Aug. 11, 2026

Chris Gorman & Esme Russell Of Big Gay Radio Show Calls Into Hoppe Hour With Ryan Hoppe

Chris Gorman & Esme Russell Of Big Gay Radio Show Calls Into Hoppe Hour With Ryan Hoppe
Chris Gorman & Esme Russell Of Big Gay Radio Show Calls Into Hoppe Hour With Ryan Hoppe
Hoppe Radio (Hoppe Hour) With Ryan Hoppe
Chris Gorman & Esme Russell Of Big Gay Radio Show Calls Into Hoppe Hour With Ryan Hoppe

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WEBVTT

00:00:02.670 --> 00:00:04.830
Hopefully they pick up because a lot of times

00:00:04.830 --> 00:00:08.169
on radio shows, well, on my show, they don't

00:00:08.169 --> 00:00:09.910
pick up, but the other ones, there's actors.

00:00:10.970 --> 00:00:14.789
But we're going to have Esme Russell, 50 -year

00:00:14.789 --> 00:00:18.710
drag queen, and Chris Gorman from WMNF and the

00:00:18.710 --> 00:00:27.210
Big A radio show on. let's get this going what's

00:00:27.210 --> 00:00:29.550
up guys this is Hoppy Hour I am your host Ryan

00:00:29.550 --> 00:00:33.670
Hoppy and on the phone line very excited we have

00:00:33.670 --> 00:00:38.289
Esme Russell 50 year drag queen performer and

00:00:38.289 --> 00:00:42.420
great award winning radio host and also The host

00:00:42.420 --> 00:00:44.899
of the Big Gay Radio Show is Chris Gorman, and

00:00:44.899 --> 00:00:47.079
they are both on Hoppy Hour with Ryan Hoppy.

00:00:47.100 --> 00:00:49.780
This is where the Big Gay Radio Show mixes with

00:00:49.780 --> 00:00:52.979
Hoppy Hour. And we're here to defend trans rights

00:00:52.979 --> 00:00:58.000
and everything LGBTQ+. What's up, guys? Hello.

00:00:58.200 --> 00:01:02.100
It's great to be here. So, describe to me, so

00:01:02.100 --> 00:01:04.099
I talked about it last week, I saw the news headline,

00:01:04.260 --> 00:01:07.420
but what are they trying to do with drag shows

00:01:07.420 --> 00:01:10.290
right now? Because I'm the guy... I have a lesbian

00:01:10.290 --> 00:01:13.569
aunt, and also I always attract bisexual girls

00:01:13.569 --> 00:01:17.750
for some reason. So I'm always around the gay

00:01:17.750 --> 00:01:20.349
community, and I've always been an ally. And

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I'm getting to a point where I'm sick and tired

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of people discriminating against it. So do you

00:01:25.890 --> 00:01:28.870
know what's going on with that? So Esme, as a

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drag performer, I think she would be able to

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explain a little bit more. But as far as I understand,

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it's not really that big of a... change apart

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from that these individuals are not going to

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be able to perform in front of children. Obviously,

00:01:46.120 --> 00:01:49.659
it's not an outright blanket drag ban, right,

00:01:49.739 --> 00:01:52.680
Esme? It's not a drag ban, per se, though they're

00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:58.060
kind of making it. The law is written so oddly

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that you don't really know how they're going

00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:03.739
to enforce it. But we know that they don't want

00:02:03.739 --> 00:02:07.900
entertainers such as myself. to do anything sexually

00:02:07.900 --> 00:02:11.319
explicit or sexy in front of children. And listen,

00:02:11.479 --> 00:02:13.939
we don't want to anyway. Well, most of them weren't

00:02:13.939 --> 00:02:16.500
even doing it either. A lot of the times, most

00:02:16.500 --> 00:02:18.740
drag performances, especially when they came

00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:22.280
in front of children, were not risque. And Esme

00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:25.340
actually performed at Hamburger Mary's for years.

00:02:25.659 --> 00:02:27.680
Oh, my goodness. She performed for children.

00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:30.900
That's where I think I've seen you. Because 2016,

00:02:31.719 --> 00:02:34.460
after the Ybor Night Parade, I was with 1 -2

00:02:34.460 --> 00:02:37.039
-5 The Bond. And that was the best burger I ever

00:02:37.039 --> 00:02:41.180
had. It was a great time. Yeah. So I worked for

00:02:41.180 --> 00:02:44.620
Hamburger Mary's for nine years. Nice. So, yeah,

00:02:44.659 --> 00:02:46.439
it was great. I loved it. We had very strict

00:02:46.439 --> 00:02:49.060
rules at Hamburger Mary's. You know, I was the...

00:02:49.659 --> 00:02:51.379
show director and the hostess for the brunch

00:02:51.379 --> 00:02:53.800
show. I did work in the evening shows as well,

00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:55.680
but the brunch show, we had a lot of children

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that would come to see the shows with their families.

