Noah Wyle Is Sexiest ALIVE?! Jay-Z's Super Bowl & My Verizon Meltdown

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_03] Noah Wyle Is The Sexiest Man Alive Now before his fans start bothering me, I'm not saying he's ugly, I'm saying that is a very big title for somebody I have never heard a single person threaten their relationship over. Jay-Z is doing the Super Bowl and I won a show so good that nobody spends Monday asking where Beyonce was.

[00:00:22] [SPEAKER_03] Holly Berry's custody case has another ruling and some of y'all are already celebrating a headline you haven't even finished reading. And Verizon? I called about my phone, somehow somebody's mother ended up involved, she wasn't on the account, she didn't deserve it, we'll discuss my behavior shortly.

[00:01:02] [SPEAKER_01] Oh man, your behavior. It is.

[00:01:10] [SPEAKER_03] Welcome to Receipts and Reactions, courtesy of the John Cash Show Podcast. Real, raw, reckless, and righteously ratchet. I'm John Cash, and before we leave, we're also going to talk about Javits Frimpong, the 15-year-old who moved here from Ghana and was killed in the Bronx. We're giving that story its own time, but first, people. Who was in the room? Little old me.

[00:01:39] [SPEAKER_03] You?

[00:01:40] [SPEAKER_01] I guess so.

[00:01:42] [SPEAKER_03] Noah Wiley, sexiest man alive. So we know Justin voted for him.

[00:01:46] [SPEAKER_01] I don't even know who Noah Wiley is.

[00:01:50] [SPEAKER_03] Now what exactly is the qualification for this shit? Because alive covers a lot of people, including me. Did we check? There's a difference between he looks good and we checked everywhere. Maybe back in the ER days, I could have understood the conversation. Young Dr. Carter, okay, I see where we're going. But when I saw this announcement, I genuinely checked the date.

[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah, who does the voting for this? How does it even work?

[00:02:23] [SPEAKER_03] I don't know, but... Was this an award or a makeup assignment? Now, yes, he's on the pit. I know he's working. I know he's having a moment. I understand why we're talking about him. I'm asking why we're talking about him like this. Because in my immediate surroundings, I have not witnessed the swooning like you would over a Michael B. Jordan.

[00:02:48] [SPEAKER_01] I was just... You know what? That's how true it is. I was literally thinking Michael B. Jordan, bro. Yo.

[00:02:53] [SPEAKER_03] We know who's voting.

[00:02:55] [SPEAKER_01] I know.

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_03] Damn, I thought you would at least vote for me, Justin.

[00:02:58] [SPEAKER_01] All right, okay. I'll... I gotta have one vote. I gotta have one vote in this mother... I got you, I got you. Okay, thank you. My girl gonna vote for Michael B. Jordan though, I know that for sure.

[00:03:10] [SPEAKER_03] Maybe I'm in the wrong group chat. And maybe y'all are conducting this relationship quietly. If so, I respect the privacy, but I do think that there's something interesting happening. People find competence attractive. Somebody who listens. Somebody who makes a decision. Somebody who can handle a difficult situation without making you manage their feelings first. Put that person in scrubs. I can understand the appeal.

[00:03:39] [SPEAKER_03] Oh, you put it like that. Yeah, I can see that. Yeah. Some people are exhausted. They don't want another project. That's mine for 2027. They want somebody who knows what the hell is going on. Some of y'all want Noah. Some of y'all want somebody to listen without reaching for their phone. And I sympathize, but let's identify what's doing it. His face. His voice. The character.

[00:04:10] [SPEAKER_03] Or the possibility that you could explain a problem once and somebody might actually address it. Because after my week with Verizon, that last one is starting to sound extremely intimate. Oh, Lord. I didn't hear about this. Then people started defending the selection. He seems like a good husband. He seems like a good father. He seems like a lovely person. Wonderful. Those are all good things.

[00:04:36] [SPEAKER_03] But you cannot submit a character reference and expect my hormones to reconsider. I can appreciate somebody and still not need a moment when they walk into the room. Unlike Rihanna.

