Alexandra Ashcroft amassed nearly 1 million fans of her tarot card readings and astrology practices on TikTok. But after she found Christianity, she abruptly shut down her account, sacrificing viral status for salvation.
Formerly known as Alex Reads Tarot on TikTok, Ashcroft was so popular she was name-dropped in “<a href="https://youtu.be/29UawRk5nDc?list=RD29UawRk5nDc&amp;t=146">Love Me Different</a>” by Paramore singer Hayley Williams: Endless scrolling up ‘til 3, Alex Reads Tarot reads the sh*t out of me. Williams later <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reels/DaHCWSRRyx4/">amended</a> the line in a live performance as: Alex Reads Tarot, oh my God, R.I.P.
Ashcroft’s departure was a shock to her community. She broke the news of her spiritual awakening in a post. “I noticed that as my faith grew, I began to find myself wrestling with questions that I couldn’t quite ignore,” <a href="https://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/influencers/tiktok-tarot-reader-alex-reads-tarot-loses-thousands-of-followers-after-revealing-shes-following-jesus-c-22501066">she said</a>.
“Over the past nearly a year, my faith has become the most important thing in my life. Through that journey, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting, questioning, praying, and trying to understand my faith more and where God was starting to lead me. This hasn’t been an overnight change. This has been a gradual journey that has slowly changed the way that I see my life and my faith.”
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@whatstrending/video/7655111842905230606" data-video-id="7655111842905230606">
<section><a title="@whatstrending" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@whatstrending?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@whatstrending</a> The internet is completely losing it over Alex Reads Tarot (@yourfiresignbestie)   She just wiped her entire platform, rebranded to @alexintheordinary, and announced she is completely leaving the spiritual space because &#8220;Jesus Christ has saved my life.&#8221;   Now, the entire community is in a total frenzy.   Major creators are calling her out, demanding she delete her account entirely instead of keeping a massive following she built off tarot readings to launch her new religious journey.👀   Let’s settle this in the comments: Is it completely gross to pivot an entire following instead of starting over from scratch? Or should people just let her live? . . . <a title="alexreadstarot" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/alexreadstarot?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#alexreadstarot</a> <a title="alexintheordinary" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/alexintheordinary?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#alexintheordinary</a> <a title="yourfiresignbestie" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/yourfiresignbestie?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#yourfiresignbestie</a> <a title="witchtok" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/witchtok?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#witchtok</a> <a title="whatstrending" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/whatstrending?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#whatstrending</a> <a title="♬ original sound - WhatsTrending" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7655111967031479054?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ original sound &#8211; WhatsTrending</a></section>
</blockquote>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
She then vowed to stop posting occult-related content, immediately retooling her social media handles to read “Alex The Ordinary” and “<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@alexcourageinchrist">Alex Courage In Christ,</a>” where wands, cups, and swords were replaced by personal testimony and Bible passages. It was a total 180 from the goldmine that made her famous. She lost <a href="https://www.facebook.com/christianvideo.kenosis/posts/popular-tiktok-creator-alex-reads-tarot-lost-over-30000-followers-in-48-hours-af/1981556885974121/">30,000 followers</a> in a matter of hours.
“I don’t know exactly what comes next for me,” <a href="https://cbn.com/news/world/ex-psychics-advice-tiktok-star-alex-reads-tarot-who-renounced-occult-jesus">Ashcroft noted</a>, “But what I do know is that Jesus Christ has saved my life, and I can no longer ignore that reality.”
Comments on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@whatstrending/video/7655111842905230606">her video</a> were brutal, with one reading, “To be honest, I never got a good vibe from her,” and another stating, “Immediately unfollowed and blocked her.”
On Reddit, a debate erupted over whether tarot was even considered to be a sin, with some claiming that divination, playing cards, and Christ can coexist. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/tiktokgossip/comments/1uf8tac/comment/otujwuk/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web3x&amp;utm_name=web3xcss&amp;utm_term=1&amp;utm_content=share_button">Someone</a> suggested, “It truly seems like she is in full blown religious psychosis. It&#8217;s extreme and really sad to see.” <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/tiktokgossip/comments/1uf8tac/comment/ott7luk/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web3x&amp;utm_name=web3xcss&amp;utm_term=1&amp;utm_content=share_button">Another claimed</a>, “She’s fallen down the alt right pipeline.” On another thread, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/TarotReadersOfReddit/comments/1ueo848/comment/oto345m/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web3x&amp;utm_name=web3xcss&amp;utm_term=1&amp;utm_content=share_button">one user</a> warned, “A sudden pivot to Christianity is never a good sign.”
But believers welcomed Ashcroft’s evolution with open arms. Host of the “Relatable” podcast <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=26368829009460299">Allie Beth Stuckey</a> posted, “Please pray for Alex … Pray that the Holy Spirit would fill her with the peace that passes all understanding, and would give her the strength that’s needed … People who are making money from bad, sinful content, it’s so hard for them to give that up.”
On <a href="https://www.facebook.com/christianvideo.kenosis/posts/popular-tiktok-creator-alex-reads-tarot-lost-over-30000-followers-in-48-hours-af/1981556885974121/">Facebook</a>, a fan shared, “She lost 30,000 haters and gained the realest love there is.”
“I used to do tarot and my crystals and deity, but guess what, God has brought me things that stuff never could,” another <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@whatstrending/video/7655111842905230606">TikToker</a> added. “He’s taught me more than that stuff could. Now my blessings are 10x more and I’m even more at peace. Don’t knock it till you try it. God is good.”
While speculation continues to circulate as to the real reason behind her change of heart, some who share a similar journey to Ashcroft’s are opening up about walking away from dark spiritual practices. 
One former psychic, Jenn Nizza, offered her perspective on Ashcroft’s transformation. Now a born-again believer, she recalled how mystic cards were for her a “gateway into the demonic,” first gaining a foothold when she was just a curious 13-year-old. 
“When Jesus first called me, first started to draw me, I was a psychic medium,” she told the <a href="https://cbn.com/news/world/ex-psychics-advice-tiktok-star-alex-reads-tarot-who-renounced-occult-jesus">Christian Broadcasting Network</a>. “When Jesus first started drawing me out of that darkness, it was not an instant deliverance; it was a process. At the end of that 10-month journey … Jesus fully set me free and I became born again. [I] accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and believed in the Gospel.”
But Nizza knows the straight-and-narrow isn’t always easy to walk. “Even though the enemy will come at you, the enemy comes at Christians as a whole, the church as a whole, you have the victory in Christ,” she noted in support of Ashcroft’s next chapter. “Never look back, because what you’ve put behind yourself could never have measured up to Jesus. Nothing is better than Jesus. Always reach out when you need support and help.”
While Ashcroft continues to battle criticism in the weeks following her initial announcement, she seems to be restructuring her following by leveraging biblical truths — at least, it seems, what she understands of them so far.
“I cannot say sorry for finding Jesus,” she posted to <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@alexcourageinchrist/photo/7664984745859730710">TikTok</a>. “He opened my eyes to the reality of the spiritual world.”
“When I speak out against witchcraft now, it doesn’t come from a place of malice or forgetting where I came from. It comes from a place of deep love,” she wrote. “When you encounter the ultimate truth, you naturally want the people you care about to see it, too. I accept that this truth causes friction, but my silence would mean I don’t care about your soul, and I care too much to stay quiet.” 
***
This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

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Viral TikTok Star Explains Why She Turned Against Witchcraft

