The hosts of The Receipts Podcast are going through a very public break-up right now. After seven years, nearly 200 episodes, and 100,000 weekly listeners on Spotify, the British pop culture and relationships podcast announced that co-host Milena Sanchez was moving on, leaving Tolani Shoneye and Audrey Indome to continue the show as a duo. And, like any break-up, they’re going through the necessary motions. “If you grew up in the late ’90s, you’re used to groups breaking up and changes,” writer and co-host Tolani Shoneye (Tolly) tells R29 Unbothered over Zoom. “I lived through the Sugababes, Destiny’s Child, Spice Girls, Take That, and Boyzone breakups!” she laughs. “We lived through it and we survived it. The Receipts will survive as well.”
For the past seven years, Shoneye, Indome and Sanchez (affectionately described as millennial agony aunts) have helped their listeners navigate the most scandalous, heartbreaking and absurd parts of relationships by answering in-depth and intimate listener letters — aka “Your Receipts”. Each Wednesday, they alternate between dilemma episodes such as “My Bestie Is Sleeping With My Baby Dad” and “My Man Is Producing Too Much Saliva” and hilarious, insightful pop culture takes. The Receipts Podcast has long offered a weekly salve based on a simple recipe: three women (notably Black British and British Latina), real talk, no filter.
Now, the podcast is going through a transitional season. When Milena Sanchez announced she would be leaving the popular podcast last October over Instagram, you could almost hear a chorus of pings from Twitter (X) and WhatsApp notifications on phones everywhere. For devoted listeners — especially those who deeply value the unencumbered space for Black and Latine female expression — the news felt personal and for the remaining hosts, the news came as a “surprise”. In the post, Sanchez said it was a “difficult decision” to leave the podcast, adding “I believe it’s what’s best for me”.
As could be expected, the shocking nature of Sanchez’s departure saw social media light up with rumours of friction between the three women. Neither Shoneye, Sanchez or Indome had responded directly to the speculation until now. At the time of Unbothered’s interview with the podcast hosts, Shoneye and Indome said they were “surprised” by Sanchez’s decision to leave, and denied tensions. However, earlier today, Sanchez took to Twitter to confirm that her departure came from “years of rift” between herself and Tolly, which she claims was “clear to see”. What remains unsaid is that the optics of two Black women and a Latina woman parting ways professionally make it easy for an unfounded bullying narrative to circulate on social media. The reality of the situation requires far more care and nuance.
When I spoke with Shoneye and Indome over Zoom back in November, it was clear that the co-hosts were taking a “the show must go on” attitude into the new season — because to them, and their loyal listeners, it has to. After taking a break for the first time in the show’s run to reflect, the duo caught up with Unbothered ahead of the podcast’s January 8th relaunch, and told us, in more or less words that in 2024, they would be standing on business. I believe them.
The past few weeks have been a lot, I wanted to ask how you’re both doing. Have you had a chance to reflect on how you plan to move forward as a duo?
Tolani Shoneye: We’ve had nothing but time to think and reflect! We’re both just excited to see what this looks like. Like you said it’s a huge announcement and [we’ve been] figuring it out, being okay with what’s happened and dealing with what’s happened. We’ve had deep chats about what this [podcast] means to us. And ultimately, The Receipts Podcast means the absolute world to us. At the very core of everything this this means so much to us … There is no replacing of Milena as I think that would do her an injustice. That’s not the situation here.
There’s been a lot of rumours and speculation on social media about your relationship with Milena. Have you been surprised by some of the negative reactions that you’ve received since she decided to leave?
TS: Some of the speculation and some of the rumours have been a shame because we would like to believe our audience knew us better than that. But hey, it’s conversations. It’s the internet! People are going to talk.
Audrey Indome: I was a bit surprised because like Tolly was saying, I did expect our audience to know us a little bit better and for people to at least wait [for us to speak out], because we hadn’t said anything outside of our statements. But again, [the speculation] is almost inevitable. And for me, I’ve always given a little bit of room for haters. It’s just something that comes with the territory, when you do something visible you just have to accept that there is going to be a subsection of people who do not like you. And this was just an opportunity for those people maybe to be a little bit louder than what they normally would be.
So to clarify, is there any negativity or tension between the three of you?
TS: No! Like we said, we were shocked by [Sanchez’s decision to leave The Receipts Podcast]. We wish Milena all of the luck in the world. I have a saying, that “I wish people themselves.” And that’s literally what it is. I wish [Milena] herself in all the things that she does. There is no animosity, we’ve not got a problem here. I think the reaction [from the public] makes you think shit, should there be?!
Will you go into detail about what happened on the podcast?
TS: It’s worth sharing with the audience. We’ve been doing this for a long time and we have an intimate relationship with [our listeners]. It’d be insane to return to the podcast and act like nothing’s changed and everything’s normal. It would be inauthentic and what we’ve always done is be authentic. So, in our own space and time, we’re going to be like, here’s what happened, here’s how we feel. And it is a breakup so it hurts. There has been loads of conversation. It was a surprise to us. But you know, like Audrey says, “We move.”
Seven years is a long time for any relationship. What has been the key for the podcast to survive for this long?
TS: We deeply care about [this podcast]. It was something that started as a hobby. But we both deeply care about it, we’re both talkative people, so that helps but also there’s a commitment, there’s a love, there’s a passion.
I am so interested in the “seven-year itch”. I’m fascinated by it. I think there’s something about being the age 27 that I think is the most fucked age you’re ever gonna be in your life. There’s a science to it, there’s turnover about every seven years, and something new happens. In the Bible, it says that in the seventh year, you must rest and lean on all the things from the last six years. So I’m interested in that a lot. And I think it feels like a rebirth.