[00:04:50] [SPEAKER_01] Mm-hmm.

[00:04:51] [SPEAKER_03] Yeah, so she does it to me all the time.

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah.

[00:04:54] [SPEAKER_03] Yeah.

[00:04:54] [SPEAKER_01] That's to a lot of people.

[00:04:55] Yeah.

[00:04:57] [SPEAKER_03] Anyway. That's allowed. And if Noah does it for you, enjoy Noah. You don't need my approval. Somebody could look at me and not get it. I mean, you're stupid, but... They would be confused, but they're entitled to that journey. Now, let me expose myself, and not in that type of way. If people called tomorrow and picked me, all this criticism would disappear immediately. Good word.

[00:05:27] [SPEAKER_03] I would buy copies for people who didn't ask. There would be a frame cover behind me before the interview was finished. John, you're being difficult. No. You're speaking to the sexiest man alive. Adjust yourself. If they picked me, suddenly I trust their process. I know who I am.

[00:05:51] [SPEAKER_01] I got some smart people back there.

[00:05:53] [SPEAKER_03] Excellent. Mensa. Mensa. But today, I have questions. Give me your replacement in the comments. One person. And if your answer is Noah Wiley, stand beside it. Apparently, your man has had a beautiful, wonderful week. Now, let's get into Jay-Z headlining the Super Bowl halftime show. What do you think about that, Justin?

[00:06:22] [SPEAKER_01] I didn't even know he was actually doing it. I thought he just came online and was just like, I'm going to do it or something. And then I thought it was just a meme. No. I didn't know he was really doing it. I mean, I don't, I don't, that's cool. I listened to a bunch of Jay-Z, but not recently.

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_03] A lot of people are saying that now. I mean, I mean, I like the choice, but I need people to separate the two conversations. Because there's some people that's asking this question. Does he have the music?

[00:06:50] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah, of course he has the music. What are you fucking talking about?

[00:06:53] [SPEAKER_03] Absolutely. Will that automatically make for a great halftime show though? May not. The catalog gets you booked. But what you do with it is why people remember the performance.

[00:07:07] [SPEAKER_00] Yeah.

[00:07:08] [SPEAKER_03] Because Jay-Z has a particular challenge. He isn't going to dance across the stage like Usher. He doesn't need to. But if choreography isn't driving the show, something else has to. His delivery, the arrangements, the transitions, the way he commands that stadium. You can stand relatively still and own a room. I know I do it every week.

[00:07:31] [SPEAKER_01] There you go.

[00:07:33] [SPEAKER_03] But there's a difference between looking in control and looking like you're waiting for somebody to bring your car around. I want him rapping, actually rapping. Give me that precision, the confidence, that little attitude. Like he knows the next line is about to piss somebody off. You know that. That's part of what people love about Jay-Z. I don't need him pretending to be a different performer for the occasion. I need him to be the most convincing version of himself.

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_03] And please don't hand the audience every other line. I know the words. That's why I'm excited. I still want to hear you say them. Now, here's how I would build the show. I would open with public service announcement. Because the introduction is already in the record.

[00:08:21] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah.

[00:08:21] [SPEAKER_03] Allow me to reintroduce myself. You don't need a long film explaining that Jay-Z has arrived. Let the music announce him. Give us a clear shot. Let him deliver those opening lines. No guests, no distractions. Establish whose show this actually is. Then you go into you don't know. That's where you make the whole thing feel bigger. You bring in the musician. You let the horns hit.

[00:08:50] [SPEAKER_03] I feel like the Super Bowl director.

[00:08:52] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah, I'm about to say. The choreograph- The word that word. Yeah. Choreographing. You choreographing this shit right here. There you go.

[00:09:06] [SPEAKER_03] Give that record the kind of arrangement that makes people turn the television all the way up. Make a song I already know sound like I'm hearing it from the expensive seats. Then you need contrast. Because the same intensity from beginning to end can start feeling like one long ass song. Even when the songs are good. This is where something like dirt off your shoulder could work. The beat changes the feel. The gesture gives the crowd something immediate to do.