alex reads tarot

Christianity

Upstream

Victoria’s Secret angel and Sports Illustrated swimsuit supermodel Heidi Klum may be the last person you’d assume would have a healthy self-image. But at 53, after adding a few pounds to her former size 24 figure, she’s loving the woman she sees in the mirror.
“What makes a person sexy is knowing their self-worth and knowing who they are,” she told <a href="https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/heidi-klum-on-marriage-motherhood-and-confidence/">Us Weekly</a>. “When people are looking at every measurement of their booties, [or] at cellulite, it’s like, ‘Is this really what makes me who I am? There’s so much more to me.’ It’s about feeling great in your skin and knowing what you can do.”
If it all sounds like she’s just reading a Post-It on her bathroom mirror, this mom of four practices what she preaches. The host of “Project Runway” and “Germany’s Next Top Model” recently opened up about Ozempic culture and whether or not she would ever consider using GLP-1s in cult-like solidarity with the rest of Hollywood’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/demi-moore-doesnt-look-toned-she-looks-like-shes-starving">shrinking celeb set</a>. While she asserts that she supports others who use weight loss drugs to feel good about their bodies, for her, the answer is a definite no.
“I’m not interested at all,” she explained. “I’ve gained weight over the years. I’m no longer a size 24 jean. But I think with age, we look better when we’re not as skinny.”
It was her husband, German pop-rock musician Tom Kaulitz of the band Tokio Hotel, who convinced her to eat a sandwich, so to speak.
“He said, ‘You should eat more; you would look better if you had more meat on your bones.’ I was like, ‘What?’ This is not something you’re told in the industry, ever, because you’re always supposed to be skinnier than you are. When I look back at photos, I’m like, ‘He’s right!” Proportion-wise, I look better bigger.’”
Klum launched her modeling career in the early &#8217;90s at a time when ultra-skinny “heroin chic” was en vogue. Klum didn’t fit the mold. At 5’9,” she was labeled as short, too “<a href="https://www.success.com/how-heidi-klum-created-her-multimillion-dollar-empire">bosomy</a>,” and “heavy.” She was even criticized for her “stupid” smile. She still beat out 25,000 other women to win a television competition called “Model &#8217;92” and has enjoyed massive success ever since.
“When I looked in the mirror, I was like, ‘I don’t know what the heck they’re talking about. I don’t look fat.’ I wore a size 24 jean, and I’m 5-foot-9-and-a-half; how is that fat? I never understood the size zero thing. You don’t exist if you are a size zero,” Klum says. 
“I had photo shoots back in the day where photographers would make me cry,” the TV personality recalled. “You can’t please everyone, and not everyone is going to like what you do, but you have to look in the mirror and be happy with who you are. I did find my niche, and look who’s still here.”   
But no amount of industry accolades could protect her from backlash in the press. Once she appeared with extra curves, some called her fat while the bobbling skeletons of Demi Moore, Olivia Wilde, and even Oprah were propped up and praised for being fit. Someone commented that Klum looked “<a href="https://news.amomama.com/470001-venice-film-festival-2025-opening-day-in.html?utm_campaign=604_1257894&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_term=page_com&amp;fbclid=IwY2xjawTLOaBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeeqyOISVqa6XMkwAsDbgBNFdMB0MlVkRSpe84GOSyBomXyCPhTMFtLWBbhKw_aem_rpfy_FmoKim1f1VLlh6f6g">pregnant</a>” at the Venice Film Festival in 2025, and others seemed to suggest she was letting herself <a href="https://www.hola.com/us/celebrities/20260224885853/heidi-klum-menopause-weight/">gain fat</a> because of her age. Making matters worse, she’s openly happy about maintaining a healthy weight for her age. The nerve.
It’s a stark contrast to the time society spoke obesity to power during the so-called <a href="https://bebodypositive.org.uk/resource/body-positivity-and-reclaiming-bopo/">body positive movement</a> of the 2010s. Weren’t we just saying all bodies were beautiful? 
Klum’s take on her weight feels more balanced and middle-of-the-road than much of what Hollywood is currently trying to pump into our veins. Perhaps it’s an indication that the extreme pendulum swings of diet culture have left most of us wanting something realistic to believe in. Something more akin to good health.
While she seems to be enjoying married life with her much younger hubby (he’s 36), for Klum, the bigger story may have something to do with hormones. With most women entering menopause in their early fifties, Klum could be experiencing the symptoms of <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a65477131/musculoskeletal-syndrome-of-menopause/?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=mgu_ga_whm_md_dsa_prog_us_23624903445&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=23624903445&amp;gbraid=0AAAAACrQpnyToUUMWsMX8qERoB7IIcg5M&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwjvfSBhDpARIsAEiOpStjkF77OJVqO1j0MNyg2pIa985LAwE5Z7lm-WF6VMkH9xiqAsc1QRoaAoVqEALw_wcB">musculoskeletal syndrome</a> as her body loses muscle with every passing year.
Noting that women often notice a weakening in muscle mass and strength, orthopaedic sports surgeon <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a65477131/musculoskeletal-syndrome-of-menopause/?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=mgu_ga_whm_md_dsa_prog_us_23624903445&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=23624903445&amp;gbraid=0AAAAACrQpnyToUUMWsMX8qERoB7IIcg5M&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwjvfSBhDpARIsAEiOpStjkF77OJVqO1j0MNyg2pIa985LAwE5Z7lm-WF6VMkH9xiqAsc1QRoaAoVqEALw_wcB">Vonda Wright, MD,</a> said, “Although it&#8217;s critical at this time of life to make muscle, we make it less effectively.” 
Hormone replacement therapy, targeted nutrition, and weight lifting can be beneficial in maintaining muscle as the body naturally loses estrogen. Wright even recommends low-dose testosterone to her female clients.
“I encourage all of my patients to go on hormone optimization with estradiol [and] &#8230; with micronized progesterone,” she explains, advising that your own doctor can suggest the best intervention. “Women just want to feel like themselves and do what they&#8217;ve always done.”
For the record, it seems that Klum is doing what she’s always done, and more. She regularly <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DYX2-BGhz56/?hl=en">strikes a pose</a> for major brands including L’Oreal Paris, hits the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DYRJwZRBh7t/?hl=en">red carpet</a> whenever she can, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dac8ALAxGXG/">judges</a> aspiring fashion designers within an inch of their lives. Squeezing into a size 24 no longer fits into her packed schedule, and that’s okay with her. She even collaborated with German brand Funny Frisch for her own line of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZzywmMRYS8/">potato chips</a>. 
“I love being with my husband on a beach, eating and drinking &#8230; and swimming through the water. I feel so free,” <a href="https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/heidi-klum-on-marriage-motherhood-and-confidence/">Klum said</a>. “I’m 53 and just getting started.”

Heidi Klum Refuses To Follow The Latest Beauty Craze

glp-1

Health

Heidi Klum

Ozempic

Fans of Matt Fradd’s “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/pints-with-aquinas">Pints with Aquinas</a>” podcast expect the show to mine the depths of the Catholic faith. But a stirring conversation with Boston College Professor of Philosophy Peter Kreeft brought Fradd to his knees.
Fradd’s prompt seemed relatively benign, at first. “What advice do you have for someone watching this, who’s newly married or who is about to be?” 
Weaving an intricate path around predictable clichés, Kreeft offered a poignant meditation.
“Do you think that, when you are very old, and your wife is very old, and ugly, and wrinkled, and fat, and not very bright, or even nasty, that you will still find her beautiful? If so, marry her.” 
It was frank advice from an octogenarian who was married to his wife Maria Antoinette for 63 years before she died two weeks before the interview.
“The last view I had of my wife in the nursing home, about an hour after she died — I fell in love with her again. Here is a wasted, emaciated, wrinkled, suffering body,” Kreeft’s voice cracked. “It’s as beautiful as a crucifix.”
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/pints-with-aquinas-ep-587?elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+Show+Episodes+Carousel">Watch Matt Fradd&#8217;s full interview with Dr. Peter Kreeft</a></h3>
Seven heavy seconds passed as Fradd nodded in understanding, his chin quivering and his brow elegizing his heart. He’s married with four children. His wife of nearly twenty years had recently been in the hospital to treat an autoimmune disease. With any luck, Kreeft’s scene won’t play out for Fradd’s family for a lifetime. 
“That body ain’t gonna last, but the soul is,” Kreeft continued. “So if you don’t love her soul, but just love her body, don’t get married.”
Fradd held vigil over the silence between musings. Whether it was due to the wisdom he’d gained, years into doing the show, or his familiarity with Kreeft, whom he’d chatted with before, the gravity was breathtaking. The moment went viral. 
<a href="https://x.com/benshapiro/status/2077503405539414312?s=20">Ben Shapiro</a> called it, “The most meaningful clip I’ve ever seen on the internet.”
Others described it as “<a href="https://x.com/KristanHawkins/status/2077099882129793206?s=20">beautiful and profound</a>,” “<a href="https://x.com/the_LOOPcast/status/2077484358915543082?s=20">the advice everyone needs to hear right now</a>,” and “<a href="https://x.com/CatholicVote/status/2077069564420952489?s=20">unforgettable</a>.” 
It’s impossible to watch without facing the profound heartbreak of being human. For anyone intentionally missing the point, <a href="https://x.com/thesanityrevolt/status/2077034050322112583?s=20">one follower</a> added, “If your reaction to this was anything even remotely negative, destroy your router. You are brainwashed by the internet.” 
Fradd spoke with The Daily Wire about his conversation with Kreeft, describing him as one of the greatest minds of our time. 
“I believe that in 10 or 20 years, after his death, he will be mentioned in the same breath as Tolkien, Lewis, and Chesterton,” Fradd said. “He has been incredibly helpful to young Catholics trying to understand their faith, trying to understand how to defend their faith, trying to understand why their faith is reasonable. And he does so in a very winsome, sometimes cheeky kind of way. He&#8217;s genuinely a beautiful man.” 
Kreeft, 89, skipped a proposed pint of Yuengling to share a glass of Lagavulin 16 single malt Scotch with Fradd, both more than comfortable with a reflective interlude. “The first interview, I would not have been able to sit in silence, right?” Fradd admitted. “I would have ruined it completely.”
This time was different. “I was thinking of my beautiful wife … It was me just seeing this beautiful old man crying. There were tears there for sure, in the most manly, New England way. To speak after he shared those words felt irreverent. Almost like if we were to pray together, and as soon as we said ‘Amen,’ I was like, ‘Anyway, let&#8217;s go get something to eat.’”
Fradd noted the way in which Kreeft’s words cut through a culture that allows little room for growing old. 
“What he said was factually correct,” Fradd explained. “I feel like Hollywood is incapable of seeing the beauty of a marriage well-lived. If it tried, it would ruin it by pretending that when you get older, you&#8217;re just as beautiful as you were when you were 20. What made what he said so powerful for people is he began with some hard truths. You&#8217;re both going to get uglier and fatter and stupider. That&#8217;s what happens.”
“And then, of course, the line about the crucifix was so beautiful because Christ says, ‘This is my body given up for you.’ The crucifix is a symbol of love spent on behalf of others. To see his emaciated wife like that is to see her body, what she gave of herself for him and their children and their life … Suffering will teach you in a way that words won&#8217;t.”
Fradd humbly recalled an earlier review of his podcast from Kreeft, who confirmed, “Matt Fradd is the best interviewer I have ever seen or heard … he makes you forget you are being interviewed. It feels like nobody is there but him and you.” 
The third, most apparent element is the spiritual realm, which quickens Fradd and anyone with whom he shares this inner sanctum.
“What a beautiful honor to be able to release something beautiful into the sewer of Twitter,” Fradd says with a smile. “We&#8217;re all freaking out and angry about everything, and this zoomed us all out and helped us to see something.”