00:02:57.460 --> 00:02:59.219
Children never come alone. They always come with

00:02:59.219 --> 00:03:01.139
their parents. This idea that children are coming

00:03:01.139 --> 00:03:03.919
into Hamburger Mary's or any other clubs. By

00:03:03.919 --> 00:03:06.060
the way, you can't come into a regular club with

00:03:06.060 --> 00:03:10.199
children because there's alcohol. So if you're

00:03:10.199 --> 00:03:12.199
a drag queen that works in a bar, this is not

00:03:12.199 --> 00:03:14.680
going to affect you. This is just for showgirls

00:03:14.680 --> 00:03:17.860
that work in environments that have brunches

00:03:17.860 --> 00:03:21.319
or daytime venues where children do come. So

00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:23.379
now they're policing parents. They're making

00:03:23.379 --> 00:03:25.400
a decision for parents because if a child is

00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:27.740
there watching the show, that was a parent's

00:03:27.740 --> 00:03:31.219
decision. The child didn't decide to go see the

00:03:31.219 --> 00:03:33.800
drag show. It was some mom and dad or some mom

00:03:33.800 --> 00:03:36.800
or some dad alone that said, you know what? Let's

00:03:36.800 --> 00:03:39.879
go see a drag show today. But our rules were

00:03:39.879 --> 00:03:41.879
very strict. We couldn't do any profanity on

00:03:41.879 --> 00:03:45.819
the microphone. We couldn't do any cleavage or

00:03:45.819 --> 00:03:48.960
breast showing of any type. We couldn't do any

00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:51.460
butt shots, you know, so no, you know, nothing,

00:03:51.520 --> 00:03:54.580
nothing that was, couldn't touch my private parts.

00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:57.659
Like I couldn't accidentally grab my boobs and

00:03:57.659 --> 00:04:00.139
shake them. I couldn't do that. I had to be very,

00:04:00.199 --> 00:04:03.080
very specifically careful because we were targeting

00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:06.719
a, what is a general, a G audience, right? G

00:04:06.719 --> 00:04:10.919
audience. So these laws are just there. I don't

00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:13.719
like to use the word transphobic. I try to say

00:04:13.719 --> 00:04:15.900
this all the time. These people, you know, the

00:04:15.900 --> 00:04:18.240
word phobic means to be afraid. It comes from

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phobos, the Greek word, to be terrorized. They're

00:04:22.139 --> 00:04:25.199
not terrorized by drag queens. They're not homophobic

00:04:25.199 --> 00:04:28.000
either. They're not terrorized by gay people.

00:04:28.100 --> 00:04:32.540
They're just bad people. Do you think there's

00:04:32.540 --> 00:04:35.870
any chance that a lot of the... And I'm not even

00:04:35.870 --> 00:04:37.889
trying to get political, but do you feel like

00:04:37.889 --> 00:04:39.810
a lot of times the people that are so against

00:04:39.810 --> 00:04:42.889
gay rights and so against trans rights, I think

00:04:42.889 --> 00:04:46.610
not 100 % of the time, but I think a lot of times

00:04:46.610 --> 00:04:50.329
they're probably either by or in the closet.

00:04:50.529 --> 00:04:52.810
And I've always kind of felt like they might

00:04:52.810 --> 00:04:55.189
have a little bit of jealousy that people that

00:04:55.189 --> 00:04:58.389
are out and living their gay life are happy.

00:04:59.500 --> 00:05:00.800
Do you like that idea at all? Well, just look

00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:03.139
over at Lindsey Graham. The way that he went

00:05:03.139 --> 00:05:05.699
his entire life attacking gay people, but he

00:05:05.699 --> 00:05:08.720
was gayer than a bag of penises he hid in the

00:05:08.720 --> 00:05:11.470
closet. He did. He lived. No, he lived in the

00:05:11.470 --> 00:05:13.430
closet. He said he did. I've just never heard

00:05:13.430 --> 00:05:16.350
that. That's amazing. You can be gayer than a

00:05:16.350 --> 00:05:19.370
bag of peanuts. And a thing, too. Yeah. Yeah,

00:05:19.410 --> 00:05:23.029
it's nothing gayer than a bag of penises. Peanuts,

00:05:23.029 --> 00:05:25.029
penises. Well, peanuts and penises, that's not

00:05:25.029 --> 00:05:28.430
a good word together. If your penis is a peanut,

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you're in trouble. I won't go there, but I'm

00:05:32.350 --> 00:05:35.949
just saying. But yeah, so yeah, there's a direct,

00:05:36.050 --> 00:05:39.810
I believe there is a direct correlation. between

00:05:39.810 --> 00:05:43.990
the word homophobia and homosexuality. What is

00:05:43.990 --> 00:05:47.269
it? I think they're brothers. I think they are.

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I think they are brothers. And I think when you

00:05:49.910 --> 00:05:53.509
realize, because I've met many straight men throughout

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my life who are unaffected by gay people being

00:05:56.889 --> 00:05:59.029
together. It's like, big deal, they're gay, so

00:05:59.029 --> 00:06:01.889
what? As long as it doesn't bother me, I'm good.

00:06:02.009 --> 00:06:04.069
As long as they don't approach me, I'm good.

00:06:04.209 --> 00:06:06.769
You know what I'm saying? So I get it. So this,

00:06:06.810 --> 00:06:10.709
listen, there's no, is this a PG show? Yeah,

00:06:10.790 --> 00:06:13.370
you can honestly, Esme, say whatever the fuck

00:06:13.370 --> 00:06:15.430
you want. Go ahead. Okay, so here's what I was

00:06:15.430 --> 00:06:18.069
going to say. They're not homophobic and they're

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not transphobic. They're just assholes. No, I'm

00:06:22.269 --> 00:06:25.769
being honest. I know, I know. I don't want any

00:06:25.769 --> 00:06:28.610
drag queens in the bathroom with my wife. Listen,

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I've been in the bathroom, in the ladies' room

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with your wife since I was 14 years old. I'm

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65 years old now. Okay, do you know how many

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women I've seen in a restroom before in my life?

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At Disney, at theme parks, at restaurants, at

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the mall, at Walmart, at the grocery. Whenever

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I go to the restroom, there are women there.