Your fans are shocked. Can you understand why some may struggle with the new line-up?
AI: Change is a tough one and I understand that the listeners might be nervous about a new dynamic but we have considered this. We love our listeners and ultimately want to give them a good show. We’re going do things to make sure that the loss isn’t felt too much, because we value [our listeners]. We take into consideration that it’s going to take time for people to adjust, and you know, hopefully, they still vibe us, and I think they will, they’re very loyal. If you’ve been listening since day one, you’ve seen change and adapted. So I think [listeners] will adapt to this change, too.
What would you say to people wanting to start a podcast with a friend? What has the podcast taught you about your friendship with each other?
TS: Not everyone deserves a mic!
AI: I see why people think that they can do it because it seems easy. It’s not as easy as what it looks like. But at the same time, I do like that podcasting is a platform where people don’t have to wait for permission to do it. If you want to do it, you can.
TS: [Audrey and I] are great friends now. And I don’t think there’s a person in life who knows more about me than she does — she knows the good, the bad, all my best and worst. But when we started with the idea that we’re making a podcast we weren’t friends. Our friendship has naturally grown so deeply because we both consistently show up for each other outside of the podcast. If Audrey has an emergency, I’m there. There are times when Audrey has turned up to my house — because I just couldn’t anymore, I couldn’t do anything — she’s cleaned my house and cooked for me. So, I value the friendships so much. And I think because we value the friendship, we value the podcast. That’s why I strongly believe in this duo. I don’t think there is a world where if either one of us had left the podcast it would still be a thing. And that’s my honest truth.
AI: As much as people might try and spin that into a negative I think that our bond is what makes for a great show. And I think that now there are two of us we can lean into that bond a bit more unapologetically.
Your bond resonates but I would love to know what things you disagree on the most.
TS: We have very different lifestyles. It’s funny because I like to think I’m quite liberal, but compared to Audrey, I am not at all! We have a whole big debate about baby fathers. We have many other things where I’m like [to Audrey] I don’t think that makes sense!
AI: I’m a very liberal person! There’s loads of stuff — we’ve got different styles and we present differently. Tolly’s a big music head, I’m not necessarily the biggest music head, like, there’s loads of things. I do think that those differences are nice, but they haven’t necessarily been highlighted [on the podcast]. And we have so many similarities at the same time.
You mentioned that you are both going through different transitions in your 30s. How will this show up on The Receipts Podcast?
TS: We are both in our mid 30s now and we have grown this so much. This new change allows us to talk about experiences that are more grown and what we’re going through right now as women who are in their mid 30s. What does that look like for us? Audrey’s had a child in ‘later in life’ [makes air quotes]. What does that look like for her? We’ll be talking to people who are our age mates and being able to relate with them.
AI: It’s weird because I’ve been so vulnerable and honest about my desire to be a mum and now I am able to talk about it is exciting. I haven’t talked about my pregnancy story anywhere because when I was pregnant, I was paranoid. Now that she’s here, I want to share all the gory details with the listeners. And yeah, just really get into the gist of like, this new phase in my life.
You’re both considered the internet’s big sisters and agony aunties. That’s a heavy responsibility…
AI: I take it seriously, man. I’m not one of these people [who claims] “I’m not a role model.” And while I’m not, I understand why people would give us that title. We share so much of our lives. We give our opinions, we give advice. I think to detach yourself from the role model responsibility when you give advice weekly would be disingenuous.
You’re known for being unfiltered about sex, relationships, anything! Do you plan on speaking as candidly as always?
AI: I’m a big girl in my 30s!
TS: Honey, we still talk! We’re still going to be raw — the word raw is insane but it’s exactly what it is. We’re still going to be open. We’ll show more of a vulnerable side of ourselves. Or else it doesn’t work.
TS: Exactly. But we need to take it to the next level. Even though some might say we’ve overshared, I do think we’ll give you guys more access. We always say we don’t give you hot tea, but we give you lukewarm tea with things that have happened in the past. But I think there is scope now to share hot tea about the things that are actively happening in our lives.
I think it’s significant that two Black women are at the helm of what is one of the most successful podcasts in the UK. How significant is this for you at this stage?
TS: It’s not unnoticed, right? I’ve always been a Black woman, I’ve always carried this body, I’ve always known what it is to manoeuvre in this body. And so has Audrey. I understand what I’m doing is not necessarily normal. And I understand how it’s something that I should be very, very proud of because, as you said, The Receipts Podcast, one of the biggest UK podcasts, is led by two Black women. I’ve always dedicated all of my work to all of the Black women who have loved me, and who’ve talked me up. And these are people who I’ve never met before, to people I see daily. I understand and value who they are. But also, there is a very long list of Black girls and women who are doing things amazingly. Like, yes, I’m a Black woman, and that’s the core of who I am but we’re on job. What’s the surprise that Black women are doing big things? We’ve been doing it. And we’ll carry on doing it as well.
AI: Absolutely. Being a Black woman permeates every single thing we do every single day. And that includes the podcast. I think it’s nice to be unapologetic about that. But we’re also just two women podcasters. There’s a wide range of people that have gravitated towards us and that listen to us and support us. The podcast is going to continue to be a love letter to Black women always and forever because that’s who we are.
The Receipts Podcast is a Spotify Video Exclusive, with new episodes available every Monday and Wednesday. Watch now here only on Spotify, or listen anywhere you get your podcasts
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