This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Jason A. Coombs: We're always time for jokes. Okay, sorry for you. Lookers. Yeah, but I'm the one I'm the butt of the joke always.

[0:08] Frankie Grande: Is there auto-tune on here?

[0:13] Jason A. Coombs: If I start singing me.

[0:16] Frankie Grande: Sorry, can we remind me the dog's name? Ah bah bah.

[0:21] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, baby, he's a good boy.

[0:25] Frankie Grande: I'm so obsessed with him. Oh.

[0:28] Jason A. Coombs: Oh my god, so I saw.

[0:33] Frankie Grande: Okay.

[0:44] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, oh.

[0:48] Frankie Grande: That's fun now, I'm here boys. Yeah boys is fun. That's boys a good one.

[0:53] Jason A. Coombs: Oh.

[0:55] Frankie Grande: Shall we go for it?

[0:57] Jason A. Coombs: Shall we go for it? Okay. Okay. Why don't we go for it? Okay. Let's do it.

[1:07] Frankie Grande: Shall we go for it? Yeah, shall we show?

[1:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hi everybody. Welcome to Survival Jobs: A Podcast in collaboration with Broadway World and the Broadway Podcast Network. My name is Samantha Tuozzolo and this is my boy Jason A. Coombs, and we are here at WelcomeToTimesSquare.com in the studio for a super iconic episode. We're just here in Tony season. Yes, doing Tony things. How are you, Jay?

[1:27] Jason A. Coombs: I am great. We just chatted with an icon, a legend, Frankie Grande.

[1:32] Samantha Tuozzolo: In the flesh, what did he call himself? The gayest person? The best gay?

[1:39] Jason A. Coombs: He gave himself a really good title and I was like, that's it babe, that's you.

[1:44] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. Applause, applause. I mean, he's just so good. So great in Titanique and such a great person like.

[1:56] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, our session was so much fun. I'm so excited for you guys to hear.

[2:00] Frankie Grande: Yes.

[2:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hi Frankie.

[2:08] Frankie Grande: Yes, I love Survival Jobs, that's so cool.

[2:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm a huge fan of Survivor and I would like that to be my job.

[2:17] Frankie Grande: So that's what I'm assuming this is gonna be about.

[2:22] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, this is your actual submission tape for Survivor. It's great.

[2:30] Frankie Grande: I did one like 10 or 12 years ago. So it's time for a new one. Okay, great.

[2:38] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, I am. I can't wait to be medevaced on day two.

[2:41] Samantha Tuozzolo: Joining us here at the Welcome to Times Square studio, WelcomeToTimesSquare.com, and we can't wait to have a fun and super funny conversation.

[2:49] Frankie Grande: Oh yeah, it's gonna be so funny.

[2:57] Samantha Tuozzolo: Sorry, we would like to also introduce the dog, Oppa.

[3:01] Frankie Grande: Oppa Grande.

[3:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: So cute, we love a doggie on this show.

[3:09] Frankie Grande: Me too. Yeah, I love it. I love a doggie everywhere in my life. I take him everywhere that I go. I try to.

[3:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hasn't been to the theater yet?

[3:18] Frankie Grande: I'm on the fifth or sixth floor or something like that and it's just like I don't because I can't like run up and check on him like every time I get offstage. Maybe I'll put him in Marla's dressing room one day and she can just be on the first floor.

[3:21] Samantha Tuozzolo: Do you want to be on the first floor at the St. James, you cutie?

[3:27] Frankie Grande: Of course. Does he have a social media?

[3:29] Samantha Tuozzolo: He does, Oppa Grande, that's it. A-P-P-A G-R-A-N-D-E.

[3:34] Frankie Grande: Yes, we gotta follow.

[3:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: Please.

[3:39] Frankie Grande: So we were just saying before we started, we've started rolling that we were tight. Wait, I would say tight Stanique's.

[3:44] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh yeah, that's us. We love the show.

[3:48] Frankie Grande: Yeah, obsessed.

[3:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh good. Samantha's an OG, but I yeah, I was at the basement of Christines.

[3:55] Frankie Grande: Thank you, thank you.

[3:58] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, it was, it was.

[4:02] Frankie Grande: It is kind of a stamp of, I don't know, bragging rights. You have bragging rights.

[4:09] Samantha Tuozzolo: If you were there in the basement multiple times, wow, good for you. You know how many seats were there? Like 90?

[4:11] Frankie Grande: No idea. It was tiny.

[4:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: 900 seats? What is it?

[4:19] Frankie Grande: Oh, 1400.

[4:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: 1400. Yeah, so we've had a bit of a glow-up.

[4:22] Frankie Grande: A bit, a bit, just a teeny bit.

[4:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, so we're gonna talk about Titanique. We're gonna talk about Big Brother, Mamma Mia. Oh, but before we get into all that fun iconic stuff, Mr. Grande, tell us about your survival job. You ever have a survival job and you want to share one that was maybe memorable?

[4:39] Frankie Grande: I never did. I know.

[4:43] Samantha Tuozzolo: If I could have a survival job, this is a great question. If I could have a survival job, what would it be?

[4:51] Frankie Grande: Well, I was a bio major in college, so something like a research person, someone who maybe worked in a lab. I would actually kind of love to be somebody that was like, you know, like in a hazmat suit, like doing like testing people for like Motaba and like, you know, Hanta virus and like going around. I would love to work for the former CDC and probably not so much this one.

[5:16] Samantha Tuozzolo: No.

[5:16] Frankie Grande: But like I would have had the time of my life chasing viruses around like in Outbreak. Like I want to be Dustin Hoffman in Outbreak on a helicopter chasing Motaba and trying to find the monkey to like spin the viral cure. Great. That's what I want.

[5:33] Samantha Tuozzolo: During COVID, I did vaccinate people.

[5:40] Frankie Grande: Mental survival, surviving of the people. Yes. It was like, hmm, do I want to sit on my ass during COVID and do absolutely nothing? Or do I want to go be a part of the solution? So like that in a way that was survival.

[5:54] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thank you for your work.

[5:54] Frankie Grande: Thank you. Yeah, of course. It was great. And also what else did you? I streamed during COVID.

[6:00] Frankie Grande: Okay, I think I made 35 cents. So like I don't know.

[6:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah.

[6:06] Frankie Grande: I probably not. It was probably way, it was probably more soul-sucking and debilitating than actually surviving because I literally would finish my streams and be like, well, I did that for 23 people. I have no voice and I want to die. Cool. So that's like the anti-survival job, I would say.

[6:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah.

[6:25] Frankie Grande: So no, but I look forward to whatever survival job is in my future.

[6:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, and you know, it has so many definitions. It doesn't have to be like, hey, I waited a table, but a lot of our guests are like teachers and acting coaches, any of that stuff to you?

[6:37] Frankie Grande: No, but social media, social media is a survival job. I had a survival job.

[6:43] Frankie Grande: I have a surprise. Take back everything that I said. Social media is a survival job. I do it to survive.

[6:48] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah.

[6:49] Frankie Grande: I do it to pay my bills. I don't do it because it is enjoyable to put yourself out there in that way. It's actually quite hard and very difficult. So that's a survival job. I do have one and I do make money.

[7:01] Samantha Tuozzolo: Do you want to make 35 extra cents and do it for Survival Jobs?

[7:05] Frankie Grande: Yep. So excited, I'll bet. Can't wait to repose.

[7:09] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hit that repose button.

[7:12] Frankie Grande: Can't wait to take that Insta pic. What's it called? That new thing, that new thing.

[7:15] Samantha Tuozzolo: I don't even know what the heck. It just started popping up.

[7:19] Frankie Grande: I was like, I don't know, maybe nervous and actually maybe nauseous and any and other words that begin with N.

[7:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, nasty.