[00:09:35] [SPEAKER_03] And you don't have to stop performing to make them participate. That's the difference. Build the audience into the moment. Don't keep interrupting the moment to ask whether we're enjoying ourselves. We'll let you know. 99 problems is also another option if you want that hard shift in energy.

[00:09:52] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah. Do you know where the Super Bowl is going to be at?

[00:09:56] [SPEAKER_03] It's going to be in SoFi Stadium.

[00:09:58] [SPEAKER_01] Oh, in- In California. Cali, yeah. Okay. I was about to say.

[00:10:02] [SPEAKER_03] But I wouldn't try to squeeze every obvious song into the set. That's how you end up hearing the beginning of six things you wanted to enjoy. Don't tease me with a song I love and abandon it before I've adjusted my shoulders. Funk Flex is good for that. Pick the records that serve the performance. Let the best moments breathe. Let the best moments breathe. Your entire career does not need to fit between two quarters.

[00:10:29] [SPEAKER_03] And I would consider ending with Empire State of Mind. Even though it's going to be in California.

[00:10:37] [SPEAKER_01] That was the, yeah. Yeah.

[00:10:39] [SPEAKER_03] And I know where New York is. I did wonderful in geography. There you go. Okay. That's good. I did wonderful in that subject. But that chorus gives you something valuable. A Finnish people can sing together.

[00:10:58] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. Everybody knows that chorus, even if you're not from New York.

[00:11:03] [SPEAKER_03] Exactly. Now, if the Giants happen to be in the Super Bowl, then yes. Yeah. You play that. You kind of got it. Yeah, you got to play that for the Giants. Go blue. There you go. Even though I'm wearing green. After the harder records, you open up the show emotionally. You want that last image to feel bigger than one man on a platform. And if Alicia Keys is available and the arrangement calls for her, that is a guest appearance with a purpose. That'd be good.

[00:11:32] [SPEAKER_03] And you could actually undo that little mama situation.

[00:11:36] [SPEAKER_01] Oh, yeah.

[00:11:38] [SPEAKER_03] She isn't there because we got nervous halfway through. She's there because that particular moment benefits from her. Which brings me to Beyonce. Because some of y'all heard Jay-Z and immediately started looking behind him. Some of y'all don't want a Jay-Z halftime show. You want Beyonce introduced by her emergency contact.

[00:12:03] [SPEAKER_01] It would be nice to have a little cameo or something in there.

[00:12:06] [SPEAKER_03] Oh, probably. Probably do Crazy in Love.

[00:12:09] [SPEAKER_01] That'd be sick.

[00:12:10] [SPEAKER_03] Or Rihanna. It's going to be either or. Would her appearance be exciting? Of course. But she is not confirmed in the information that we're discussing. And I want his show to work without her. If she walks out, it should feel like a bonus. Not like the performance finally started. That's my standard for every guest. Add to the show. Like here. Add to the show. Don't become the reason we forgive the rest of it.

[00:12:39] [SPEAKER_03] Rock Nation is executive producing, which also raises my expectations for how this looks on television. A stadium crowd can be having a great time while the camera misses what made the moment feel special. I want to see his expression when the landlines. I want wide shots when the crowd becomes part of the performance. And when the beat changes, I want the picture to move with it. I'm really directing this.

[00:13:06] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah, you're popping off right now. You're in a flow state.

[00:13:12] [SPEAKER_03] Don't show me a celebrity enjoying the verse while I'm trying to watch the man delivering it. So here's my argument. Jay-Z doesn't need a halftime show that proves he knows famous people. He needs one to remind everybody why those people know him. The voice. The records. The writing. The confidence. Build around that. I want the real fans satisfied. And I want somebody who only knew three songs saying, all right, I get it. That's the opportunity.

[00:13:40] [SPEAKER_03] Now give me your opening song and your closer. You only get two. Show me how you're bringing him out, like I just did, and how you're sending us back to the game.

