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Doing It My Way
From Juggernaut Podcast to TV Debut, Crissle West of ‘The Read’ Always Keeps it Real
Breaking new ground with a TV show, the host talks about her dream guests, the value of therapy, and why you should never discount her work
Doing It My Way is a candid ZORA Q&A series with newsmakers and changemakers in our community who are charting their own paths with conviction and defying convention.
Crissle West and Kid Fury launched The Read in March 2013 — six and a half years ago by most calendars, but a lifetime ago in podcast years. Although today it seems like you’re nobody if you don’t have a podcast, the friends began dispensing weekly episodes about pop culture and life as New York City transplants back when it seemed like nobody had a podcast. Since then, they’ve grown the show’s audience to 1.5 million unique listens a month, regularly sells out live shows, and are now launching a TV show, The Read with Kid Fury & Crissle, debuting Friday night.
West has long been loved by fans for her hilarious takes, the unapologetic way she reps for Black queer women, and her signature raucous laugh — a cackle, really — that punctuates every episode of The Read. These days West has gone even deeper, opening up about personal traumas and offering fans a more vulnerable side of herself, a result of her experience with therapy and her desire to help others heal.
We caught up with the 37-year-old Oklahoma native in the days leading up to her takeover of another sphere — late night — to discuss fame, therapy, and the future.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
ZORA: First, congratulations on the show. I’m a longtime listener, and you’ve said many times on the pod that “fame is trash.” So what are your feelings about fame today, as you’re on the verge of becoming a TV star?
Crissle West: I still think fame is not ideal but that’s because of the way people treat celebrities and the way celebrities are put on this pedestal in our…
