Coming in 2023: ‘Just Talk Live’ returns to inform and delight Presbyterians

Watch for new episodes of the online talk show on Facebook and YouTube

by Darla Carter | Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE — Here’s some good news for fans of “Just Talk Live.” The award-winning online talk show, co-hosted by the Rev. Lee Catoe and Destini Hodges, returns in 2023 with 14 new episodes.

The first episode of the new season debuts Jan. 10 at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Facebook and YouTube. It’s a collaboration between Unbound: An Interactive Journal of Christian Social Justice, which has Catoe as its editor, and the Young Adult Volunteer program, which Hodges coordinates for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

“We try to cultivate a show that moves with the Spirt, that doesn’t take itself too seriously but also makes space for conversation and creativity,” Catoe said. “The spontaneity and the realness is what makes us proud of the show.”

The unscripted web series, which previously aired at night, will be livestreamed twice a month until July as a daytime show, covering a wide range of topics.

Destini Hodges

“We hope it becomes a good lunch break watch, and of course, people can watch” the recorded version after the livestream has ended, Hodges said.

In the past, the show has featured a diverse lineup of guests from inside and outside the PC(USA) and from various fields including ministry, the arts, the LGBTQIA+ community, mental health, immigration and education. It will continue to take on challenging subjects, including abortion and antisemitism, in 2023.

“We are just continuing the work we did in the past by furthering the communities and conversations we’ve started,” Hodges said. “We just kind of go with the flow … and people relate to that.”

The talk show, which began airing two years ago and completed two seasons before going on hiatus, has received thousands of views in the past and earned a 2021 Award of Excellence in the video series category from The Associated Church Press Best of the Church Press Awards.

The Rev. Lee Catoe

“The last two seasons were successful in that we had great conversations about relevant topics that are happening in our world,” Catoe said. “We cultivated a show that was fun, casual, young and fresh, and we were one of the first in the church to have a live broadcasted show. We miss sharing this with people.”

Look for the show on the Unbound Facebook page and YouTube starting next month.

Unbound is one of the Compassion, Peace and Justice ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.