[00:13:53] [SPEAKER_01] They're gonna, the person who actually directs it is gonna watch this shit and take notes. Yes. You just did their whole job for them.

[00:13:59] [SPEAKER_03] Listen, exactly. Listen to me. You'll go far in life. That's what I tell everybody. And the people who listen to me, they go far in life. People who don't, they wind up on drugs. And crack.

[00:14:10] [SPEAKER_01] Pretty good strike rate.

[00:14:14] [SPEAKER_03] Most of my exes. On drugs. Drugs. Like drugs. Like, it's sad, but it's true. It's.

[00:14:24] [SPEAKER_01] The recovery process is deadly.

[00:14:32] [SPEAKER_03] That little witty remark was brought to you by Celsius. Uh, now Halle Berry and Olivia Martinez. Let's get the actual development straight. The temporary restraining order against Halle was dissolved. The request to make it permanent was denied.

[00:14:52] [SPEAKER_03] At the same time, Martinez has primary physical custody under the current arrangement with specified visitation for Halle. You gotta say it's slow.

[00:15:05] [SPEAKER_01] That was a lot.

[00:15:06] [SPEAKER_03] Yeah.

[00:15:07] [SPEAKER_01] You gotta be accurate. Yeah.

[00:15:10] [SPEAKER_03] Cause you know, when you talk about legal stuff. Mm-hmm.

[00:15:12] [SPEAKER_01] Mm-hmm.

[00:15:14] [SPEAKER_03] So, if you only read about the part with the restraining order, you missed something. And if you only read the custody headline, you missed something. So, Martinez alleged abuse. Halle denied it. You know, I wasn't there. I'm not presenting the allegation as something eyewitness. And I'm not telling you that one part of this ruling settles every disputed detail. What interests me is how quickly people decide which part counts. The part that helps their favorite.

[00:15:43] [SPEAKER_03] That's the important part. The part that complicates their argument. Suddenly, everybody needs privacy. You cannot demand nuance when you like somebody and become certain when you don't. That's a quotable moment. Yes. Watch how that happens. Now, one celebrity gets, we don't know what goes on in their house. Another gets, I always knew something was wrong with them. We're gonna talk about that.

[00:16:11] [SPEAKER_01] Oh.

[00:16:12] [SPEAKER_03] In terms of conditions. Oh yeah, I think I know what you're talking about there. Yeah. You had the same amount of access to both houses. None. You liked her in a film that does not put you in the living room. And disliking her doesn't put you there either. A lot of people confuse having an opinion about a celebrity with knowing that celebrity. You can watch somebody for years and still have no idea how they behave when the cameras are gone.

[00:16:42] [SPEAKER_03] And here's the part that gets lost. A decision about a restraining order and a decision about a child's living arrangements are two different questions. You can't take the answer to one and pretend it answers everything. A current custody arrangement is not the same thing as permanently terminating somebody's parental rights. A dissolved restraining order does not automatically restore the previous arrangement. Those distinctions matter.

[00:17:10] [SPEAKER_03] Read past the part that made you feel that you were right. And there is a child who has to keep living with this. He doesn't get to enjoy a dramatic headline and move on. These are his actual parents. This is his family. He has to grow up inside whatever happens next. So I'm not doing a victory lap for either adult. I want the arrangements to serve him. That's the standard. Not who has the better publicist. Not whose movie we like better. Not who won the comments.

[00:17:40] [SPEAKER_03] Being a fan does not make you a character witness. Now let me discuss a situation where I actually was present. We're gonna segue into... I'm gonna call this segment, unfortunately Verizon had me fucked up.

[00:17:56] [SPEAKER_01] Hmm. Might be switching to T-Mobile soon?

[00:18:00] [SPEAKER_03] I don't know the way that is going. So, ready for this segment? I've been waiting for it. Okay. I was alluding to this before we started recording. Yeah. I said I got something to say but I gotta hold it to the show. Cause I want it to be... John! I want his actual genuine reaction in real time.

[00:18:22] [SPEAKER_01] I'm very curious as to what happened, what occurred. Yes.

