Mathis Family Talks

Oct 1, 2026 · 59m

Long before Diarra Kilpatrick created and starred in Diarra From Detroit, she was a four-year-old student in Linda Mathis' preschool classroom in Detroit. She even spent mornings at the Mathis home before school, while Judge Greg Mathis was developing a friendship with her father. Years later, Diarra returns to the Mathis couch for a conversation about the people and places that shaped the storyteller she became. Diarra talks with Linda, Judge and Greg Jr. about Bates Academy, Detroit Country Day, playwright Ron Milner, leaving Detroit, finding her voice as an actor and writer, and eventually creating Diarra From Detroit. She also opens up about working with Kenya Barris and her husband Miles, staying authentic in an industry that often asks people to change, losing her mother, becoming a mother herself, and the emotional inheritance she hopes to pass on to her son. And because this is still the Mathis couch, the conversation includes childhood stories, plenty of Detroit humor, and a Coney Island alibi game that quickly gets out of hand.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 25, 2026 · 56m

Celebrity hairstylist and longtime Mathis family friend Lawrence “Ray” Parker II joins the family for a conversation that goes far beyond hair. Ray shares how he went from studying music at Hampton University to working with major names like 50 Cent, Olivia and Naomi Campbell, and how one unexpected salon client helped open the door to Hollywood. He also gets candid about trust between stylists and clients, being taken advantage of in the entertainment industry, and why he believes “the chair is sacred.” Plus, Ray breaks down changing hair trends, reveals the secret behind his own hair, and explains how he turned years behind the chair into his own product line and plans for a manufacturing plant in Atlanta. Then the family pitches Ray their own billion-dollar hair ideas to see which one he thinks could actually work.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 18, 2026 · 46m

The Mathis family opens up Family Court for real viewer dilemmas about trust, money, relationships, parenting, code-switching, mental health, and boundaries. Linda, Judge Mathis, Camara, Greg Jr., and Amir debate whether a mom should be forgiven for posting her daughter’s pregnancy news, whether parents get a say when they’re paying the bills, and whether preparing someone for the “real world” can cross the line into telling them to hide who they are. The episode ends with the bigger question every family has to answer: when does love stop being support and start becoming control? Judge Mathis closes with the Family Verdict.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 11, 2026 · 59m

After 41 years of marriage and 45 years together, Judge Greg Mathis and Linda Mathis get candid about what it really takes to keep a relationship fresh. They talk about sex, romance, feeling pursued, fear of rejection, scheduling intimacy, and how their idea of love has changed through careers, kids, dogs, and decades of marriage. They also answer listener questions about feeling more like roommates, getting your partner to put in more effort, and keeping the spark alive when life gets in the way. Then Judge and Linda put it all to the test by pretending they’re strangers meeting at a hotel bar for the first time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 4, 2026 · 31m

Judge Greg Mathis and Linda Mathis revisit their favorite moments from the first 10 episodes of Mathis Family Talks. From family money rules and a forgotten $1,200 loan to marriage honesty, code-switching, friendship lessons, AI scams, Rick James stories, and the “Black tax” in Hollywood, Judge and Linda react to the clips, correct the record, and admit that the family may have told a little too much of each other’s business. They also reflect on what these conversations revealed about their family and why some viewers may be ready to have conversations they have been avoiding in their own homes. From our couch to yours. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 28, 2026 · 1h 0m

Judge Greg Mathis reunites with longtime collaborator and producer Delece James to look back at the shows, pitches, battles, and funny moments they shared while building television together. Then the conversation gets bigger: Is Black Hollywood actually moving forward, or are fewer opportunities hiding behind a handful of major success stories? Delece talks about being boxed into “Black” projects, the surprising path that took her from HBO to dancing for the New York Knicks and back into television, and why Black creators may have more reason than ever to build outside the traditional studio system. Linda, Greg Jr., and Amir jump in on representation, nepotism, acting, ownership, YouTube, microdramas, and what the next generation needs to do differently. Plus, the family puts Delece back in the executive chair for Greenlight, Rewrite, or Pass, where she has to decide which ridiculous Mathis TV shows she would actually buy. It is a conversation about what Black Hollywood built, what changed, and where the next opportunity may come from.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 20, 2026 · 50m

Val Young sits down with Judge Greg Mathis, Linda Mathis, Amir, and Greg Jr. for a Detroit homecoming conversation that moves from Motown history to a question every person who has left home has faced: what do you owe the place that made you? Val shares how church, Aretha Franklin, and Detroit shaped her before the Gap Band, Rick James, and Motown. She explains how she refused to wait quietly for opportunity, how a determined backstage meeting with Rick changed her career, and what people miss when they remember only his wild public image. Judge Mathis tells the story of the Detroit voters who elected him despite his past and why he believes success creates a debt to the community. Linda describes a different Detroit childhood, one rooted in Black excellence, while Amir admits he once avoided saying he was from the city. The family also debates whether hometown identity belongs to the next generation and whether giving back must involve money. And yes, the conversation includes Rick James’s feet and Linda’s accidental visit to a Beverly Hills “pajama party.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 13, 2026 · 52m

When does artificial intelligence stop helping a family and start replacing the relationships that raise a child? Judge Greg Mathis, Linda Mathis, Greg Jr., and Amir sit down with Erin Reddick, founder of ChatBlackGPT, to decide whether AI belongs in the family as an assistant, a substitute, or an intruder. They debate personalized AI podcasts for the school run, bedtime stories read by a synthetic voice, children sharing secrets with chatbots, and the privacy cost of giving technology access to a child’s routines. Judge Mathis also shares how an AI deepfake changed a photo of him with Hillary Clinton, while Erin tells the story of a woman who spent three years talking to a fake boyfriend created with AI. That leads to one practical Mathis family rule: use a private family code before sending money during an emergency. The conversation becomes personal when Judge explains the talks he never had with his own parents, and the family disagrees over whether AI can help parents navigate difficult conversations about race. Erin closes with a boundary for every household: AI should be a partner, never a parent.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 6, 2026 · 56m

What does “I’m fine” really mean in your family? Judge Greg Mathis, Linda Mathis, Jade Mathis, Greg Cooper-Mathis Jr., and Amir Mathis compare how they respond to stress, from shutting down and overworking to doom-scrolling, going off the grid, and laughing through it. They revisit familiar Black family phrases like “stop crying” and “you’ll be fine,” debate whether social media has made people more honest or simply better at pretending, and discuss how to support someone without minimizing what they feel. Sometimes support means listening. Sometimes it means giving space. Sometimes it means leaving food at the door.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.