Drew Afualo Can't Stop Digging + Bethenny’s $42 bagel + Stephen A.'s Thumbs Down

<p>Drew Afualo&#39;s damage control is making things worse, not better — I&#39;m breaking down where it went wrong. </p><p><br></p><p>Then: Bethenny Frankel&#39;s $42 bagel and what it says about diet culture&#39;s rebrand, the BookTok drama I accidentally started this week, and why the NABJ gave Stephen A. Smith a thumbs down award. </p><p><br></p><p>Let&#39;s get into it.</p><p><br></p><p>Subscribe for monthly bonus episodes:</p><p>https://www.patreon.com/c/queenthingspod</p><p>https://queenthings.substack.com/</p><p><br></p><p>Join the conversation:</p><p>TikTok -@queenthingspod⁠,⁠ @iam_kjmiller⁠</p><p>YouTube - www.youtube.com/@iamkjmiller</p><p>IG:⁠@kjmiller</p><p><br></p><p>Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/200570826-kj-miller"><u>https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/200570826-kj-miller</u></a></p><p><br></p><p>References:</p><p>Lemme Fix It! Podcast:</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FixItpod"><u>https://www.youtube.com/@FixItpod</u></a></p><p><br></p><p>The Kara Goldin Show:</p><p><a href="https://karagoldin.com/podcast/"><u>https://karagoldin.com/podcast/</u></a></p><p><br></p><p>Drew Afualo and ER Fightmaster:</p><p><a href="https://www.them.us/entertainment/celebrity/controversy-drew-afualo-er-fightmaster"><u>https://www.them.us/entertainment/celebrity/controversy-drew-afualo-er-fightmaster</u></a></p><p><br></p><p>Bethenny Frankel’s Cafe in the Hamptons:</p><p><a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/91591361/bethenny-frankel-supermodel-cafe-response-skinny-culture-back"><u>https://www.fastcompany.com/91591361/bethenny-frankel-supermodel-cafe-response-skinny-culture-back</u></a></p><p><br></p><p>My TikTok on BookTok:</p><p><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@iam_kjmiller/video/7675084494814153997?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7626447009641842206"><u>https://www.tiktok.com/@iam_kjmiller/video/7675084494814153997?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id=7626447009641842206</u></a></p><p><br></p><p>Authors of Color I’d recommend:</p><p>Kennedy Ryan:</p><p><a href="https://kennedyryanwrites.com/"><u>https://kennedyryanwrites.com/</u></a></p><p>Tia Williams:</p><p><a href="https://www.tiawilliamswrites.com/"><u>https://www.tiawilliamswrites.com/</u></a></p><p>Ashton Lattimore:</p><p><a href="https://www.ashtonlattimore.com/"><u>https://www.ashtonlattimore.com/</u></a></p><p>S.A. Cosby:</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._A._Cosby"><u>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._A._Cosby</u></a></p><p>Tayari Jones:</p><p><a href="https://www.tayarijones.com/"><u>https://www.tayarijones.com/</u></a></p><p>Addie E. Citchens:</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addie_E._Citchens"><u>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addie_E._Citchens</u></a></p><p>Abby Jimenez:</p><p><a href="https://www.authorabbyjimenez.com/"><u>https://www.authorabbyjimenez.com/</u></a></p><p>R.F. Kuang:</p><p><a href="https://www.rfkuang.com/"><u>https://www.rfkuang.com/</u></a></p><p>Elaine Chou:</p><p><a href="https://www.elainehsiehchou.com/"><u>https://www.elainehsiehchou.com/</u></a></p><p><br></p><p>NABJ Gives Stephen A. Smith Thumbs Down:</p><p><a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2026-08-16/stephen-a-smith-lashes-out-after-receiving-nabj-thumbs-down-award"><u>https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2026-08-16/stephen-a-smith-lashes-out-after-receiving-nabj-thumbs-down-award</u></a></p><p><br></p><p>What I’m Reading:</p><p>The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah:</p><p><a href="https://kristinhannah.com/books/the-great-alone/"><u>https://kristinhannah.com/books/the-great-alone/</u></a></p><p>Dominion, by Addie E. Citchens:</p><p><a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374609337/dominion/"><u>https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374609337/dominion/</u></a></p><p>The True Love Experiment, by Christina Lauren:</p><p><a href="https://christinalaurenbooks.com/books/the-true-love-experiment/"><u>https://christinalaurenbooks.com/books/the-true-love-experiment/</u></a><br></p>