Episode 24 of What’s Your Damage? returns to the COVID Pandemic as AJ and AJ reflect on the isolation, uncertainty, and strange rhythms of the pandemic years.

"A" talks about feeling cut off from her artistic community while desperately trying to stay connected through the internet, and how Bo Burnham’s Inside — widely acclaimed and award-winning — perfectly captured that moment in time: the fear, loneliness, and absurdity of lockdown. Through the special, Bo Burnham perfectly holds a mirror back to society, showing us the truth about ourselves — the good, bad, and ugly.

"J" reflects on how fortunate she was to have job security and no children to care for during lockdown, allowing her to spend an unexpectedly idyllic stretch of time with her husband. Together, they dove deep into comfort viewing, including Vice Principals, which sparked a full appreciation for the wonderfully chaotic world of Danny McBride’s entire catalog.

In this episode of What’s Your Damage?, we kick things off with a shoutout to our friends over at Pod Chef — because nothing pairs better with emotional damage than a perfectly plated podcast.

Then AJ and AJ dive headfirst into two memories about sexism, survival, and becoming the hot, powerful women they were always meant to be.

"A" takes us back to 2012 NYC, where she was grinding through the comedy scene at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, surviving on dreams, delusion, and $1 pizza. What started as an exciting comedy journey quickly turned gross when the assistant artistic director solicited her for nudes. But somewhere between pretending to be rich and watching Katy Perry’s: Part of Me documentary, "A" found inspiration to embrace her femininity, sexuality, and main character energy.

Meanwhile, "J" revisits 7th grade and the science teacher whose MC Hammer pants and tragic mullet screamed “cool youth pastor,” but whose real passion was trying to befriend the cool boys in class and making "J" feel stupid — even when she got the answer right. Which is especially wild considering she literally became valedictorian. Sir, maybe you should’ve stayed after class.

In this episode, AJ & AJ dive into the many forms cheating can take—both physical and emotional—and how blurry those lines can get.

“J” shares a wild story from her teenage years: her high school boyfriend disappears at scout camp (before “ghosting” was even a term), only for her to later chase closure—literally—by driving 110 mph through mountain roads to win him back after his rebound fizzled. She reflects on how music from Erasure still brings her back to those intense young-love memories.

“A” opens up about a past relationship from her New Orleans days, where emotional cheating showed up in quieter but just as painful ways—like withholding key truths, blurred boundaries, and discovering too late that someone staying in their shared space had a deeper history than she was led to believe. She reflects on how, during that time, she looked to the relationships around her—and even on TV—for clarity, becoming especially drawn to Monica and Chandler from Friends as her ideal of what a healthy, supportive partnership could look like. It wasn’t until after she ended that relationship that she fully recognized what she actually wanted—and eventually found it with her “producer.”

Together, they unpack what honesty, betrayal, and trust really look like—and how cheating isn’t always as obvious as it seems.