Matt Fradd Reveals What Made His Viral Moment So Emotional

Matt Fradd

News

Peter Kreeft

pints with aquinas

Weekend Plans is our exclusive lifestyle feature where we highlight the real off-duty routines of the most exciting people in culture. 
This weekend, Emmy-winning ‘Sopranos’ star and host of the “<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ultrafree/id1873411221">ULTRAFREE</a>” podcast Drea de Matteo chats with The Daily Wire about embarrassing her kids in the streets of Los Angeles, why mornings revolve around her dog, and how one little “picture in a bikini” earned her the $75,000 she desperately needed to save her house. This Hollywood icon may be outlaw country and mobster royalty, but she’s totally punk rock. 
* * *
Drea de Matteo will be described as a “<a href="https://x.com/AndymRight/status/1696593084530737236?s=20">MILF</a>,” “<a href="https://x.com/LUVontheR0CKS/status/1695280747886637238?s=20">absolute dreamgirl</a>” and a “<a href="https://www.instagram.com/reels/DOYzqEfkSMX/">booyah hottie</a>” for the rest of time. And she’s perfectly fine with that. 
She joins me on a sunny Los Angeles afternoon from her home office, flanked by an American flag in the next room. Delightful chaos erupts as her rescue dogs Moose, Blankie, and her “Chinese mafia princess Shar-Pei” Lucky Luciana tumble through her eclectic Laurel Canyon house, vying for attention. Drea famously paid off a lien against her home using $75,000 she made in her first minutes on OnlyFans. 
“It was a picture of me in a bikini, man. I paid off a freaking lien in 75 minutes.” She caught flak for the move from Ben Shapiro, among others. It stung, but she doesn’t hold a grudge.
“I got dropped by everybody. In a way that just turned me off so much to Hollywood … All they have to do is tell a Democrat, ‘She didn&#8217;t get the vaccine.’ And that automatically pegs you as racist. You&#8217;re all the things. You&#8217;re a hippie who only eats flowers.”
Drea originally sought out the censor-free OnlyFans platform to host her podcast after being canceled for speaking out against the vaccine. The dip in her income was devastating. 
“They tried to make a story out of it, like female empowerment,” she recalls. “I was like, no, this is not that. I hope you are never in the position that I found myself in at that time. And it was all born out of the vaccine mandates and standing my ground.”
We spitball about her character returning from the dead for a “Sopranos” spin-off, or how a “Sons of Anarchy” reboot might feature her character among the last stars standing by the series’ end.  
The HBO hit that transformed television as we know it, &#8220;Sopranos&#8221; now streams all day. And it’s keeping Drea’s glamorously mob-adjacent Adriana La Cerva persona fresh in adolescent minds. 
“It is like a phenomenon,” she laughs. “I don&#8217;t know if it&#8217;s because, you know, I fixed my face a little bit so I still look the same? Teenagers are skidding on the road in California, like ‘Holy sh*t, it’s Adriana!’ And I’m with my 15-year-old who thinks it’s so uncool … He’s like, ‘I gotta watch it. My whole feed is “Sopranos.”’”
Drea laments the fact that her son Waylon “Blackjack” Jennings — whom she shares with Grammy-winning music producer Shooter Jennings — has watched all of “Breaking Bad” but has yet to crack into a single episode of “mommy’s show.” 
Unlike some other celebrities, Drea welcomes enduring notoriety as part of the deal. I almost bumped into her last year at Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell’s show in downtown LA. I didn’t want to bug her while she was with her daughter, Alabama Gypsy Rose Jennings, but she says I totally should have.  
“My favorite pastime is to give hugs to fans,” she confirms. “I don’t leave the house very much, but when I do — I’m like the Dos Equis guy — I am stopping and taking pictures with a zillion people. I feel like we’re all just this one big universe and that I can’t just shut people out. They love me, and I have to love them back.”
She keeps things apolitical these days, but she dives headfirst into topics that pique her interest, such as geoengineering and the weaponization of musical frequencies. But as a native of New York City (Drea says her father was “offered a button” from every crime family but the Gambinos), I have to ask if she’s personally offended by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani forgetting Little Italy on a map of “immigrant enclaves.” 
“I don’t want to be that person that gets on a soap box about it because that always annoys me, but at the end of the day, we built that city. The skyline, it’s all immigrants,” she says. 
“All of these mayors and governors hate f*cking everyone. I don’t think any of them care about any particular race, nationality, religion. I think they’re all bought and sold, I think they have a script and they f*cking stick to it. He’s the son of a famous movie director. What does he know about running a city? He was hired. I’m an actor — he got hired to do an acting job, too … Maybe I should run for one of these fake f*cking acting jobs and see if they’ll put me in office.”
Drea may be too much of an independent thinker to be relegated to any one box. 
“We are punk rock,” she says. “This is the only version of punk rock left. So if everyone in the f*cking music industry and the entertainment industry is following that protocol, they have left their punk rock credentials behind.”
Nights turn into mornings for the dogs
Drea briefly contemplates her morning routine before offering me the timestamp that’s really on her mind: her college-aged daughter’s latest endeavor.
“My daughter just started driving last week, so I&#8217;m a nervous wreck. What I do is I watch her drive on my phone. If she&#8217;s in the car alone and it&#8217;s late I sit here for 30 minutes if I have to, just watching what street she&#8217;s on, following her phone like a psychopath.” Drea laughs.
“She writes me, ‘I got home,’ and I send her a screenshot of her at home, like, ‘I already know I followed you for 30 minutes.’” Drea’s determined to let her daughter grow up under her watchful eye. “Me and a girlfriend were actually sitting at Norm&#8217;s Diner until four in the morning while she was at an afterparty, to pick her up and bring her and her buddy home. I want her to have that feeling that I had when I was a kid — that freedom. But at the same time, I can&#8217;t really give it to her because I don&#8217;t trust people … I am a few blocks away in a car like a psycho.”
Considering Drea’s evening routine, I’m shocked she sees mornings at all. “Listen, I&#8217;m not sleeping as well as I used to because I am 54 and that happens,” Drea shrugs. But she shares her earliest hours with her longtime boyfriend, musician Robbie Staebler. “We wake up at nine, sometimes we can even wake up at 11 a.m. It depends on what time we go to bed.” 
“The mornings are always the same,” she tells me. “It&#8217;s a cup of coffee, sitting outside on the front deck with all the dogs. The big one doesn&#8217;t stop barking. My boyfriend calls them ‘No reason barks.’ She&#8217;s just barking in the wind, hitting her tail on the wind chimes. It&#8217;s chaos.”
Relaxing into another dimension
For someone battling it out on the front lines in Hollywood, Drea’s a pro at letting negative energy pass on by. “The only thing that really stresses me out are continuous EMFs (Electromagnetic Fields) because I&#8217;m always researching or doing my work on a phone or a computer,” she says.
But when she needs a little rest, she picks up one of the “15 different books” she’s currently reading. “I get my little neck light and a book because my house is pretty dark. I can&#8217;t have LEDs all over me. I&#8217;ll have a bigger headache.”
She’s not kidding when it comes to a diverse collection of reading material, which multiplies as we speak. “I am in all these different dimensions,” she explains of the content she later peppers into her podcast. “I am trying to draw a diagram in my mind and put together pieces of a puzzle from ancient religions, secret societies, astronaut theories, all the different schools of thought, and all the different philosophers.”
“I am reading a hundred different books at once and trying to see where they overlap. People are so afraid of a lot of this stuff and then when you really get into it, it&#8217;s like, ‘Oh this isn&#8217;t really that scary.’”
Quality time with “la famiglia”
Drea’s mother <a href="https://people.com/sopranos-alum-drea-de-matteo-mom-dead-exclusive-8660256">Donna de Matteo</a> died unexpectedly in 2024. In celebration of her life, and hoping to forge new family memories, Drea took her kids on a six-week adventure through Italy and Greece.
“When I graduated high school, she took me and my friends to Italy, to Capri, because that was her favorite place to go with my dad,” Drea remembers of her mother. “We went with a group of 20 people … it was such a beautiful trip.” 
“Both my parents are gone and I was like, I&#8217;ve been broke for a while. I&#8217;m taking a piece of this money and going on a trip with my kids because I don&#8217;t know if the world&#8217;s going to shut down again … and I don&#8217;t know if they&#8217;ll ever want to go with me again. Right now, they&#8217;re still mine and they have to do what I say. So, we&#8217;re going to Italy. Now when they talk about it, they&#8217;re like, I can&#8217;t believe you took us on that trip. It was really worth it.”
But the family already knew how to make the most out of their time together, however luxurious it might be. Especially during lockdown. “We literally ran out of money because of COVID and the foreclosure and everything. So, we did roadtrips nonstop. We would go to Mount Zion or Moab. We spent a lot of time in Utah and Arizona. Lots of national parks and hiking.”
She feels this precious time with her kids slipping away. “Everybody&#8217;s busy. I wish I could get them to do more. We&#8217;ll see.”
An outlaw legacy
Drea describes how she rearranged an entire room of her house to turn it into a makeshift studio where her boyfriend Robbie’s band could record their latest album. Those tracks are still under wraps, but Drea’s got them on repeat. 
Also on her playlist, her daughter Alabama lends keys to her own New York-style punk band, The Pinups, as well as providing under-the-radar vocals on higher profile projects. Drea’s son Blackjack leverages his family’s outlaw country status, with a decidedly unique spin on his rap track “<a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/4mVxkznwq47MmZ927MeSaV?si=e82301e73ae14066">YUHH</a>.” Drea clearly encourages her kids to blaze their own trails.
“We are outlaws,” she recalls telling Blackjack. “I go, dude, you are part of a crazy legacy. From my dad to Shooter&#8217;s dad [Waylon Jennings], even Shooter. We&#8217;ve all gone against the system in our own way. So, this is your life, buddy. Like, you&#8217;re born into it. And you are already a rebellious maniac. So, embrace it. Don&#8217;t believe what your friends say. Find the right people who mirror who you really are.”
She may be a rebel, but Drea lets her heart guide the way. “I lead with one thing no matter what, and it&#8217;s love. I know it sounds so corny.” I assure her it doesn’t. “At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is the connection we have with people, how we make others feel, and how we love them.”