[7:25] Frankie Grande: Nasty, maybe nasty. I'm sure that's what it's gonna be. It's gonna be all dick pics, right? Why else would you take in a snapshot that disappears in 24 hours, right? It's like.

[7:38] Samantha Tuozzolo: Snapchat.

[7:44] Frankie Grande: I know they were like, you have to do it for music and I was like, guys, I'm on TikTok and Instagram, like what?

[7:52] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm tired.

[7:54] Frankie Grande: I'm tired. Like I'm not 14 years old, you know what I'm saying?

[7:58] Samantha Tuozzolo: These young influencers that are like.

[8:02] Frankie Grande: Like it's like there's a chip in their brain. I was that, but it was fueled by cocaine.

[8:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: Like that's how I was an influencer. That's how I became a social media star is by fueling myself with cocaine. So now that I don't have that anymore, I'm sober ten, eight years, ten months and twenty some odd days. I'm like, thank you. I can't do that. Yeah, my brain doesn't work that way.

[8:26] Samantha Tuozzolo: Well, you're doing a great job without the cocaine.

[8:31] Frankie Grande: Thank you.

[8:33] Samantha Tuozzolo: So you are so well known for Big Brother as well. The Big Brother fans are ride or dies, die hard.

[8:37] Frankie Grande: They are. So do you have a favorite memory from your experience with Big Brother? And what is like some tea that reality TV star, reality TV viewers don't know about reality TV?

[8:42] Frankie Grande: What was the first part? What was your favorite memory?

[8:52] Frankie Grande: Oh, favorite memory of Big Brother probably getting the Vito necklace from Kathy Griffin. That was fun as fuck. Yeah. And it was just so fun because like I was the only one who knew who she was. Like queer icon walks into the house filled with one gay. You're only gonna get one gay squeal and she got it.

[9:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: And I later spoke to her afterwards and she was literally like, I told them I would not go unless you were still on the show because I knew that none of those other people would know who the fuck I was and I needed the gay man to educate the children, which is so crazy to me because Kathy Griffin is such an icon to me.

[9:30] Frankie Grande: Yeah, I know because you're in the community, you get it. But no, they don't know. They're like, who's that? And I'm like, it's a witch. Watch out. It's like go to my life on the D-list. Okay, guys.

[9:40] Frankie Grande: But yes, so she walked in and it was really exciting to me. I felt like I was part of, it's like you're away from community for four months. I was the only gay person on that show and so it was just like a little glimmer of like, oh god, I remember how fun my life was when I was not locked in the house with all these straight people from Middle America. And it was awesome. Yeah, so that was my favorite moment.

[10:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: And then something you don't know about reality TV I would say is that it, well in Big Brother, it is completely unscripted. Like it is just, there's no producer writer whatsoever.

[10:12] Frankie Grande: No, no.

[10:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: They have story producers. They're doing an amazing job trying to make sense of what we're doing inside that house, but we're doing it completely of our own volition.

[10:25] Frankie Grande: Yeah, like there's nobody coaching you.

[10:32] Samantha Tuozzolo: Not at all.

[10:34] Frankie Grande: If you want to be entertaining, you want to do this, you want to do that, it's completely up to you. That's why they try to cast the craziest people that they can find that are not already previously institutionalized because that would be a legal problem.

[10:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: But other than that.

[10:47] Frankie Grande: They try to find the people that are the most sick, the illest, the illest, the most mentally ill people that they can put in that house without actually needing to medicate them.

[11:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: Should we sign up?

[11:03] Frankie Grande: Yeah, you guys look pretty ill. Yeah, perfect. I love it. Desperately ill, love it. Depression.

[11:16] Samantha Tuozzolo: Survival job or is this your real job?

[11:23] Frankie Grande: This is our hobby. Yeah, we do it for the press comp.

[11:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay. Got it. Got it. Perfect.

[11:29] Frankie Grande: Okay.

[11:33] Jason A. Coombs: 35 cents you say? What are your survival jobs since I don't, I had a terrible answer.

[11:39] Frankie Grande: I got a great, my own events company, Toots and Co. If you ever need an event planner, Frankie Tits and Ass. My last name is Tootsilo.

[11:41] Samantha Tuozzolo: Toots and Co. Come on, Toots.

[11:48] Frankie Grande: Yes, grandpa used to call Nona Toots.

[11:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, you are.

[11:53] Frankie Grande: I work at university.

[11:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: But I also started a film festival with Bridgeport.

[12:00] Frankie Grande: 60 this year, Frankie, that's so fun.

[12:02] Samantha Tuozzolo: You should make a short film about like your dream survival job in the hazmat suit chasing.

[12:09] Frankie Grande: Yes, that's brilliant. Thank you. That's brilliant. My husband always says to me, he's the.

[12:13] Frankie Grande: You're the busiest person who doesn't make any money. And I'm like, yeah, you're right. He's like, I was like, Oh my god, familiar. I got this great opportunity. I'm doing this thing. He's like, Are you getting paid? I was like, Well, no. And he's like, Okay, sometimes we just have to do things in life for joy. I joy. It's all about press and marketing that got some all of the everything that I get I immediately reinvest into myself, which I hope will one day pay off. Well, it is. It already is. You're iconic. Okay, good. I was watching your videos today. Like, you're really iconic. Thank you. It's expensive to be iconic.

[12:54] Frankie Grande: Come on, right? Wasn't that so sexy? Wait, you see I drove all night. It's so good, which comes out tonight. Yes, it does. It's gonna air next week. Okay, so which just came out just came out. We will put a clip in here so they can see it. Yeah, it's really special. It's spectacular. I mean, I think it's my best work yet. Well, I had a music video premiere party last night, last week, or whatever, however, whatever the fuck this is. And many people that were there were like, this is your best work yet. So that was cool. Are you dancing? Oh, yeah. Dancing. The ABS are out. It's good.

[13:27] Frankie Grande: Here's that you can even say the ABS are out. Oh, yeah, the ABS are the ABS are ABS are Abbott. Yeah, they certainly are like ABBA. My Broadway debut back in 2007. I hope that's right. Yeah. Yes. Okay. Right. Most challenging. I think it was 2006 December of 2000. Okay, so it was just short of New Year's. Yeah. Yep. What do you what do you remember about that time being your first Broadway show? Oh, wow. Oh my god. Well, it was it was the dream, right? So like I left college. I gave myself a year to be on Broadway. And nine months of that year, I was touring and with Dora the Explorer live as boots the monkey, which was my first equity job.

[14:14] Frankie Grande: So yeah, I was I was a monkey in a monkey suit. And so I didn't I gave myself those nine months back. And so then returning to New York, I gave myself another year to get back on Broadway. And I did I did it was it wasn't it wasn't long after returning after Dora the Explorer that I booked Mamma Mia. So it was really crazy. A very surreal experience. I loved the show. I loved joining the show and the people that I met in the chorus and then the ensemble like it was just it was just like Carolee Carmelo is a lifelong friend now did the show with her for three years and it was just like she and I really hit it off and and mostly through my grandfather who was like obsessed. He was like we're going to dinner after the show bring Carolee.

Okay, grandpa. He's like tell Carolee where's Carolee? She coming? All right, great. I'm gonna go get it. Where's Carolee? She backstage. I'm gonna go get it. We're going to dinner. We're going to La Maseria. Hurry up. Bring Carolee outside. Okay, grandpa, whatever you say.

[15:08] Frankie Grande: So he she became like a staple in the Grande family. And she was front center in Titanic in the heart of the ocean seat at for opening night. It's so funny. And you know, the part where Connie introduces somebody in the opening, he goes, this is Carolee, Carolee Carmelo, and it got like a huge explosion of cheers. So and it was so fun. So that was a great night. Yeah, very full circle. Mamma Mia was a learning experience. I'm sure growing experience is not easy to join a show five years in. So it was five years in people were, you know, phoning it in calling it everyone. The magic was not backstage. I'll say that got it. Magic was on stage, but it was very much a punch in punch out job for the people that were in it.

