Sam Sanders

Exactly. I will give you an example that's really funny. Well, first, for starters, after my dad died many years ago, I'll never forget, the gossip started then. In the limo to the cemetery after my dad died, a member of my family told me, Oh, that person you think that is this kind of relative? They're actually that kind of relative. Their mama wasn't their mama. Like, literally.

Exactly. I will give you an example that's really funny. Well, first, for starters, after my dad died many years ago, I'll never forget, the gossip started then. In the limo to the cemetery after my dad died, a member of my family told me, Oh, that person you think that is this kind of relative? They're actually that kind of relative. Their mama wasn't their mama. Like, literally.

So this gossip from my mother, my favorite bit of dead mom gossip recently, I was out with some friends at a mall in L.A. And a lot of malls in L.A. are really cute, really she she, but like indoor outdoor. So it's kind of open air. There are water fountains and fixtures and you can walk in the sun, which also means that like kids can just run and be a mess.

So this gossip from my mother, my favorite bit of dead mom gossip recently, I was out with some friends at a mall in L.A. And a lot of malls in L.A. are really cute, really she she, but like indoor outdoor. So it's kind of open air. There are water fountains and fixtures and you can walk in the sun, which also means that like kids can just run and be a mess.

even more so than they could in, like, a normal mall. And I remember seeing this young boy acting a fool. And I called my Aunt Betty later that day, and I said, you know, Betty, they don't make them like they used to. These kids are a mess. They're not raising them right. No home training. Oh, my God. And I said, I guarantee you, I know for sure, my mama, your sister, didn't raise me that way.

even more so than they could in, like, a normal mall. And I remember seeing this young boy acting a fool. And I called my Aunt Betty later that day, and I said, you know, Betty, they don't make them like they used to. These kids are a mess. They're not raising them right. No home training. Oh, my God. And I said, I guarantee you, I know for sure, my mama, your sister, didn't raise me that way.

She didn't raise me and my brother that way. And my Aunt Betty pauses. She starts laughing and she says, that is so not true. Y'all were Bebe's kids. And I was like, excuse me, miss? And she goes, y'all were Bebe's kids. And I said, what makes you say that? And she says, I'll never forget, Sam. You and your brother were maybe like six or seven.

She didn't raise me and my brother that way. And my Aunt Betty pauses. She starts laughing and she says, that is so not true. Y'all were Bebe's kids. And I was like, excuse me, miss? And she goes, y'all were Bebe's kids. And I said, what makes you say that? And she says, I'll never forget, Sam. You and your brother were maybe like six or seven.

My Aunt Betty had come to visit her sister, my mother, and all of us. And we all were out shopping. My mother was in a store that she likes. My Aunt Betty was with her. And my brother and I, who were little banshees, were running around like crazy, my aunt tells me. And she's like, y'all were playing hide and go seek in the racks of the clothes. I can see it.

My Aunt Betty had come to visit her sister, my mother, and all of us. And we all were out shopping. My mother was in a store that she likes. My Aunt Betty was with her. And my brother and I, who were little banshees, were running around like crazy, my aunt tells me. And she's like, y'all were playing hide and go seek in the racks of the clothes. I can see it.

Up and down the escalators, just being a fool. And so my aunt Betty says, she goes, I'll go to your mother, my sister. And I say, Regina, catch your kids. What are they doing? This is bad. Sit them down. And then Betty says, my mother puts down the dress she's looking at.

Up and down the escalators, just being a fool. And so my aunt Betty says, she goes, I'll go to your mother, my sister. And I say, Regina, catch your kids. What are they doing? This is bad. Sit them down. And then Betty says, my mother puts down the dress she's looking at.

Looks at my Aunt Betty and she says, as much money as I'm about to spend in this store, my little black boys can cut up as much as the white kids. And then my Aunt Betty sat her ass down and that was that. But it revealed to me that like this version of my mother that I had created, this strict disciplinarian version.

Looks at my Aunt Betty and she says, as much money as I'm about to spend in this store, my little black boys can cut up as much as the white kids. And then my Aunt Betty sat her ass down and that was that. But it revealed to me that like this version of my mother that I had created, this strict disciplinarian version.

And like, you know, a lot of times gossip amongst the living can be combative. It can be reductive. It can be messy. Gossip about the dead is usually expansive. And in my case, it's been mostly joyful.

And like, you know, a lot of times gossip amongst the living can be combative. It can be reductive. It can be messy. Gossip about the dead is usually expansive. And in my case, it's been mostly joyful.

And I am at the age now where like, These words pop up on the Internet and I'm not quite sure what they mean. And I'm past the point of like going to UrbanDictionary.com to find out. But I keep seeing the word lore manifest online.

And I am at the age now where like, These words pop up on the Internet and I'm not quite sure what they mean. And I'm past the point of like going to UrbanDictionary.com to find out. But I keep seeing the word lore manifest online.

And I was thinking to myself, I was like, you know what? When they're alive and you're talking about them, it's gossip. But when they're dead, it's lore.

And I was thinking to myself, I was like, you know what? When they're alive and you're talking about them, it's gossip. But when they're dead, it's lore.