Everyone has a story to tell, but sometimes it takes a storyteller to get the story out. For the multi-hyphenate Fat Joe, he’s bringing his voice to a new medium to help share stories of some of the greatest icons in pop culture and entertainment. Fat Joe Talks is his new talk show set to debut on STARZ. Calling it a talk show from a different lens, Fat Joe is eager to share some special conversations with some of his close friends and colleagues. As Fat Joe revealed, “You’re privy to conversations that nobody else is. And so it’s almost like you’re a fly in the wall, and you’re going to see these people, they really are talking about good times, bad times, trials, and tribulations. And it’s always going to be inspirational and motivational.”

Joseph Antonio Catagena, better known by his stage name Fat Joe, has been a major player in the music industry for decades. Known as a solo rapper and for his hip hop group Terror Squad, Fat Joe’s impact on the music industry knows no bounds. Following mainstream hits including “What’s Luv” featuring Ja Rule and Ashanti and “Lean Back,” Fat Joe’s dominance in entertainment has since expanded. From podcasts to writing and some advocacy in between, Fat Joe’s voice continues to expand with his new series Fat Joe Talks.

‘Fat Joe Talks’ Is a Different Kind of Talk Show

The synthesis of Fat Joe Talks goes back a couple of years. As Fat Joe revealed, it started on his Instagram during the height of the COVID-19 pandemid. “I was fearing the worst. And one day, my daughter said, ‘Dad, you should go on live.’ She was 14, and she put me on live. I never been on live. I wasn’t a big social media guy. And everybody you name, Kim Kardashian, Michelle Obama, everybody started leaving comments.” He continued, “Then we went back on the next day and went back on, and then it turned into a TV show in Covid when everybody was stuck home.” Dropping names like they were hot, Fat Joe’s experience in this foray was the push that helped become the inkling that became Fat Joe Talks.

For Fat Joe, he wanted to bring in the talent. This was not going to be a talk show like anything you’ve seen before. Throwing some slight shade, he said, “Everybody on the show is an icon…You’re not going to get the speaking dog. You’re not going to get the cooking show where half the pots are done. No, you’re getting J. Lo, you’re getting Mary J. Blige. You’re getting the biggest ever.” His goal is to keep it inspirational and motivational. Fat Joe is giving viewers a look into something they may not have seen before. Including the way the show is shot. He said, “It’s like a talk show, reality, camera-driven.”

Fat Joe Talks gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look into people and places that you would never see. As we discussed the thought process behind this unique format for Fat Joe Talks, the inspiration behind the show might surprise you. “If I tell you the true thought process is, I was a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain. And so, Anthony Bourdain would travel, and eat food, and conversate with people. And so to me, this is like a traveling talk show. We pull up in the ATL, hang out with TI at the Trap Museum, and learn about how trap music and the ATL started. And then we’ll pull up with LL Cool J in LA or wherever in Hollywood while he’s shooting the movie. And so we just take you through a different lens.”

Fat Joe Has One Dream Guest

To kick off the season, Fat Joe takes a ride on the Staten Island Ferry for an intimate chat with Staten Island’s own Method Man. Through their chat, they dive deep into their history in the music industry as they reminisce about their time as friends. As they note, they go way back. But even having a history with many of his guests, he doesn’t necessarily learn anything “negative or spicy.” He did note that each episode has something special and a different approach. While it is a show that does bring a new insight into his various guests, Fat Joe was unafraid to ask the difficult and hard-hitting questions. He said, “I don’t like to invade in people’s space. I don’t like clickbait. This show is not about that. But we will talk about conversations that will help the youth or help America or inspire people. And even the hard-hitting questions, we touch it, but we touch it in a way of how can we get over this? How can we move past this? How can we inspire someone who’s going through this situation right now”

We closed out our chat by asking a very important question: If Fat Joe could interview anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and what would be the first question he would ask? His answer, “That’s Michael Jackson. My first question would be ‘Hey, Michael, have you ever heard of Fat Joe?” I’m sure he has! Now that Fat Joe has temporarily sat on the other side of the interview, he’s now back to hosting and asking the questions the viewers are dying to learn the answers of.

Fat Joe Talks premieres on October 4th on STARZ. New episodes will be released every Friday on the STARZ app at midnight and will premiere on linear television at 9 p.m. ET with a runtime of 30 minutes.

Stream on STARZ