[00:18:27] [SPEAKER_03] So... My calls keep dropping. Doesn't matter where I'm at in the city. I could be in Bushwick. I could be in Crown Heights. I could be in Flatbush. I could be in Bed-Stuy. I could be in Williamsburg. I could be downtown Brooklyn. Ocean Hill. I could be in all those areas. All those different neighborhoods. Same fucking problem. At this point, I can't confidently tell somebody let me finish.

[00:18:56] [SPEAKER_03] The phone might disagree. So my phone hangs up on people like it pays the fucking bill. I got this iPhone 17 Pro Max. Okay? Back in April. Okay? I already have sign-it's crazy going. And I've been calling about this problem for going on three months.

[00:19:22] [SPEAKER_03] You know how irritating it is to explain the same issue over and over and over again? I need a previously on button at this point. Press play, catch up, then ask me something new. Now, I pay for device protection. And on top of that, I have AppleCare. I'm paying all this money and the thing I'm holding is struggling with the part where it's supposed to be a phone. So I call customer service and the representative is rude.

[00:19:52] [SPEAKER_03] The tone is already aggravating me. And I'm about to break the fourth wall. I ask him to address me as Mr. Trammell. That is my government name. Right? He says, okay, John.

[00:20:06] [SPEAKER_00] Nah, that's petty. That's petty.

[00:20:10] [SPEAKER_03] Now, sir, what did I just say? It was recent. You were there. That was strike one. And he keeps calling me John. And somebody is going to probably say, it's just a name. Exactly. So use the one that I requested. I didn't ask him to announce my arrival. Mr. Trammell, we can handle that.

[00:20:33] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah.

[00:20:34] [SPEAKER_03] You could pronounce refurbish, but Trammell is where the language barrier begins. All right. So then he tells me a network ticket hasn't been put in on my behalf. Excuse me? I've been calling for going on three months. And what have we been doing? Was I calling customer service or were we dating?

[00:21:00] [SPEAKER_01] Yo, it's been hanging up and going and doing something else.

[00:21:04] [SPEAKER_03] Because apparently we've been talking regularly and accomplishing absolutely nothing. So that was strike two. I thought something was happening after those previous calls. You know, somebody was investigating. Somebody was moving forward. Now I'm finding out the step I expected. Apparently hasn't happened. Check the network. Check the phone. Do all the troubleshooting. Airplane mode. Reset the network settings. Turn the phone off. Turn the phone on.

[00:21:34] [SPEAKER_03] On the other phone. Talking to the rep for over an hour. Trying to troubleshoot this phone. Tell me what needs to happen. Tell me what needs to happen. But please stop making every conversation feel like the first one. Then we get to the conversation about possibly a replacement. He tells me if I get another phone, it would have to be refurbished. That's the policy according to him.

[00:22:00] [SPEAKER_03] And I began thinking about the bill, the device protection plan, the Apple care, and how recently I bought this damn phone. And I said, I'm not getting a refurbished phone. Now, whether my coverage entitles me to what I want is a separate question. I'm telling you where my head was during this conversation. Now I'm aggravated. I'm paying. And I don't feel like the original problem is being addressed.

[00:22:30] [SPEAKER_03] Then he gets a little snide. Well, that's the policy. And then I said, well, go refurbish your mother's pussy then.

[00:22:43] Whoa.

[00:22:45] [SPEAKER_01] That was, that was, that was a jump.

[00:22:48] [SPEAKER_03] Yes, I said it.

[00:22:50] [SPEAKER_01] There was a few steps. I think you could have probably.

[00:22:53] [SPEAKER_03] I'm not going to come on here and act like somebody else briefly took over the account. It was me. Was it excessive? Absolutely. Was his mother responsible for my drop calls? No. That woman was somewhere probably minding her business and I brought her into this communication.

[00:23:09] [SPEAKER_01] Oh, no. Did he, did you wait to hear his reaction? Did you hang up?

