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We Playin' Spades

Wondery

Welcome to the backyard boogie, where the stakes stay high, the jokes land sharp, and the cards don't lie! We Playin’ Spades brings together comedians, actors, singers, and viral legends for unapologetic matchups around the now-iconic turquoise table. Hosted by Nick Cannon and Courtney Bee—two pros at talkin’ slick and playing slick—this show ain’t just about the game. It’s about the culture behind it. Each episode, a new set of celebrity guests pull up thinking they’re ready. But once the cards get dealt and the table starts talkin’, egos get checked and true colors show. From wild overbids to busted bags, the drama is loud, the laughs are real, and the gameplay is as cutthroat as it is hilarious. And it doesn’t stop at the cards. Nick and Courtney stay pulling folks’ cards too—calling out bad hands, messy moves, and even messier stories. By the time the last book drops, somebody’s been humbled, and a little tea’s been spilled. Whether you're here for the strategy, the side-eyes, or the smoke, We Playin’ Spades brings the culture to your screen—one hand at a time. Watch or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Follow @weplayinspades on Instagram & TikTok.

  1. MAR 16 • WONDERY+ EARLY ACCESS

    ‘Beauty in Black’ Stars Taylor Polidore and Ricco Ross Bring Chaos to the Turquoise Table

    This week on We Playin' Spades, Nick Cannon and Courtney Bee are joined by Taylor Polidore and Ricco Ross, the stars of Tyler Perry's hit Netflix series, ‘Beauty in Black’! Ricco Ross delivers a masterclass in acting longevity, sharing the legendary story of turning down a role in Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Full Metal Jacket’, which ultimately led to him starring in James Cameron’s ‘Aliens’. He also reflects on spending 13 years living and acting in London, sparking a powerful conversation about UK actor training vs. Black American entertainers, and tells a hilarious behind the scenes story about improvising with a live spider on stage in Chicago. Taylor Polidore opens up about her journey into the Tyler Perry universe and the unforgettable audition that landed her role in ‘Beauty in Black’, including showing up in baggy pants and cornrows while others were fully dressed for a stripper role. Things take a hilarious turn during the "Deal With It" segment when the table debates a wild relationship hypothetical: a 30-day no-arguing rule where the person who starts the fight owes the other $5,000. Taylor proudly leans into her Virgo energy, admitting she lacks accountability and would easily flip the fine back onto her partner! From Hollywood history and Tyler Perry insights to relationship debates and unfiltered laughs, this episode is packed with unforgettable moments. Watch now and tap in — you don’t want to miss this one!

    59 min

  2. 5D AGO

    Claudia Jordan & Annie Ilonzeh Talk Love, Hollywood & Wild Spades Moments

    This week on We Playin' Spades, Nick Cannon and Courtney Bee are joined by media powerhouse Claudia Jordan and actress Annie Ilonzeh! The ladies sit down at the Turquoise Table to talk about their brand new sci-fi movie, ‘Run’, hitting theaters on August 29th. Before the cards are dealt, Claudia drops a bombshell, claiming she might be the only woman in Hollywood Nick hasn't slept with, even though Nick insists he definitely tried back in the day! The trash talk heats up as Nick revokes Claudia's "Black Card" for refusing to eat greens and chitlins, and the group debates a truly wild billionaire hypothetical. With Claudia admitting she has never played Spades before, the stakes are high. Will the beginners pull off an epic upset, or will the backyard bosses send them packing? Tune in to find out! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    49 min

