YES, HONEY Roundup: Feeling High in Space, Preserving Our History, and Hugging in U.N.I.T.Y.
Happy 4/20. Alexa play, "Pass That Dutch" by Missy Elliott...
Issue 74 | April 20, 2025
HONEY TALK
Honeys—
Let’s talk about letting go. As we evolve in life towards our next chapter, sometimes the people in our previous chapter don’t come with us. Sometimes they remove themselves because they can’t handle our light. And that’s ok.
Do not try to talk them out of it.
Do not try to change their mind.
Do not try to convince them otherwise.
Just. Let. Them.
Between our Sweet Build Salon, IT’S GOOD OVER HERE, my upcoming novella COME CLOSE, the goodies right here at YES, HONEY, and many more thangs to come, we are shining without hesitation, Chile.
Keep shining your light, Honeys. Brightly.
Felicia Pride, Head Honey @ HONEY CHILE
ICYMI
If you missed out on the extra sweet goodies we’ve been publishing on YES, HONEY… here’s some always-relevant posts we think you should check out:
Remember, you can get access to ALL articles by becoming a YES, HONEY+ paid subscriber. Hit the button below and join us…it’s good over here!
LINKS & THANGS
Iconic Honey matriarch Sheryl Lee Ralph received the 2,808th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She accepted the honor with an emotional speech, amongst her closest peers and loved ones. More on that speech in our next section. 👇🏾
Sure, that man with the bad combover in the Oval Office is trying to erase our history in these United States, but good thing we have documented archives like this handy list of African-American museums. 🖼️
Megan Thee Stallion shined like the lovable star she is at Coachella and THEE highlight dripping with Honey was when she brought out the legendary Queen Latifah to perform onstage. *screams in hip-hop history* 🎤
Gayle King was a part of a historic all-women crew who traveled to space on the Blue Origin 10-minute voyage. The hilarious memes were flying around, along with the understandable criticism of the frivolous cost in a declining economy. We’re also talking about it in our Substack Chat—join us! 🚀
Michelle Obama addressed those whispers of she and Barack divorcing, since the pair have been seen going solo on several “official” trips/events. Rumors and speculation aside, heaven forbid she have an identity outside of the former President’s wife. Speaking of Michelle, she, her brother Craig Robinson and Tracee Ellis Ross had an interesting conversation about dating on the latest episode of the sibling duo’s podcast. 👀
Rolling Stone interviewed Honey comedian-writer Franchesca Ramsey, who you may have seen strumming a ukulele and singing about leopards “surprisingly” eating people’s faces. Truly relevant satire in world of TikToks about people regretting their vote for Trump. 🙄
This video of Tina Knowles alongside a giggling Blue Ivy, the latter of whom is tinting her grandma’s greying eyebrows will surely bring a smile to your sweet faces. 😅
Need a Honey-themed auntie outing this summer? Oh, Charlie Wilson, Babyface, K-Ci Hailey, and El DeBarge got you, boo. They’re going on tour! Pop the Prosecco! 🍾
Honey supermodel Tyra Banks recently opened up about how she felt “inadequate” going through IVF to conceive her son, York. 🖤
The trailer for the third season of And Just Like That… released. Here’s hoping for deeper character arcs for Nicole Ari Parker’s Lisa! 🏙️
Honey fashionistas—There has been some excellent editorials for the upcoming Met Gala. Like this one for Vogue and this companion one for GQ. Keep your eyes on our Substack Chat, btw. We’re definitely gonna be talking about the first Monday in May, Honey-style. 👠
Top Ivy League Harvard University is not kowtowing to Petulant POTUS’ tyrannical demands, despite the risk of losing federal funding. Keep it up! ✊🏾
Honey GOAT-athlete Serena Williams is executive-producing an upcoming Netflix adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid's Bestselling tennis Novel Carrie Soto Is Back. 🎾
In synergy with her viral BOSS-moves-resume-listing on The Tonight Show, it was recently announced that Bozoma Saint John will be joining Jimmy Fallon on a creative marketing competition show.
Did y’all see fine-ass Sterling K. Brown covering the latest digital issue of EBONY Magazine? We love this clip where he says folks don’t affirm Black women enough. Also, this TikTok montage of Sterling looks like our future investors throwing money at the HONEY Fund. Manifesting that energy for us. Wanna be included in that number? 🤑
The teaser trailer for the Jordan-Peele-produced, Justin Tipping-directed movie, Him, starring Marlon Wayans, dropped! And shout-out to cinematographer Kira Kelly! What do y’all think?