[00:23:19] [SPEAKER_03] So he then immediately escalated that call to a supervisor. Ooh. So like I said, she wasn't even on the account. I was wrong for that. I could admit that. Yes. But I can acknowledge going too far without pretending everything leading up to it was wonderful. It wasn't. And, and shout out to the supervisor who like helped me seriously. He was helpful, helpful. He listened. He gave me a credit on the bill for the inconvenience. I appreciate it. I've been a long time customer.

[00:23:49] [SPEAKER_03] I've been a customer for 19 years. Yeah. Like directly under my, like I pay it directly 19 years. Yeah. So I also appreciated talking to somebody who didn't make me feel like calling about the problem was itself the problem. I'm not calling because I'm lonely. Trust me. That's not the problem. Something you charge me for isn't working. And I'm not telling you the technical issue is fixed. I'm telling you the supervisor handled the conversation well.

[00:24:19] [SPEAKER_03] But it's still ongoing.

[00:24:21] [SPEAKER_02] Hmm.

[00:24:22] [SPEAKER_03] Even up until before I got to the studio, my sister shot me a text. Your phone is saying it's offline.

[00:24:30] [SPEAKER_01] You know what's crazy? I've been actually having the same problem where my calls for the past couple months, I have an iPhone as well. It's been like FaceTime mostly because I'm mostly FaceTime anyway. It just drops like a lot.

[00:24:43] [SPEAKER_03] No, I'm telling you like, I don't like, I don't really FaceTime because I'm always in transit. And like when I'm in transit, I like to keep my eyes. You know, I feel like if I'm FaceTime and I'm being rude, I'm looking all around. Yeah, we're in. So, you know, FaceTime is reserved for other activities. There you go. Free time.

[00:25:11] [SPEAKER_01] I'm curious if this guy, because he was being a dick already. So like, honestly, even though you like escalated, it seems like the supervisor was able to help you. So somebody was able to help you. It seems like he just didn't want to.

[00:25:25] [SPEAKER_03] Look. Somebody taking ownership helped. That's what I wanted in the first place. And yes, I need to leave innocent mothers out of it. That's my assignment.

[00:25:38] [SPEAKER_00] Yeah. Love you. Yeah.

[00:25:40] [SPEAKER_03] Of Verizon's assignment though is to drop calls. And whoever handles the next conversation, please, is Mr. Tramiel. We have spent enough time on that part. All right.

[00:25:50] [SPEAKER_01] I think both parties could use with some self-reflection. But I think for the most part, you were in the right.

[00:25:55] [SPEAKER_03] I mean, in all parts, I was in the right. Right.

[00:25:59] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah. Except maybe the mother part. I mean, he caught us straight because he was already being a dickhead. So.

[00:26:08] [SPEAKER_03] Okay. He was being a dickhead. He wasn't being helpful. He was being very condescending. And not only that, when I think about all the time. I've been a customer for 19 years. Every single solitary month that I've had phone coverage, I've had insurance.

[00:26:29] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah. For him to have no empathy over like the fact that you've been like consistently paying and They've never had this. Attempting help.

[00:26:36] [SPEAKER_03] They've never had to suspend my account at all for non-payment. Yeah.

[00:26:40] [SPEAKER_01] So like the fact that he has attitude makes no sense. He was having a bad day on his end and you might have made it worse. But at that point, that's it.

[00:26:49] [SPEAKER_03] When I was on food stamps, I made sure I took the public, like the cash assistance And I paid my phone bill first before anything else. Cause I, how the hell can I look for a job?

[00:26:59] [SPEAKER_01] With no phone.

[00:27:00] [SPEAKER_03] And no phone. Nobody to call me back. No callbacks.

[00:27:03] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah.

[00:27:04] [SPEAKER_03] So that was the priority. Other bills fell by the wayside.

[00:27:08] [SPEAKER_01] And that is crazy to have to just to ask for a little bit of help. Hey man, my phone's not fucking working properly. No. Okay, John. What it like? Yeah. Real dickhead over there at Verizon.

