Black Girl Nerds

LaNisa Renee Frederick is a Los Angeles-based actor, writer, podcast host, and
voiceover artist whose work sits at the intersection of comedy, culture, and lived
experience. She can be seen in Shifting Gears (ABC), NCIS (CBS), Brooklyn 99
(NBC), and A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO), and is a series regular on Jury
Duty Season 2 (Amazon).

Host: Jamie

Music by: Sammus

Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.<...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we chat with Stephan James, Sheryl Lee Ralph and director Rashad Frett of 'Ricky'. Directed by Rashad Frett, Ricky is a raw, deeply human drama about a 30-year-old man navigating life after prison — a man who was charged as an adult as a teenager and is now confronting the gap between the person he’s become and the world that wasn’t waiting for him. When a stolen car and a hit-and-run put everything on the line, Ricky asks a question that lingers long after the credits: will he do the righ...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast we chat with actress Samantha Walkes of the hit Prime Video series 'Cross'. We discuss the currently role as Elle in season 2, some bits about the upcoming season. And we talk about her artistry and being a new mom working in entertainment.

Host: Jamie

Music by: Sammus

Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

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In this week's episode of Black Girl Nerds we chat with actress Taylor Polidore Williams of Netflix's 'Beauty In Black'. In the series, A stripper's fate takes a turn when she crosses paths with the wealthy, dysfunctional family behind a cosmetics dynasty and a devious trafficking scheme. Season 2 is currently streaming on Netflix. Host: Jamie Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax Image credit: Alex D. Rogers Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast we welcome actress Ryan Michelle Bathé. She is currently the host of the Official Paradise Companion podcast and she is guest starring in this week's new episode of Paradise titled "Jane". We discuss her hosting gig on the podcast as well as some insights into her character Stacy in Paradise.

Host: Jamie

Music by: Sammus

Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for a...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome director Akinola Davies Jr. who talks about his powerful new film My Father’s Shadow.

A semi-autobiographical story set during a single, turbulent day in Lagos amid the 1993 Nigerian election crisis. Davies Jr. shared how the film draws from personal and collective memory, using an intimate family journey to explore a nation on the brink. The narrative follows a father, estranged from his two young sons, as they navigate the sprawling city while escalating political unrest threatens their return home — turning an already fragile reunion into...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we sit down with actor Orlando Jones to talk about his latest musical project, Tainted Love, inspired by his graphic novel of the same name.

We cover everything from movies and filmmaking to his creative evolution and yes, we definitely talk about American Gods and that unforgettable scene.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the conversation. Orlando has a lot to say, and you won’t want to miss it.

Host: Jamie
Music: Sammus
Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

Ho...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome X Mayo and Jean Elie who appear in the upcoming Marvel series 'Wonder Man' streaming on Disney+.  Aspiring Hollywood actor Simon Williams is struggling to get his career off the ground. During a chance meeting with Trevor Slattery, an actor whose biggest roles may be well behind him, Simon learns legendary director Von Kovak is remaking the superhero film “Wonder Man”. These two actors at opposite ends of their careers doggedly pursue life-changing roles in this film as audiences get a peek behind the curtain of the enter...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome writer/director Nia DaCosta to discuss her latest film 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

Fresh off directing 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, a bold and unsettling expansion of the universe created by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, she turns a familiar horror landscape on its head injecting it with psychological depth, cultural tension, and a haunting sense of humanity.

From redefining studio horror with Candyman, to helming one of the most ambitious franchise films in recent memory with The Marvels, her career has...

Happy New Year! In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we interview actor and filmmaker Nicki Micheaux.

Nicki Micheaux is no stranger to commanding the screen, but in Night Patrol, she delivers one of her most grounded and emotionally charged performances yet. The actress sat down with BGN to discuss her role as Ayanda, a fierce, deeply protective mother navigating a community under siege and the personal stakes that come with survival in a system designed to overlook people like her.

