"I loves me some Juju Chang!" - Auntie Derek

June 3, 2026, is a date I will never forget. Not only did I have an opportunity to meet the amazing Juju Chang, but I also got to actually tell her to her face, "I loves me some Juju Chang!" 



Juju Chang is the co-anchor of ABC News' Nightline, and a regular contributor to Good Morning America and 20/20. She has won MANY (well-deserved) awards throughout her yearslong career in journalism. As a fan of daytime television, I would see Juju Chang often champion for LGBTQ+ rights, and report entertainment news with so much "fabulosity." I've always thought she brought passion, sincerity, and empathy to every story she covered.

Before she shared her award-winning insights with us, she gave a nice shoutout to her co-anchor Bryon Pitts, then talked about how she considers her empathy to be a "superpower."



Then, for the next hour, she shared valuable information about being aware of our unconscious biases, people who have inspired her, volunteering, the importance of finding what brings you joy in life, and much more! After her amazing talk, she took questions from the audience. Unfortunately, the news of Scott Pelley being terminated from 60 Minutes was fresh, so a member in the audience wanted her opinion about it. Her response was amazing and shed light on her friend Cecilia Vega being terminated from 60 Minutes as well. I was able to record her response and shared it as an exclusive on the Thursday 6/4/26 episode of my Auntie Derek's Daytime Tea podcast!



I was able to take the mic and ask her a question. The first thing I said was, "I just have to say I loves me some Juju Chang!" She very much appreciated that and responded with "Aww thank you! I love you too!" I then asked her, "do you think more journalists, especially those from television, will consider podcasting as an outlet to get their news out to the public?" And she replied, "I was having a conversation with a friend, and they asked, 'what do you think Barbara Walters would be doing if she were still alive today?' And I said, 'I think Barbara Walters would have a podcast.' So, there you go!"

Later that night, I had the pleasure of taking a photo with her. She asked me about my podcast, and then ended our conversation with, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Auntie Derek!" 

I started my podcast in September 2024, and I'm so glad I did. I've learned so much, met some amazing people, and I'm having lots of fun doing it! Juju Chang's answer to my question about podcasting gave me confirmation that I'm right where I need to be. Thank you for being amazing, Juju Chang.