And I did not bring that break. This is your day. Yeah, it's my debut. I was like, so stoked. Yeah. And they beat that out of me pretty quick, unfortunately. But I, which is why I quit. Eventually, I was like, you guys suck. So it was Yeah, it was it was bittersweet.

[16:16] Frankie Grande: Yeah, it was bittersweet. It was a beautiful thing. I had my family. My family was so proud of me, you know, so like they threw me an opening night party. Like I really felt like it was something that brought me and my family much closer together, which was really cool. And then Ariana was in 13 a year after I joined Mamma Mia. So we both of us were on Broadway together. So it was like, it was very much about my family and about my friends that I had in the show. But the work experience was not so special.

[16:47] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, it's kind of very, very difficult. I've heard that like through interviewing a bunch of people about shows that have gone on for a long time like Rent. I'm Mr. Jarrett Winokur said something about like Greece, like everybody was sort of giving that vibe. And she's like, I just want to perform.

[17:00] Frankie Grande: Yes, exactly. You know, and Marissa and I are cut from the exact same cloth, by the way, like that. She's a dear friend of mine. We are the like, Stan, we could have, you know, like one gene away from from being each other. So yeah, Marissa. Yeah, Marissa and I are very good friends. Another big brother player. She Okay, don't rub it in. Sorry. Jesus Christ. You could have just said player. For sure. She wants to be fine. Yes, Marissa won. But she won celebrity and she was only there for 20 days. So did she win anything? Probably not. I was there for 88 days and came in fifth. So yeah, five is my lucky number. So okay, we're doing better. We're doing better. I take back Marissa. Did you win anything? Did you at all? I don't know. We'll talk about it later. We'll talk about that behind the scenes.

[17:48] Frankie Grande: Yeah, I'm definitely not better. So it's a Marissa and shout out to being a theater kid at heart and just loving to be on Broadway. So yeah, so that was really fun. And I'm getting my and I had my full Broadway fantasy to see again with Rock of Ages. Like, that was so fun. And then I got to close that show with the original cast. So that was sick. Like that. And then you guys were in LA was an unbelievable experience. Then I got to open it in LA right before COVID. So that was fun. And then it closed, obviously. And then and then Titanic is to this day, my greatest experience on Broadway.

[18:19] Frankie Grande: Well, how could it not be? It's so like just from the audience. It's so fucking fun. Like, so fun. How can anyone go sit in that theater and not have the best time? Yeah, and going to work every day is a joy. Like the people that are in that building, the people that are in that cast by Jim Parsons, I just my my Deborah Cox. It's like, these people want to be there so badly. Every night we look forward to going like john riddle his little smile every day when we bow like it's just so genuine Connie and Marla and I have been best friends for 20. Well, Connie and I took 20 years. Marla and I've really grown close during this last phase of the production. Like I've been in the show for eight years, but I really feel like Marla and I are just becoming like, like tight, like family over this this time. And it's mostly because our entire tracks backstage are together.

[19:12] Frankie Grande: Yeah, right. I'm always with Marla. 24 seven. It's been so fun. I've been having a time of my life with her. And you know, helping her through like this Tony Awards season and like being nominated and being like how to Yeah, she's she like I mean, in my opinion, and you know, she should win this thing. So I'm really grateful that I can help her get through it. And I'm hoping that we can get her to the finish line. Yeah, let's go. I mean, just what what she's done, just like dreaming this up and bringing it to this right phase is so, so amazing. She's three times nominated. Yeah, book writer, creator and actress.

[19:50] Frankie Grande: Yeah, right. That's literally triple threat. She's triple. She's nominated for three Tony's shout out for one show. I love you, bitch. I don't even know her name. Has that even happened? We need to look that up. Alan, can you fact check that? Yeah. How many people have been nominated for three Tony's for the same show? Thank you. And the first time right? Like it's extra first time. Yes. First nominee. So I do I want to I know he's touched a little bit about Titanic and in the basement of Gristedes. And I want to go back to that time a little bit because it was just again from the audience's perspective, such a special time. So can you tell us a little bit about that time and like, and like what it felt like to be in that and then I also want to know about when the rats came down.

[20:30] Frankie Grande: Yeah, it was humbling girl. It was humbling girl. And I think that's the thing. I think people like, assume that this was always glamorous. It was not like I was making zero money again. Thank you Hale for rubbing it in like I was doing that show for six months with with not a penny to my name and in the craziest conditions with rats and the theater flooded and it was COVID theater flooded. Yes, the theater flood we flooded two out of the three theaters we've been in. We flooded the Daryl Roth and we flooded the asylum. So the Titanic is the curse is real. Yeah, honey, the St. James is about to check that plumbing honey. That's crazy girl. So yes, we flooded two out of the three theaters we've been in the asylum was it was humbling man and we did that show sometimes in the beginning for like 30 people.

[21:25] Frankie Grande: Yeah, like we would come out. Yeah. Oh my god, are we closing? Like it was there was nobody there. Nobody there in the beginning. And then even for pride, not a human really in there on like pride day. We were like, okay, this is scary. And I guess we're not a hit. And I guess we're closing. But something happened like right after pride. We're like, all of a sudden in July, we started being like full every single night. And it was like, what is going on here? Word of mouth. Word of mouth. Exactly. And that's it. You just have to like, just grin and bear it through those beginning shows where there's not a person there. You're not making money. You're in a basement and it's filled with mold. There are rats.

Like it was not glamorous. It was not fancy. And we all well, the people that stuck with it continued on. And it was amazing. But some I mean, a lot of people couldn't tough it. They were like, this sucks. I just got a GTFO. And that's okay. And that's how we understand that. But like, you know, for me, kind of Connie, Marla and john, we were like, we're lifers with this project.

[22:32] Frankie Grande: God, right. Thank God we thank God we had the wherewithal and the know how and the grit to get through that difficult time at the asylum, because we got to go to the Daryl Roth, which was really fabulous. Like what a core memory, right? Like, yeah, again, for as an outsider, like, I love that type that chapter for Titanic. Yeah, it's history. It's also so amazing to see, you know, like I said, this being created. I've heard Marla say with martinis and Sauvignon Blanc to let's go to this theater and have rats. And then now like, it's the St. James the biggest theater on Broadway. I think it is. I don't know. I don't know that.

[23:10] Frankie Grande: I think the St. James is the most is it is the Gershwin bigger? I don't think so. I don't know. Well, okay. Oh, God, why do I know things? Why do I know things?

[23:24] Frankie Grande: Okay, so I'll go fuck myself. 4th, 4th, 4th. And we closed our balcony. Because we wanted to keep it intimate. Yes. So we're at 1400, which is great. The fact that we can fill 1400 seats coming from the asylum, which was 90. Yeah, it's crazy. Yeah. Yep. And we're filling it. Yeah, I had some non theater people in town. And they like saw it and then hit me up about it. They're like, have you heard of this? And I'm like, yeah, girl, I've heard of it.

[23:55] Frankie Grande: And you know, it's really crazy. Because I kept saying this to everybody was freaking everybody out. But I was like, the Daryl Roth was 390. So we have never performed for over 390 people that show. And then on that first preview, it was 1400 people out of nowhere. It was so loud. It was so crazy. Like the volume of the laughter. Yeah, was I will never forget. Like that was like, yeah, we're just like, whoa. And it's like even on a matinee, which I is

[24:26] Frankie Grande: Matinees are tough. People aren't drunk, they're not loose. You know what I'm saying? A lot of people are older, so they don't get all our pop culture references. Even at matinees, because if 50% of the people are getting the joke, that's 700 people screaming, laughing. So even matinees sound... They were kind of deadly at the asylum. Sometimes they were a little deadly. I was really like... Again, are we closing? Are we closing, guys? Whoa, okay. But at the St. James, it's so big that inevitably there are people that get the joke, and then people are like, what's Grindr? You know what I'm saying? What does Bukkake mean? Don't worry, girl, I'll tell you. Did we talk about this on the show already?

