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

PARTIFUL vs. Facebook invites, marriage arguments, bathroom renovations, and why Ridiculousness with Rob Dyrdek was basically the original doom scrolling. Samantha Santos and JC Mendoza are in their home-improvement era, repainting the Soft Launch studio, upgrading their bathroom, and learning that choosing a bath mat together is apparently a test of marriage. Plus, they introduce Touching Grass, talk Hayden Panettiere and getting older, revisit the glory days of Facebook party invites, and unpack the deeply questionable thoughts that happen when they take edibles.

00:00 — Soft Launch enters its “take it seriously” era
Samantha and JC talk about putting more energy into the podcast and becoming their own biggest supporters. 

00:48 — One Thing About We: We’re done waiting for someone to save us

06:23 — Painting the studio instead of seeing Bruno Mars
The couple chooses a productive Saturday at home over a Bruno Mars concert and turns the studio makeover into their own concert experience. 

12:01 — Why karaoke should never be taken seriously

14:58 — Performative karaoke and the “comedy bit” rule 

16:15 — The Soft Launch home renovation era begins
The studio, changing room, bathroom and entire home are getting upgraded. 

17:35 — Marriage, bath mats and why your partner needs to care

23:21 — The self-cleaning toilet experiment

24:55 — Why is our toilet water THIS blue?

27:12 — Why are public bathrooms always disgusting?

31:36 — We may have improved the house too much

32:04 — TOUCHING GRASS: Introducing Soft Launch’s newest segment
Samantha and JC share the thoughts they had while taking edibles and trying to “touch grass.” 

32:45 — Ridiculousness with Rob Dyrdek was the original doom scrolling
They discover that watching Ridiculousness is basically scrolling through the worst possible algorithm before algorithms even existed. 

36:59 — Hayden Panettiere, aging and the impossible definition of “young”
A conversation about age, women getting older, and why apparently you have to die to be considered young. 

41:08 — PARTIFUL is ruining party invitations

45:41 — Facebook events were the original PARTIFUL
They remember when Facebook invites were basically a social scouting report and having hundreds of people RSVP meant you had serious clout. 

47:48 — Trying to look cool while dancing

48:19 — JC finds his embarrassing high school journals
The journals are so embarrassing that they may be making their way to Patreon.

50:56 — The Facebook party memories that still haunt us

51:52 — JC explains his extremely intentional dance moves

52:47 — That’s all the Touching Grass for today

Myspace, millennial cringe, social media, marriage, and a VERY questionable Netflix Funny AF audition. 😂 JC Mendoza and Samantha Santos take a trip down memory lane—and things get weird when the FEDS DID A SWEEP.

On this episode of Soft Launch, JC and Samantha talk about betting on yourself, turning down a new job, growing on social media, and the pressure of trying to build a creative career. They also dive into the glory days of Myspace, digital cameras, Photobucket, Top 8 drama, embarrassing old photos, and the uniquely chaotic experience of being a millennial who grew up online.

Plus, the two comedians talk about submitting for Netflix's Funny AF, the insane audition video JC created, how they decide what content makes it onto social media, and why some jokes are better left on the podcast. Then they introduce "Touching Grass," a new Soft Launch segment dedicated to ideas that were created with absolutely no supervision from logic or reason.

If you grew up with Myspace, digital cameras, AIM-era internet culture, or have ever experienced the particular horror of looking back at your teenage social media presence, this one's for you.

00:00 - Welcome Back to Soft Launch & Episode 152
00:49 - One Thing About We: Turning Down a New Job
13:38 - Betting on Yourself & Building a Career Through Social Media
19:54 - The Art of Making Social Media Clips
27:27 - Applying for Netflix's Funny AF
28:05 - The Wildest One-Minute Audition Video
34:59 - Why JC Is Edgier on the Podcast Than on Stage
40:59 - Touching Grass: Soft Launch's New Unhinged Segment
43:30 - Myspace Changed the World
44:19 - Millennial Cringe & Erasing Your Digital Past
45:38 - Digital Cameras, Photobucket & Embarrassing Photos
47:00 - FEDS DID A SWEEP
48:13 - The 5,000 Photos That Started the Investigation
51:45 - Teenage Privacy & The Ultimate Kitchen Table Reveal
53:52 - Myspace vs. Modern Social Media
55:20 - Myspace Top 8 & The Beginning of Millennial Anxiety
56:37 - Why Social Media Has Always Been Political
57:32 - How Myspace Top 8 Ruined a Relationship
59:45 - The Myspace "About Me" Era
01:03:52 - JC's Legendary Myspace Profile
01:04:38 - Wrapping Up

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🎙️ Soft Launch Podcast: [@softlaunchpodcast]📸 JC Mendoza: [peachfuzzpapi]📸 Samantha Santos: [makemelaughsam]🎟️ LIVE IN NYC 8/30: [https://newyorkcomedyclub.com/events/oscar-aydin-vannessa-jackson-jc-mendoza-chris-reiter-samantha-santos]

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Myspace, millennial nostalgia, millennial cringe, social media, Netflix Funny AF, Funny AF, digital cameras, Photobucket, Myspace Top 8, dating, relationships, marriage, comedy podcast, stand up comedy, JC Mendoza, Samantha Santos, Soft Launch Podcast