  3. MAR 2

    Wood & Steve Harris Talk Hollywood Longevity, Brotherhood, & Spades

    Pull up a chair! Wood Harris and Steve Harris just sat down at the Turquoise Table, and they brought an absolute masterclass with them. The kind you rewind to hear twice. The kind that becomes your new daily mantra. The kind that proves real recognizes real. Between hands, the brothers walk Nick and Courtney through the reality of navigating the Hollywood machine without losing your soul. Steve gives a powerful breakdown on why he refuses to play the "schmoozing" game, while Wood takes us back to his legendary NYU drama days—including the wild story of getting expelled in his final year! Plus, Wood shares a surreal encounter with Prince that will completely change the way you look at counting your birthdays. Things get spicy when the "Black Card Revoked" questions hit the table. Nobody is backing down as they debate R&B legends, hip-hop trivia, and exactly who holds the crown as the greatest actor of all time. And don’t you dare click out early! Because the Harris brothers came to play. The sibling banter is undefeated, the trash talk is elite, and you have to see if they can actually back up their boasts at the card table. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1h 16m

  4. FEB 23

    Jazze Phizzle Came to Talk His Shizzle with Jazze Pha

    Ladies and Gentleman! Jazze Pha has entered the Backyard Boogie, and he brought them “isms”. The kind you quote later. The kind that become captions. The kind that make you say, “This is a "Jazze Phizzle…product-shizzle!" When he pulls up to Turquoise Table, Jazze walks Nick and Courtney through the insane catalog of songs he’s produced and sung on, from club anthems to R&B staples, while giving flowers to MC Breed for putting him on early and helping launch what would become one of the most recognizable sounds in the game. Along the way, he drops one of the wildest industry stories you’ll ever hear — somehow combining The Nutcracker, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Don ‘Magic’ Juan, and a hotboxed elevator into a single moment of chaos and legend. Things get spicy when Jazze and Nick get into a friendly-but-serious debate over the true kings of R&B and hip hop and nobody is backing down quietly. And don’t you dare click out early! Because Jazze closes the episode by serenading the Turquoise Table with a song you probably didn’t even know he sang. Vocals come out, nostalgia becomes activated, and the card game becomes irrelevant.  Oh Boy! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    46 min

  5. FEB 16

    Boss Moves & Bad Behavior at the Turquoise Table with Mercedes Moné

    This week on We Playin’ Spades, the Turquoise Table turns into a global wrestling summit as AEW superstar Mercedes Moné pulls up with her spades tag-team partner Mina Shirakawa — and from the jump, it’s boss energy meets pure nonsense. Mercedes talks CEO life and puts Nick onto some real business game, including the OG advice her cousin Snoop Dogg gave her about playing the role you have to play to get where you want to go. Meanwhile, Courtney fully commits to the bit by debuting her wrestling alter ego, The Jiggalator, complete with a live demonstration of her signature move (and we think AEW would approve). Things go left when Mina and Nick hit a legendary lost-in-translation moment, while Mercedes and Mina lowkey start cheating by talking across the board in Japanese. Wrestling icons Eddie Guerrero and Manami Toyota get their well-deserved flowers, because legends must be honored — even in the middle of spades trash talk. And in true Nick fashion, he somehow flirts his way into offering Mina a green card, while Courtney pauses the game to give the table a full vocabulary lesson no one asked for, but everyone needed. Cards are played. Languages are mixed. Rules are ignored. It’s an international spades collision — Turquoise Table style. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    47 min

  6. FEB 9

    Boundaries, Baby Oil, and Brutal Honesty with Moniece Slaughter

    This week on We Playin’ Spades, the Turquoise Table gets messy, reflective, and just a little bit reckless when songwriter and reality star Moniece Slaughter pulls up with her Spades partner, stand-up comedian Kaneisha Buss — and the Backyard Boogie immediately goes left. Moniece wastes no time getting real. She talks about almost getting cancelled, what being celibate has taught her about herself (and everybody else), and her complicated feelings about living part of her life on reality TV. She opens up about cutting off fake friends, protecting her peace, and draws a very clear line in the sand when it comes to one specific dealbreaker: a hairless man covered in baby oil. Hard no. Absolutely not. Across the table, Seattle brawler Kaneisha is in pure table-talk mode. She shares her deep love for Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, talks about why she doesn't believe in therapy, breaks down why it’s not the size of the boat but the motion of the ocean, and describes why she is an out and proud dead beat mother. It’s funny, it’s uncomfortably honest, and everybody’s standing ten toes down. Proceed with caution.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1h 11m