Annnd what better way to end this section than Viola Davis getting DOWN at Jennifer Hudson’s The Happy Place?! She bettaaaaaaa. 💃🏾
HONEY DRIPS
Continuing our Sheryl Lee Ralph love-train, we wanted to bring back an oldie-but-goodie from our HONEY CHILE series called HONEY DRIPS, where we highlight a quote from a notable/celeb Honey. Much like Viola Davis, Sheryl is in the Hall of Fame of inspirational speeches. Here’s a quotable from her Walk of Fame acceptance speech:
“At a time when history is being erased, books are being banned, human and civil rights are under attack, the arts are not a luxury. The arts are a lifeline. They tell the truth when truth is being twisted. They remind us who we are when others try to forget.”
- Sheryl Lee Ralph
HONEY CULTURE CLUB
Our April HONEY Culture Club Pick is... "Harlem Rhapsody" by Victoria Christopher Murray
April Showers bring…our next HONEY Culture Club pick!
Honeys—SAVE THE DATE!
Next weekend, Head Honey Felicia Pride will be sitting down LIVE with Harlem Rhapsody author Victoria Christopher Murray for our April HONEY Culture Club Kickback! And it’s virtual! Stay tuned for even more deets, but for now, mark this in your calendars:
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 11am PT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET
HASHTAG HONEY
Honeys, when it comes to going to the function… do you prefer a day party or night party? Are you an early bird 🐦⬛ or a night owl 🦉?
Head Honey Felicia Pride loves to turn up while the sun is ALSO turnt up in the sky and has not ONE ounce of shame about snuggling up in bed before it hits 9:30pm. How do you party?
HONEY HQ
Honeys, are y’all following Felicia’s The Sweet Build? It’s a HONEY CHILE thang—right here on Substack, where she takes storytellers and creatives behind the scenes of building a media brand and production company and her life as a multi-hyphenate writer-producer-director-filmmaker-CEO.
This past Saturday, she launched and hosted The Sweet Build’s first-ever event called The Sweet Build Salon and her first guest was none other than writer-director-producer Amy Aniobi (Insecure, Survival Of The Thickest). If you didn't get to hang with us during the live virtual event, you can now get on-demand access to the replay recording of the chat! Felicia and Amy got real about building a team and balancing their personal writing practice with running a company. They also shared their number one advice for folks wanting to launch a company: create an MVP (minimum viable product). For all gems, you can access the replay here!
🍯 YES, HONEY+ Paid Members are eligible for a 10% off discount on the replay recording. Scroll to the end of this roundup for the code.
🍯 YES, HONEY+ Founding Members are eligible to receive free access to the replay recording. Just respond to this email to secure your access.
If you’d like extra sweet perks like this and more, consider becoming a Paid or Founding Member of YES, HONEY+!
SWEET SURVEY
Honeys, thanks so much for tapping into our survey last week. We’d love more input, this time on personal essays… we have some goodies coming! What personal topics/conversations would you like to see discussed on YES, HONEY?
HONEY MANTRA
Honeys, there’s so much going on in the world (*gestures at literally everything in the current news*) that is meant to tear us down, but we’re always here to lift you up.
SAY IT WITH US:
“I am powerful. I am fabulous. I am THAT Honey.”
TALKBACK
Chiiiile, it’s so much to dig into from this Roundup.
In your feelings after Sheryl Lee Ralph’s speech?
Rehabbing your relationship with money?
Planning your next day party look?
Daydreaming of outer space?
Let’s talk about it!
HONEY SHOP
We have merch from our projects as well as resources to help you on your own storytelling journey. Check out some of our thangs:
COME CLOSE: A Novella by Felicia Pride
Our first foray into publishing fiction! This novella by our Head Honey is a second-chance, later-in-life romance about a filmmaker who returns to her hometown to film her first feature film, unexpectedly reuniting her with her high school sweetheart, whom she hasn't seen in decades…
THE BUILD BUNDLE
All of the tools you need for developing your writing craft, pitching your tv/film projects, making your work, and strategizing for a long-lasting career.
THE CREATIVE COMEBACK WORKBOOK by Felicia Pride
Discover your why, develop a writing schedule, outline your projects and unearth what's holding you back from the career of your dreams. Or purchase on Bookshop.
tender: the original script book by Felicia Pride
Specially designed, the script for Felicia Pride’s award-winning short film tender + an original essay and never-before-seen behind-the-scenes photos.
LOOK BACK AT IT: The Original Script Book by Felicia Pride
Specially designed, the script for Felicia Pride’s award-winning short film LOOK BACK AT IT + an original essay by Felicia and never-before-seen behind-the-scenes photos.
GET IN WHERE YOU FIT IN
YES, HONEY is a HONEY CHILE thang. HONEY CHILE is a multiplatform media company celebrating the power and possibilities of Black women 40+. We create stories, spaces, and strategies for women who refuse to shrink.
Check out our sister platform The Sweet Build, also powered by Substack, which is from our Head Honey Felicia and delivers insight, news, and tools for storytellers serious about business.
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