meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Why Won't You Date Me? with Nicole Byer

Dating Life of a Burlesque Superstar (w/ Jessabelle Thunder)

Why Won't You Date Me? with Nicole Byer

Headgum & Nicole Byer

Date, Comedy, Relationship, Single, Raya, Therapy, Dating, Couples, Hookups, Romance, Bumble, Dating Apps, Comedy Interviews, Love, Relationships, Nicole Byer, Health & Fitness, Sex, Advice, Encounters, Tinder, Interview, Sexuality, Podcast, Hookup, Stories, Interviews, Society & Culture

4.815.6K Ratings

🗓️ 8 August 2025

⏱️ 67 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

International award-winning burlesque dancer Jessabelle Thunder joins Nicole to talk about why so many partners say they’re cool with burlesque - until they’re not. She shares how she transformed from a shy girl into a commanding headliner, the different styles of burlesque dancing, and the time she broke her ankle on stage mid-show. Jessabelle also relives a London date with an Irish DJ who argued he should be allowed to say the N-word. Plus, Nicole forgets her meds, spirals on the future of AI, and goes to a pet psychic to figure out why Cylde be biting.


Watch this episode on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@WhyWontYouDateMePodcast


Support this podcast and get discounts by checking out our sponsors:

» Quince: Elevate your fall wardrobe essentials with Quince. Go to Quince.com/dateme for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

» Squarespace: Head to squarespace.com/DATEME to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code DATEME.

» Mint Mobile: This year, skip breaking a sweat AND breaking the bank. Get your summer savings and shop premium wireless plans at mintmobile.com/DATEME.

View all of our sponsors and discounts codes at wwydm.notion.site/sponsors.


Follow:

Tour Dates: linktr.ee/nicolebyerwastaken

YouTube: @WhyWontYouDateMePodcast

TikTok: @whywontyoudatemepod 

Instagram: @nicolebyer

X: @nicolebyer

Nicole's book, #VERYFAT #VERYBRAVE: indiebound.org/book/9781524850746

This is a Headgum podcast. Follow Headgum on TwitterInstagram, and Tiktok. Advertise on Why Won't You Date Me? via Gumball.fm.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Want to watch this episode? Catch the full video on YouTube. Just hit the link in the episode description.

0:05.0

Searching for a romantic summer getaway. Escape with Rich Girl Summer, the new Audible original from Lily Chew.

0:12.0

The exquisitely talented Philippa Sue, returning to narrate her fifth Lily Chew title.

0:17.0

This time, Philippa is joined by her real-life husband, Stephen Pasquale, set in Toronto's wealthy cottage country, aka the Hamptons of Canada.

0:24.9

Rich Girl Summer follows the story of Valerie,

0:27.2

a down-on-her-luck event planner, posing as a socialite's long-lost daughter,

0:31.1

while piecing together the secrets surrounding a mysterious family

0:34.0

and falling deeper and deeper in love with the impossibly hard to read and infuriatingly handsome

0:40.0

family assistant, Nico. Caught between pretending to belong and unexpectedly finding where she

0:45.2

truly fits in, Valerie learns her summer is about to get far more complicated than she ever

0:50.0

planned. She's in over her head and head over heels. Listen to Rich Girl Summer, now on

0:55.5

Audible. Go to audible.com slash rich girl summer.

1:00.9

This is a headgum podcast. Have you ever dated anybody who didn't like the burlesque, who was like,

1:08.9

this isn't for me. This is too titillating.

1:11.9

The question is, have I dated anyone who actually liked it? Okay. Have you? Just the one that

1:18.9

put me in the class. Really? Everybody else has a problem with it. They're like,

1:23.4

oh, it's no big deal. And then later on, they're like, that was a big deal. That to me is so interesting because I feel like that's what happens with like, say, stripping or like any sort of like I show my body at night. Yeah. Like then they're like, no, I don't have a problem with it. And then they're like, actually I do. Have you ever worked through it? Like somebody was like, oh, I have a problem with it.

1:46.0

And you're like, okay, we can talk about it.

1:47.8

No.

1:48.5

Oh.

1:49.0

No, never.

1:50.5

I've never had an adult conversation about it.

...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 22 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Headgum & Nicole Byer, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Headgum & Nicole Byer and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.