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What am I supposed to do? I can't go to the men's

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room. So you're just going to have to accept

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it. And the reason it's never been a problem

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is because these people think they know. They

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don't know because I'm there. I've washed my

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hands next to another woman who's talking about,

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do you have an extra tampon? Well, no, actually,

00:07:06.220 --> 00:07:10.180
I don't. I don't. But, you know, that's what

00:07:10.180 --> 00:07:11.839
we're dealing with. We're dealing with people

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that are very ignorant about people like me.

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Very ignorant. And the thing, too, is like. I

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don't know. I just think a lot of times it's

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funny how people will sexualize drag shows and

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sexualize pride and then these same people, conservatives,

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a lot of times will be going to strip clubs or

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cheating on their wife or having sex with the

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intern. You've got Lauren Boebert who's over

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here groping a man in a theater. She's not married

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to, not the man she's married to. And then her

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own son has been now arrested on child sexual

00:07:48.279 --> 00:07:51.600
exploitation charges. Unbelievable, dude. So

00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:54.379
it's the pot calling the kettle black. So listen,

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I talked about this in our show today on the

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air, on our live show. I said that, you know,

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Whoopi Goldberg, Eddie Murphy, a lot of these

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comics, they have very filthy stand -up acts.

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There was another, there's other comics as well.

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Kevin Hart. Yes. A lot of them. If you go to

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their comedy, their comedy is really, there's

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a lot of profanity and a lot of sexual talk.

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And then they make movies for Disney. You can

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be two things at the same time. Thank you. You

00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:26.279
can do that. This is called, in my industry,

00:08:26.319 --> 00:08:30.699
it's called know your audience. If I see children

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in the crowd, of course I'm not going to show

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my boobs. Of course not. What is wrong with you?

00:08:38.500 --> 00:08:42.639
I mean, seriously. I mean, if I do do it, I should

00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:44.820
be arrested. Yeah, exactly. There's children

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in the audience. If they book me at Disney and

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they say, we want you in this Disney production,

00:08:49.820 --> 00:08:52.840
of course I'm going to be as feminine and as

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classy as I can possibly be to fit into that

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standard. And, you know, Whoopi does it all the

00:08:58.279 --> 00:09:01.779
time. Whoopi and all of these comics that I'm

00:09:01.779 --> 00:09:04.720
talking about have, you know, what I call more

00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:09.200
provocative stand -up acts. But in their, you

00:09:09.200 --> 00:09:12.799
know, she's on The View every day. Whoopi cusses

00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:17.759
like a sailor in private. I can imagine. Never

00:09:17.759 --> 00:09:20.620
guesses on The View. She knows her audience.

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She knows who's paying her. And this is the same

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thing with a drag queen. This idea that drag

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queens cannot control themselves if they see

00:09:28.360 --> 00:09:32.039
children is totally manufactured. It's totally

00:09:32.039 --> 00:09:35.620
manufactured. I'll never forget. In seventh grade,

00:09:35.720 --> 00:09:39.539
my mom, we grew up Catholic, but now my mom's

00:09:39.539 --> 00:09:42.679
pro LGBTQ+. It was a beautiful moment about two

00:09:42.679 --> 00:09:44.740
years ago. She said, love is love. But growing

00:09:44.740 --> 00:09:48.580
up, I had an aunt that was lesbian. And I asked

00:09:48.580 --> 00:09:51.240
her, my mom told me in seventh grade, thinking

00:09:51.240 --> 00:09:53.519
it was going to be a big reaction. And I've always

00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:55.779
just been like, okay, it's still in my hand.

00:09:55.840 --> 00:09:58.700
Like, I just don't understand. I think a lot

00:09:58.700 --> 00:10:00.240
of it's jealousy because they might be in the

00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:02.840
closet or they're just full on bullies. I've

00:10:02.840 --> 00:10:07.019
just never understood why anybody cares. As long

00:10:07.019 --> 00:10:09.100
as you're not hurting animals or kids, why anybody

00:10:09.100 --> 00:10:11.620
would care about if someone's gay? It's crazy

00:10:11.620 --> 00:10:15.100
to me. Well, you know, again, they're not homophobic.

00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:18.000
They're not transphobic. Phobic, again, is a

00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:20.220
phobia means to be afraid. They're not afraid

00:10:20.220 --> 00:10:22.340
of us. They're just assholes. And I'm just being

00:10:22.340 --> 00:10:24.720
honest with you. They really are exactly that.

00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:28.220
And over the course of my life, I've met a lot

00:10:28.220 --> 00:10:31.759
of assholes, a lot of people that enjoy, even

00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:34.559
as a kid, they enjoyed making my life as difficult

00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:37.730
and as complicated as possible. And it's still

00:10:37.730 --> 00:10:39.450
going on. The only problem is that now I'm older

00:10:39.450 --> 00:10:41.350
and I don't give a shit. I don't care what people

00:10:41.350 --> 00:10:43.250
think anymore. You know, I'm on the radio every

00:10:43.250 --> 00:10:45.169
day talking about being trans. Once you talk

00:10:45.169 --> 00:10:47.169
about something and you put it out there, it

00:10:47.169 --> 00:10:48.730
just doesn't matter. You take the power away

00:10:48.730 --> 00:10:51.850
from it. I'm the same way with my bipolar and

00:10:51.850 --> 00:10:55.610
ADHD. Like I have moody, moody days and I'm open

00:10:55.610 --> 00:10:57.450
about it. And people are like, why do you talk

00:10:57.450 --> 00:10:59.450
about taking meds? I'm like, because then you

00:10:59.450 --> 00:11:01.850
have no power over me. So it's a little similar.

