertility event35:42 Converts, baalei teshuva, and being fresh to religion36:06 Can you choose a strict lifestyle for your kids?38:06 Religion as the internet for adults38:43 Queerness as religion39:39 Skin care, filler, and paying to look exactly the same41:40 Bridget’s Hebrew school period story44:38 Pretending to be a journalist to talk to queer musicians46:33 Dating age gaps and looking back in horror47:22 Hacks, Cherry Jones, and future older masc dreams49:11 The first Yenta wedding49:52 A secret surprise wedding50:44 Rabbi ordination turned wedding ambush52:10 “So this is a wedding”52:55 Lesbian pregnancy wedding announcements53:30 Final gossip chaos and wrap-uphttps://www.instagram.com/bridgetmatloffhttps://www.instagram.com/rayeschillerhttps://www.instagram.com/antonialastarhttps://www.instagram.com/yentapodhttps://www.instagram.com/heebmediahttps://patreon.com/yentahttps://bit.ly/yentamatchmaking

OG BuzzFeed royalty, comedian, writer, creator, and certified internet legend KRISTIN CHIRICO came to Yenta and she held NOTHING back.We are still processing.We love her.We know you will too.We Yenta about:• How Kristin spent the pandemic perfecting her nude photography (and why it absolutely obliterates sourdough as a hobby)• Her meticulously organized nude archive: lingerie, filthy, and a category she describes only as "interactive" 🫣• Why everyone should preemptively leak their own nudes so blackmail becomes literally impossible• How the internet did a full 180 — people now leak nudes for publicity• "I delete the duds" — Kristin's surprisingly inspiring philosophy on curation and self-confidence• What it's actually like being OG BuzzFeed dynasty in the TikTok era• Making viral TikToks with her partner Bri and why their chemistry is unhinged• Being chronically online when your partner isn't — and how to protect someone you love from your digital footprint• People recognizing Bri in real life and what that's likeCHAPTERS00:00 — The pandemic hobby Kristin got way too good at00:32 — Meet internet icon Kristin Chirico01:50 — Getting drunk at Disneyland changed everything03:20 — The standup class that launched her comedy career05:24 — "Never have the same year twice"06:42 — Selling a memoir and headlining comedy clubs08:15 — Being fat, queer, Native, and political on stage09:24 — Why every president belongs in jail11:32 — Kristin's pandemic nude photography era14:03 — The taxonomy of nudes15:28 — The impossible all-in-one nude pose16:16 — Why imperfect nudes are hotter18:03 — Auctioning nudes for charity20:00 — Kristin's nude-taking masterclass23:01 — The situationship that became a transition25:21 — "Trans women just find me"27:00 — Fake Netflix specials and real comedy dreams29:01 — Do closeted trans women show up at your shows?30:15 — The joke-writing habit every comic should steal31:37 — Writing comedy by walking around LAPD headquarters33:04 — Internet gossip Kristin almost can't share35:20 — Sharing online without oversharing36:49 — Writing from scars, not wounds38:24 — Why couple content is a trap40:24 — Documenting a transition online45:00 — Living forever on the internet48:00 — Deleting your old tweets before they delete you52:12 — Kristin's next business venture53:42 — Patreon matchmaking and final gossipFOLLOW KRISTINhttps://www.instagram.com/itskristinchiricoFOLLOW YENTAhttps://www.instagram.com/rayeschillerhttps://www.instagram.com/antonialastarhttps://www.instagram.com/yentapodhttps://www.instagram.com/heebmediaSUPPORT THE SHOWhttps://patreon.com/yentaYENTA MATCHMAKINGhttps://bit.ly/yentamatchmaking

We have returning hot amazing Yenta Melissa Weisz on the pod this week!! Our episode starts with lesbian nail discourse and ends with an existential conversation about Judaism, marriage, control, and building a life after Orthodoxy. Obviously.We discuss:* the sociology of long nails in queer culture* “baby gays” and queer experience requirements* whether putting on a strap is sexy or awkward* why religious rituals can become control mechanisms* how marriage changes your relationship to Judaism* rebuilding Jewish practice on your own terms* mikvah experiences ranging from magical to emotionally damaging* Orthodoxy, OCD, and the illusion of control* what happens when ex-Orthodox people try to create Jewish homes that actually fit themAlso:Melissa pitches lesbian finger condoms.Antonia accidentally exposes all of us psychologically.Raye realizes they may just want Judaism to be a group project.Follow Melissa:https://www.instagram.com/melissaweiszSupport the pod + join our matchmaking series:patreon.com/yentahttps://www.instagram.com/rayeschillerhttps://www.instagram.com/antonialastarhttps://www.instagram.com/yentapodhttps://www.instagram.com/heebmediahttps://bit.ly/yentamatchmaking00:00 Lesbian Nail Discourse05:20 Being Queer Is Like an Entry-Level Job10:02 The Bowling Manicure17:58 Suddenly We’re Talking About God21:40 Building a Jewish Home Without Losing Your Mind27:05 Frozen Orthodox Time Capsules31:20 Therapy Has Entered the Orthodox Chat37:00 Mikvah Stories That Made Us Cry41:10 Is Religion Just Control With Better Branding?45:40 “I’m Not There Yet”49:15 Judaism as a Group Project

Netflix comedian Julian Stern (!!) joins the pod to talk about audition psychosis, gaslighting Jewish identities, doing teshuva (repentance) for ranking women, emotionally manipulating audiences correctly, and the huge significance cultural shift from “fapping” to “gooning.”We discuss solo shows, bombing on purpose, OCD, improv guys with crushes, relationship fights about cold feet, and whether sharing a king bed with another comic is too intimate. Plus: CIA heart attack guns, dead grandparents, Hollywood Comedy discourse, and the Jewishness spectrum. A deeply intellectual episode of Yenta.00:00 Julian Stern enters the chat02:15 “100 Julian Sterns Ranked By Hotness Alone”05:30 Raye’s existential crisis about doing their first hour08:20 Emotional moments in comedy: heartfelt vs manipulative13:10 Why adding a new joke before JFL is kind of genius16:30 JFL audition rooms are psychological warfare19:15 Why bombing can actually be the funniest possible outcome22:00 Winning audiences back by acknowledging the tension25:10 How to structure a comedy hour without losing your mind28:20 OCD, Animorphs, and accidental emotional throughlines33:10 Does a comedy hour actually need to be chronological?35:30 Is Julian Jewish enough for Yenta?39:00 Relationship discourse: split covers, cold feet, and sleep politics43:15 Stephen Cha refusing to share a king bed with Julian46:00 A scholarly distinction between fapping and gooning50:15 Hollywood Comedy influencer drama52:00 CIA heart attack guns and conspiracy grandfather lore55:45 Making up fake family history for future generations56:50 Plugs + outrohttps://www.instagram.com/julianmstern/https://www.instagram.com/rayeschillerhttps://www.instagram.com/antonialastarhttps://www.instagram.com/yentapodhttps://www.instagram.com/heebmediahttps://patreon.com/yentahttps://bit.ly/yentamatchmaking

This week it’s just us—and let's be real, that’s what you want anyway. We’re talking about doing our biggest shows yet, including Raye’s first full hour (!!), synagogue gigs, and the absolute chaos that comes with performing comedy about identity, religion, and queerness… in front of actual Jews.Also: what happens when you leave one rigid system… and accidentally find another one. 🙃https://www.instagram.com/rayeschillerhttps://www.instagram.com/antonialastarhttps://www.instagram.com/yentapodhttps://www.instagram.com/heebmediahttps://patreon.com/yentahttps://bit.ly/yentamatchmaking