YES, HONEY Roundup: Twirling in Our New Home, Celebrating Pride Month, and Giving FOREVER Flowers to Mara Brock Akil
Give us a twirl, Honeys!
Issue 81 | June 8, 2025
HONEY TALK
Honeys—
We’re still in the thick of my own personal HGTV show. We’re close to wrapping up so… think of this as the penultimate episode. 😉
On week six, interior designer Derrick Johnson and I did a walk-through and we chatted about how much time (and money!) this process takes—including the finished basement which I’ll be renting out to folks… industry folks migrating from LA to ATL for production: this one’s for you! Plus, Derrick gave us some extra footage of him picking out a SICK gold faucet.
There’s still a lot more to do and there’s so much I’ve learned since it’s my first time going through this, but we’re at the last phase…I’m inspired and excited! I purchased in a historically Black neighborhood and am working with an all-Black team to build this.
And yes, I twirled in my beautiful open concept home. I earned it.
Stay tuned for our next HGTV chapter and stay building, Honeys.
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:
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LINKS & THANGS
Terry McMillan and Taye Diggs are reuniting! As part of Terry’s Lifetime deal, the network has acquired her indie film HIS, HERS & OURS. 🎥
Rodney Jerkins aka Darkchild—who has written some of Honeys’ fave songs—will be inducted into the 2025 Songwriters Hall of Fame. Alexa, play “The Boy Is Mine.” ✍🏾
Big Momma’s arm is FINE. OG Honey actress Irma P. Hall of SOUL FOOD fame, recently celebrated her 90th birthday on June 3! Happy Birthday, Queen! Also, look at this cute reunion with Brandon Hammond (who portrayed Ahmad in SOUL FOOD). 🎂
Y’all remember that wild-ass movie, MA, starring Honey actress Octavia Spencer? Well, a sequel is coming. She really doesn’t like drinking at the party alone, huh? 🎉
Honey actress Sheryl Lee Ralph recently reminisced about that time the late-great Sidney Poitier told her, “I expect great things from you … I am sorry that the industry doesn’t have more to offer you, because you deserve it.” Did he lie??? 💯
Need something to smile about? Get into this throwback video of Soft Life Enthusiast Meghan Sussex, very-pregnant and dancing to the Baby Mama Dance Challenge, which she posted to celebrate her daughter Lilibet’s 4th birthday. 🤰🏾
The ancestors are smiling—the skulls of 19 Black people that were stolen and transported to Germany for racist scientific research have finally be laid to rest in New Orleans at the Hurricane Katrina Memorial. ✊🏾
Y’all heard about the series of unfortunate events at this year’s Roots Picnic in Philly? Folks were comparing it to the Fyre Festival… yikes. Here’s a recap of the good, bad, and ugly. 😲
Tulsa, Oklahoma’s first Black Mayor—Monroe Nichols—announced a $105M initiative to restore the Black Greenwood District, repairing the harms from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. We’re thinking of one word: REPARATIONS. 💸
Honey political advisor and former White House press secretary for Joe Biden Karine Jean-Pierre has announced she has left the Democratic Party and now identifies as Independent… along with announcing her upcoming book, which will apparently detail the weeks leading up to Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. 📘
The girls are fightingggg! In an inevitable fallout, Cheeto-in-Chief and Apartheid Clyde are publicly tussling, y’all. 🥊
Michelle Obama has a new book coming out on Nov. 4—this one is about her iconic fashion statements in life, including during her FLOTUS era. It’s aptly titled, THE LOOK. 👗
HONEY HANGOUT
Honeys, June is a jumpin’ month—along with it being Pride Month, it’s also Black Music Month!
In that spirit, our latest prompt in the HONEY Hangout (what we call our Substack Chat) is about music that puts you in a good mood. What’s YOUR song??
HASHTAG HONEY
It’s Pride Month and one of our all-time fave memes is Quinta Brunson’s “People be gay” quote, so we decided to pour a little honey on it for a custom remix: Honeys be gay.
Sending love to:
🍯 Lesbian Honeys
🍯 Bi Honeys
🍯 Queer Honeys
🍯 Trans Honeys
🍯 Intersex Honeys
🍯 Asexual Honeys
… and beyond! HAPPY PRIDE! 🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️
HONEY DRIPS
For The Hollywood Reporter’s recent drama actress roundtable, Honey actress Niecy Nash hilarious opened up about how she didn’t experience her “ingenue” era until her 40s. Simply put, she was never asked to do a nude scene until she was 45. We love a Honey who feels free about her body!
Get into the standout clip here.
“I did want women of a certain age, who were not married, who did not have children to see themselves as full beings… as sexual creatures.”
- Niecy Nash
HONEY MANTRA
Keeping that same Pride Month energy, this week’s sweet affirmation is about PRIDE—like our Head Honey’s surname. 😜
We love all Honeys, in all identities, sexualities, orientations, expressions, and beyond. We love the richness in our differences. That’s part of what makes it SO good over here in Honeyland.
SAY IT WITH US:
“I am proud of who I am. And I am worthy of limitless love, Chile.”
TALKBACK
Chiiiile, it’s a lot to get into from this Roundup.
Celebrating Pride Month?
Got a fave Mara Brock Akil character?
Feel like twirling?
Thoughts on Karine Jean-Pierre’s switchup?
Let’s yap 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, founded by Honey writer and award-winning filmmaker Felicia Pride, 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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