00:11:02.509 --> 00:11:05.259
You're taking the stigma away from it. Because

00:11:05.259 --> 00:11:08.360
a lot of people are like that. Chris and I are

00:11:08.360 --> 00:11:16.279
both ADHD. I know I have it really bad. I look

00:11:16.279 --> 00:11:19.100
at Chris for some days and he's literally moving

00:11:19.100 --> 00:11:22.240
all over the place. Like he's totally manic.

00:11:22.360 --> 00:11:24.519
And I do the same thing. I watch myself on video.

00:11:24.740 --> 00:11:27.460
We've been videoing our shows. And I watch myself.

00:11:27.539 --> 00:11:30.940
God, I move around a lot. I can't sit still.

00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:33.980
I touch my face. I touch my hair. I touch my

00:11:33.980 --> 00:11:36.519
chest. I'm like, oh my God. You know, I'm like

00:11:36.519 --> 00:11:39.299
moving and moving. It's part of it. We're just

00:11:39.299 --> 00:11:42.559
very wired up all the time. So when I'm not moving,

00:11:42.679 --> 00:11:44.419
everybody says, are you okay? Is something wrong?

00:11:44.799 --> 00:11:48.620
Because I'm very high energy, high strung. So,

00:11:48.620 --> 00:11:53.500
but yeah. It's not that big of a deal to be trans

00:11:53.500 --> 00:11:55.639
to me. I've been trans my whole life. You know,

00:11:55.679 --> 00:11:59.820
I was trans before. Everybody made it like really

00:11:59.820 --> 00:12:01.799
popular where now people talk about it. You know,

00:12:01.820 --> 00:12:04.559
when I came out as trans back in the 76, you

00:12:04.559 --> 00:12:07.179
know, I was just a kid and nobody talked about

00:12:07.179 --> 00:12:08.960
it. Nobody knew what it was. Nobody understood

00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:11.399
it. We didn't even have a name for it. Transgender

00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:13.580
is a modern word. Well, weren't you the first

00:12:13.580 --> 00:12:16.580
student to go to school as a trans individual

00:12:16.580 --> 00:12:18.820
in this area? Here in Hillsborough County, I

00:12:18.820 --> 00:12:23.230
was the first one. I love it. Yeah, and you know,

00:12:23.269 --> 00:12:24.889
it's really weird about it. Back in those days,

00:12:24.909 --> 00:12:26.149
they didn't know what to do with me. They didn't

00:12:26.149 --> 00:12:28.149
know what to send me to night school. What are

00:12:28.149 --> 00:12:30.470
we going to do with this person? You know, because

00:12:30.470 --> 00:12:33.629
I was so, I don't know if I was stupid or brave.

00:12:33.889 --> 00:12:36.990
I'm still not sure. Some days I think that was

00:12:36.990 --> 00:12:41.429
really stupid. Maybe both. Maybe a little bit

00:12:41.429 --> 00:12:44.809
of both, right? I was so brave to just, but I

00:12:44.809 --> 00:12:48.590
knew this. I knew that I could not live my life,

00:12:48.610 --> 00:12:51.980
my whole life. pretending something that I did

00:12:51.980 --> 00:12:53.960
not feel. When did you realize? I just could

00:12:53.960 --> 00:12:57.580
not do that. For both of you, Chris, when did

00:12:57.580 --> 00:13:00.139
you realize you were gay? And then Esme, when

00:13:00.139 --> 00:13:03.360
did you realize you were trans? Oh, I always

00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:06.080
thought that. So I was told a lot when I was

00:13:06.080 --> 00:13:09.419
growing up that I had to like girls. Like, that's

00:13:09.419 --> 00:13:12.299
just the way that it is. You like girls. But

00:13:12.299 --> 00:13:15.159
the entire time that I was being told that I

00:13:15.159 --> 00:13:18.889
have to like girls, I was looking at guys. That's

00:13:18.889 --> 00:13:21.730
that's that's pretty good. Girls are annoying,

00:13:21.990 --> 00:13:28.269
bro. Well, I I distinctly remember, you know,

00:13:28.269 --> 00:13:31.149
making out with with both girls and boys when

00:13:31.149 --> 00:13:34.149
I was like 10, 11 years old. Yeah. You know,

00:13:34.149 --> 00:13:36.970
it was just the way that it was for just what

00:13:36.970 --> 00:13:40.590
felt right. And I'm curious. I don't think I've

00:13:40.590 --> 00:13:42.830
actually had this discussion with you as may.

00:13:42.950 --> 00:13:45.210
I want to know your answer on this one. So, you

00:13:45.210 --> 00:13:48.450
know, as a little kid, very little. four or five

00:13:48.450 --> 00:13:51.490
years old i was obviously very effeminate um

00:13:51.490 --> 00:13:54.110
and so you know little boys especially in a cuban

00:13:54.110 --> 00:13:57.129
family are not supposed to be feminine so i got

00:13:57.129 --> 00:13:59.090
told constantly act like a boy don't embarrass

00:13:59.090 --> 00:14:01.870
us talk talk like a man you know there's no talking

00:14:01.870 --> 00:14:04.470
like a man this is just the way i found so uh

00:14:04.470 --> 00:14:07.230
but uh it's really weird because i didn't really

00:14:07.230 --> 00:14:10.019
know that i was trans I thought I was gay at

00:14:10.019 --> 00:14:12.059
one point, you know, like maybe like around seven

00:14:12.059 --> 00:14:14.259
or eight years old. I heard about gay people.