I just found that clip of... Oh, the newscaster? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm sorry. He's gay. Oh, I'm sorry. Next up, we're going to interview Eric Weyenmayer, who climbed the highest peak of Mount Everest, but he's gay. I'm sorry, not gay. I'm sorry, but he's blind. But he's gay. I found this recently and actually had to excuse myself from my friends because I could not stop screaming, crying. Do you want water? Is that what's happening? A little baby wants water. Oh, my God. Welcome to Times Square, Oppa. I don't know, it's too much. Do we need more? Yeah, do you want some water? We can get some more water. Yeah. No, does he want it? He does, probably. We can get some more water. He's like, what is Saratoga?

He's like, we drink Evian at our house. No, we have filtered water. It's great. New York City water is great. I think it's great. At least when I was a kid, it was good. That's sparkling water. I don't know if Oppa's going to want it. No, I want it. Oh, okay. I'll get him water as soon as we're done. Do you have a favorite moment in the show? Yes. When I come up out during Where Does My Heart Go Now, and I'm at the top by myself, and we're doing modern interpretive dance, but I'm high as dicks as the captain, and I just get to fucking be up there alone, staring at the mezzanine, and it is such a powerful thing because I can see the audience. During I Drove All Night, I can't see the audience because I'm so heavily spotlit. So it's just like, blech, I'm like, where am I? But during that moment, I'm in this light blue queue, so I can see everyone, and it is really powerful. It's really cool.

[27:04] Jason A. Coombs: So obviously, Victor Garber's come to the show so many times. What's your dynamic with him? Is he loving it? Did he give you any tips?

[27:08] Frankie Grande: Oh, he's so great. I mean, so he came at the asylum, which is the only time that I've actually met or interacted with Victor, and he is just a gem. And I was Irish at the time. I have the Irish accent. I had glasses. I had an Irish accent. Marla was like, why are you making your job so difficult? I was like, I need it. Just leave me alone. I loved the glasses. I loved it because there was a difference between, I was trying to be more Luigi-Victor difference, to have more things that were different. Whatever, who cares? We finally added the captain's monocle because in the opening scene, it says, are you the captain? Say, are you texting me? Oh, no, Marla's texting me. I was like, Say, you're right there. Cold call her. I was like, yeah, we should. I should. I'm helping her with her Tony's dress, so that's what we're helping with now.

[28:01] Jason A. Coombs: Can you give us some tea?

[28:02] Frankie Grande: No, I will not. So, I said to, what were we talking about? Gay? Captain.

[28:10] Jason A. Coombs: Captain monocle. Great. So, in the beginning of the show, he always has said, right ahead, you can see the captain's monocle. He had really bad eyesight, and we've never had a monocle. So, I literally was like, hey, Ty, can we get a monocle for Broadway? Because we've been doing it for eight years with no monocle, and it bothers me so much. And everyone was like, we never thought about that. And I was like, great, can we get one? And they were like, yeah. And I was like, great. So, we have the captain's monocle.

[28:44] Frankie Grande: Broadway budget. I use it in the lettuce scene. It's very exciting. So, yeah, dramaturgy. Dramaturgy, really making this character real. Going back to the research you wanted to do as a survival job. I had the Irish accent. So, I had a very slight Irish lilt, and I would say, like, Rose. And I would say, like, oh, no, 88 knots. No, don't worry, ladies. It's completely safe for Titanic. It's not going to crash, whatever. So, I had this beautiful Irish accent. And Victor Garber comes up, and after the show, he's like, what do you think of the Irish accent? He said, it sounded better than me. I sounded like the Lucky Charms man. So, it was really nice. I love him. He's so sweet.

[29:25] Jason A. Coombs: Shut up. I can't even do this interview right now. I'm obsessed with this dog.

[29:29] Frankie Grande: The dog. Well, shout out to Victor Garber. And shout out, Frankie, that Irish accent was slayed. What you just did.

[29:35] Frankie Grande: Thank you. I'm good at accents. Marla says, I speak people. He says, you have a gift, Frankie. You speak people. Because she's discovering how good I am at accents throughout this process. And so, it's been really fun to, again, be best friends with Marla Mindelle. She's the most fun.

[29:51] Jason A. Coombs: We can't get any tea on the Tony dress.

[29:52] Frankie Grande: No, not yet. Maybe off cam.

[29:55] Jason A. Coombs: No. Absolutely not. I want everyone to be surprised.

[29:59] Frankie Grande: This is her moment. Let her have it.

[30:01] Jason A. Coombs: I know. But we're just trying to get some tea.

[30:05] Frankie Grande: I can't wait to hear her acceptance speech.

[30:08] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, same.

[30:12] Frankie Grande: Let's talk about some of your newer cast mates, like Melissa Barrera.

[30:16] Jason A. Coombs: Stunning.

[30:17] Frankie Grande: Jim Parsons. Did you read the question ahead of time? I wasn't asking. One sentence. What do they bring to this show, as newbies to the Titanic world?

[30:25] Frankie Grande: Oh, God. They bring their own unique take on the character, and their brilliance, and their love of theater. All three of them love doing theater. Love it. Melissa's debut, she is, yeah, exactly. The complete opposite. I think some people in that cast probably love doing theater, just not particularly that show. Right, at that time. Which was, people were always like, did you hate ABBA music from that point on? I was like, no, I still listen to it. I'm obsessed with it. I had the best time. Anyway, Melissa, this is her Broadway debut, and she worked so hard. She flew from a TV show for one day to audition for this. So she flew in, she auditioned for everybody, she flew back to work. And she's unbelievable. That's how committed she is. She's so consistent. She's fantastic.

[31:17] Jason A. Coombs: And she's fantastic in the role. Jim is like, this is the best thing I've ever done in my life. I've literally heard him say these things, and I'm like, that is so cool because you can look at Jim Parson's-

[31:29] Frankie Grande: Four time Emmy winner.

[31:32] Jason A. Coombs: And it just comes back to sort of what we were talking about before, the joy of performing. This is what he loves. And it's so special and beautiful. And that's why I fucking love Titanic too. Yes. And he's just been so wonderful. And then Debra is, we are children backstage. We have way too much fun. So much fun that often our scenes don't go well. Very often. The other day, I just completely laughed in her face. There was nothing left to do but to laugh at her because she was being so ridiculous. And it was just, we had the best time. We have the best time together. And again, another very accomplished recording artist who just wants to do theater.

[32:12] Frankie Grande: Iconic. She's iconic. I love seeing her do comedy too. She's so happy that she's getting to show this side of herself. She's not Aida. She's not playing Lucy the whore, or whatever the name was.

[32:25] Jason A. Coombs: Jacqueline High.

[32:26] Frankie Grande: Is she Lucy, or is that the other one?

[32:27] Jason A. Coombs: No, you're right. Lucy.

[32:28] Frankie Grande: Is she? Lucy the whore.

[32:29] Jason A. Coombs: Lucy and Emma.

[32:30] Frankie Grande: Yeah, Lucy the whore. God, I love Jacqueline High. So yeah, she ain't Lucy the whore who dies. Murder, murder. She ain't Aida who dies. She survives in this one.

[32:39] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[32:40] Frankie Grande: Good for her.

[32:40] Jason A. Coombs: Unsinkable, baby.

