NYC subway repairs are ruining Samantha’s life, Daejon Love allegedly scammed women out of millions while pretending to be a 49ers player, Dolly Parton has us emotional, and AI has gotten so good that apparently we’re supposed to investigate every cute animal video before believing it.

This week on Soft Launch, Samantha Santos and JC Mendoza discuss the absolute nightmare that is trying to get anywhere in New York City when the subway decides it simply does not feel like working. We also get into Daejon Love and his allegedly very successful career of convincing women that he was an NFL player, why you should never send a football player money, and whether getting scammed is technically your fault if the scammer was committed enough.

Plus, we debate unannounced FaceTimes, childhood trauma, Santa Claus, people getting hot and immediately forgetting how to act, and the terrifying reality that the sun is eventually going to explode. Most importantly, we’re tired of being judged for believing AI videos. If an otter saves another otter on my timeline, I’m supposed to just know that’s fake now? Be serious.

We’re touching grass, questioning reality, and doing our absolute best not to send Daejon Love any money.

Follow Soft Launch for new episodes every week.

CHAPTERS

00:00 - Welcome to Soft Launch
00:25 - One Thing About We
01:02 - NYC Subway Repairs Are Ruining Samantha’s Summer
04:12 - The Four-Train Commute From Astoria to Brooklyn
08:24 - Growing Up Around the Sketchiest Characters in NYC
12:13 - Why Samantha Has Officially Had Enough of Brooklyn
13:18 - Samantha’s Secret Table Read and Accidentally Singing Too Well
15:25 - The End of Summer, PSL Season, and Jalen Brunson’s Birthday
18:41 - Performing Comedy for Rich People in Connecticut
22:46 - Why Some Comedy Venues Are Built Completely Wrong
26:21 - The Best Comedy Crowd of the Year and the Ups and Downs of Stand-Up
28:09 - Aight So Boom
28:12 - Remembering Dolly Parton and Her Incredible Legacy
31:39 - Daejon Love, the Fake 49ers Wide Receiver Who Scammed Women
34:28 - How Did Nobody Question the Daejon Love Story?
37:44 - Samantha and JC Admit They’ve Been Scammed Too
40:41 - Why You Should Never Follow a Crying Stranger Into the Woods
44:57 - Touching Grass
45:14 - Why Unannounced FaceTimes Are the New Showing Up at Someone’s House
49:49 - The Childhood Trauma of Learning the Sun Will Explode
51:46 - When Should Kids Find Out Santa Claus Isn’t Real?
54:33 - Why Newly Hot People Don’t Know How to Act
56:11 - AI Is Taking Over and We’re Sick of Being Judged for Falling for It
57:01 - Fake Otters, AI Videos, and Why Everything Online Looks Real Now
59:49 - When Real Disasters Look So Unreal You Think They’re AI
1:01:18 - Wrapping Up Episode 154