Sammy Jaye, the change-making host of Let’s Be Real, is all about having powerful and candid conversations with celebrities, activists, athletes, and influencers while discussing real-life issues – from mental health and political activism to pop culture. This highly acclaimed podcast has been recognized by some fantastic people & publications, from the Ryan Seacrest show and 17 Magazine to Variety, Refinery 29 and so many more. Sammy Jaye, at 19, is the youngest to host her own podcast on iHeartRadio and was recently named to PopSugar’s 20-under-20 list. Season 4 will be exciting, revealing, and empowering and hopefully make you feel good when we’re all going through so many changes in the world today. Continue reading to find out more about this exciting time in Sammy’s career, future projects, and her passion for mental health and political activism.

Where are you based?
I grew up in NYC, so that’s my home, but I’m currently in college in California.

What inspired you to launch your own podcast, Let's Be Real?
When I has a sophomore in High School my anxiety became really crippling and I started listening to podcasts as a distraction from my anxiety. I found that I couldn’t relate to the content out there. I just wanted to hear real and down to earth conversations about life from people that I looked up to in the public eye. So, I came up with the idea for “Let’s Be Real”, which is about having honest and unfiltered conversations with celebrities, activists, athletes and influencers in the hopes that it could be a positive distraction for people to hopefully feel less alone.

You are the youngest person to host your own highly acclaimed podcast on iHeartRadio and named PopSugar’s 20-under20 list. Can you tell us more about this experience?
We launched season 1 of the podcast when I was 17. I had no idea I was the youngest person to host their own podcast on iHeart until they told me! I was blown away when I found out. When I was told about the PopSugar 20-under-20 list, it was completely unexpected. I was honored and humbled. To be honest, I think I started laughing because I really couldn’t comprehend why I was on that list!!

Your career has really taken off at such a young age, where do you see yourself in five years?
I have no idea where I’ll be in five years, but I do know one thing — I love creating stories – all kinds – so there are many things I want to do. Besides my podcast, I just finished writing a children’s book, and I’m developing a documentary on the education system. These are just a few of my current projects. One goal I have in the future is to host my own talk show too!

You have had powerful and candid conversations with celebrities and activists such as Jessica Alba, Madison Beer, Kesha, Justin Baldoni, Meghan Trainor, and many more. Do you ever have a moment where you feel intimidated to discuss real-life issues?
Sure! I think it’s very natural to feel intimidated at times, especially when I was a bit younger and interviewing people that were twice my age, but I quickly found out that if you come in prepared, be yourself, and engage in a genuine, honest conversation, you’ll usually earn the respect of the person your interviewing.

What message do you hope listeners will take away from your conversations?
I want people to know that we’re all human, even celebrities and people we look up to, and we all deal with so many of the same worries or concerns about life. In this crazy world we live in, and in social media where everyone posts their ‘perfect’ world, it’s so easy to get down on yourself. I want people to feel positive and know that life can be an amazing journey… and that we all have similar struggles.

Do you have a favorite moment or story that you can share from one of your interviews?
Through the four seasons of my podcast, I’ve been so fortunate to do over 50 interviews with some amazing people, so it’s hard to pick just a few. But I will say my very first conversation with Julia Michaels stands out as she was so generous with her time and her talent. We even drew doodles on hats and it felt like I was doing arts and craft with a friend, which was such a unique and special experience.

You work with Child Mind Institute and spoke about your mental health/therapy journey at their annual gala in NYC, can you tell us more about this?
It was a very special night. It was in New York. I was 17 and there were like 1000 people in the audience. I remember being so scared. Backstage right before I went on, I was introduced to Hillary Clinton, who was speaking right after me. She was really sweet and supportive. I got on stage and shared my mental health journey, the importance of therapy and things like that. It was incredible. Then Hillary Clinton came on stage after me and gave me a shout out. That I’ll never forget.

You have also worked with Rock the Vote, can you tell us about your experience, and do you plan to work with them again in the future?
I’ve worked with Rock the Vote a couple of times during the past two elections because I think voting is really important. Whatever your views are, it’s important to exercise your vote and let your voice be heard.

We hear Season 4 is going to be exciting, revealing, and empowering, is there anything more you can tell us about what to expect?
We just wrapped Season 4 and it was amazing!! Coming out of Covid, I got to do in person interviews for the first time in a couple of years and that alone made it super special. Because we all have been through so much in the past couple of years, my guests had a lot they wanted to talk about, as well as all the stuff they are looking forward to doing! We got a chance to talk about it all!

Do you have any other exciting projects that are coming up that you can tell us about?
I just finished writing a children’s book so I’m really excited about that! Two other areas I’m passionate about and developing projects for are the education system and medical research for women. The education system doesn’t work in so many ways, and I want to be part of the solution. Regarding medical research, it’s well known that the money raised for women’s health issues are tiny compared to issues effecting men. That needs to change for so many reasons, including how it will help the economy and society at large.

It has been a rough few years, how have you been staying positive?
These past few years have been very difficult, informative, and filled with so much change. I think something that has really helped me stay positive is surrounding myself with people that make me feel fulfilled and want me to be the best version of myself. I think something that has also helped me stay positive is to try and embrace change even though I find it terrifying lol.

What is your motto in life?
My go-to motto in life has been to be comfortable with the uncomfortable, because it has really pushed me to embrace trying new things!

To learn more about Sammy, please follow her via the links below:
Instagram @itssammyjaye
Podcast: Let’s Be Real

Photo credit: Skyer Barbario

Sammy Jaye - Get Ready To Be Real