Call It What It Is

30 Years, Too-Tight Leather Pants & the Kissing Bandit

September 17, 2026·59 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Thirty years of friendship means there are very few secrets left. Fortunately, and unfortunately, for Jess, Bonnie remembers all of them. This week, one of Jess’s dearest friends from Brown joins us to talk about what actually makes a friendship last three decades, starting with their very first impressions of each other and the inexplicable series of events that landed a 5’5” girl from Los Angeles, with strong Elle-Woods-before-Elle-Woods energy, on Brown’s elite crew team of giants. They get into the secret sauce of their friendship: being game for the adventure, making the hard stuff easy to talk about, and making the people around you feel good. Then we head to late-’90s New York, where they were baby adults navigating the city and Jess’s too-tight leather pants somehow became their secret weapon for getting past the velvet ropes at exclusive nightclubs. And then there’s the small matter of someone earning the nickname “the Kissing Bandit.” Plus: the three words Bonnie thinks describe Jess best after knowing her for 30 years. Come for the college stories. Stay for the friendship advice. And remember: always be game. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode. Sponsors: Head to cozyearth.com and use my code WRAD for an exclusive 20% off home and sleepwear. Produced by Dear Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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