Weekend Plans With ‘Sopranos’ Star Drea De Matteo

Drea de Matteo

weekend plans

Welcome to the Bright Side, a weekly roundup of all the good news and ideas you might have missed from the past week.
***
Okay, we’re officially up to here with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-ranch-craze-just-took-a-strange-turn-and-people-cant-look-away">ranch dressing</a>, but after surviving the longest tournament in the history of sports — and the popularization of “hydration break” aesthetic — the World Cup final is happening on Sunday. If you haven’t watched this season of America Doing Fútbol, Spain v. Argentina will be a great game to play in the background while you’re scrolling your socials. (More below for the girlies who just realized how hard soccer stars are hotmaxxing sports.) 
Just mix enough margs to get through the Super Bowl-style halftime show featuring <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c1wyw9wx19yo">Madonna</a>, K-Pop’s BTS, Justin Bieber, and Shakira, who wouldn’t let an international sporting event pass her by if it kicked her in the shins and got a yellow card.
Tom Cruise will also have something to do with the festivities, along with Jennifer Hudson handling the U.S. National Anthem (this is all going down at the place temporarily not-known as New Jersey’s <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-did-metlife-stadium-change-192825318.html">MetLife Stadium</a>, after all). Even if you don’t love soccer, cheering for sports is good for your health, providing an instant <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/consumption-and-lifestyles/202408/why-we-get-excited-during-sporting-events">sense of community</a> and belonging, and a serious chance of chips and guacamole. 
The kids are owl-right
Many innocent youth may be permanently affixed to Roblox, but others are taking their phones outside for their favorite rizz: <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/07/birding-millennials-genz/687910/">birding</a>. Yep! Checkin’ up on birds in nature isn’t just for your retired gammy anymore. 
It may have risen out of pandemic times, but new tech brings birding to life like never before. The first time I walked around Hollywood recording with <a href="https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/">Merlin Bird ID</a>, I tracked over 20 bird species (I assumed there were maybe two) including ducks, parakeets, hummingbirds, and hawks. After immediately sharing my bird list with everyone I know, I suddenly had no shame about appropriating the leisure activities of the elder set. Being able to name the bird you’re watching pop-off in a tree is great.
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@diabetic4one/video/7662175463149800735" data-video-id="7662175463149800735">
<section><a title="@diabetic4one" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@diabetic4one?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@diabetic4one</a> Bird call request&#8217;s part 2! Keep sending your request, Samuel loves to do them <a title="fyp" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#fyp</a> <a title="nature" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/nature?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#nature</a> <a title="birds" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/birds?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#birds</a> @Bird Collective Shop <a title="♬ original sound - Lori, Samuel's mom" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7662175495420726047?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ original sound &#8211; Lori, Samuel&#8217;s mom</a></section>
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But I would love to know how bird-listening apps respond to one unique human talent. Twelve-year-old Samuel Henderson from Oklahoma City went viral after performing his spot-on bird calls for his classmates. Now, he’s everywhere. “I’ve always wanted to share my bird calls with the world,” <a href="https://www.audubon.org/magazine/meet-kid-who-wowed-internet-his-incredibly-accurate-bird-calls">Sam said</a>. Show me an American crow that does a more realistic “caw” than Sam’s, and we’ll talk. 
Snakes, but make it fashion
I’ll be on the lookout for PETA, but one fashion designer is turning the Sunshine State’s wildest invasion into sustainable style. We can’t all be as elegant as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reels/DaspG_Psw0I/">Kate Middleton at Wimbledon</a>, but we can realistically don the Florida gal fashion that (ahem) “repurposes” invasive Burmese pythons. 
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Spotting a niche market for recently departed 20-foot, 200-pound snakes, New York City fashion school grad <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/burmese-python-everglades-fashion-recycling">Elle Barbeito</a> boats into the Florida Everglades to hunt down her muse. She then preserves and dries the python skins in her backyard, south of Miami. Letting nothing go to waste, she flips her snake leather into boot straps, bustiers, handbags, jackets, and belts.
But she’s not the only one cashing in on Florida’s <a href="https://www.popsci.com/environment/florida-python-challenge-starts-2026/">Python Challenge</a>, running July 10 to 19, where whoever catches the most snakes gets $10,000. One “<a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/16/lifestyle/florida-restaurant-gives-away-free-pizza-in-exchange-for-dead-pythons/">swampreneur</a>” is even accepting captured pythons as fair trade for free pizza. (He also uses the fat for soaps and lotions, the bones for jewelry, and the skin as pepperoni — upon request.) It’s unclear whether the competition will solve Florida’s South Asian snake infestation, which arose from exotic reptile trading that nearly obliterated the <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/earth-systems/blog/florida-vs-the-burmese-python-how-an-invasive-giant-is-changing-the-sunshine-state/">rabbit and raccoon</a> population of the Everglades. But we’ll take a plain cheese to go, easy on the “special” sauce. I think I have exact change in my python clutch. 
Soccer’s greatest bromance
Sometimes you just need a gateway into a sport to appreciate it. For example, I just discovered that <a href="https://x.com/espn/status/2077549968039059765">baseball</a> involves dancing and singing per the Savannah Bananas performance opening the ESPY Awards on Wednesday. Five, six, seven, and — Take me out to the ball gaaaaaame …
Norway and England have officially lost hope in making it to the World Cup final this year, but what they haven’t given up on is love. Between the handsomely talented Jude Bellingham (England #10) and the iconic Erling Haaland (Norway #9), it’s clear the chemistry between teammates (and fans) knows no bounds.
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For the record, both stars are dating models (please see: <a href="https://people.com/who-is-ashlyn-castro-jude-bellingham-12012778">Jude and Ashlyn</a>, <a href="https://people.com/erling-haaland-girlfriend-isabel-johansen-dolce-gabbana-date-night-12019881">Erling and Isabel</a>). Proving that two guys from different teams can forge a platonic friendship in elite sports, Bellingham and Haaland have no chance at the FIFA trophy, but at least they have each other. 
“Welcome to Jurassic Park”
If you were around to witness the jaw-dropping dinosaur reveal in 1993’s original “<a href="https://youtu.be/E8WaFvwtphY?t=131">Jurassic Park</a>,” you probably felt a little tug on the ol’ heartstrings when news broke that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-late-jurassic-park-stars-life-offers-a-lesson-america-still-needs">Sam Neill</a>, who played paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant, died on July 13. 
I re-watched the first installment a few years ago at the Hollywood Bowl with live orchestra accompaniment, and I broke into tears at the first sweeping lines of the orchestral theme. I also wondered if young kids could appreciate &#8217;90s-era special effects and slower pacing. I stand by this: Nothing beats the O.G. 
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When the world seems close to pear shaped, 
When leaders fill you with despair 
When things look dark and dreary 
And love seems far too rare &#8211; 
CUDDLE A DUCK 
[ It works &#8230;] <a href="https://t.co/S3YP5E5eob">pic.twitter.com/S3YP5E5eob</a>
— Sam Neill (@TwoPaddocks) <a href="https://x.com/TwoPaddocks/status/1211440096005672962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2019</a></blockquote>
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More recently, Sam used to drive around his New Zealand farm and share short clips of his life with fans. The one where he cuddled his “gorgeous” duck named Charlie is particularly soothing to watch. His poem feels appropriate:
When the world seems close to pear shaped, When leaders fill you with despair, When things look dark and dreary, And love seems far too rare — CUDDLE A DUCK [ It works &#8230;]  
I can’t help but think of Jeff Goldblum’s iconic line in the movie: “<a href="https://youtu.be/kiVVzxoPTtg?t=26">Life, uh, finds a way.</a>”
***
If you’re watching the World Cup, just making guacamole, or trying to get a duck to come closer by practicing your bird calls, tell us about it in the comments — or send me an <a href="mailto:lbair@dailywire.com">email</a>! I get a kick out of hearing all about whatever’s brightening your day. And I know someone else will, too. See you next week! — Lauren

