Joel Kim Booster, comedian, actor and writer of the just-released Pride and Prejudice-inspired gay romantic comedy Fire Island, joins Matt and Elizabeth this week for Daddy Issues! Joel, who also stars in the film alongside Saturday Night Live’s Bowen Yang, tells us about what Jane Austen and Regency-era England has in common with the impenetrable wealth and whiteness of Fire Island, portraying gay culture and sex for a mass audience via a Fox Searchlight production, and casting Conrad Ricamora as a perfectly dickish yet lovable Darcy. Joel also talks about losing his father to Covid last year and the unrelenting writer’s block and depression that settled in as he grieved. His perspective on the importance of creating a family of choice with supportive friends will resonate with anyone whose bio-families are disinterested or ambivalent about their careers, as Joel’s were, despite his success. Later in the episode, it's on to discussing daddy issues in the news, including Johnny Depp's terrifying fans, Hunter Biden's sugar brother, Travis and Kourtney's homophobic wedding priest, Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson's new movie, and a celebration of a new kind of fish dad. 

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