Third Shift Musings - On The Read Podcast, Part Deux

How Crissle and Kid Fury saw one of their biggest dreams become a reality, and we the listeners are overjoyed

Trigger Warning: Suicide Attempt

If you know anything about me, you know that I absolutely adore The Read podcast. I’ve been listening to Crissle and Kid Fury since 2015 and I have not missed an episode. They are funny, intelligent, driven and huge advocates for talking about mental health and therapy. It’s because of them that I finally went to therapy a couple of years ago and it literally saved my life. I wrote about them in 2022 (read the post here) praising them for being such a light every week for me and so many others. One thing I didn’t talk about at length was their love for the Queen Bey herself, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles Carter.

When I tell you that Crissle and Kid Fury love Beyoncé, it is not an exaggeration. They LOVE her. Like, love her down. When the Queen releases music, they purchase and listen to it immediately and spend a considerable amount of time on the podcast discussing the music, the lyrics (which they break down so well I think Blue Ivy would approve). During the Renaissance Tour (which I went to in New York), Crissle attended numerous shows (lucky) in the United States and abroad. Both hosts have bought tons of merch, including items that were only sold at the show, unlike me who hates waiting in line for anything but regrets not waiting to buy merch. Again, they LOVE Beyoncé . But neither of them were prepared for what transpired.

During last week’s episode, Fury and Crissle spent the entire episode talking about their attendance at Beyoncé’s launch of her new hair care line, titled Cécred (pronounced sacred). Those of us who follow them saw a short video on Crissle’s story, dressed in all white and looking fabulous and moisturized. I listened as Crissle described having her hair washed by Ms. Tina Thee Knowles, which honestly would have made me pass out if that were me. But when they met Beyoncé, I felt like a proud mama.

The level of happiness I felt for Crissle and Kid Fury when they met Beyoncé cannot be accurately described. I was working my overnight shift, as usual, but I stopped to give them my full attention. I had the biggest smile on my face when Crissle revealed that Beyoncé called her beautiful (why wouldn’t she?) and that she was happy to finally meet them. I had tears in my eyes because The Read has been on for 11 years and the work that Crissle and Kid Fury have put in to make it a success is not lost on me. Them finally meeting Beyoncé is so well-deserved and is a lesson in staying true to your path.

Before the episode was over, Kid Fury said something that I was so very happy to hear: he said he wanted to live and grow old. To hear this made me weep because last year Fury tried to take his own life. Thankfully, his attempt was unsuccessful because the world would have lost out on a beautiful soul. He has been extremely forthcoming about his suicide attempt and mental health, which has probably saved so many lives of those thinking about . To see how far Fury has come since then is nothing short of a miracle, one that I and so many listeners prayed for.

I want more blessings like this for Kid Fury and Crissle because they deserve it. It’s wonderful to see Black people get the kudos they have worked so hard for in a world that does not want to see them thrive. Meeting Beyoncé was destined to happen and if I were them, I would gloat for the rest of my life. I hope they do.