Co-hosts of the New York Times podcast ‘Still Processing’ Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris came with some "Top" energy
Still Processing co-hosts Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris standing on the Hot Docs stage in Toronto on Nov. 12 2019. (CanCulture/Brooke Houghton)
By Brooke Houghton
Hot Docs’ fourth annual podcast festival in Toronto closed its curtains on Nov. 12 with an uncensored conversation between Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris of the New York Times award-winning podcast Still Processing.
The culture podcast covers hot topics, films and general societal issues through a queer and POC perspective. The podcast is co-hosted by Wesley Morris, a pulitzer prize winning film critic, and Jenna Wortham, a culture writer for the New York Times.
The co-hosts discussed “top” and “bottom” energy, the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich, anal pleasure and personal anecdotes of uncomfortable racial situations from hair touching to personal style.
The show opened with Morris and Wortham emerging from the audience and playfully dancing their way upstage and into their seats.
After a warm and quippy introduction about Wortham googling 'Hot Toronto news' Morris transitioned into a personal experience of his from earlier in the week.
Morris recalled shopping in a small store where he was the only customer and the cashier started to play Solange's song Don’t Touch My Hair.
"It was so weird!" said Morris. "… It was like she wanted me to know she knew not to touch my hair."
Wortham chimed in on this issue with her own experiences of dealing with people asking, "Where is that from? I must have it!" (imagine a bad French accent) about her lock-pad necklace and personal style in general.
She went on to suggest that these occurrences are manifestations of white guilt. Where although their intentions may be to show solidarity, their execution is uncomfortable, to say the least.
This conversational discussion shines a light on a serious issue in a relatable, funny and empathetic way that listeners of Still Processing are more than familiar with.
The pair quickly moved on to an interactive game in which the audience had to decide whether the meaning behind a photo had “top” or “bottom” energy.
Their first image was a zoomed-in photo of Mark Zuckerberg's hairline. The energy in question? His barber. The audience immediately took to the game and energetically participated in screaming, “Top!”, “Bottom!”, whooping and generally having a great time.
Other notable contestants on Top or Bottom included the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich, Frank Ocean’s "Prep" party, the Joker dancing, and the Trump impeachment informant.
Wortham and Morris closed the show with a Q&A from the audience where they talked about how anal pleasure does not make you gay, queer identity and who can identify as queer, and the current books they're reading.
On stage the co-stars proved their infectious charisma is not limited to their scripted podcast but simply inherent in their dynamic.
Still Processing just wrapped up its second season and will be returning for a third season with the New York Times in 2020.