First Love, Black Fatherhood & the Creator and Cast of Forever with Mara Brock Akil, Wood Harris & Michael Cooper Jr.
Baby, this is Keke Palmer
Wondery
4.7 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 3 June 2025
⏱️ 60 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We’re talkin’ first love, first heartbreak, and all the messy, magical moments in between. Netflix’s Forever had us deep in our feels from the very first episode. It’s a beautiful, honest look at Black teenage life—vulnerability, identity, and what it really means to love and be loved while finding your way.We’re sitting down with the show’s brilliant creator, Mara Brock Akil, along with Wood Harris—our new favorite TV dad—and breakout star Michael Cooper Jr.Forever is part of a much-needed cultural shift—evolving how Black fatherhood is portrayed and expanding what that representation can hold.Whether you’re falling in love, healing from it, or learning how to love yourself—this one’s for you.Get the Saks designer brands you love, delivered just like that. New on Amazon.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode is presented in partnership with Airbnb. |
| 0:03.7 | Y'all ready to celebrate independence and style? |
| 0:06.3 | Get yourself a guest's favorite spot and make your summer memories in one of the most loved homes on Airbnb. |
| 0:12.3 | Now, let's row. |
| 0:19.0 | Hey y'all, so if you haven't already heard about Netflix new series forever, where have you been? |
| 0:23.8 | Under Rock! |
| 0:24.9 | This show has had me deep in my feels from the very first episode. |
| 0:28.5 | We are talking first love, heartbreak, awkward sex, complicated family dynamics, a prom moment that goes all the way off. |
| 0:34.8 | And yes, even a buzzer-beater at a big game. But beyond the drama, |
| 0:38.9 | forever captures something we rarely see on screen, the emotional truth of being a teenager, |
| 0:44.1 | and more specifically, being a black teenager. It's honest, it's messy, it's funny, and it's got |
| 0:49.3 | us talking, which is why I'm so excited for today's guests, the brilliant creator of Forever, |
| 1:11.6 | Mar Brock A Kill, and our new favorite TV dad, Wood Harris, and later on, we're talking to the incredible Michael Cooper Jr. All about his breakout role, so let's get into it. Mara Wood, welcome to the show. No matter what we're doing in the car, just chilling, popo, Amazon music, sit back and listen. Life, love, sex, science, covering it all, especially the bad because money always involved. |
| 1:15.6 | No matter what it is, we gonna make it make sense. |
| 1:18.6 | Nothing else will do but kick it with the homies and kids. |
| 1:20.6 | So grab you a drink and a snack you enjoy and get into the vibe that only want this is going. |
| 1:24.6 | You know it's your girls. |
| 1:25.6 | Baby, this is this is Kiki. |
| 1:28.3 | Baby, this is Kiki Poma, yeah. |
| 1:33.3 | You guys, I am through the moon and so excited to get into this with you guys. |
| 1:40.3 | You guys have gotten me through my last... |
| 1:42.3 | I watched this show, I watched forever within a blink of an eye, guys. Oh my goodness. You watch eight episodes down. Girl, eight episodes immediately ate them up. And it was just, well, first of all, congratulations, you guys. Number one on Netflix, 96 on Rotten Tomatoes. I mean, Regina King, she's an EP, she directed the pilot. |
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