Set against the backdrop of South Los Angeles housing projects, Night...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds Podcast, we chat with multi-hyphenate Teyana Taylor about her critically-acclaimed work in the Paul Thomas Anderson film One Battle After Another.



In One Battle After Another, Teyana Taylor delivers a raw, commanding performance as Perfidia, a woman fighting to hold her life together while the world keeps throwing punches. Taylor channels her signature intensity into a character who is both fierce and deeply vulnerable someone navigating personal trauma, fractured relationships, and the quiet battles no one sees.



Host: Jamie

Music...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome music artist East-O of Truth Teller Productions. The new EP, The Kush, from TTP was released on April 20, 2025 worldwide. The Kush was solely written and produced by East-O (Chris Herbie Holland).



Host: Jamie

Music by: TruthTeller Productions/East-O and Sammus

Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

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In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome actor Taylor Polidore Williams, best known for her role in the hit Netflix series Beauty In Black.

Born in Texas and the daughter of an engineer and educator, Taylor grew up surrounded by the arts in the Houston area. She is a proud alumna of HBCU Clark Atlanta University where she studied Mass Media Arts with a concentration in Film. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She stars in Netflix’s hit series She stars in Netflix’s hit series Beau...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome director RT Thorne making his feature film debut with his movie 40 Acres. Making its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, 40 Acres is now available on Demand and DVD.

After a series of plagues and wars leaves society in ruins, the Freemans are surviving — even thriving — on a farm in the middle of nowhere... so long as they repel the occasional raiding party. Former soldier Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler) and her partner Galen (Michael Greyeyes) fled the collapse along with their children, training them to fight (and...

BGN breaks down the films screened at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, which celebrated its 50th year.  Jamie and Chalice cover the majority of the films they screened at the festival from the good to ones that gave us some major side-eye.

Hosts: Jamie Broadnax and Chalice Williams
Music by: Sammus
Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

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In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome filmmaker Zamo Mkhwanazi. Making her feature debut, her movie Laundry will premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival under the Discovery selection.



Filmmaker Zamo Mkhwanazi’s quietly powerful debut Laundry crafts an intimate portrait of a Black family navigating the uneasy privileges and hidden costs of exemption within the violently unequal system of apartheid South Africa. The film is set in 1968, the same year that negative international opinion against apartheid fomented during the Summer Olympics but 26 years before the end of the institution.

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we chat with Amina Mucciolo, the founder of Cloudland and Studio Mucci. She's also the author of the book "A Rainbow In Your Cloud".

Amina is a self-described “unicorn, creative visionary, digital influencer” and the woman behind the decor company, Studio Mucci. 

Host: Jamie
Music by: Sammus
Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

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In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we chat with actor, writer and director Nnamdi Asomugha about his new film The Knife.



Construction worker Chris (Nnamdi Asomugha) is prepared to do whatever he can to build a solid life for his family, yet his plans are thrown into disarray after a mysterious woman appears in their new home late one night. By the time police arrive, the intruder is lying on the kitchen floor unconscious, a knife in her hand, and it falls to steadfast Detective Carlsen (Melissa Leo) to uncover the...

On this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast we chat with 'Alien: Earth' Series Creator Noah Hawley and Alex Lawther.



Alien: Earth is FX's upcoming sci-fi horror series created by Noah Hawley, expanding the iconic Alien franchise with a grounded, serialized story set on Earth for the first time. Taking place in the year 2120—30 years before Ripley’s story begins—the series explores a near-future where Earth is dominated by rival biotech corporations like Weyland-Yutani and Prodigy. When a deep-space research vessel crash-lands on Earth carrying something inhuman, chaos unfolds. 



H...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we interview Sonia Denis of Marvel TV's 'Ironheart'.



Sonia Denis plays "Clown", the crew’s unpredictable pyrotechnics specialist. Sonia is an Emmy-nominated writer and rising actor whose credits include High Maintenance, BoJack Horseman, and A Black Lady Sketch Show. In Ironheart, she brings chaotic humor and magnetic energy to the underground world.



