Why was Dolly Parton loved by people across generations, musical genres and communities that might not otherwise appear to have much in common?

In the first mini bonus episode of Dude, Tengo Chisme, Maribel Lara and Aimée Thorne-Thomsen celebrate Dolly Parton ahead of Dolly Day on September 25, a date inspired by her iconic song “9 to 5.”

For both Maribel and Aimée, Dolly had been part of the cultural landscape for almost as long as they could remember. Their mothers and grandmothers introduced them to country music alongside the pop, disco, rock and early hip-hop playing in their New York City homes. Dolly arrived through vinyl records, variety shows, movies and songs that crossed far beyond the boundaries of country music.

They revisit the Dolly-and-Whitney dance party they attended together in Las Vegas and the childhood memories that made songs like “Jolene,” “The Bargain Store” and “9 to 5” part of their lives.

Maribel reflects on watching 9 to 5 as an early feminist awakening. The film showed three very different women confronting sexism in the workplace and imagining what a company could become if women were allowed to lead. Dolly’s character was feminine, funny, underestimated, whip-smart and unwilling to be disrespected, much like Dolly herself.

Aimée confesses that she initially resisted Whitney Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You” because she knew and loved it as a Dolly Parton song first. That eventually became another example of Dolly’s brilliance: she could create stories other artists made their own without losing the emotional truth at their center. They also discuss Beyoncé’s reimagining of “Jolene” and what both versions reveal about the reach of Dolly’s songwriting.

But Dolly’s legacy extended far beyond entertainment.

Maribel and Aimée reflect on the Imagination Library, Dollywood’s impact on the local economy, Dolly’s support of medical research and the many ways she quietly invested her money in people and communities. They discuss how her generosity grew from her own family story, including her father’s difficulty reading, and how she embodied a version of Christian faith rooted in welcoming people, helping neighbors and doing good without demanding recognition for it.

Dolly could be glamorous, deeply feminine, brilliant, business-savvy, generous, faithful, mischievous and occasionally a little naughty. She created space for people who did not always feel welcomed by country music, and she brought people together through storytelling and joy.

That joy is how Maribel and Aimée choose to remember her.

May we have more Dollys in our lifetime.

Follow Dude, Tengo Chisme on Instagram: @dudetengochisme

Chisme since ’96.

What is it like to be a first-generation Latina navigating an elite, predominantly white college without a roadmap?

Inspired by the reboot of A Different World, Maribel Lara and Aimée Thorne-Thomsen look back at their educational journeys from working-class New York City families to Tufts University and Yale. They explore how representation shaped what they imagined college and young adulthood could look like, especially when there were few Latina students on-screen showing them the way.

Aimée shares how her grandmother’s formal education ended after eighth grade because her family in Puerto Rico could not afford the ten-cent monthly tuition for high school. Generations later, that unfulfilled dream helped propel Aimée toward educational opportunities her grandmother never had.

Programs like the Oliver Scholars Program introduced Aimée to boarding school and colleges beyond her neighborhood. Maribel explains how the National Hispanic Institute encouraged her to look beyond the limited expectations of her high school guidance counselor and apply to universities she had never imagined were accessible to someone like her.

Their families could not guide them through institutions they had never experienced themselves. But their parents, grandparents, siblings, mentors and educational access programs helped make those opportunities possible.

Maribel and Aimée also examine why programs created for underrepresented students are about equity, not unfair advantage. No one completed their applications, took their exams or did the work for them. The programs provided information, campus visits, encouragement and guidance that students from wealthier or college-educated families often already had.

They also discuss how A Different World, School Daze, Living Single and other Black television shows and films helped two Gen X Latinas imagine college and professional life. Black representation was not a substitute for seeing Latinas on-screen, but it offered a more recognizable vision than the overwhelmingly white portrayals available to them.

The conversation eventually turns to a complicated question: Knowing what they know today, would they still choose Yale and Tufts?

They consider the cost of private universities, student loan debt, the changing value of a college degree and why community college can offer young people the time and financial freedom to discover what they actually want to study.

In this episode:

• Growing up one generation removed from relatives with little access to formal education
• Attending Yale and Tufts as first-generation Latina college students
• The importance of educational access and mentorship programs
• Finding community at predominantly white institutions
• How representation shapes what young people believe is possible
• Why equity is not the same as receiving an unfair advantage
• Whether an expensive private university is still worth the cost
• The value of community college
• Advice for first-generation college students and their families
• Asking professors, deans, advisors and tutoring centers for help
• Letting go of perfectionism and accepting that mistakes are part of college

Maribel and Aimée close with the advice they wish they had received: ask for help, build relationships with faculty, find advisors who understand you, reconsider a path that no longer feels right and remember that there is no single correct way to earn a degree.

What television show, movie, book or person shaped what you imagined college could be?

Follow Dude, Tengo Chisme on Instagram: @dudetengochisme

Chisme since ’96.

How does a friendship last for 30 years through distance, career changes, marriage, caregiving, loss and everything else life brings?

In the first episode of Dude, Tengo Chisme, best friends and co-hosts Maribel Lara and Aimée Thorne-Thomsen share how two first-generation New York Latinas met in 1996 and grew into adulthood together.

Their friendship began when Maribel was a freshman at Tufts University looking for a stronger sense of community on a predominantly white campus. Her search led her to a Latina sorority founded at Yale and to Aimée, one of its founders. What started as sisterhood became a chosen-family relationship that has lasted more than three decades.

Maribel and Aimée revisit the experiences that shaped their friendship, including Thursday night dinners in New York City when no one had much money, sharing a twin bed during college visits, attending graduate school at the same time and maintaining their connection when Maribel moved across the country. Aimée also reveals why that move made her fear she might lose her best friend, something Maribel had never heard before recording this episode.

They reflect on what has helped their adult friendship endure: shared values, fierce loyalty, honest conversations, respect for each other’s need for space and the ability to show up when it matters most. They also talk about navigating professional life as Latinas, supporting each other through family illness and loss, and making memories through travel, Broadway weekends and concerts around the world.

You’ll also learn the story behind the podcast’s name. “Dude, tengo chisme” is often how their conversations begin, but the chisme is rarely where they end. A piece of news, an awkward interaction or a pop-culture moment becomes an invitation to compare notes, question what happened and explore what it might reveal about family, culture, politics or the world around them.

Dude, Tengo Chisme is a podcast about friendship, culture and the conversations that happen when two middle-aged Latinas from New York bring more than 30 years of history to everything from politics, sports and books to travel, theater, menopause and the latest cultural moment.

In this episode:

• How Maribel and Aimée met through a Latina sorority
• The first-generation college experience at predominantly white institutions
• How to sustain a long-distance friendship
• Why adult friendships need both closeness and space
• Growing into adulthood alongside a best friend
• Building chosen family through shared values and experiences
• The deeper meaning of chisme in Latino culture
• What to expect from Dude, Tengo Chisme

If this episode reminds you of a friendship that has grown with you, share it with your person. Then join the conversation and tell us: What has helped your longest friendship last?