"The B.F.F. Podcast” gives voice to two of the leading queer, fat and Black changemakers while calling in the world to examine and understand what it means to love oneself unapologetically - in a world where loving oneself often feels impossible.
The Black Fat Femme Podcast was born out of IHeartMedia & IHeartPodcast’s “Next Up” initiative. The podcast, which aims to give voice to those who live at the intersections of being Black, fat and queer - not only examines the experiences marginalized people face, but finds ways to celebrate said lived experience. The plan of action was also to include other Black, fat, queer/femme folks in the media industry, specifically those who often don’t have a platform to share their stories transparently.
Beyond crafting the show, the program gave both hosts Jonathan and Jordan the ability to learn more about the world of podcasting while crafting a narrative that would engage those both in and out of the BFF universe. The show would later be pitched to IHeartMedia in partnership with Toyota and be bought on the spot - being given a 12 episode run.
The show did so well in its first 6 episodes after being given recognition by both GLAAD and Essence, the show was renewed on a week-to-week basis and given a year long run. This is when the show began to pick up steam, also garnering more recognition from the likes of Ebony & The Root. This led to the show being spotlighted by Apple Podcast which in turn led to being nominated for an award by the Black Podcasting Award for Best hosts.
In light of all the success the show has amassed, the show has also had some challenges to face. Beyond the struggle to get proper coverage from news sources, the show was also a target of folks down voting the show to decrease its ratings on Apple. Folks have also continued to leave negative reviews about the show and even use X (formerly Twitter) to degrade the work that both Jonathan & Jordan are doing.
Albeit, when sharing this with the listener - they began to fight back, not only leaving positive reviews but also bringing it to the attention of other popular Tik-Tokers and Podcast platform. Because of this, we have garnered support from the likes of folks like Jessica M. Garcia, T.S. Madison and more recently, Angelica Ross.
In all, the BFF Podcast is a testament to the struggles that marginalized people - people with Black, Fat, Femme (centering Queer and Trans) identities - face when sharing their stories publicly and what it means to build communities both online and off. It is also a platform for their triumphs to be shared. How many opportunities do you get to hear a formerly incarcerated trans woman discuss her work in abolition? Or a renowned culinary historian and chef trace the history of Black and Jewish foods? Or hosts who explore the tropes BFFs might experience in their families?
In all, this show spotlights the importance of uplifting these inspiring voices and their incredible stories, and why so many people need the show at this current moment in time.
The results of the show's objective has not only amassed us a following on social media and amazing guests on the show - but we have surpassed our expectations. We have amassed over 75,000+ downloads in the lifetime of the show, (50K of those in the past year) and have received notoriety from sites like IntoMore and more recently, Pride.com. We also have garnered shoutouts from the likes of Ryan Michelle Bathe and Sterling K. Brown. We continually get messages on social media or in our email about the impact of our show, and shares on social media about what clips or episodes resonate with our community. This show is touching both of those who are in and out of the Black/queer community, while showing how important it is to center queer Black people in narratives they want to share.