00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:15.639
So I thought, well, maybe that's what I'm I'm

00:14:15.639 --> 00:14:17.539
gay, whatever that meant, because I didn't really

00:14:17.539 --> 00:14:19.740
understand the sexual part of it. I just knew

00:14:19.740 --> 00:14:21.840
I liked boys, but I didn't know about the sex.

00:14:22.059 --> 00:14:23.940
I didn't know we were supposed to have sex. That

00:14:23.940 --> 00:14:27.039
came later, like after I grew up. But I think

00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:30.899
that I was probably around 12 or 13 when I was

00:14:30.899 --> 00:14:33.700
I know this is going to sound crazy. I was watching.

00:14:34.250 --> 00:14:36.710
A Wonder Woman, and I remember telling my mom,

00:14:36.789 --> 00:14:40.330
I wish I looked like that. Oh, wow. What's crazy

00:14:40.330 --> 00:14:43.669
is that Linda Carter and I share very similar

00:14:43.669 --> 00:14:48.049
measurements. Mine were manufactured in a doctor's

00:14:48.049 --> 00:14:51.870
office, and hers are natural, but still, I'm

00:14:51.870 --> 00:14:55.830
very curvaceous, extremely so. So I think to

00:14:55.830 --> 00:14:58.529
myself, wow, I was really young that I wanted

00:14:58.529 --> 00:15:00.990
to be. And I remember the only drag queens I

00:15:00.990 --> 00:15:04.070
ever saw was Bugs Bunny. That was like the only

00:15:04.070 --> 00:15:06.110
drag. Like I saw Bugs Bunny getting dragged.

00:15:06.289 --> 00:15:08.850
And I think maybe a boy can dress up like a girl,

00:15:08.909 --> 00:15:11.309
you know, so that I started thinking about it.

00:15:11.330 --> 00:15:14.450
But by age 14, 15, I was ready to go. I was ready

00:15:14.450 --> 00:15:16.970
to put on women's clothes. And I did. My dad

00:15:16.970 --> 00:15:18.870
told me not in this house. And I did it anyway.

00:15:19.250 --> 00:15:21.769
Nice. I'm glad you rebelled. Good job. I did.

00:15:21.889 --> 00:15:24.649
I did. I did it anyway. My poor father. You know,

00:15:24.649 --> 00:15:26.950
my father was my biggest ally. It took him about

00:15:26.950 --> 00:15:29.899
three months. He was he was ready to go. He really,

00:15:29.980 --> 00:15:32.059
really supported me. God rest his soul in glory.

00:15:32.179 --> 00:15:34.480
He died at 100 years old. Oh, nice. He loved

00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:37.779
me unconditionally and saw me and recognized

00:15:37.779 --> 00:15:40.100
me as his daughter. He really did. How do you

00:15:40.100 --> 00:15:44.019
think, no, so he was a great dad. What was your

00:15:44.019 --> 00:15:47.580
favorite memory of him? Oh, my God. Well, probably

00:15:47.580 --> 00:15:52.440
my favorite memory of him is he would take me

00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:55.399
to buy toys. Any toy that I wanted, he would

00:15:55.399 --> 00:15:58.500
take me to buy it. Nice. So I had a great collection

00:15:58.500 --> 00:16:01.240
of, Vintage. I still do have a great collection

00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:03.960
of vintage toys that he bought me. I was a big

00:16:03.960 --> 00:16:07.159
toy kid. I really liked toys a lot. But I have

00:16:07.159 --> 00:16:09.440
great memories of my dad. My dad never beat me,

00:16:09.480 --> 00:16:12.220
never whooped me for being feminine. He just

00:16:12.220 --> 00:16:15.460
never did. My mom was a disciplinarian in the

00:16:15.460 --> 00:16:18.559
house. But back in those days, again, there was

00:16:18.559 --> 00:16:21.559
no trans representation whatsoever. There was

00:16:21.559 --> 00:16:25.059
no RuPaul drag race. My idea of a drag queen

00:16:25.059 --> 00:16:27.460
was Flip Wilson. Remember Flip Wilson's show?

00:16:27.659 --> 00:16:29.960
Yes. Back in the 70s. I've heard of it. Yeah,

00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:33.200
Flip Wilson was a big, you know, but it was all

00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:36.080
good in comedy. Drag was always comical. It was

00:16:36.080 --> 00:16:38.299
not serious. Like what I do is very serious.

00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:40.840
When you see me on stage, I'm not funny at all.

00:16:40.940 --> 00:16:43.220
Yeah. You know, but, you know, back in those

00:16:43.220 --> 00:16:45.960
days, it was all comical. But it's just some

00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:50.330
boys just feel like girls for whatever. fucking

00:16:50.330 --> 00:16:53.309
reason. I don't know why. And I can't stand when

00:16:53.309 --> 00:16:56.029
people ask me, why do you feel like that? I don't

00:16:56.029 --> 00:16:59.490
know. Yes, I got you. If I could explain it,

00:16:59.549 --> 00:17:02.350
if I could explain it, then I would, then I could

00:17:02.350 --> 00:17:06.029
define it and I could have avoided it. I avoided

00:17:06.029 --> 00:17:09.710
all the suffering and the things that I went

00:17:09.710 --> 00:17:11.849
through throughout the course of my life because

00:17:11.849 --> 00:17:14.450
I've lived this way. I would have done everything

00:17:14.450 --> 00:17:19.150
to avoid it. It is what it is. I accepted myself

00:17:19.150 --> 00:17:21.450
a long time ago. Yes, that's beautiful. I'm glad

00:17:21.450 --> 00:17:23.589
you were able to do that, accept who you are.