  7. FEB 2

    Reading the Table, Not the Comments with Dulcé Sloan and Malcolm Barrett

    This week on We Playin’ Spades, the Turquoise Table gets real opinionated when comedian Dulcé Sloan pulls up to the Backyard Boogie — confident, clear, and not here for internet strangers. Right away, Dulcé is talking her talk. She breaks down why she loves herself too much to read the comments, why she’s holding out for a husband who’s equally yoked, and what really happens when a comic is bombing onstage (she has no chill and even less sympathy). She also reminds the table that she already made it crystal clear on New Year’s Eve with Don Lemon: she is officially dating no more broke dudes. Period. Her partner, The Boys actor Malcolm Barrett, keeps the table laughing with some painfully real Hollywood talk — the pros and cons of having the longest résumé of someone who’s not currently in a leading role, plus he and Nick take a trip down memory lane about working together on a show that was filmed in a wildly questionable warehouse…where an adult film was also being shot. Somewhere between the side commentary and the accusations of being raggedy, Dulcé lets us know she’s deep in her K-drama bag and Nick drops a little money game about licensing Korean shows for U.S. audiences. It’s funny, messy, and very on-brand — Jokes told? Innumerable. Lies told? Not a one. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    53 min

  8. JAN 26

    Rotten Tomatoes Snobbery & Senior Citizen Smash Lists with Kelly ‘K Dubb’ Walker

    This week on We Playin’ Spades, Nick and Courtney welcome Kelly “K Dubb” Walker to the Turquoise Table — and from the jump, he’s letting the chopper sing. K Dubb announces a personal boycott: If your movie doesn’t score 79% or better on Rotten Tomatoes, he will not be seated. Tyler Perry? Tubi? He wishes them well…from a distance. He also drops one of the wildest takes of the season: while most comedians are dodging cancellation, K Dubb is inviting it — just once — so people finally know his name. When the table pivots to “who you riding with in a fight,” K Dubb leaves the rest of HaHa Mafia on read and picks comedian Erica Duchess as his spades partner and tag-team warrior. The vibes morph into a mini group therapy session as Erica shares the grounded, loving advice she gives her boys, while K Dubb admits the wisdom from his mama might be the reason he’s like this today. And speaking of mamas...the conversation swerves into AARP thirst traps, with everyone confessing which Hollywood geriatric they’d like to get some arthritic lovin' from.  And just when he thought he was leaving the Backyard unscathed, Courtney reveals K Dubb's Diddy-adjacent history that takes the table out completely. The jokes get reckless. The truth gets messy. Anybody could catch a stray. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    38 min
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About

Welcome to the backyard boogie, where the stakes stay high, the jokes land sharp, and the cards don't lie! We Playin’ Spades brings together comedians, actors, singers, and viral legends for unapologetic matchups around the now-iconic turquoise table. Hosted by Nick Cannon and Courtney Bee—two pros at talkin’ slick and playing slick—this show ain’t just about the game. It’s about the culture behind it. Each episode, a new set of celebrity guests pull up thinking they’re ready. But once the cards get dealt and the table starts talkin’, egos get checked and true colors show. From wild overbids to busted bags, the drama is loud, the laughs are real, and the gameplay is as cutthroat as it is hilarious. And it doesn’t stop at the cards. Nick and Courtney stay pulling folks’ cards too—calling out bad hands, messy moves, and even messier stories. By the time the last book drops, somebody’s been humbled, and a little tea’s been spilled. Whether you're here for the strategy, the side-eyes, or the smoke, We Playin’ Spades brings the culture to your screen—one hand at a time. Watch or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Follow @weplayinspades on Instagram & TikTok.

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