[32:41] Frankie Grande: She's unsinkable. Good for her. I love her singing.

[32:45] Jason A. Coombs: Duh.

[32:48] Frankie Grande: Period.

[32:51] Jason A. Coombs: She sings alone, right?

[32:52] Frankie Grande: No.

[32:53] Jason A. Coombs: She sings All By Myself.

[32:55] Frankie Grande: All By Myself, yes. Alone, All By Myself.

[32:57] Jason A. Coombs: Alone is a great Celine song that should be in this.

[33:03] Frankie Grande: I don't think anyone ever thought about it.

[33:06] Jason A. Coombs: Till now, always got by on my own.

[33:11] Frankie Grande: That's all you get. Man, if I could harmonize, I would have loved to just harmonize. If I had a 2 p.m. matinee, I would have to be singing in four minutes, so I guess that's fine. Thank you for that. Yeah, that was great. But I did have a release party last night, and I was skelting at midnight.

[33:24] Jason A. Coombs: As you should.

[33:25] Frankie Grande: Oh, God.

[33:25] Jason A. Coombs: As you should. If everything we just talked about, Titanic, wasn't enough, give the people listening your elevator pitch on why they need to come see the show.

[33:33] Frankie Grande: Oh my goodness. I mean, we gave them so many, but let's put a cap.

[33:35] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, but listen, the world is on fire.

[33:38] Frankie Grande: For real.

[33:39] Jason A. Coombs: We all need to take a break, and we need to laugh. And every single person that comes has said, this is the hardest I've ever laughed in my life. Not even just in a Broadway theater, in my life, period. No one has gotten this kind of release ever. We're giving this gift to the audience every single night, and it's so fun to be in a communal space, a communal safe space, a communal safe space that's filled with community and have the time of your life. And we all need that right now. So come on down to the St. James Theater and have the time of your life. It's that simple.

[34:16] Jason A. Coombs: Do you need anything else?

[34:16] Frankie Grande: Get your tickets. Pause this, get your tickets, and then come back and listen to the rest.

[34:21] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, exactly. Titanicbroadway.com.

[34:24] Frankie Grande: Love that.

[34:24] Jason A. Coombs: Easy enough. For your tickets. Get your tickets at Titanicbroadway.com.

[34:28] Frankie Grande: Yes. So I drove all night.

[34:30] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[34:30] Frankie Grande: We talked a little bit about it. We're coming up on the one year anniversary of your first album, Hotel Rock Bottom. I think Boyz is the single that's just one year this week.

[34:40] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, wow. Good timing.

[34:42] Frankie Grande: And then we're coming up on the anniversary of the album, yes.

[34:44] Jason A. Coombs: I love that.

[34:45] Frankie Grande: So what does creating and releasing your own music give you creative...

[34:50] Jason A. Coombs: Am I speaking English?

[34:51] Frankie Grande: Yeah, no, it's okay.

[34:52] Jason A. Coombs: What does creating and releasing your own music give you creatively?

[34:56] Frankie Grande: You're doing great, sweetie. I know. The teeth, the lip, the tip of the tongue.

[35:02] Jason A. Coombs: What?

[35:03] Frankie Grande: Right. Take three.

[35:06] Jason A. Coombs: No.

[35:07] Frankie Grande: What's different from releasing your own music and doing a show like this? What does it bring you creatively to write the words that you're singing?

[35:15] Frankie Grande: Yes. It's really fun to sing your own music because it's yours. And because when you're watching an audience member who knows the words, it's like, oh, God, they know the words to my song that I wrote. It's very beautiful and it does bring it a little bit more full circle. I meet a lot of people at the stage door who talk about how my music has touched them or how it changed their lives or they just enjoy it. And that means so much to me as an artist and as a creator who has been doing other people's words and lyrics my entire career. Really fulfilling to have my book coming out on June 23rd, Super Gay, my memoir. Which I wrote and that's going to be really powerful. And also have this album out in the world, which I wrote, which is just about my journey. And both of them have a lot to do with my sobriety and both of them are a direct result of my sobriety.

[36:14] Jason A. Coombs: So speaking of your sobriety, how has that helped you survive?

[36:19] Frankie Grande: Survival job. How has your sobriety helped you survive in the entertainment industry?

[36:25] Frankie Grande: Well, it's helped me not die. So there's that. Like actually survive. Like I don't, there was no other option with how dark it got. Like it was death or life. That was it. It was a very clear cut black and white choice. Thank God.

[37:39] Frankie Grande: If I can do it, you can do it. So I'm hoping that the book also, where I really go into the nitty gritty of it all, helps inspire people even more.

[37:49] Samantha Tuozzolo: Can people pre-order the book?

[37:50] Frankie Grande: Yes, you can. Anywhere you get your books. And I did the audiobook, which was so fun.

[37:56] Frankie Grande: And that's available for pre-order on Audible.com, which is so crazy. It was really fun, because it was almost like doing a one-man play.

[38:03] Jason A. Coombs: Was it stressful? Did you watch the Sex and the City show when Carrie was trying to do her own book, because she was struggling?

[38:09] Frankie Grande: It was the most... No, I'm saying it was not stressful.

[38:11] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, I'm sorry.

[38:12] Frankie Grande: No, it wasn't stressful. Like, I had the time of my life doing my own audiobook.

[38:17] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, it's your book.

[38:18] Frankie Grande: It's my audiobook. Yeah. But Carrie wasn't an actor.

[38:21] Jason A. Coombs: That's true.

[38:22] Frankie Grande: She's just a writer.

[38:22] Jason A. Coombs: She's just a writer.

[38:22] Frankie Grande: So that must be very difficult. If you're just a writer, and you have to do... I was doing character voices. I'm singing in the audiobook. I don't have that time of my life.

[38:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: Fine.

[38:30] Frankie Grande: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[38:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: Pre-order it, people.

[38:32] Frankie Grande: Yes, please.

[38:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: So you brought up a little bit earlier that you and Ariana were on Broadway at the same time. She was in 13, and you were doing Mamma Mia.

[38:39] Frankie Grande: Fuck, I love 13. We need a revival of it.

[38:42] Samantha Tuozzolo: We do.

[38:42] Frankie Grande: Sorry.

[38:43] Samantha Tuozzolo: Really do.

[38:44] Frankie Grande: 13!

[38:45] Samantha Tuozzolo: But with the same cast.

[38:48] Frankie Grande: Yeah, with the same cast. One night only. Lincoln Center. Let's go.

[38:52] Samantha Tuozzolo: One night only fundraiser for...

[38:53] Frankie Grande: Yeah.

[38:54] Samantha Tuozzolo: But yeah, let's do it.

[38:55] Frankie Grande: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[38:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: We'll produce it.

[38:57] Frankie Grande: Let's go.

[38:57] Samantha Tuozzolo: With like 35 cents between the three of us.

[39:00] Frankie Grande: Perfect.

[39:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: 10, 10, 10. We'll give you 15 cents.

[39:02] Frankie Grande: Yeah, that would be so fun. Yeah, that would be really cool, actually.

[39:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes, let's do it. Let's plan it.

[39:07] Frankie Grande: Because so many of them have gone on to do such incredible things.

[39:09] Samantha Tuozzolo: For real.

[39:10] Frankie Grande: Yeah.

[39:11] Samantha Tuozzolo: But you both have just carved your way through this industry doing music and film and Broadway and TV. Do you guys ever lean on each other or talk to each other for advice about this whole thing?

[39:22] Frankie Grande: All the time. I mean, it's the same way any brother or sister would lean on each other for advice, you know, like that have a good, healthy relationship, which we do. We're very close. And so, yes, we're constantly connected and asking each other questions and things and, you know, whatever we need in life. It's from entertainment to, you know, what's the best coffee you would like to drink today?