00:17:23.769 --> 00:17:27.829
How often do you guys get DMs from people either

00:17:27.829 --> 00:17:30.609
saying how happy you are or they are that you're

00:17:30.609 --> 00:17:33.890
representing the LGBTQ plus community? Or how

00:17:33.890 --> 00:17:36.890
often do you guys get advice from anybody in

00:17:36.890 --> 00:17:40.359
the DMs? If you do. So I'm the one who's usually

00:17:40.359 --> 00:17:43.539
in charge of all the social media stuff. So I'm

00:17:43.539 --> 00:17:45.880
kind of the one who fields all that stuff. And

00:17:45.880 --> 00:17:50.940
honestly, it's a lot. It's a lot in both aspects.

00:17:51.240 --> 00:17:53.299
You get people who are really supportive and

00:17:53.299 --> 00:17:56.799
want to see you succeed. One of the biggest things

00:17:56.799 --> 00:17:59.240
was people telling us that they wanted to have

00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:02.160
cameras. That was one of the biggest unsolicited

00:18:02.160 --> 00:18:04.460
advice that we got the entirety of the time that

00:18:04.460 --> 00:18:08.079
we were on air. And now we do. But the main thing,

00:18:08.539 --> 00:18:11.000
that happened in terms of the exact opposite

00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:13.799
way was when we were on the midnight to 3 a .m

00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:17.680
show And Esme, just being the amazing trans person

00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:21.779
that she is, had a very big fan. She would actually

00:18:21.779 --> 00:18:25.220
call about 80 times a show. Oh, wow. And she

00:18:25.220 --> 00:18:29.880
would say as much heinous stuff as possible to

00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:32.819
try and get under Esme's skin. Meanwhile, Esme,

00:18:32.920 --> 00:18:35.119
she's lived as a woman for 50 years. She's 65

00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:38.759
years old. You can't say anything to her that'll

00:18:38.759 --> 00:18:40.039
get her aggravated. I thought it was hilarious.

00:18:40.319 --> 00:18:43.359
Esme. She called me a woman skinner, whatever

00:18:43.359 --> 00:18:47.160
that means. I thought you were 45. You look amazing.

00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:50.960
Yeah, I'm 65. I just turned 65 this year. Damn,

00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:53.319
you look so good. I feel really good. And I'll

00:18:53.319 --> 00:18:56.099
tell you, I got the energy, man. I'm the energizer,

00:18:56.099 --> 00:18:58.700
buddy. I got a lot of energy. I literally wake

00:18:58.700 --> 00:19:00.720
up and I'm like ready to go. Like, you know,

00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:02.839
some people have to work themselves up. I'm like,

00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:05.640
no. But I'm just like my dad. So much like my

00:19:05.640 --> 00:19:08.220
dad. My dad was in his 80s and 90s and he had

00:19:08.220 --> 00:19:10.640
the energy of a 40 -year -old. He was like great.

00:19:11.140 --> 00:19:14.920
Yeah. I feel great. I feel really, really good.

00:19:14.980 --> 00:19:18.019
I've lost 23 pounds. I'm losing more, but I've

00:19:18.019 --> 00:19:19.799
lost 23 pounds, and that weight loss has really

00:19:19.799 --> 00:19:22.480
helped me a lot. Now, for everybody listening,

00:19:22.619 --> 00:19:25.480
go to cltampa .com and click on Best of the Bay

00:19:25.480 --> 00:19:28.660
and vote. What are all the nominations you guys

00:19:28.660 --> 00:19:32.549
have? Oh, well, we've got we've got a ton. I

00:19:32.549 --> 00:19:36.710
keep forgetting. So we've got luckily they actually

00:19:36.710 --> 00:19:39.069
WMNF asked us to do a video. So I actually have

00:19:39.069 --> 00:19:41.670
a list right here. So we're nominated under best

00:19:41.670 --> 00:19:44.690
radio show. Both myself and Esme are nominated

00:19:44.690 --> 00:19:46.970
under best radio personality. So you have to

00:19:46.970 --> 00:19:51.910
choose one under best TV host slash news person.

00:19:52.089 --> 00:19:55.069
The show is best under best morning TV show.

00:19:55.750 --> 00:19:58.970
As well as I got nominated for Best Community

00:19:58.970 --> 00:20:01.950
Organizer and Best Columnist. And our bingo,

00:20:02.089 --> 00:20:05.430
which helps support the show, WMNF's Big Gay

00:20:05.430 --> 00:20:08.910
Bingo was also nominated. Well, before I let

00:20:08.910 --> 00:20:11.990
you guys go, promote yourself. Say what you got

00:20:11.990 --> 00:20:15.890
to say. You guys have the floor. Oh, well, Esme,

00:20:15.990 --> 00:20:18.210
I'm going to go ahead and take this moment to

00:20:18.210 --> 00:20:22.910
say how much I love you, Esme, and how grateful

00:20:22.910 --> 00:20:26.710
I am that I get to host a show alongside such

00:20:26.710 --> 00:20:29.109
an amazing person. And I will always highlight

00:20:29.109 --> 00:20:32.750
the fact that Esme Russell is truly a legend

00:20:32.750 --> 00:20:35.670
in this area. She's the first lady of Gabor,

00:20:35.869 --> 00:20:40.509
and she is just absolutely amazing. Yeah, thank

00:20:40.509 --> 00:20:42.589
you so much, Chris. I really appreciate that.