Host: Jamie

Music by: Sammus

Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about ou...

BGN interviews TV director Sam Bailey of Marvel Studios' Ironheart.



From co-creating the Emmy-nominated web series Brown Girls to directing and producing Dear White People, Sam’s work has consistently centered Black voices in ways that feel intentional, resonant, and bold. Ironheart continues that legacy — following Riri Williams, a young Black woman genius from Chicago who builds a suit more advanced than Iron Man’s and steps into her power.



Ironheart is currently streaming on Disney+



Host: Chalice

Music by: Sammus

Edited by: Jamie...

BGN interviews actor KiKi Layne of the Netflix film The Old Guard 2.

Andy leads immortal warriors against a powerful enemy threatening their group. They grapple with the resurfacing of a long-lost immortal, complicating their mission to safeguard humanity.

Host: Jamie
Music by: Sammus
Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

BGN interviews Victoria Mahoney for the Netflix film 'The Old Guard 2'.



Victoria Mahoney is one of the few Black women directing a Netflix action blockbuster taking on the reigns after Gina Prince-Bythewood directed the first film. She worked as second-unit director on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and made her debut feature Yelling to the Sky.



The Old Guard 2 builds on its predecessor with a darker, more urgent storyline: the stakes are personal (Andy can now die), the mythology expands (immortals’ origins), and relationships are tested—from Quynh’s vengea...

BGN interviews filmmaker Eva Victor to discuss the A24 film Sorry, Baby.



Something bad happened to Agnes, but life goes on for everyone else. When a beloved friend on the brink of a major milestone visits, Agnes starts to realize just how stuck she's been, and begins to work through how to move forward.



Host: Chalice

Music by: Sammus

Edited by: Jamie Broadnax



Sorry, Baby premieres in theaters June 27th.

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In this week’s episode we’re back with our recaps of The Handmaid’s Tale. In its final season, we will recap each and every episode.



This week we are recapping episode 609 and 610 of the series.



Based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, this series is set in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be part of the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state, and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting birth rate. In a desp...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome pet loss grief counselor to the stars, Beth Bigler.



Before becoming a certified grief counselor and pet loss specialist, Beth was a writer and producer for film, TV, and theater. Her work now includes private sessions, media appearances, and collaborations with veterinarians, pet brands, and public figures alike—many of whom rely on her for support during some of life’s most painful goodbyes. Beth’s deeply personal and powerful new book, Honoring Our Animals: 365 Meditations for Healing After Pet Loss, publishes June 3rd.

In this week’s episode we’re back with our recaps of The Handmaid’s Tale. In its final season, we will recap each and every episode.



This week we are recapping episode 608 of the series.



Based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, this series is set in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be part of the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state, and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting birth rate. In a desper...

In this week’s episode we’re back with our recaps of The Handmaid’s Tale. In its final season, we will recap each and every episode.

This week we are recapping episode 607 of the series.

Based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, this series is set in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be part of the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state, and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting birth rate. In a desperate attempt to repopulate a deva...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome writer Leon Chills, of the Lionsgate film Shadow Force.

In Shadow Force, Kyrah (Washington) and Isaac (Sy) were once the leaders of a multinational special forces group called Shadow Force. They broke the rules by falling in love, and in order to protect their son, they go underground. With a large bounty on their heads, and the vengeful Shadow Force hot on their trail, one family’s fight becomes all-out war.  

Host: Jamie
Edited by: Jamie Broadnax
Music by: Sammus

In this week’s episode we’re back with our recaps of The Handmaid’s Tale. In its final season, we will recap each and every episode.



This week we are recapping episode 606 of the series.



Based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, this series is set in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be part of the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state, and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting birth rate. In a desper...

In this week’s episode we’re back with our recaps of The Handmaid’s Tale. In its final season, we will recap each and every episode.



