Kyle Leon Henderson

At the midway point of 2021, Kyle takes a pause to check in with Ethan. The two discuss how they have done so far in the follow-up to 2020. The verdict? It has been a year that has progressed at break-neck speeds, but everyone is succeeding. After every great disaster in history, there is always a renaissance. And the 20s of the 21st century are no exception. The time has come to lay it all out on the table and place your bets on the future, because the future looks bright!

Mandy Shunnarah is a writer, book blogger, and vintage seller. She is originally from Alabama, but now Columbus, Ohio is her home. She is also a bisexual woman who is married to a man. Not surprisingly this, among other things, gives her a complex relationship with Pride Month festivities.
Mandy also tells the story of the Black Pride 4, four queer people who showed up at Columbus Pride holding Black Lives Matter signs and ultimately wound up in jail. She delves into the divisions and problematic behavior of the organization Stonewall Columbus, and how, through their misguided behavior, a more inclusive group began to organize and is bringing a brighter future for the Pride festivities of Columbus.
Later in the episode, Mandy gives us a first taste of her upcoming book, “Midwest Shreds: Skaters and Skate Parks in Middle America.” Her recent research tour of skate parks across middle America is chronicled on her social media.
@offthebeatenshelf
@midwestshreds
@fixedbaroque

As Pride month progresses, Kyle continues the conversation about what Pride means to others. This week, librarian, Alyx Kim-Yohn comes to the show. Alyx and Kyle have been friends from a distance for years. They share a best friend in common, Friend-of-the-Show Sarah Cooper. The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing quarantine have given them a chance to deepen their friendship, and so Kyle did the only natural thing to do, bring them on the show! Alyx is a librarian who identifies as non-binary and their pronouns are They/Them/Theirs. In this episode, we explore the nuances of being non-binary from Alyx’s perspective, the importance of representation, and the importance of respect. Born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, Alyx has now lived in Columbus, OH, and Nashville, TN before settling back down in Huntsville. They have a unique perspective on Pride in three distinct cities and the differences are stark.

In continuing the conversation about pride month, Kyle sits down with another Kyle. Kyle Griswold. Kyle Griswold is a former college athlete, a former researcher of LGBTQ+ issues, a humanitarian, one of Kyle Leon Henderson’s newest friends, and he happens to be transgender. In a friendship forged through a love of whiskey, Kyle and Kyle have grown to be fast friends who deeply respect one another’s perspectives. We continue the discussion about people’s relationship to Pride celebrations with Kyle Griswold’s perspective on the celebration and education of the world.

Happy Pride Y’all! In one of the most real episode of “Not For Nothing…” Kyle has ever recorded, he talks about LGBT Pride with Ethan. Being raised in the south and feeling like they never found their truest space within Pride celebrations, Ethan and Kyle have very complicated relationships with the month-long embrace of being exactly who one is. For this episode, the two find themselves in the midst of uncomfortable topics, a bit emotional, and very… Real.

Kyle is delighted to sit down with his dear friend, and mentor, actress, writer, improv maven, Samantha Jones. Kyle and Samantha met in 2014 in New York City when he began studying improv under her guidance. In the years since, their paths have crossed time and again. Today, they continue to perform improv together. In addition, they are now writing parters and great admirers of each other’s work. When Sam and Kyle get together, the deepest parts of their silliness and twisted way of looking at the world come out for full display.

HudsonValleyImprov.com
theRealSamJones.com

Beth Zysberg is back!! And she is on the move! She has to decide what she is going to do now that the world is thawing out and coming back to life again. Kyle and Beth discuss their mutual anxiety about trusting the CDC science after spending a year begging people to trust the CDC science. In the end, Beth decided that her next step is deciding what her next step is, and that’s okay!

Insta: @kylelhenderson
Twitter: @KyleLHenderson
https://hudsonvalleyimprov.com/
https://kyleleonhenderson.com/

After several weeks of a partial hiatus, Kyle is back with a brand new episode. so much has happened in the last couple of weeks. His job has changed, he moved apartments, and he had a birthday. Kyle and Ethan do a relationship check-in to see if they are still standing after the most strenuous move they have ever made. Kyle freely admits he is exhausted and road-weary after the year of productivity that 2021 has been. But like everyone else, he is pushing forward with new ideas and excitement.

In this last look back at Kyle’s first podcast, “Kyle’s Friends Are Funny,” Kyle is joined by his friend of almost 20 years, Josh VanZant. The episode was recorded in Washington Heights, New York City in April of 2016. Josh and Kyle met freshman year in college. They had a ten year hiatus from their friendship, which they talk about in the episode, but now they get together at least once a year, usually around Christmas time, to laugh and reminisce and talk about the crazy town they grew up in. During the hiatus of their friendship, Josh moved to South Korea, Kyle moved to New York City and this episode was the first time they saw one another since college. It was as if no time had passed.

Kyle is pausing again for a break from the show, but he is bringing you take number two of last week’s episode. Kyle, as a podcaster, has evolved over the years. Sometimes the evolution in our art can come quickly. Last week he brought you an interview with his sister. This week he is bringing you the exact same episode, but with a more clear vision, and a dinner with his family. Enjoy the first episode of Kyle’s Friends Are Funny.