[39:45] Jason A. Coombs: What is the best coffee?

[39:46] Frankie Grande: Well, I introduced her to the flavored Keurig pods, which she was like, blown away by. She was literally like, I don't understand because it's vanilla, but there's no syrup. And I was like, yeah, the bean is flavored. She's like, I don't understand. It was really fun.

[40:03] Jason A. Coombs: What's the best? What's the best?

[40:05] Frankie Grande: Toffee Nut. Toffee Nut, Starbucks, Keurig pod. Sorry. Sorry to the Starbucks haters out there. I am. I'm sorry. It's unbelievable.

[40:14] Jason A. Coombs: Why are there Starbucks haters?

[40:15] Frankie Grande: Because I think it's like it's commercialized. It's overproduced. It's, you know, like you can get it. I don't care either. I don't care. Everyone's like, well, why don't you go to like a mom and pop coffee shop? I was like, because there's 65 Starbucks on my block. And number one, and then the mom and pop coffees in New York City are like 10.50 for a small iced coffee.

[40:33] Jason A. Coombs: Right, which is you can save a whole 30 cents at Starbucks.

[40:39] Frankie Grande: Which is your payday.

[40:39] Jason A. Coombs: It's 10.40 at Starbucks.

[40:41] Frankie Grande: Yeah, yeah.

[40:42] Jason A. Coombs: We'll be sick at Starbucks.

[40:44] Frankie Grande: The ventis are like 7.50, I want to say. But no, but yeah, so anyways, Toffee Nut, Starbucks, K-Cup. That's Keurig. It's not a drug. And I use the Alt-Milk Caramel Starbucks Creamer with it.

[41:00] Frankie Grande: I'm an Alt-Milk girlie. I'm a chai girlie. So apparently there's like three things, like three brands. Every human has the ability to have three brand loyalties. And it's like, you will be loyal to this brand no matter what, like under any circumstances, you will be loyal to this brand.

[41:19] Frankie Grande: And I think Starbucks is one of mine. Apple is another one of mine. And I think Disney is my third.

[41:25] Jason A. Coombs: Fierce.

[41:25] Frankie Grande: I know. I have had fights with Disney. I've like unsubscribed and then like resubscribed. You know what I'm saying? But I've been mad at them and had periods of like abstinence, conscious abstinence, but I always go back.

[41:37] Jason A. Coombs: But you always find a way back.

[41:39] Frankie Grande: Always go back.

[41:39] Jason A. Coombs: You always find a way back.

[41:39] Frankie Grande: Always go back.

[41:40] Jason A. Coombs: I can't think about what my three are. Definitely Apple. We'll have to come back. But it's interesting. Three brand loyalties, but no matter what. It's an interesting thing.

[41:49] Frankie Grande: I don't know. I don't know. Do you have a dream role, collaboration, job that you want to manifest here with us today?

[41:55] Frankie Grande: I would love a job that makes money. No, I'm making money now. I am making money now. Broadway pays well. Thank God. Shout out to Broadway contracts. Thank you.

[42:05] Frankie Grande: But it took a long time to get here. So it's worth the investment. It is worth the investment in yourself. But what is my dream collaboration, dream job? I would love to do something for Apple. I would love to do something for the Apple Vision Pro. I know that only six people have them and I'm one of them, but I love their 3D content so much.

[42:28] Frankie Grande: And I consume it like a little child. Apple Music does so much with artists and live concerts and filming them in 3D and then letting you watch them on the Apple Vision Pro. I would lose my mind if Apple decided to work with me on a project for the Apple Vision Pro with Apple Music.

[42:47] Jason A. Coombs: They might be listening.

[42:48] Frankie Grande: Was his name Tim Cook?

[42:50] Jason A. Coombs: No, not anymore.

[42:51] Frankie Grande: Oh, he stepped down, right?

[42:52] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. Well, I don't know if I stepped down, but I think it was...

[42:56] Frankie Grande: It is time, Simba.

[42:58] Jason A. Coombs: Time for Tim.

[42:59] Frankie Grande: I'll bring it back in a minute.

[43:01] Jason A. Coombs: Okay.

[43:01] Frankie Grande: 2.06. Yeah, we're good.

[43:02] Jason A. Coombs: Okay. We're wrapping up.

[43:03] Frankie Grande: We're wrapping up.

[43:04] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, okay.

[43:04] Frankie Grande: We're wrapping up.

[43:04] Jason A. Coombs: We're wrapping up.

[43:05] Frankie Grande: We're wrapping up.

[43:05] Jason A. Coombs: We're wrapping up.

[43:05] Frankie Grande: We're wrapping up.

[43:05] Jason A. Coombs: We're wrapping up.

[43:05] Frankie Grande: We're wrapping up.

[43:05] Jason A. Coombs: We're wrapping up.

[43:05] Frankie Grande: We're wrapping up.

[43:05] Jason A. Coombs: We're wrapping up.

[43:06] Frankie Grande: Okay.

[43:07] Jason A. Coombs: Needed that.

[43:08] Frankie Grande: 2.06. Yeah, we're good.

[43:09] Jason A. Coombs: Okay. We're wrapping up.

[43:10] Frankie Grande: We're wrapping up.

[43:11] Jason A. Coombs: No, no, no. I just meant I can sing.

[43:12] Frankie Grande: Yes.

[43:13] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. This is the time. I hate...

[43:16] Frankie Grande: We have a 1 p.m. matinee on the Tonys.

[43:21] Jason A. Coombs: Do you remember we did a flash mob of this college?

[43:24] Frankie Grande: We did. Yikes.

[43:34] Frankie Grande: That's what we said.

[43:36] Frankie Grande: It's ingonyama ningonyamamana, which means there's a lion, a very big lion.

[43:40] Frankie Grande: Thank you for that because I've actually never...

[43:42] Jason A. Coombs: But that guy's mad.

[43:44] Frankie Grande: What guy?

[43:45] Jason A. Coombs: The guy who wrote it.

[43:46] Frankie Grande: Why?

[43:46] Jason A. Coombs: That guy's mad.

[43:48] Frankie Grande: So there's a comedian who broke it down. Yeah, you know.

[43:52] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, yeah, yeah. I saw it.

[43:53] Frankie Grande: He got so mad. He sued him for saying the lyrics are too simple and it's weird.

[43:59] Jason A. Coombs: Okay. Because that guy broke it down.

[44:02] Frankie Grande: It is simple. Those are simple lyrics.

[44:04] Jason A. Coombs: There's a lion, a very big lion. That's a simple lyric.

[44:08] Frankie Grande: Jason goes, that guy is mad.

[44:10] Frankie Grande: He's pissed. He's so pissed.

[44:13] Frankie Grande: He was like, the world would have never known.

[44:15] Jason A. Coombs: Right.

[44:15] Frankie Grande: But then you had to go put it on TikTok because the only other person who knows is Frankie Grande.

[44:21] Jason A. Coombs: Right.

[44:22] Frankie Grande: And it's because he did work in Africa and went up to every single person and was like, do you speak Swahili? What are they saying? And eventually someone was like, there's a lion, a very big lion. It worked.

[44:32] Jason A. Coombs: I wanted to ask a question about that because you did a lot of work in Malawi, right?

[44:38] Frankie Grande: I did Malawi, Senegal and South Africa.

[44:41] Jason A. Coombs: You brought Broadway?

[44:42] Frankie Grande: Broadway in South Africa was an organization where we brought arts, education, empowerment into the townships of South Africa.

[44:48] Frankie Grande: Yes. Grew a lot. That was an amazing experience for me.

[44:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: Iconic.

[44:56] Frankie Grande: I was going to ask about that and I took it out because I thought we were going to be out of time. So thank you for bringing that up.

[45:00] Frankie Grande: That's so fucking important.