This week we are recapping episode 605 of the series.



Based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, this series is set in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be part of the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state, and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting birth rate. In a desper...

In this week’s episode we’re back with our recaps of The Handmaid’s Tale. In its final season, we will recap each and every episode.



This week we are recapping episodes 603 and 604 of the series.



Based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, this series is set in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be part of the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state, and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting birth rate. In a desp...

In this week's episode we're back with our recaps of The Handmaid's Tale. In its final season, we will recap each and every episode.



Based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, this series is set in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be part of the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state, and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting birth rate. In a desperate attempt to repopulate a devastated world, the few remaining fertile women are forced into sexual...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we chat with Genneya Walton, who plays BB Urich in Daredevil: Born Again.



Genneya starred as a series regular on Kenya Barris and Rashida Jones’ Netflix series #BlackAF and was a series regular on Netflix’s Project Mc². She also had the lead role in the Storm Reid produced feature film Darby and the Dead for Disney/Hulu, and had major recurring guest star appearances on Netflix’s Never Have I Ever, Steven Spielberg’s Extant with Halle Berry, and 9-1-1 opposite Angela Bassett. Most rece...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we speak with renowned psychologist and New York Times best-selling author Dr. Thema Bryant.

Dr. Thema made history in 2023 as the first Black female President of the American Psychological Association. She has a new book, 'Matters of the Heart: Healing Your Relationship with Yourself and Those You Love’, out now. 

Matters of the Heart combines the wisdom of science, spirituality, and real-life experience to help readers tend to their emotional well-being and build meaningful connections. Dr. Thema provides evidence-based practices, essential relationship skills, and strategies to...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome actor Aja Naomi King of the NBC series Grosse Pointe Garden Society.



Grosse Pointe Garden Society centers a wealthy suburb where everything appears to be perfect on the surface, four members of the local garden club get entangled in a scandalous murder. Teacher and aspiring writer Alice, real estate agent Catherine, father of two Brett and socialite Birdie come together on the night of the garden club's annual gala to bury the body in their own garden -- and get rid of the...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we chat with Marissa Thomas.



Marissa Thomas is a patient advocate and breast cancer thriver who was diagnosed in 2015 at the age of 35 with stage II breast cancer. She is the CoFounder and CEO of For the Breast of Us, an inclusive community for Women of Color impacted by breast cancer. As a woman of color diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, Marissa co- founded 'For the Breast of Us' to provide women of color with a resource tailored to us and personal accounts expressed by us. Mari...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we chat with actor Carl Lumbly of 'Captain America: Brave New World'.



Carl has also appeared in such notable TV and film projects as Cagney & Lacey, Justice League, Supergirl, Doctor Sleep, This Is Us, Alias and The Fall of the House of Usher. He was the first Black superhero on prime-time TV, as the titular character in the short-lived 90s Fox series M.A.N.T.I.S.



Host: Jamie

Music by: Sammus

Edited by: Jamie Broadnax<...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast,  we have a 2-part episode about all things Sundance 2025.



Segment 1: We chat with directors: Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy and Timeea M. Ahmed about their documentary film Khartoum that screened at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Forced to leave Sudan for East Africa following the outbreak of war, five citizens of Khartoum — a civil servant, a tea lady, a resistance committee volunteer, and two young bottle collectors — reenact their stories of survival and freedom through dreams, revolution, and civil war.



Segment 2: Travi...

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome Oscar-nominated actor Margaret Avery.



'A Man on the Inside' which premiered on November 21st features Margaret Avery, a Hollywood mainstay with decades of screen and stage experience. She brings an unforgettable warmth to the show.  Known for her Oscar-nominated performance in The Color Purple, Avery now charms as Florence, a spirited, poetry-loving resident in a retirement community that’s anything but typical. Avery’s portrayal highlights her enduring talent, blending humor and depth. This role not only reaffirms her versatility but positions her as a...