I’ve been spending my quarantine down in Florida with my dad; I coincidentally arrived here for a visit right before everything hit the fan. It’s weird, but I’m so glad I’m not in the city or cooped up by myself in my studio apartment. I would definitely have lost my mind by now.
My plan for 4/20? Gummy it up and do Playboy Live with adult star and cannabis connoisseur Ana Foxxx. Edibles are my favorite way to consume THC—and cannabis has been a good alternative to drinking. I try not to drink more than twice a week, and obviously during this time it has been hard to limit myself. When I need to relax, edibles are an option that, unlike alcohol, doesn’t affect my body negatively at all.
I’m excited about my Playboy Live event because my ultimate plan is to be an on-air personality. I love interviewing people and having meaningful conversations.
I got my first taste when my mom enrolled me in a summer program for broadcast journalism at American University when I was 15. From then on, it was pretty evident that it would be my major in college, which it was. I also studied music, business and art history. Those are the things I really enjoy writing and talking about; hard news can get so depressing and daunting. Look at CNN right now. I saw our White House correspondent, Brian Karem, getting cursed out by Donald Trump the other day. It’s just way too much.
I never wanted to go the traditional route in broadcast journalism, which would have landed me in the middle of Minnesota or Arkansas in order to get on a network station. Around the time I was deciding how to pursue this career, my mom passed and I became responsible for my grandparents. So the thought of being that far from the East Coast was nerve-racking. I spent lots of time trying to sort out how else I could reach this goal.
Then there was the rise of the Instagram influencer. I figured, Why don’t I try modeling, getting my followers together and building some recognition first? When I’m ready to pitch talk shows or content, I’ll have a built-in set of viewers and readers already in place. I wanted to use my platform as ammunition so I could say, “Hey, this is my background. This is what I have to offer. This is what I want to do.”
Sometime down the road, I want to do a docuseries about how people got to where they are. We have such an unrealistic perspective on celebrities—that they’re not human and they’re these princes among men. I want to humanize them again and learn what life was like when they were just Joe down the street. What three celebrities would I interview if I could? Cardi B, Denzel Washington—and I get stuck between Cher and Stevie Nicks.
It’s just so fascinating. Everyone has a story to tell.
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