[00:27:22] [SPEAKER_03] So let's transition into this sad story. Uh, and I want to give it the respect that it deserves. And you know, not talk, uh, you know, uh, for lack of a better word in just a dismissive turn, uh, regarding it. So Javits Frimpong, sorry, friend pong was 15 years old. Uh, he was fatally shot in the Bronx on October 29th while heading to school.

[00:27:52] [SPEAKER_03] Um, his father says that he moved here from Ghana in 2025. Uh, very sad story, a family building a life here, a child getting started. And now they're grieving him. He should have made it to school. And that's what I keep coming back to go to school, get through the day, come home. That should not be asking too much.

[00:28:19] [SPEAKER_03] At this point, this looks like a senseless killing of a young person who should have had so much more time. His father says that Javits, um, had been bullied and had reported it. His father suspects a connection. Police haven't officially confirmed one. I'm not going to tell you they have, but I do want answers about what he was experiencing. What did he report? Who received the reports? What happened afterward?

[00:28:49] [SPEAKER_03] I don't have the school records. So I'm asking those questions. And for those of you who don't know, when a student declare, uh, uh, makes an allegation of bullying, there's a particular report that needs to be filled out. It's called DASA. They should check into that. If in fact, that DASA report was filed when the student made that allegation of him being bullied.

[00:29:15] [SPEAKER_03] Um, so like I said, I'm not declaring what the answers are working with students. I know how often we tell children to speak up, tell an adult report it, come to us. And they should. But what happens after they do? Who checks back in? Has the behavior stopped? Does the child feel safe? Are they worried about retaliation? I tell my nieces this all the time. I tell my nephews this all the time.

[00:29:42] [SPEAKER_03] Because an adult could think something has been handled while a student is still scared to walk into the building. That's why the follow up matters. If somebody receives a consequence, what happens next? Are there any meetings? Are there any sit-downs? Are there any, um, mediations? Anything of that nature? What happens when they return? What does the re-entry look like? Who is paying attention to the student who reported the behavior? What are we communicating to the family? Those are real responsibilities.

[00:30:12] [SPEAKER_03] A child shouldn't have to keep begging us to take the same fear, same fear seriously. And it can take a lot for a young person to tell adults in the first place. They may be embarrassed. They may be afraid that it'll get worse. They may already believe adults won't do anything. We cannot ask them to trust us as adults and then disappear after the conversation. I also want to say something about how we discuss children when they're killed.

[00:30:45] [SPEAKER_03] We hear that a child was quiet, a good student, had plans for the future. Those details do help us understand who they were, but they are not requirements for our concern. A child does not have to be an honor student for their death to matter. The child struggling in school deserves to come home. The child who gets on your nerves deserves to come home. The child who hasn't figured out what they want to do deserves the time to figure it out.

[00:31:13] [SPEAKER_03] 15 is supposed to come with time to change your mind, to mess up, to learn something. To become somebody you haven't even imagined yet. And please don't turn this into people naming children online because somebody posted a convincing comment. If you have firsthand information, please give it to investigators. The family needs answers that they can trust, not strangers making accusations for attention.

[00:31:43] [SPEAKER_03] I want whoever is responsible for this senseless act to be held accountable. I want the investigation to establish what happened. And I want people to keep showing up for this family after the story stops being new. If a young person tells you that they're frightened, listen. Ask another question. Follow up. Don't assume that because they stopped bringing it up, the problem just stopped. Sometimes they're just tired of explaining.

[00:32:12] [SPEAKER_03] Sometimes they just don't think telling us will change anything. We have to give them a reason to believe that it will. Well, Javis Frimpong was 15 years old. He should have made it to school. He should have come home. Thank you for staying for that conversation. And thank you for spending time with me.

[00:32:37] [SPEAKER_03] You can find the episode, leave your thoughts and get more from the show at thejohncashshow.com. Subscribe to the John Cash Show podcast on YouTube. Follow wherever you listen. And if you've been enjoying the show, leave an Apple podcast review. I'm John Cash, unfiltered, unapologetic, unmissable. Take care of yourselves and please check on your people.