Welcome to "Nice Talk," hosted by Marie Claire Editor in Chief Nikki Ogunnaike. Each week, Nikki will sit down with fascinating women—entertainers, entrepreneurs, creators, athletes, and changemakers—to discuss money, power, and style. “Well-behaved” women have long been discouraged from speaking on these topics—style should be effortless, and conversations about money or power aren’t “proper,” “ladylike,” or “nice.” But Nikki's definition of a Nice Talk is one where all parties walk away feeling empowered. You can listen to "Nice Talk with Nikki Ogunnaike" on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Summer House fans and "Giggly Squad" podcast listeners look to Paige DeSorbo for life and style advice, but the entrepreneur didn't always have her multihyphenate career figured out. In fact, she once had to turn to herself and follow her intuition for it to become what it is.
On the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk," the reality TV star/influencer opened up about a time she felt powerless—and how she grew from the experience.
DeSorbo explained that she was "very scared" when her close friend and "Giggly Squad" podcast cohost Hannah Berner "was fired" from the Bravo TV show about a group of friends in the Hamptons in 2021 after season 5. Her exit came shortly after the two launched their podcast, and rather than listening to naysayers and thinking exclusively in her best interests, she stood by Berner.
"I was caught in the crossfire and it was so scary for both of us," she shared on "Nice Talk" of Berner's Summer House departure. "Then to be like, 'No let's just lean in more, buckle up'—'Giggly Squad' really took a turn."
DeSorbo explained that the moment put into perspective how overwhelming fan reaction can be, saying, "I think when Hannah was fired was probably one of the times in reality TV that I was like, 'Okay, well, I really don't know what to do. It was just very weird and it was all playing out, and it's not like everyone watching it knew every single thing that's ever happened because they can't put everything out on the show."
She continued, "That was a really difficult time because I was like, 'Am I going to get fired? Is this my career? What am I even doing outside of the show that I could continue to make money?' So, I was very scared."
DeSorbo shared people would ask her at the time if Berner's exit meant she was done collaborating with her on the then-new "Giggly Squad." She said, "It didn't even run through my mind. I got so taken aback when they asked me. I was like, 'Yeah, obviously, I'm going to keep doing 'Giggly Squad.' That's my friend. That's my real-life friend.' I was like, 'I don't care if 200 Jessicas from across the country can't stand her, that's my friend.'"
While DeSorbo noted that she could have considered how much backlash Berner received from Summer House viewers and how continuing their podcast could have been "not good for [her] brand," she also wanted to trust her intuition.
"We continued doing it," she said. "I think that was one of the moments where it was a real shift in me and how I was as a person and how I was as a friend. Because I was like, No, I'm not going to just drop her because the majority of people are not liking her. Who cares about the majority of people? I'm never meeting them. I don't know them. That is not right."
Ultimately, by trusting herself and looking out for Berner, "Giggly Squad" found its audience and grew into the viral lifestyle phenomenon that it is. DeSorbo shared, "We leaned into 'Giggly Squad ' even harder because we really did feel like ourselves and we felt connected with each other, and we were trauma bonded," she shared.
The Bravo personality spoke more about her experience with what she's learned by stepping into her power as an entrepreneur, her unique career path, and more on "Nice Talk," available wherever you listen to podcasts now.
