When Corinne Fisher was dumped in a Panera bread by her then-love of her life, she had an idea.
“We should do a podcast where we interview all the guys we f—ked,” she texted her friend Krystyna Hutchinson.
And here they are.
The New York City female comedy duo started the podcast “Guys We F—ked” (also censored in iTunes) in 2013, and it has since evolved into a conversation with comedians, actors, and musicians that observe US culture, life and politics — and has garnered a cult following of diverse listeners and hovers in the top 50 most popular podcasts in iTunes.
It’s an anti-slut shaming podcast — their words — that tackles uncomfortable subjects, whether it’s sexual assault, rape, pedophilia or drugs.
And the comedians are praised every week by their listeners for having an open dialogue about taboo issues.
One thing they’ve been very open about on their podcast with their listeners is their opinions of the roller coaster that has been the 2016 election.
“Being the president of the United States means you are the face of America, which means you have to be a good representation,” Hutchinson told CNN in an interview in her Manhattan apartment. “But also, I think the most important thing is that you know what you’re talking about and you are a hard worker.”
“This election is a comedian’s dream and a nation’s nightmare,” Fisher said.
Why they’re with her
Both Hutchinson and Fisher said they’re voting for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in November because of many issues — but specifically because of where she stands on women’s rights.
“I’m a very outspoken Hillary supporter,” Fisher said. “And things that young women will write about someone who, no matter what you think of her, has made history, is disturbing. People don’t like Hillary, they think that she’s mean and doesn’t like people, this is a bit that I have, but yeah that’s why we know she’s smart, OK?”
She continued: “I’ve been waiting for this woman to become president because I think she’s phenomenal.”
Trump’s campaign has had a rough two weeks. First, a 2005 hot mic conversation with Trump was published by The Washington Post where he boasted about being able to grope women as “a star.” And then on Wednesday, The New York Times published the account of two women who said Trump made unwanted sexual advances, followed by a third account of similar behavior published by People Magazine. Trump has aggressively denied all of the allegations from those reports and a Trump attorney issued an open letter to the Times demanding an immediate retraction and apology.
CNN has not yet independently confirmed either The New York Times or People Magazine accounts.
And as a result, Trump is losing female voters. Nearly every national poll finds Clinton well ahead among women, and she holds a 17-point lead among women in the most recent national polling on the race from NBC and the Wall Street Journal.
Hutchinson told CNN she believes the podcast contributes to starting an important dialogue in the country about issues that matter to listeners — including women.
“You have to have discussions and talk about it intelligently and calmly, which is something I need to get a little bit better at, but I think it’s really important — it’s such an extreme, these two sides — that’s an interesting lesson we all need to learn. Especially in the age of the internet,” Hutchinson said.
Fisher said she faces criticism from podcast listeners because her boyfriend is voting for Trump — and they don’t understand why she’d stay with him.
“They’re like, ‘How could date someone who’s voting for Donald Trump. You need to dump him.’ First of all, not dumping him. And if I do, it’s certainly not because he’s voting for Donald Trump,” she said. “And it makes me angry that I can’t like someone who has a different opinion than me. That’s attractive to me. Liberals are very bad, I’m a liberal, and we are very bad about listening to the other side.”
She continued: “And I think the correct answer is usually something in the middle, as with everything — it’s in the gray area.”