[45:01] Samantha Tuozzolo: I got you.

[45:02] Frankie Grande: We went to, thank God we had a Lion King tangent.

[45:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thank God.

[45:06] Frankie Grande: Right.

[45:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thank God.

[45:07] Frankie Grande: Because on the bottom I look like an asshole.

[45:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: That's what most people thought it was.

[45:11] Frankie Grande: Thank you.

[45:11] Samantha Tuozzolo: No, you're, you're totally fine.

[45:13] Frankie Grande: I don't know if I thought that's what it was, but that is what we said in our flash mob.

[45:17] Frankie Grande: That was 2011. So don't come for us.

[45:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: Please don't cancel us.

[45:21] Frankie Grande: Marla's in Marla in the improv the other day. She brought up the fact that her girlfriend thinks that it's circus ole, which is like that.

[45:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: A lot of people think it's circus ole.

[45:30] Frankie Grande: Like a lot of people do.

[45:32] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes, they do.

[45:34] Frankie Grande: And Claire.

[45:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: So Claire is forgiven.

[45:36] Frankie Grande: Claire's amazing.

[45:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: She's in just in time.

[45:38] Frankie Grande: Gorgeous human being.

[45:40] Frankie Grande: But then she said that, um, then she said, and the improv Marla went on to say that Claire thinks that the words to Britney Spears.

[45:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: Talk slave.

[45:51] Frankie Grande: I'm a slave for you.

[45:52] Samantha Tuozzolo: Is that the name of the song?

[45:53] Frankie Grande: Yeah.

[45:53] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay.

[45:54] Frankie Grande: She thought that the song was, I'm a slave. I'm a slave.

[46:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: Ole again.

[46:01] Frankie Grande: Why is she so obsessed with ole?

[46:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: That's crazy.

[46:06] Frankie Grande: I'm a slave. I'm a slave. Ole.

[46:09] Samantha Tuozzolo: No, no.

[46:09] Frankie Grande: I'm a slave.

[46:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay.

[46:15] Frankie Grande: We'll get there.

[46:16] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's going to take a minute.

[46:18] Frankie Grande: It's going to take a minute.

[46:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: Put it in the background until we get there.

[46:21] Frankie Grande: Right.

[46:21] Samantha Tuozzolo: But shout out to Claire.

[46:23] Frankie Grande: Shout out to Claire for thinking it's, I'm a slave. Ole.

[46:26] Frankie Grande: No, it's the chorus.

[46:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's the chorus.

[46:29] Frankie Grande: We're still in the verse.

[46:30] Frankie Grande: Thank you.

[46:30] Frankie Grande: Yeah, I'm in tune as well.

[46:32] Frankie Grande: Thank you.

[46:34] Frankie Grande: I love Britney Spears.

[46:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: I know me too.

[46:36] Frankie Grande: Not well.

[46:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: It can't be good.

[46:38] Frankie Grande: Yeah.

[46:39] Frankie Grande: I don't think it's a topic for any.

[46:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: Wait, here we go.

[46:44] Frankie Grande: Okay.

[46:45] Frankie Grande: See if we can justify slave ole.

[46:48] Frankie Grande: There's like another verse. I think.

[46:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: Good job.

[46:52] Frankie Grande: Well done.

[46:53] Frankie Grande: You're, you're a Tyson, Nick, Britney.

[46:57] Samantha Tuozzolo: A Britney Stanique.

[46:59] Frankie Grande: I'm a Christina girlie.

[47:01] Samantha Tuozzolo: I love Christina.

[47:02] Frankie Grande: I love Britney too.

[47:03] Samantha Tuozzolo: We love them both.

[47:04] Frankie Grande: I was thinking your boys video was giving a little bit of dirty.

[47:07] Samantha Tuozzolo: It is.

[47:07] Frankie Grande: It is.

[47:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: Here we go.

[47:11] Frankie Grande: How do you get ole from that?

[47:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: No.

[47:13] Frankie Grande: Sorry.

[47:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: Sorry.

[47:14] Frankie Grande: No shade girl.

[47:15] Samantha Tuozzolo: We love you.

[47:21] Frankie Grande: No, I don't hear it.

[47:23] Samantha Tuozzolo: But, but, but love you, Claire.

[47:24] Frankie Grande: Love you so much.

[47:26] Frankie Grande: What am I going to say? Oh, uh, what was it? Oh, yes. Okay.

[47:28] Frankie Grande: So yeah, boys. So, so it's like, it's really interesting because it's like, oh God, uh, a lot of the pop gay pop boys in the industry, um, that are mainstream, uh, are not very feminine presented, you know, or like, don't, don't do what I'm doing, which is great. But like, but the reason I'm doing it is because I grew up on Madonna and Britney and Christina.

[47:53] Frankie Grande: And so when they were like, here's a budget, what do you want to do? And I was like, be those women, like those women inspired me to be the huge faggot that I am today. And so I'm give it like, I want to do that. Like with my music, you know what I'm saying? That's who inspired me. Why would I be like trade mask presenting when I was inspired by all these women? And the men that inspired me were George Michael and Prince and David Bowie. And like those men were femme and it's like, that's to me so empowering. And it's so interesting to me that still today in 2026, it is not accepted, right? Like it is controversial for me to be in a thong shaking my ass, which don't worry. I still am, um, and always will be.

[48:37] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, of course.

[48:37] Frankie Grande: You want my cock out? Like, let's go, um, cock out those out.

[48:42] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[49:22] Frankie Grande: It's not confusing if you are a person with an open mind for humanity. Love that. And for those who don't know, all the twelve-year-old gays, which may become like 12 or 13, they get appointed a little diva. It's like, it's just pretty message. Yes, and mine was Madonna and then Celine.

[49:44] Frankie Grande: Is it called Madonna or Celine? I know it's, I have to hold it up. I'm actually illiterate, so that's great. I need audiobooks. Yeah, I'm in love with audiobooks. Download mine on audible.com on June 23rd during Pride Month, which is my final question: gayest person alive. Yeah, I win, right? Come for me, I don't care. I will win.

[50:11] Frankie Grande: I love that. I would love that. So you can try to come for my title. You will not get it. You will not get it. Frankie Grande, mic drop. There we go, gayest person alive. Pride Month is coming up in a few weeks, and you've been such a light for our community by being your authentic beautiful self. What advice would you give to our community when the country seems to be moving backwards in regards to LGBTQIA+ and other folks?

[50:36] Frankie Grande: We can't go down the list right now; we'd be here for nights. No, you're right. You're right. Fuck them all. Listen, we're at the point now where, unfortunately, like taking the high road is no longer working for our community. It really, I think, cost us the election. So I think that it's time to get in the weeds. I think it's time to find an organization where you feel like your voice can be heard. For me, it's GLAD, but there's a lot of amazing organizations out there that are advocating on behalf of our community, HRC. And it's like, let's get into the, let's, when they go low, let's go low. Do you know what I'm saying? Like, it's no longer working. Like when they go low, we go high. It's just not working. It's not working. It hasn't worked.

[51:23] Frankie Grande: So do it safely, obviously. That's why I say, like, work with an organization that is getting into this on behalf of us. But if you personally are feeling discriminated against in your own community, surround yourself with community. Like, go back to the community. Like, let's make Pride—I say this every year—but let's make Pride this year be about standing together shoulder-to-shoulder as a community and not so much about like doing drugs and getting 65 loads in our asshole. You know, like that's fun, do that too, but like let's not make that the goal. Like, let's make the goal like finding a trans friend and being like, how can I support you this month? Right? Because the spotlight is on us, right? So, and it's not, it's really on you. So like, what do you need?

