r/RaisedByHerPodcast

On the latest Raised by Her, Donnica brings some raw, incredible news from her alma mater. Seven Black women just made history by graduating as co-valedictorians, each maintaining an absolute 4.0 GPA over four years. 📉

One of the philosophy majors, Nia-Sarai Perry, was ready to accept an A-minus her junior year just to get across the stage, but her classmate Alexis Sims explicitly pulled her aside, held court in the cafeteria, and forced her to retake the class to protect her trajectory. Ro Nita argues that in an educational landscape that routinely fields attacks on diversity and African American communities, watching the number one HBCU function as a literal machine that pumps out doctor, lawyer, and executive pipelines is the ultimate response. 🏛️⚖️

TIL: The Spelman Seven didn't break the record by competing against each other; they broke it by holding the line together. If your "excellence" requires you to win alone, you’re doing it wrong.

On the latest Raised by Her, Donnica and Ro Nita review the three-hour Roast of Kevin Hart. Ro Nita points out that she went into the special expecting a classic, biting roast structure, but was left completely confused by the bizarre production choices. 📉🚫

Ro Nita reveals that trying to host a comedy roast inside a giant mega-arena completely killed the vibe. Instead of a tight, high-stakes dais, the stage was just a massive, disorganized room full of random individuals that completely stripped away the format's historic tension. Donnica argues that the final product was clearly engineered by Netflix executives to act as a flashy, star-studded marketing activation for the Netflix Is a Joke festival, rather than a space for substantive comedic writing. She demonstrates that when you bloat a comedy show to three hours just to fit in executive-friendly cameos, the art form gets completely diluted. 🏛️⚖️

TIL: Mass-producing a roast for stadium-level capacity completely ruins the room's energy. Are we officially done with the era of high-quality, intimate celebrity roasts?

On the latest Raised by Her, Donnica and Ro Nita discuss the "Dr." Cheyenne Bryant controversy. Donnica points out that people are branding themselves as experts based on "life experience" instead of getting credentialed. 📉🚫

Donnica says that Bryant calls herself a "relationship expert," but her own history—a 10-year engagement that never resulted in marriage—tells a different story. She demonstrates that in 2026, we’ve reached a point where anyone can call themselves whatever they want. She argues that if you wouldn't fly with a pilot who "watched several episodes of Top Gun," you shouldn't take mental health or relationship advice from someone without a verified resume. 🏛️⚖️

TIL: Social media has blurred the line between lived experience and professional expertise. Where should people draw the line?

On the latest Raised by Her, Donnica and Ro Nita get real about the damage caused by parents who skip the "race talk." Donnica points out that she saw firsthand how other Black kids struggled with self-love because their parents didn't have the hard conversations. 📉🚫

Ro Nita reveals that these talks are essential. She says that if you don't provide a safe space for truth, your kids will find it somewhere else and potentially close you out. She argues that even when it feels awkward, you have to push through because the ramifications of staying silent show up in "crazy ways" later. 🏛️⚖️

TIL kids will often seek answers about race and identity elsewhere if parents avoid the conversation. Where do you think most kids are learning these lessons today?

On the latest Raised by Her, Donnica and Ro Nita get into the gritty reality of the Met Gala. Ro Nita points out that while the theme was "Fashion is Art," the real story was who wasn't there. Taraji P. Henson and Jenifer Lewis reportedly passed on the event because they couldn't get behind the corporate environment Amazon has created. 📉🚫

Donnica reveals that Zendaya’s absence was the loudest "no-show" of the night. Interestingly, her stylist Law Roach did show up to dress Lauren Sanchez. She says that some fans saw the outfit as a "statement" in itself. She argues that we’ve reached a point in 2026 where a celebrity’s absence is more influential than their presence on a "best dressed" list. 🏛️⚖️

TIL: The Met Gala has a "corporate ethics" problem that gowns can't hide. Is the era of the "unfiltered" red carpet over?