00:20:42.789 --> 00:20:45.230
We have a great working relationship here, and

00:20:45.230 --> 00:20:48.250
it's really good. We do fight. We do fight. A

00:20:48.250 --> 00:20:52.609
lot of times. Especially about topics, or I get

00:20:52.609 --> 00:20:57.529
distracted. But we have a good show. It's a good

00:20:57.529 --> 00:20:59.990
family environment. And then our rotating hosts

00:20:59.990 --> 00:21:04.829
are also very good. Brian, Joanna, Vin. And then

00:21:04.829 --> 00:21:07.529
we also have Claire. Claire. And Sean Kelly.

00:21:07.660 --> 00:21:10.559
I'm behind the scenes. So, you know, we do have

00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:13.359
a really good team here of people that help us

00:21:13.359 --> 00:21:16.119
every week to keep the show running good. So

00:21:16.119 --> 00:21:18.779
we're very blessed. I'm very grateful for everybody.

00:21:19.059 --> 00:21:21.819
And, you know, the nominations are great, but

00:21:21.819 --> 00:21:26.019
it's really weird. I used to watch entertainers,

00:21:26.019 --> 00:21:28.559
like famous people would get nominated for Academy

00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:30.180
Awards, and they'd go, well, I was just making

00:21:30.180 --> 00:21:32.279
a movie. I wasn't really trying to win an Academy

00:21:32.279 --> 00:21:34.660
Award. And that's how I feel about this. I'm

00:21:34.660 --> 00:21:36.480
just doing my radio gig. You know what I'm saying?

00:21:36.880 --> 00:21:38.900
I'm not thinking, well, if I do, if I say this,

00:21:39.000 --> 00:21:41.480
I'll get, I'll get attention for it. You know,

00:21:41.480 --> 00:21:43.880
I was watching our video from last week and I'm

00:21:43.880 --> 00:21:47.500
laughing at how funny I am when I'm being serious.

00:21:48.259 --> 00:21:51.259
I'm just being serious. And it sounds funny when

00:21:51.259 --> 00:21:53.680
I, when I watched myself say it, I went, oh my

00:21:53.680 --> 00:21:55.460
God, that sounded so funny, but I wasn't being

00:21:55.460 --> 00:21:57.920
funny at the time. So, you know, we're just trying

00:21:57.920 --> 00:21:59.799
to do our thing and whatever happens happens.

00:22:00.019 --> 00:22:02.500
And we're kind of piggybacking on, you know,

00:22:02.500 --> 00:22:05.859
why we do the show. And talking on the previous

00:22:05.859 --> 00:22:10.220
topic, we used to also get letters from inmates

00:22:10.220 --> 00:22:14.460
all over the seven county area where we broadcasted.

00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:17.039
And they would they would tell how much they

00:22:17.039 --> 00:22:19.319
feel like they actually have a connection to

00:22:19.319 --> 00:22:22.799
the community. And that's why we do it. We don't

00:22:22.799 --> 00:22:25.319
do it for a piece of paper. We do it because

00:22:25.319 --> 00:22:28.259
it's needed. The conversations are needed. I

00:22:28.259 --> 00:22:30.680
really wanted to normalize trans people as best

00:22:30.680 --> 00:22:32.460
I could while I was on the air. That's always

00:22:32.460 --> 00:22:35.599
been my goal. To just see that we're not hatched.

00:22:35.779 --> 00:22:37.779
You know, that I'm not some weirdo out there,

00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:39.440
you know, trying to sneak into women's. When

00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:41.059
I go in the bathroom, I'm going in there to pee.

00:22:41.220 --> 00:22:43.140
I don't care what your wife looks like. I really

00:22:43.140 --> 00:22:45.420
don't. You know, I'm just telling you, I'm not

00:22:45.420 --> 00:22:48.140
interested in none of that. You know, as I say

00:22:48.140 --> 00:22:50.980
all the time in my stand -up act in my show,

00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:54.799
I ain't had pussy since pussy had me. So, you

00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:57.640
know, there is no need. There's absolutely no

00:22:57.640 --> 00:22:59.920
need for you to worry about your wife or your

00:22:59.920 --> 00:23:02.000
girlfriend or your children or whatever. I'm

00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:04.180
not interested in. I'm not interested in none

00:23:04.180 --> 00:23:07.539
of that. I like men. Thank you for leaving. Thank

00:23:07.539 --> 00:23:09.779
you for leaving the pussy for me. Thank you.

00:23:13.319 --> 00:23:15.779
So, yeah, you know, I just, but I did want to

00:23:15.779 --> 00:23:17.660
normalize trans people as much as you know, that

00:23:17.660 --> 00:23:19.480
we have families and we have brothers and sisters

00:23:19.480 --> 00:23:21.660
and we have struggles that, you know, we go to

00:23:21.660 --> 00:23:23.180
the grocery store. We, you know, I got to go

00:23:23.180 --> 00:23:24.619
to Walmart when I get out of here. I got to go

00:23:24.619 --> 00:23:27.079
to the bank. All the normal stuff everybody does.

00:23:27.180 --> 00:23:29.480
I'm doing the same thing. Trans people are not

00:23:29.480 --> 00:23:32.680
some weirdo trying to dress up. I'm not trying

00:23:32.680 --> 00:23:35.140
to act like anybody. If you walk up and ask me,

00:23:35.160 --> 00:23:37.000
are you transgender? Are you a guy? I'll go,

00:23:37.099 --> 00:23:40.180
yeah, I am. What? I'm not one of those people

00:23:40.180 --> 00:23:42.380
trying to hide it. I don't care that you know.