[52:08] Frankie Grande: Yeah, and that can do so much more than, you know, obviously what I used to do. It was just rail lines of cocaine and off your dicks. No, I'm like, I'll be praying. No, this is better. This is important. I think that's so important. Like, I gotta give a shout out to the Bridgeport Pride Center, which I am gonna put on the board of because I think it's so important what you said. It's like necessary. We need community during this time. Yeah, and it's gonna be hard. It's gonna be hard. Every year there's gonna be tons of people backing out with funding for Pride. It's gonna be a disaster with, you know, God, the administration. So it's gonna be UFC instead of Rainbow White House. Like, it's crazy. But anyway, it's like, yeah, this is the time when we're past the mic, so get loud. Get mad.

[52:54] Frankie Grande: Get mad and get loud and support your Pride. I'm being nice. Being nice, we can't be nice anymore. More time. No, they're fucking monsters. How do you fight monsters with like pleases and thank-yous? No, I'm fucking work. You know what? It does it, we lose. We lose the election, right? Like, we lost a lot. Yeah, we lost by a lot because we tried to take the high road. Can't do that shit no more. No, fuck it. Fuck it. Fuck them. Fuck them. Fuck them.

[53:28] Jason A. Coombs: Thank you. We needed this. I needed this. Thank you. Thank you, Frankie. Thank you for coming on our show, number one.

[53:35] Frankie Grande: Hey, this is amazing. Thank you so much. We were thrilled to have you, so thank you for joining.

[53:41] Jason A. Coombs: Thank you for having me. I suppose this has been a blast. We always end the show with a game.

[53:43] Frankie Grande: Oh, I love games. Thank you. This is called Because You Quizzed Me.

[53:50] Jason A. Coombs: You like that? Yeah.

[53:54] Frankie Grande: It's gold, Celine trivia. I love it. Oh, fuck. Here we go. I'm famously known for cheating.

[54:10] Jason A. Coombs: Wait, is there a competition or...?

[54:14] Frankie Grande: You got the paper? Me versus the paper? Got it right? I was like, 'cause that's not fair 'cause then you wrote them and you have the answers, okay?

[54:23] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, good. Okay, let's go. And Alan, you have the sound effects, right? If he gets it wrong, oh god, it's like you suck, right? We can get that.

[54:30] Jason A. Coombs: Right.

[54:38] Frankie Grande: Okay, and then if he gets it wrong, it's the do-do-do-do. Oh, that's good.

[54:44] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, that's it.

[54:47] Frankie Grande: I'm nervous. Okay, number one. What year did "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic win the Academy Award for Best Original Song? 1996, 1997, 1998, or 1999?

[54:57] Frankie Grande: 1996.

[54:59] Jason A. Coombs: I wanted to say 98. That's right. Okay, but I thought that there was the 20-year just happened.

[55:18] Frankie Grande: Titanic, yeah, came out in '97, but it won the Oscar in '98. Well, how's it 20 years? That's what I thought. That's why I'm confused. I don't think it's a 20-year. Okay, great. Well, I love this game.

[55:41] Jason A. Coombs: Sure, true or false: the MGM Grand in Las Vegas became closely associated with Celine's legendary residency.

[55:49] Frankie Grande: No, Caesars Palace.

[55:53] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, work. You went to that show.

[55:59] Frankie Grande: I did. I saw her in Boston right before the title. I went to both versions of that.

[56:02] Jason A. Coombs: I heard you gave her the Jewel of the Ocean the first.

[56:08] Frankie Grande: I did, but that was at the National Car Rental Center in Florida, which was a terrible name. Oh, I think it's the Amerint Bank Arena now, which is a worse name. Like, where is McDonald's, you know what I'm saying? Like, where is Starbucks? Better, like where's Apple, you know? Like why the Amerint Bank?

[56:29] Jason A. Coombs: I haven't either.

[56:32] Frankie Grande: Okay, number three. What is the name of Celine Dion's 1996 album that includes the hit "It's All Coming Back to Me Now"? A) Because You Loved Me, B) Falling Into You, C) Let's Talk About Love, or D) A New Day Has Come?

[56:48] Frankie Grande: It's Falling Into You.

[56:51] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, which also has "Because You Loved Me" on it. Yes, and it's the white CD with the blue.

[57:00] Frankie Grande: We love her. Finish the lyric. You ready? Yeah, you're the one who held me up, never let me fall. You're the one who saw me through it all. You were my strength when I was weak. You were my voice when I couldn't speak. Yeah.

[57:14] Frankie Grande: As... yeah, perfect. All they need to do is drop it like four keys and I could be Celine. Yeah, yeah, we're good for four steps and we're good, Marla. Marla, take your break.

[57:31] Jason A. Coombs: Break.

[57:32] Frankie Grande: Yeah, okay. Name the hit Celine Dion song that was from a 1991 animated Disney film of the same name.

[57:39] Frankie Grande: What? She did a Disney song hit? Oh...

[57:48] Frankie Grande: So stupid. In my mind, I was thinking like... I wrote these questions at like six o'clock in the morning, so the wording might be a little weird.

[58:01] Jason A. Coombs: No, no, no, you're good.

[58:04] Frankie Grande: I just like immediately was like, wait, what? I don't know. I didn't think Beauty and the Beast was Disney. You're like, this is a trick question. I did. I was like Treasure Island. I don't know why, my treasure planet. Anyway, go ahead, so dead.

[58:14] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, you got me. You got all correct, but we do have a bonus.

[58:19] Frankie Grande: Okay, good. So congratulations. One more, finish the lyric. Ready? Uh-huh. Could taste your sweet kisses, your arms open. Oh, come on, this fever for you is this burning me up inside? Yeah, I'm a bottom.

[58:38] Frankie Grande: I drove all night.

[58:51] Jason A. Coombs: Listening know where they can follow you if they don't already, which is crazy. It's Frankie J. Grande. My middle name is James, which is a great trivia question. Everywhere, every single place you can get your social media kick or music or anything, it's Frankie J. Grande.

[59:07] Frankie Grande: Opus, opus again. I'm up a Grande on Instagram. You're a famous...

[59:13] Frankie Grande: I was like, you know, there with you. I said, oh, as you know, I can't, I've exfoliated the skin completely off my nose, so maybe clean it.

[59:24] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, yeah.

[59:27] Frankie Grande: Yeah, you don't follow us because you're obviously a Frankie fan and you're tuning in to us for the first time. Give us a follow at survival jobs pod on Instagram and TikTok. Follow my boy Jason at Jason A. Coombs.

[59:41] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, and I am Sammy Toots.

[59:43] Frankie Grande: I love it. Sammy Grande at this point. Yeah.

[59:48] Frankie Grande: You are maybe part of the family to come on. I know you can be too. You can call yourself chit show.

[59:56] Frankie Grande: My association.

[59:58] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, please come to the show. I love you and stream, stream "I Drove All Night." Streaming the book and pre-order super gay. We can't wait to see Marla's Tony dress. Yeah.

[1:00:09] Frankie Grande: Hold, call Marla. Let me make sure that she's alive. Do you know I do one day want to do, you know how they do on Elle magazine? They like call people. Oh, yeah. Oh.

[1:00:21] Frankie Grande: Yeah, Marla would be a great person to do. She would be so great.

[1:00:25] Jason A. Coombs: Well, they did that in Big Gay Jamboree and they tried to get me to call my sister in during the show, and I was like, you guys are fucking nuts.

[1:00:31] Frankie Grande: I was like, go fuck yourself, right?

[1:00:35] Jason A. Coombs: No, thank you. Too much. We love you.

[1:00:46] Jason A. Coombs: All right, survivors, thank you for tuning in to another episode of Survival Jobs: A Podcast. Hey, please like, subscribe, all the good things. We need the support, needed love, and we appreciate you all. Give us a reshare, babe. Happy Tony season, happy season, happy Pride, happy Pride.