Bright Side: The Kids Are Owl-Right

bright side

With all the cult-like hype around popular workouts, choosing one to try feels more exhausting than sweating through an actual class. But benefitting your body without damaging your hormones might be easier than you think. 
We tapped experts in high- and lower-impact training to weigh in on the best body-balancing strategies for your routine. Whether you’re into the shaky holds of reformer Pilates, or the sweaty lifts behind CrossFit, nutrition makes a huge impact on results, too. 
You’ve probably discovered that your body changes as you age. But even though new phases of life can create challenges in staying fit, it’s not an impossible task.
Dedicated to my craft — and perimenopause-curious — I committed to trying these two styles of workouts myself. As a CrossFit girlie, I’m used to doing deadlifts, box jumps, and wall walks until I can barely breathe — and balancing macros to fuel it. Pilates, at least for me, was the cool girl I was intimidated to talk to. Until now, when I entered my first reformer class ever.
“It’s not what you think it’ll be. It’s so hard, but it’s also so … boring,” jokes a “<a href="https://youtu.be/MJZsVpXZmKw?t=36">Saturday Night Live</a>” sketch about studio Pilates. “Usually there are eight gorgeous women, one gay man not wearing underwear, and sometimes Kaia Gerber.”
“I’ve been doing Pilates for 20 years now,” Reese Witherspoon’s character says in “<a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/wje14M3rGmc?si=c-G-4qpQXluBMelR">You’re Cordially Invited</a>.” “And my core is a solid-*ss rock.”
I had to find out if this hot gym gossip was true, so I stopped by <a href="https://sessionpilates.com/studios/nashville/">SESSION Pilates</a> in Nashville, along with my Daily Wire colleague and Pilates princess, Lynden Blake. She kindly brought me “sticky socks” so I wouldn’t slip and face-plant on the reformer. These socks would be tasked beyond their intended capabilities.
The soothing studio space instantly calmed my skittering heart (hopefully I didn’t have to know what those rings in the corner were for). A front desk host peeked around a stunning flower arrangement to say hello in buttery tones. Were we also getting massages?
“Moving your body is already intimidating enough. So our goal is to take down those walls from the moment that you book your class,” SESSION Pilates Nashville operating partner and instructor <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lizaaa_myers/">Liza Myers Barnes</a> explains. “Everyone feels safe, everyone feels comfortable, everyone feels welcome. Centering for 50 minutes, yes, your muscles are fatigued, but you’re also rejuvenated within the space between your ears.”
Having come from a spin background, Myers Barnes noticed an improvement in muscle tone once she got into Pilates. “There&#8217;s literally nothing else you can do when you&#8217;re trying to hold your body in a pose. Some clients will notice that they sleep better and they can regulate their stress better.”
It all felt like a total contrast to the “box” membership I have with <a href="https://www.prvnnashville.com/">CrossFit PRVN</a>, just minutes from me and the mermaid pose I would struggle to hold. There, you’re welcomed by a blacked-out warehouse boasting climbing ropes like jungle vines, and rows of dumbbells, assault bikes, and rowers lining the floor in military ranks. 
Unlike the serenity of the Pilates aesthetic, CrossFit rolls in dirty, getting popular for overexerted vomiting and bloodied shins, followed by shotgunned beers and arctic cold-plunges. Less coffee klatsch, more “Survivor” season one.
PRVN is also home to eight-time CrossFit Games winner and the “Fittest Woman on Earth,” Tia-Clair Toomey, who just welcomed her second baby and could kick anyone’s butt in her sleep. 
“Hard WOD, hard bod. I just did 6,000 burpees and I feel great,” a CrossFitter on the “<a href="https://youtu.be/84nSnmSFpO4?t=10">Hot Date</a>” sketch show says just before puking. (A semi-joke. I’ve seen it IRL.) 
But is one workout style better than the other? If you’re deciding between high-intensity or lower-impact workouts, just look to your hormones. 
“Honestly, any way someone chooses to move their body is the best way,” says <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sjradford/">Sarah Radford</a>, general manager and head coach at PRVN HQ. Noting CrossFit’s misunderstood rep for destroying hormones, spiking cortisol, and messing with women’s cycles, she says, “Fitness does put our bodies into a state of stress, but it&#8217;s a healthy stress that causes positive adaptations as long as we&#8217;re recovering properly.” 
Lightly touching on the benefits of maintaining muscle as we age (especially in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-ozempic-side-effect-thats-changing-americas-morning-coffee">culture of GLP-1s</a>), Radford adds, “Menstrual disruption is about energy availability, not intensity. A woman doing CrossFit four times a week who eats enough, sleeps enough, and takes rest days is at much lower risk than a woman chronically exercising (regardless of fitness type) and under-eating.”
That’s where diet and lifestyle enter the conversation. “The right nutrition can really give us a leg up on performance, whether that’s a run, a CrossFit workout, or a Pilates class,” registered dietitian and functional nutrition expert <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ericasedge/?hl=en">Erica Giovinazzo</a> explains. “Getting the right balance of macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fats), along with enough hydration … can impact energy, hormone balance, body composition (gaining muscle and/or losing fat) and recovery.”
Easy-to-digest carbs get you through high-intensity workouts while a carb-and-protein snack easily powers lower-intensity movement such as Pilates. But if you’re thinking about going in with an empty stomach, Giovinazzo adds, “There’s no activity where people perform better completely fasted. Just make sure you eat with enough time for your body to digest.”
“We’ve been so conditioned (especially women) to want to be as small as possible. But the ‘calories in, calories out’ theory is not entirely accurate. One of the biggest things that helps us look and feel its best is actually eating enough to support it.”
“When we under-eat for long periods of time, the body adapts by slowing metabolism, reducing sex hormone production, increasing stress hormones like cortisol, and conserving energy. So what we see is: less strength, more belly fat, waking up in the middle of the night, and feeling ‘tired but wired.’ So if someone wants not only better performance and body composition, but also better hormone balance, recovery, sleep, mood, and energy, they need to eat enough.”
“One of the best things you can do for hormone balance is to eat a high protein breakfast,” she notes. “One of the worst things you can do hormonally is stay in a large calorie deficit for a long period of time, especially if you are trying to get hard workouts in. For most active people, a good protein target is around 0.8 to 1.0 gram of protein per pound of body weight.”
I can report that I feel my best when I’m eating well and enjoying a variety of workouts. Especially when I can share a few jokes, a meal, or develop real friendships with the people in my workout class. 
“Creating a community around you that you enjoy seeing and socializing with makes fitness enjoyable and sustainable,” Radford says. “That community piece matters more than people give it credit for.” 
But no workout is complete without rest days. (<a href="https://youtu.be/LaW4MBwGhF0?t=205">They’re real and they’re spectacular</a>.) Recovery means counting your sheep and regulating your nervous system, not continuously overworking it. “That&#8217;s where our bodies start to live in a chronic state of stress,” Radford notes. “Acute cortisol is normal and actually necessary for adaptation in the body. The problem isn&#8217;t cortisol — it&#8217;s chronic cortisol dysregulation from under-recovery, under-fueling, or under-sleeping.”
Break a sweat, not your spirit. I think this sounds like a good excuse to fill up that Stanley and go (mindfully) crush those goals.

The Stress-Free Secret To Getting Into The Best Shape Of Your Life

CrossFit

nutrition

pilates

<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/11/worst-states-to-live-in-america-2026.html">CNBC</a> just ranked America’s worst place to live in 2026, and the No. 1 spot goes to Tennessee. But looking at the scorecard, it seems one person’s best life might be another’s worst nightmare.
Earning just 64 out of 290 points when it comes to quality of life (it might have gotten an F-minus if it weren’t for that fresh country air), the Volunteer State’s most serious threats to an ideal daily routine are strong families, designated bathrooms, and biology. 
I <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/whats-wrong-with-nashville-everyone-is-so-happy-here">recently moved</a> from CNBC’s <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/09/americas-top-states-for-business-full-rankings.html">17th best state</a> (California, with its redwood forests, cinematic coastlines, and suffocating cost of living) to Tennessee because of cheaper gas, no state income tax, and Southern hospitality. How could the world capital of music and the birthplace of <a href="https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/johnson-city-marion-or-knoxville-where-did-mountain-dew-begin/">Mountain Dew</a> rank below the state best known for entitled nepo babies fighting in Whole Foods’ parking lot and residents contracting <a href="https://lacounty.gov/2026/04/02/public-health-reports-all-time-high-of-flea-borne-typhus-cases/">typhus</a> in the year of our Lord 2026?
Something seemed fishy about these alleged “quality of life” metrics. Among the rest of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cnbcs-10-worst-states-list-shows-hilarious-anti-conservative-bias">top 10 worst states</a> — in order of least to most terrible: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Missouri, Utah, Georgia, Louisiana, Indiana, and Texas — every state on the bad list was conservative.
“If Tennessee was really the worst state to live in, people wouldn’t be moving there in large numbers, which they are,” Florida Governor <a href="https://x.com/RonDeSantis/status/2076420696838701538">Ron DeSantis</a> posted on X.
He’s not wrong. But did I and nearly <a href="https://usafacts.org/answers/what-states-are-people-moving-to-and-from/state/tennessee/">200,000</a> other people who have relocated to Tennessee since 2020 make the biggest mistake of our lives? Placing a hold on my future Tecova cowboy boots in my online shopping cart, I dug into the details. 
On the surface, healthcare, crime, air quality, and cost of living seem like valid benchmarks for a state’s livability. Who wouldn’t hope for unlimited sunny days, good health, reasonable housing and grocery prices, and few-to-no random drive-bys? But add in “inclusiveness of state laws and reproductive rights,” and red states such as Tennessee get slammed while <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/11/best-states-to-live-in-america-2026.html">Vermont</a> wins CNBC’s best state in America six years in a row. (For the record, Vermont came in 47th for homelessness, a crisis it hopes to fix with <a href="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/16/phil-scott-signs-bill-that-will-restructure-vermonts-homelessness-response/">$83 million</a> in services. Guess you only need a sleeping bag to love the Maple State life.)
Tennessee got dinged for laws allegedly targeting its own 300,000-person LGBTQ community (who, notably, have been openly celebrating <a href="https://www.nashvillepride.org/">Pride</a> since 1988), requiring trans-identifying people to use the bathroom matching their biological sex, barring the reversal of that law by individual businesses, and designating June “Nuclear Family Month.”
Louisiana’s reluctance to go along with affirmative action, Georgia’s protection of religious freedom, and Oklahoma’s ban on abortion earned each of these states a poor grade from the uncritical news outlet. 
The report also cited Tennessee’s high violent crime stats, per FBI data, and its third-highest drug-related deaths in the nation, according to United Health Foundation reports. Take Democrat-run <a href="https://www.wsmv.com/2025/09/05/this-tennessee-city-has-highest-violent-crime-rate-country-see-where-your-home-ranks/">Memphis</a> out of the equation, and Tennessee hits closer to the national average.
I have a hard time believing that most people base their location on their preferred bathroom. Remember when we used to have “unisex” toilets, AKA solo experiences with locking doors? How about non-gendered bathrooms? Life’s so good, we’re inventing problems to solutions we already had.
So what are people actually looking for when it comes to the ideal quality of life? Real people, I mean. The ones who go to work every day, raise families, worry about homework assignments and soccer practice, make dentist appointments, and have to mow the lawn before that storm rolls in.
Well, it turns out, most of us agree on this highly subjective measure of personal fulfillment. Are we <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/q/quality-of-life.asp">financially secure</a>, connected to a community, satisfied with work, and pretty darn healthy? Then we enjoy living in our place. When this is easier, life is sunnier. When states make it harder on us (not to name names, Shmalifornia), well, you get it.
“I moved from California to Tennessee in 2022 and it was probably the best decision I&#8217;ve ever made,” posted <a href="https://x.com/SwipeWright/status/2076712668270862805?s=20">Colin Wright</a>, evolutionary biologist and fellow at the Manhattan Institute. “I love it here.” 
For me, the proof is in the pudding. Not only can I see a future in the so-called worst state in America, but I see so many other people thriving in Tennessee and other coastal alternatives, too. Transplants claim they’ve never nurtured stronger friendships, families flourish in safe neighborhoods and rigorous schools, and (thank you, Jesus) people complain when gas prices top $3 — a supersaver discount compared to most major cities. 
And I can’t ignore the comments section. I admit this is a total generalization, but people from coastal cities often attempt to dare outsiders to try to afford elite life among the cosmopolitan tastemakers of the country. It’s like luring someone to a city based on clout and likes. On the flip side, those living in more affordable cities are less open to inviting New Yorkers and Californians (along with their perceived politics and highway-clogging cars) to invade their local towns. 
The population influx changes these gems of America in lasting ways, and not always for the better. I know I’m part of the problem. Well, at least my car is when it comes to morning and evening rush hour traffic. 
About that worst state status, six-year Tennessean and LA refugee <a href="https://x.com/TomiLahren/status/2076524422458925239?s=20">Tomi Lahren</a> posted, “It’s okay we are full, we actually don’t need any PR. We are happy if people … take their Lib sh*t somewhere else!”
Former Virginia state delegate <a href="https://x.com/NickJFreitas/status/2076453598259511610?s=20">Nick Freitas</a> commented, “I totally agree … Tennessee is the worst!! Please tell all of your woke leftist friends what a terrible place it is and that they should never move here under any circumstances.”
<a href="https://x.com/JoeGayHistorian/status/2076716906464092240?s=20">One user</a> revealed his inconvenient truth, posting, “I’m gay. Moved to a small town Tennessee in 2023 after living in big cities all my adult life. My closest friends are now straight men … and they treat me with more dignity and respect than I have ever received from the TQ+ crowd.”
With rankings like these, there’s still hope that the Volunteer State — even with its NashVegas bachelorettes — will remain one of the most iconic states in America, and never turn into Tennefornia. 
***
This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

