\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so, honey: Disrespect to the sprinkle cookie!\u201d shouts Matt Rogers<\/strong> straight to camera. He\u2019s flanked by his BFF and partner in podcasting Bowen Yang,<\/strong> who nods enthusiastically. He\u2019s on a soap box, stumping for Real Housewives of New Jersey<\/em> star Melissa Gorga<\/strong>\u2019s new line of baked goods<\/a>. \u201cEven Bethenny, on her TikTok, reviewed the sprinkle cookie and she was like, \u2018You know what? They\u2019re not bad,\u2019\u201d he continues, punctuating his words with enthusiastic claps. \u201cAnd that is a huge rave from Bethenny Frankel,<\/strong> which does not come easily. You\u2019ve seen the way she is with some skin care out there.\u201d<\/p>\n This, in a nutshell, is Las Culturistas<\/em>\u2014Rogers and Yang\u2019s incredibly popular podcast, produced by Will Ferrell<\/strong>\u2019s Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio. The pair has an uncanny knack for taking disparate things\u2014see Gorga\u2019s sprinkle cookies, Frankel\u2019s TikTok\u2014and putting them in comedic conversation with each other. Rogers and Yang, who met as freshmen at NYU in the aughts, have been perfecting this formula since launching Las Culturistas<\/em> on the Forever Dog network in 2016.<\/p>\n The podcast predates either of their ascents in Hollywood. These days, Yang, 34, has five Emmy nominations under his belt as a Saturday Night Live<\/em><\/a> breakout star, and a plum role in Wicked<\/a>.<\/em> Rogers, 35, has made memorable supporting turns on comedy series like I Love That for You<\/em><\/a> and No Good Deed,<\/em> as well as his touring musical comedy special<\/a>, Have You Heard of Christmas?,<\/em> streaming on Paramount+ Premium. Although their careers have gone down separate paths, they\u2019ve also continuously intersected\u2014whether by starring together in the Emmy-nominated gay romantic comedy Fire Island<\/em><\/a> or appearing as a bickering couple on Amazon Prime\u2019s Overcompensating<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Throughout it all, Las Culturistas<\/em> has remained the tie that binds the two best friends\u2014and what connects them to their legions of fans, whom they affectionately call \u201cReaders, Kayteighs, Publicists, Finalists, and Kyles.\u201d The show is a press tour must-stop for A-list talent like Mariah Carey<\/strong> and Chappell Roan.<\/strong> Recent guests have included everyone from Sarah Jessica Parker<\/strong> to Michelle Obama,<\/strong> all of whom have listened to Yang and Rogers rattle off \u201crules of culture\u201d and answered the podcast\u2019s animating question: \u201cWhat was the culture that made you say culture was for you?\u201d Las Culturistas<\/em> won podcast of the year at the iHeartPodcast Awards in March, and was recently named one of Time<\/em>\u2019s 100 best podcasts of all time<\/a>.<\/p>\n This year, the loyal RKPFKs are in for a special treat. The Las Culturistas Culture Awards, Rogers and Yang\u2019s bespoke comedy show that masquerades as an awards ceremony, will be broadcast on Bravo on August 5 at 9 p.m. While it\u2019s the fourth edition of their faux-awards extravaganza, this is also the first time Yang and Rogers are putting the Culture Awards on television. Suffice it to say, they\u2019re feeling the pressure.<\/p>\n \u201cI had to wake up and take a breath and just strap in,\u201d Yang tells me. Rogers\u2019s nerves are manifesting in a more visceral way. \u201cI wake up my eyes and my first instinct is, \u2018Oh no, oh no, oh no,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cI do have that thing in the morning where I\u2019m like, \u2018Ah!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Yang steps in as a supportive friend: \u201cYou\u2019re having an anxiety moment. But you\u2019re working through it by acknowledging the state.\u201d<\/p>\n For all their similarities as gay millennials in their mid 30s, Yang and Rogers fill separate niches. Yang, who graduated NYU with a BA in chemistry, is more cerebral, and often more reserved, while Rogers\u2014a powder keg of personality from Long Island with seemingly no off switch\u2014is more emotional. (He has a classic refrain on the podcast: \u201cI don\u2019t know my words, but I do know my heart.\u201d) Of course this manifests in their approach to work and how they deal with pressure. \u201cI feel like I have very anxious responses to stress, and Bowen can have more depressive responses to stress,\u201d says Rogers. \u201cThose two things interact in interesting ways. It\u2019s been an emotional few weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n When I arrive at Jack Studios in Chelsea, the vibe is anything but depressed. The duo is recording promo for their awards show, recreating their iconic final podcast segment, \u201cI Don\u2019t Think So, Honey!\u201d in which guests rant about something in culture that irks them for one full minute. (Iconic renditions include Tina Fey<\/strong>\u2019s \u201cBowen Yang giving his real opinions about movies on this podcast\u201d and comedian Aaron Jackson<\/strong>\u2019s now classic \u201cgoing to church on Sunday and<\/em> Wednesday.\u201d) They\u2019re a little less than three weeks away from showtime at a glitzy, star-studded ceremony hosted at LA\u2019s Orpheum Theatre. The telecast tapes on July 17, weeks before airing on Bravo\u2014a far cry from the basements and bars where Yang and Rogers cut their teeth as 20-somethings trying to break into the comedy business.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n