00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:45.039
It doesn't bother me at all. I'm not trying to

00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:47.859
keep it a secret. If I blend in, great. But if

00:23:47.859 --> 00:23:50.819
I don't, that's okay as well. At this stage in

00:23:50.819 --> 00:23:53.319
the game, I just don't care. It doesn't matter

00:23:53.319 --> 00:23:55.900
to me. Well, that's why you guys are legends.

00:23:56.160 --> 00:23:58.619
You guys are the goats of the area. And it's

00:23:58.619 --> 00:24:01.079
been a lot of fun having you on the show. And

00:24:01.079 --> 00:24:03.880
if you ever need anything promoted on the show,

00:24:04.039 --> 00:24:07.339
let me know. I am a text away. We appreciate

00:24:07.339 --> 00:24:09.359
that. Thanks for the time. Thank you so much

00:24:09.359 --> 00:24:11.880
for having us. Thank you, Esme. And thank you,

00:24:11.880 --> 00:24:14.140
Chris Gorman from the Big Gay Radio Show. Thank

00:24:14.140 --> 00:24:17.099
you, guys. Bye -bye. Have a good one. Bye, guys.

00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:37.509
And that is that. RyanHoppyRadio .com The hour

00:24:37.509 --> 00:24:39.890
will be right back. You probably had Taco Bell

00:24:39.890 --> 00:24:44.809
before. Whenever we're going outside, all I smell

00:24:44.809 --> 00:24:48.549
is poop. We also need to be affectionate. And

00:24:48.549 --> 00:24:51.690
you can see that with Barack and Michelle as

00:24:51.690 --> 00:24:54.910
well. They do a lot of touching, kissing, even

00:24:54.910 --> 00:25:01.990
fisting. The semen was so big. It's not lacking

00:25:01.990 --> 00:25:04.599
any meat. And that's what real... i'm in need

00:25:04.599 --> 00:25:10.700
stop cussing it looks like you went and got a

00:25:10.700 --> 00:25:13.519
job not on the ipad screen whatever the case

00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:15.759
might be in your hand and a sock you know whatever

00:25:15.759 --> 00:25:19.859
like thank you but also i would love to be getting

00:25:19.859 --> 00:26:27.289
railed but We'll be right back. Fade to every

00:26:27.289 --> 00:26:31.829
block From the docks to every porch Names get

00:26:31.829 --> 00:26:36.549
sent the right way And nobody backs off If they

00:26:36.549 --> 00:26:41.250
come for somebody They come through us all We

00:26:41.250 --> 00:26:44.349
don't lower our voices We don't answer their

00:26:44.349 --> 00:26:49.690
call Hear the phone start ringing Hear the truth

00:26:49.690 --> 00:26:54.990
get loud Hands up in the hallway Feet on solid

00:27:17.359 --> 00:27:21.160
Big day radio show. When the weak ones start

00:27:21.160 --> 00:27:25.880
their noise, we turn up to love. Every name,

00:27:25.900 --> 00:27:30.579
everybody fits here under the sun. Tampa Bay,

00:27:30.819 --> 00:27:36.059
say it clear, we protect all. From the mic to

00:27:36.059 --> 00:27:42.420
the street, we are never alone. Big day radio

00:27:42.420 --> 00:28:18.829
show. Big day. Oh, yeah. Search Hoppy Radio for

00:28:18.829 --> 00:28:45.720
more Hoppy Hour. Oh, jeez. It's just so unfair.

00:28:50.940 --> 00:28:53.339
All night's buzzing, but the laughter's growing

00:28:53.339 --> 00:28:56.380
dim. Ear drums mix and hop me like fingers without

00:28:56.380 --> 00:28:59.680
rings. VHX to FM, shout out to the street. But

00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:01.779
soon the sound will vanish like shadows in the

00:29:01.779 --> 00:29:05.720
heat. The happy hour is coming to a close. Radio

00:29:05.720 --> 00:29:08.599
waves fading like a wilting rose. Laughter and

00:29:08.599 --> 00:29:11.740
joy dissolving in the air will keep the rhythm.

00:29:11.859 --> 00:29:54.000
All night's just so unfair. Outro Music Like

00:29:54.000 --> 00:29:56.240
clockwork to a show Now it's time to face the

00:29:56.240 --> 00:29:59.039
silence Like a TV on snow Riot Hoppy held the

00:29:59.039 --> 00:30:01.779
mic With humor so divine The void left in our

00:30:01.779 --> 00:30:10.779
hearts Wider than a canyon line Line Empty speakers,

00:30:10.839 --> 00:30:13.519
silent thighs But coming to an end Like a rollercoaster

00:30:13.519 --> 00:30:16.500
stopping Round a river's bend Hoppy's jokes and

00:30:16.500 --> 00:30:19.119
jacks He's our daily grind Now silence louder

00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:22.099
Than the thoughts we can't rewind So the Hoppy

00:30:22.099 --> 00:31:03.079
hour is coming Outro Music And like that, he's

00:31:03.079 --> 00:31:06.019
gone. He probably had Taco Bell before. Whenever

00:31:06.019 --> 00:31:11.240
we're going outside, all I smell is poop. I'll

00:31:11.240 --> 00:31:15.380
kick you a little. And we'll call it a day. Poppy

00:31:15.380 --> 00:31:31.650
Hour is now over. Poppy Hour is now over. Game

00:31:31.650 --> 00:31:43.369
over. This concludes our broadcast day. Good

00:31:43.369 --> 00:31:49.130
night, and God bless America. Door is closing.