When Family Values Become A Strike Against ‘Quality Of Life’

Blue States

Red States

Tennessee

If it seems like bananas got a glow-up this summer, you’re right. Already the No. 1 fruit in the world, bananas are leveling up with banana drinks, snacks, and fashion. It’s peak bananarama, and America’s loving it.
I’m not just talking about the <a href="https://www.iowastatefair.org/food/whats-new">banana cream fries</a> set to debut at this year’s Iowa State Fair. (But banana pudding with whipped cream and crushed vanilla wafers over warm funnel cake fries, call me.) 
“It’s one of the last nonpolarizing foods in a polarizing world,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/dining/food-drink-banana-flavor.html">Rob Smithson</a> says of the fruit. He founded the banana water brand Banagua, made with organic heirloom <a href="https://banagua.com/pages/about-us">Thai bananas</a>. “Every demographic, every age group, every culture all over the world loves bananas.” 
Whether or not they’re primed to inspire world peace or take over titans of flavortown like pumpkin spice, Dubai pistachio, matcha, and whatever’s still trying to make “<a href="https://www.today.com/food/trends/what-does-swicy-mean-rcna101010">swicy</a>” happen, bananas are ripe for the picking … and also the sipping, dipping, and styling. 
So, what are we working with here, banana-wise? Well, this ain’t your meemaw’s banana bread. The banana flavor trend got its start on TikTok (where else does food come from?) with the aggressively viral #BananaLatte.
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@feliciaaveklew/video/7514253937629826326" data-video-id="7514253937629826326">
<section><a title="@feliciaaveklew" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@feliciaaveklew?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@feliciaaveklew</a> Trying the viral banana milk coffee in Seoul 🇰🇷🍌☕️ <a title="7eleven" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/7eleven?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#7eleven</a> <a title="7elevencoffee" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/7elevencoffee?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#7elevencoffee</a> <a title="seoultravel" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/seoultravel?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#seoultravel</a> <a title="7elevenviral" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/7elevenviral?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#7elevenviral</a> <a title="viralcoffee" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/viralcoffee?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#viralcoffee</a> <a title="bananacoffee" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/bananacoffee?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#bananacoffee</a> <a title="♬ original sound - 조나 아키 Jonah Aki" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7206942125748226817?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ original sound &#8211; 조나 아키 Jonah Aki</a></section>
</blockquote>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
Deriving from a DIY mix of Korean <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Binggrae-Banana-Flavor-Milk-Pack/dp/B00PJCBM74?th=1">Binggrae banana milk</a> and coffee over a cup of ice, this creation inspired major brands to jump on the bandwagon. Most notably, leveraging bananapalooza for your caffeinated convenience, Califia Farms is launching a highly anticipated organic banana creme almond milk coffee creamer and a ready-to-drink banana creme almond milk latte. Where did the brand get the idea for this sweet and clean addition to the plant-based sector? 
“It’s not some newfangled thing. It’s banana,” Califia Farms chief marketing officer <a href="https://www.inc.com/ali-donaldson/tiktok-made-banana-lattes-go-viral-now-a-500-million-brand-is-betting-on-the-craze/91371121">Suzanne Ginestro</a> says. “It’s pretty all-American and pretty mainstream.”
Maybe it’s a familiar fruit, but there’s an art to turning regular old bananas into something all of America feels compelled to post to Instagram. 
Starbucks may have secretly stopped stocking <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/starbucks-stopped-selling-fresh-frozen-bananas-menu-streamline-2023-9">fresh bananas</a>, but it boldly entered its banana drink era with iced caramelized banana lattes, banana oat espressos, and banana velvet lattes in the U.K., as well as iced banana cream protein matchas on this side of the pond. Banana is also the limited edition “<a href="https://news.dunkindonuts.com/news/spring-2026">flavor of the season</a>” at Dunkin’, where you can add new banana syrup and cold foam to your favorite drink, including the monkey business cloud latte that also features buttery pecan.
<a href="https://kybourbon.com/industry-news/kybourbon-bourbonola-makes-history-again-with-new-bourbon-banana-seltzer/">Lexington Brewing &amp; Distilling Co.</a> now cans Bourbonola bourbon and banana seltzer, and <a href="https://www.drinkwaterloo.com/latest/waterloo-introduces-all-new-flavors-banana-berry-bliss-and-melon-medley/">Waterloo</a> jumps in with Banana Berry Bliss sparkling water. Olipop originally created its Banana Cream soda as a limited <a href="https://www.fb101.com/olipop-announces-partnership-with-illuminations-minions-launches-limited-edition-banana-cream-flavor-for-july-1-release-of-illuminations-minions-the-rise-of-gru">“Minions” collab in 2022</a>, but after selling out in weeks, the flavor hit regular rotation.
On the even sweeter side, <a href="https://www.southernliving.com/m-and-m-s-new-banana-nut-bread-11996044">banana nut bread M&amp;Ms</a> squeeze the essence of a fresh-baked loaf into a single chocolate-coated peanut candy. And <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DZIRXHGRNy6/">Bamba</a> peanut butter snacks now come in banana. Over in the protein-maxxing aisle, <a href="https://shop.barebells.com/products/barebells-banana-bread?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=21485303754&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAoJgM8T-wbhU5F_M8rkxWCS26iMVK&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwsMLSBhD9ARIsAIpUTDq1bsgPaQIHDGaKwCkfg4O7KxDjld5npFsYheIH6qD_0f9ZjRT7M0gaAkcBEALw_wcB">Barebells Banana Bread</a> protein bars make macros taste like dessert, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Daif9xET9so/">Equip’s Banana Prime</a> and <a href="https://www.animalpak.com/pages/banana-split-protein?srsltid=AfmBOoond4x4SsI5PBKt3m8bR0Ewc2R_6cpUTpCm27TRAb9k3y3tI7Df">Animal’s Banana Split</a> protein powders lend the mixable flavor of the moment, and you can chug <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DXZq2iZii08/">Chocolate Banana Rockin’ Protein Max</a> straight from the fridge.
Prefer to wear your bananas? <a href="https://flamingoestate.com/products/oaxacan-apple-banana-body-balm?_pos=1&amp;_sid=1547a30b2&amp;_ss=r">Flamingo Estate</a>’s got you covered with Oaxacan banana body balm, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DW9QHdXlMym/?hl=en&amp;img_index=3">Rhode</a> offers a caramelized banana lip balm, and you can elevate your toes with a creamy, frothy <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/a71885530/banana-latte-nails/">banana latte pedi</a>. Go to Hawaii in your mind with <a href="https://www.thezoereport.com/beauty/summer-2026-perfumes">Nette Mochi Banane</a> perfume that smells like tropical bananas, vanilla, and living your best life.
Not that into bananas? Not to fret, you’ll be Team Bananas soon enough. First, you’ll notice some new banana thing (or whatever, who cares) and scroll right on by — no sweat. But after seeing it a few more times (the golden rule of marketing involves at least <a href="https://bostoninstituteofanalytics.org/blog/the-rule-of-seven-in-marketing-why-customers-need-repeated-exposure/">seven</a> meaningful interactions), you’re suddenly fiendishly adding family-sized bags of freeze-dried bananas to your cart. Just like that, you’re that banana person. (We won’t count the 17 million times I’ve said “banana” so far as part of the scheme.) 
Highlighting the fruit’s <a href="https://abcfruits.com/banana-puree-a-versatile-food-beverage-ingredient/">nutritional versatility</a>, researchers are now even introducing banana purée into the neonatal intensive care unit, using it to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41372-026-02765-z">thicken breast milk</a> and better nourish the tiniest among us. (Big Banana, getting them while they’re young.)
But this is more than a trend; it’s part of a possible revitalization. A movement akin to a fruit-forward renaissance, or … bananaissance. Like a phoenix rising from Kroger using its floppy little banana peel wings and NSFW silhouette, the banana swerved its own extinction. We could be living in an international banana desert right now if it weren’t for the creative pivot of the food we most convincingly pretend is a phone.
The banana we know and love is the Cavendish. The one we lost along the way was called the <a href="https://wellspringgardens.com/products/gros-michel-big-mike-banana-musa?srsltid=AfmBOorPUKxerj-4CrdmZtL6Nu5mioI6mCry3FoitsxufUfxIWaoRyqb">Gros Michel</a>, or “Big Mike.” It seems Mike was too good for this world, succumbing to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/bespoke/follow-the-food/the-pandemic-threatening-bananas.html">Panama disease</a> by the 1960s. Its cousin, the Cavendish, sounding like a snobby breed of racehorse from East Hampton, is mostly in it for the long haul. It’s also extremely vulnerable to disease since genetically <a href="https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PHYTO-07-20-0311-RVW">cloned</a> and seedless fruit is typically meh for, y’know, surviving plagues. The only way to keep the banana vibe going is to ditch agricultural monoculture.
“What I would love to see would be, when you walk into a supermarket, is that still the bananas are right there front and center, but there are ten different ones,” Queensland University of Technology tropical crops and biocommodities director <a href="https://youtu.be/zOiWxHmkxCo?t=487">James Dale</a> says. “Bananas would go from the world’s favorite fruit to even more favorite.”
Still, the bananaverse has massively expanded since Maurizio Cattelan’s duct-taped banana art sold for <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy87202v43no">$6.2 million</a>.
French-Swiss pastry chef Amaury Guichon&#8217;s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yJ3J28ve2hA">chocolate banana</a> sculpture is the colossal opposite of pastry chef Eunji Lee&#8217;s trompe l&#8217;œil <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s397BVbns1E">baby banana</a> dessert at Jungsik in New York City — and I&#8217;d take a bite outta it. If you’ve never been to a <a href="https://youtu.be/n90WU2yklBg?t=2">Savannah Bananas</a> game, you’re missing out on serious bananatainment — especially if you’re not that into actual baseball. But shoutout to Dr. Jean’s trailblazing “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFmr_TZLpS0">Banana Dance</a>” (AKA the viral “guacamole” song) that quietly began the earworm movement that, 16 years later, would bring us the “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig7EKb6BrQk&amp;list=RDig7EKb6BrQk&amp;start_radio=1">Chicken Banana</a>” banger backing every random video on TikTok. When the banana train comes along, you don’t ask questions; you just jump on and dance.
Bananageddon may be on the horizon, but until then, we finally have <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DabK01UOUec/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=AUK-Ue826DKDk9HmhGRC86p">Haribo banana candy</a> at Dollar Tree. Where would we be without it? 
***
This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

