This story is part of I’m So Obsessed (subscribe here), our podcast featuring interviews with actors, artists, celebrities and creative types about their work, career and current obsessions.
Writer, comic and actor Phoebe Robinson, like many aspiring artists, struggled financially for a long time. Even when her podcast, Two Dope Queens, which she hosted with Jessica Williams, gained some success, she was still broke. Luckily for us, she shares her struggles in the new series Everything’s Trash on Freeform TV and Hulu. The show follows a fictional version of Robinson (whom she calls “TV Phoebe”) who hosts a podcast and tries to figure out adulthood as her brother launches a political campaign.
Moses Storm and Phoebe Robinson in Everything’s Trash.
Giovanni Rufino/Freeform“I really wanted to show that journey of what it can be like to work, even in an industry where, front-facing, it seems like everything’s amazing. And then behind the scenes there are moments where I was late on my rent, or I didn’t know when my next freelance gig was coming,” said Robinson discussing Everything’s Trash during an interview on CNET’s I’m So Obsessed podcast. “I wanted to have that baked into the show because a lot of shows are in New York, and they have this aspirational vibe that can veer into just pure fantasy.”
Everything’s Trash is based on Robinson’s 2018 New York Times best-selling book Everything’s Trash, But It’s Okay. The idea behind the book was to counter the anger and divisiveness in our country and culture by being vulnerable, flaws and all.
“I wrote the book in 2018 because I felt like this country was so angry. There was just a lot of heaviness in the air. And I just wanted to be like, ‘Listen, everything’s trash. We’re all trash. We all have flaws. We all make mistakes. So let’s acknowledge it so maybe we could come out the other side, and maybe work together,'” said Robinson.
You can listen to my entire conversation with Robinson in the podcast player above. She discusses the challenge of writing, producing and starring in her own TV show. Robinson also explains why we need more series like Ted Lasso or Abbott Elementary that aren’t based in cynicism.
Subscribe to I’m So Obsessed on your favorite podcast app. In each episode, Connie Guglielmo or I catch up with an artist, actor or creator to learn about work, career and current obsessions.
