Episode 358 - Mase’s 60th Birthday, “White Lotus” Episode 6 and Jesse L. Martin from “The Irrational."

·1 hr 1 min·4 clips

The White Lotus conversation turns to Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, and a “black woman” misdirection around Belinda.

Steve Mace and Sue Kalinske start by talking about Mace’s birthday party. The house got a transformation, the guests stood out, and John Ireland’s speech made the point that Mace has an eclectic group of friends. The whole exchange lands as both a compliment and a joke, and the mood stays warm instead of formal. From there they slide into a celebrity-gossip stretch. Jennifer Lopez’s reported crush on Rip Wheeler from Yellowstone becomes the topic. The hosts correct each other on the actor’s name, joke about her wanting someone who looks and acts like that character, and repeat the source claim that she may be expanding her dating pool beyond celebrities and even thinking about fictional characters. That opens into a personal memory from when one of the hosts was working on Sex and the City. She recalls driving past a billboard and developing a crush on a handsome man in the ad. The story turns into a quick joke about how easy it is to build a fantasy around somebody seen only from a distance. The hosts also talk about how some people seem wired to be in relationships. After the party talk and celebrity digressions, the episode brings in Jesse L. Martin. He is introduced as a great guest, part of the original Broadway cast of Rent, and someone whose current series, The Irrational, is on NBC. The conversation stays familiar and easy, and it keeps circling back to Broadway, which the hosts clearly enjoy talking about. Near the end, Mace sings from Rent and jokes that he wants to be on Broadway so badly. The ending stays playful and self-aware, with the episode feeling like a birthday hangout that keeps opening into other conversations without losing its center.

As heard by us

A loose, lively hangout that turns birthday chatter into easy pop-culture talk.

The episode gets its first real lift from Steve Mace's birthday party, where Sue Kalinske and Mace linger over the house transformation, the decorated space, the mix of guests, and the speeches that made the night feel personal.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want birthday-party chatter that tumbles straight into TV, celebrity, and Broadway talk.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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