A group of Bananas laid in a pattern on a colorful background .

Big Banana Is Coming For Your Coffee, Candy, And Closet

banana latte

Weekend Plans is our exclusive lifestyle feature where we highlight the real off-duty routines of the most exciting people in culture. 
This weekend, former Newsweek deputy opinion editor, bestselling author, and host of NewsNation’s “<a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/batya/">Batya!</a>” show Batya Ungar-Sargon, sits down with The Daily Wire to dish the soundtrack to her $22 fitness routine, make a case for a romantasy fan’s Shabbat, give every other “wine down” a run for its money, and reveal why only love can save America.
***
Batya Ungar-Sargon has her Ph.D. in English literature, but she doesn’t annoy society by describing herself as a doctor. Spending time with her feels like grabbing a cocktail with a good friend, leaning in over a votive candle on the bar top as she surgically critiques culture to uncover the truth. I live for the secondhand buzz of her hot takes.
“I&#8217;m definitely more embraced by the Right,” she notes of the space where she’s most free to think for herself. “On the Left, the second I said, &#8216;Hey, are we really going to be antisemites? I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s a good idea.’ They were like, &#8216;Out to the Gulag!’”
She’s fresh off filming TV hits for the day, penning her <a href="https://substack.com/@batyaus/posts">Substack</a>, and promoting her latest bestseller, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jews-Left-Batya-Ungar-Sargon/dp/0063460602">The Jews and the Left</a>,” following her previous release, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Second-Class-Betrayed-Americas-Working/dp/1641773618">Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America&#8217;s Working Men and Women</a>.”
“It&#8217;s so bound up with my love of America and my need to be part of the thing that&#8217;s restoring it,” Batya says of her advocacy for working-class Americans and her ongoing crusade against antisemitism. “Our best days are not behind us, but are to come. We don&#8217;t have to accept our decline.” 
“American Founding Fathers saw Jews as partners in the creation of this great nation,” Batya says. “There&#8217;s never been an America without Jews. We were never seen as an oppressed immigrant minority; we were seen as heritage Americans. That has been erased because it&#8217;s inconvenient to both sides. I was like, I have to tell this story.”
Currently a political free agent, Batya doesn’t see herself as having left the Left. Instead, she says she was ejected. “They kicked me out over refusing to stop condemning antisemitism from leftists like Ilhan Omar.” It wasn’t long before she questioned everything else she was taking at face value. Still, she knows she seems like a total lib.
“People will sit next to me in bars and say the craziest things and assume that I agree with them,” she explains. “I think because I&#8217;m not blonde, and because I wear second-hand clothes, they&#8217;re like, &#8216;Oh, obviously this person is on my side,’ and they&#8217;ll sit down and just start trashing Trump. I just look at them like, &#8216;Is he really that bad?’” Batya laughs, unleashing her humor. “Just the expression on their faces, the shock, the horror, like, ‘Oh my God, I cannot believe I was flirting with this woman; she&#8217;s so evil.’”
I tell Batya her name sounds like a warrior from the Bible. It turns out, I wasn’t too far off.
“So, the name Batya comes from the Midrash. The Midrash was the sort of secondary commentary on the Bible, and it&#8217;s the name that was given to Pharaoh&#8217;s daughter, who rescued Moses,” Batya explains. “God was so grateful to her for rescuing Moses and saving the Jewish people that he renamed her from ‘daughter of Pharaoh’ to ‘daughter of God,’ which is what Batya means.” Also her grandmother’s name, it suits her. “It&#8217;s kind of an old-fashioned Jewish name right now, so if you go to Israel, you meet, like, grandmothers or great-grandmothers named Batya.” 
But of course Batya is a fearless fighter; she’s originally from Philly. She keeps much of her private life on lock. Which, since she’s known for stirring the pot, means the internet just makes it up.
“There&#8217;s a lot of misinformation about me online because some Indian website created an AI-generated bio of me,” Batya notes. “It said that I was born in Gaza … There are no Jews in Gaza. It said that I&#8217;m worth $3 million … I wish. It also said that I was married to the very dashing Welsh character actor Ioan Gruffudd.” Happily married to the real love of her life, Batya still takes it personally that interviewers only focus on her fake net worth and sketchy alleged origins. “Nobody once asked me what it was like being married to Ioan Gruffudd.”
Schvitzing and kibbitzing
Batya’s day begins with a sweat at her local gym. “I work out every morning,” she says. “I wake up around 6:30 a.m., I have a cup of coffee, find out what the headlines are, think about what I&#8217;m going to write about, and from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m., I go to the gym.”
She loves a HIIT sesh, weightlifting, and resistance training, but she isn’t as thrilled about the aerobic stuff. “I do cardio twice a week, but I hate it,” she jokes. “It&#8217;s a tiny little gym, $22 a month. Everybody in the neighborhood goes there and you see the same people every morning, kibbitz with them, talk to them, say hi.”
To summon the adrenaline, she cranks up the tunes, describing her playlist with: “Jewish religious groups take Bible verses and put music to them. I find that really inspirational, especially when I&#8217;m working out.” I’m suddenly imagining myself listening to “How Great Thou Art” for 45 minutes on the stair climber. “I also love classic rock. I really like Florence and the Machine and Fleetwood Mac.” (Phew.)
She also brushes up on daily news via “The Huddle” podcast just before leaving the gym. “They are so good at laying out what the top five stories are. So, by the time I get home and I&#8217;ve showered, I know what stories I want to cover on my debate show.”
A holy tradition
Batya works Sundays but honors the Jewish Shabbat every Saturday. When I ask about the difference between on- and off-camera life, she says, “You mean something beyond just, like, the fake eyelashes?”
“I go to synagogue every Saturday morning,” Batya confirms, cherishing the experience of reading the same 2,000-year-old Hebrew manuscript shared by Jews around the world. “It&#8217;s like having an outlet and you&#8217;re plugging in. Instead of an electrical current, it&#8217;s eternity. It&#8217;s the most incredible thing, and it never gets old.”
Preserving this day of rest requires some doing. “I get home from work on Friday around 3 p.m., and then it&#8217;s a mad dash getting ready for Shabbat,” Batya explains. “By sunset everything has to be logged off; all the food has to be cooked. We usually host a lot of people for a big meal either Friday night or Shabbat afternoon, so all that has to be prepared.”
She skips the news cycle for an entire day, which appears to be her secret to a balanced life. I’m almost converted to Judaism, just drinking in the details. “It&#8217;s just 24 hours of eating, drinking with friends, sleeping, reading books, praying, and listening to the Torah, so it&#8217;s just the most amazing, wonderful reprieve.”
Citing Charlie Kirk’s advocacy for the Christian Sabbath, Batya recommends dipping a toe into this type of spiritual rejuvenation. “Put the phone in the bedroom and make a meal for your friends, have everybody put their phones away. It&#8217;s incredible.” Soon enough, of course, she’s back to business. “As soon as Shabbat ends, I gotta get back on the phone. I turn on the TV, I gotta find out what I missed.”
A relaxing dinner fit for two
Having cooked for the weekend, Batya and her husband enjoy leftovers before they hit the mid-week takeout routine. Calling dinner with her hubby her happy place, Batya appreciates their sparkling conversation even after being together for 15 years. “Friday night, he wanted to tell me about the Roman Empire,” she says with a smile. “I know that sounds like a real cliché.” 
But sacrifices must be made, especially if you disagree with your dinner companion on nigiri. “I think sushi is disgusting. It’s my most cancellable opinion,” she laughs. “The texture is horrible. It tastes like nothing. People say, ‘Well, that&#8217;s what the sauce is for,’ and I&#8217;m like, but you can put sauce on anything. Why don&#8217;t you put a sauce on something that already tastes good?” Luckily, Batya secures a workaround. “I love sake, so we have a compromise.” 
Speaking of something to take the edge off, she’ll take something in a stem glass. “I do enjoy a glass of wine or two with dinner at night. If I can&#8217;t have it with dinner because I&#8217;m on TV at 7 or 8 p.m., I’ll definitely have that glass of wine at 9.” 
She’s speaking my language on the vino. “I love a sparkling wine. I love an orange wine, obviously a nice chardonnay in the summer, but I love a Syrah. I love something that&#8217;s a little bit more tannic, a little bit rough around the edges. I&#8217;m not into big fruit; I&#8217;m into something that sort of holds back a little bit — this sounds so pretentious.” We joke that she’s outing herself as a wine snob. “If it&#8217;s been a really tough day, I&#8217;ll have a gin and tonic, or sometimes a Negroni. People talk about not drinking. I&#8217;m like, how do you turn it off at night? How do you relax? Like, how do you stop working?”
Getting lost in the story
Batya regularly takes in the news, but when she’s reading for pleasure, she’s all about escaping reality. “I read all kinds of fiction,” she confirms. “Spy novels, mystery novels, romance novels, historical fiction, classics. Right now I&#8217;m rereading ‘Daniel Deronda’ by George Eliot.” 
“I&#8217;ll go back and reread all of Jane Austen in a year,” she confirms. “I know a book is good if Shabbat ends and I don&#8217;t get up to go check my phone. I&#8217;m like, wait a minute, one more chapter, one more chapter.”
With shoutouts to authors Sarah J. Maas and John le Carré, she confesses she’s down for a good romantasy. “It&#8217;s hard for me to read at night, but on Shabbat I could be on the couch for 67 hours just in a book and in my bliss. I love, love, love to just lose myself.”
Deep thoughts for better living
Unsurprisingly, Batya’s always striving to improve. She’s also one of those people who inspires others toward greatness, too.
“I think a lot about how to be a better Jew, a better American, and a better wife, but also how to help people who don&#8217;t agree with me see what I see.” She offers the solution to the challenge. “The only way you can convince anybody of anything is if you convince them that you love them, and that&#8217;s very hard when one side of the political aisle is trying to kill us. It&#8217;s tough. I think about that a lot.”
If you’re hoping for a few words of wisdom from the front lines, you’ve come to the right place. “Never read anything anybody says about you,” Batya advises.
“People have written really mean articles about me. My husband loves reading the comments on videos that I&#8217;m in. Sometimes he&#8217;ll be like, ‘Babe, babe, I got one that you&#8217;ll love.’ I&#8217;ll be like, ‘What?’ He&#8217;s like, ‘This one says she&#8217;s so hot and so evil.’” Batya can’t help but laugh. “I answer to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and if you spend too much time reading comments about yourself, you start to answer to that.”
“It&#8217;s very hard to go out there and say what you think, especially when it&#8217;s not popular,” she says. “One thing that really helps is if you know with 100% certainty that if you&#8217;re wrong, you&#8217;ll admit it. That gives you a lot of confidence because you don&#8217;t have to worry, ‘What if I&#8217;m wrong?’ If I&#8217;m wrong, I&#8217;ll admit it … and then I will be right.”

Upstream_Batya

Weekend Plans With Batya Ungar-Sargon, The Left’s Most Unwelcome Truth-Teller

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Bright Side: It’s Erling Haaland Summer. Let’s Viking Row.

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Sharks

In case you missed it, pop icon Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce “<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/video/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-wedding-just-married-message-appears-on-madison-square-garden-video-screen-266153029920">JUST&amp;T</a>” got married at Madison Square Garden. As we anxiously await further details, let’s take a New York minute to credit the woman who made this whole thing happen: her mom.
“You said something to the effect of, like, ‘You’ve gotta start doing something different,’” <a href="https://youtu.be/nMbTZFAkG6U?t=74">Taylor says</a> her mom Andrea Swift suggested in her pre-bridal era. After at least <a href="https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/taylor-swifts-high-profile-flames-2011163/">15 high-profile breakups</a> (and the hit songs to take the edge off), mom was right to suggest a pivot. And it seems she was right about Travis, too.
In the “mom knows best” move of the century, it was Andrea who first picked up on a potential match when she discovered “this guy” Travis had gone to one of Taylor’s shows, later coming out as a Swiftie on his “New Heights” podcast in July 2023. Andrea knew nothing about the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, so she called up her cousin Robin who was a diehard fan.  
“I go, ‘Tell me about this guy named Travis Kelce,’” <a href="https://people.com/taylor-swift-reveals-who-set-her-up-travis-kelce-11872998">Andrea says</a>. “She goes, ‘Oh my God, he is the nicest guy! And he really loves his mom.’ And I went, ‘Ding, ding, ding, ding.’” 
Taylor had always been a hard pass on sports dudes because she wasn’t an athlete herself. But she soon found common ground with someone who could also hold the attention of a stadium crowd for hours at a time. Mom liked how the first move Travis made toward her daughter involved passing a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it backstage, a gesture Taylor could relate to.
“Then I became obsessed with him and therefore became obsessed with learning about football,” <a href="https://people.com/taylor-swift-reveals-who-set-her-up-travis-kelce-11872998">Taylor remembered</a>. “Greatest surprise of my life.”
Their first date was in <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/taylor-swift-travis-kelces-love-story-timeline/travis-friendship-bracelet-tktk/">late 2023</a>. Nearly three years later, <a href="https://ew.com/taylor-swift-songs-lyrics-about-marriage-weddings-12009859">It’s a love story, baby, just say ‘yes</a>.’
Where would we be if mom hadn’t interrupted Taylor’s dysfunctional relationship cycle using everything she knows about her 30-something daughter? Probably just living the single-ish life at the pop star’s Rhode Island estate with her <a href="https://people.com/taylor-swift-fourth-of-july-party-epic-photos-11988563">#squad</a> of the summer. <a href="https://youtu.be/b1kbLwvqugk?t=48">It’s me, Hi, I’m the problem, it’s me</a> for the millionth year in a row.
Maybe timing is everything, but I’d like to make the case for mom-influenced matchmaking. Yes, I personally know a bunch of happily married couples who laugh about meeting on Tinder. But the original algorithm — your mom — might be the most reliable gauge of character and compatibility we have. It appears that having spot-on maternal instinct and eyes on the back of your head could save modern society.
We used to engage in this style of conscious coupling back in <a href="https://research.colonialwilliamsburg.org/Foundation/journal/Holiday07/court.cfm">colonial America</a> when relationships weren’t about feelings and love. Instead, marriages were set up by families for the purpose of survival, whether it be for financial or lineage-based reasons. To be honest, eliminating “U up?” texts and unsolicited NSFW pics from dating sounds nice. Just give me a few sturdy logs, a couple sheep, and a sixpence and call me wifey. 
One of the most fascinating elements to contractual marriage is how these relationships can blossom into the <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-science-of-love/201208/arranged-vs-love-based-marriages-in-the-us-how-different-are-they">love of someone’s life</a>, even in the mid-2020s. Converting total strangers to lovers, outsourced pairings can produce deep dedication, genuine contentment, and happiness. With all that community support, families pool resources to get out of poverty and preserve cultural traditions. The biggest perk is that it’s all <a href="https://worldmetrics.org/arranged-marriage-statistics/">less likely to end in divorce</a>. Isn’t this what we’ve been looking for?
Despite the fact that arranged marriage feels situationship-y for modern times, somewhere along the line, we left mom out of the equation and decided we’re better off infinitely swiping left and complaining to ChatGPT that all the good ones are taken. Let that sink in. Guys, I’m a woman, I do what I want, and I’ve seen enough rom-coms to know I deserve to be shot in the heart with true love and fall head over heels for an LA 10 who just sold his billion-dollar tech company, has shredded abs and charming wit, rescues dogs, loves his family, can fix anything, plays “Jolene” on guitar, and has a heart of gold. 
If my parents had set me up, I might be living down the street, married to “Steve” from that thing (names and careers have been changed to protect the innocent). But maybe then I wouldn’t have spent all those years trying to love future ex-boyfriends into loving me back (a story for another time, over drinks). 
The thought of having no say in choosing my forever person reminds me of “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxO1zuoQtyA">Married At First Sight.</a>” On the reality show, sex therapists and psychologists rigorously match couples with partners they’ll meet for the first time at the altar. Terrifying. But <a href="https://www.mylifetime.com/shows/married-at-first-sight/pages/which-married-at-first-sight-couples-are-still-together">Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner</a> from season one in 2014 are still happily hitched. And that’s after Jamie cried at first sight because she was so unattracted to Doug. 
As “Millionaire Matchmaker” host Patti Stanger told generations of failed daters, our “<a href="https://1982.substack.com/p/how-the-broken-picker-hurt-single">picker</a>” is broken. If you go for unavailable bad boys or overscheduled Pilates Barbies, this may be true for you. So maybe it’s time to let mom do the choosing. Even if it all works out, you’re not obliged to tell her she was right. (She already knows she is.)
The average celebrity marriage lasts just over <a href="https://www.divorcesolicitors.com/celebrity-marriages-last-just-7-4-years-on-average/">seven years</a>, compared to a normie couple’s typical three decades of wedded bliss. Famous <a href="https://marriagefoundation.org.uk/research/celebrity-divorce-first-and-second-marriages/">musicians are most likely to call it quits</a>, with professional athletes faring a little better. Only time will tell if Travis and Taylor are in it for the long haul, but for the moment, the future looks glamorous (as long as no one trips over that reported <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/nfl/news/taylor-swift-forces-travis-to-sign-a-40-page-prenuptial-agreement-viral-prenup-claim-involving-a-20-million-infidelity-clause-sets-social-media-ablaze/articleshow/132208164.cms">$20 million infidelity clause</a>). Still reeling from the festivities, Travis’ mom <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1433566/taylor-swift-travis-kelces-wedding-donna-kelce-speaks-out">Donna Kelce</a> called the wedding “magical, man, magical.”
“I write songs about love constantly, so I love the idea of it,” <a href="https://youtu.be/nMbTZFAkG6U?t=105">Taylor</a> said of a real-life commitment. “We’ll see how I end up doing with the actual thing.” Whatever happens, we already preordered the album about it.
***
This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

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Lauren Bair