On May 18, 2024, I had the opportunity to see The Dropouts Podcast live show at Toad’s Place in New Haven, CT. What immediately became apparent was how enamored the crowd was with the comedy as they eagerly entered the venue. The tour had a small run across the East Coast, with shows in New York, Massachusetts, and finally Connecticut. 

Right from the start, they helped to make the experience memorable with small souvenirs, including a notecard and pins to commemorate the show. Anticipation was building as the crowd laughed along to a video that played different clips from the actual podcast itself before the act would take to the stage.

But when did all of this excitement start, and where did it come from? The Dropouts Podcast featuring Zach Justice, Jared Bailey, and Tara Yummy has garnered a lot of attention across social media, especially in the past year. 

Tara Yummy has gone viral on TikTok for the “Tara Yummy mindset,” which encapsulates confidence and being able to bring fun into any room. She has also been able to showcase the Y2K grunge aesthetic that has been becoming immensely popular online. When she’s not found with the Dropouts Trio, she can also be found making content with fellow content creators Jake Webber and Johnnie Gilbert. 

Before the Dropouts trio was able to captivate so many people’s interest, the podcast began with a duo, Zach Justice and his co-host, Indiana Massara. Justice would feature his usual crude humor that has become so well known, even in the current dynamic of the podcast. However, Massara would later leave the show as a co-host due to personal reasons. 

More than ever, Gen Z has seen the rise of podcasts and the stories that can personally come with them. Not only have podcasts been on the rise, but other popular YouTube content creators like Tana Mongeau and Brooke Scofield have also topped the Spotify charts. There’s very much overlap between the two audiences, with Mongeau appearing on the Dropouts Podcast and doing many collaborations with Yummy.

For many of Gen Z, the formative years of their late high school to early college experience were taken up by the impacts of COVID-19, which are still prevalent to this day. This left an unforgettable mark of social isolation and the inability to make new fun memories with friends for some time. Since then, there has been a growth in popularity for wanting to hear the crazy stories that can come with partying and living life to the fullest. Yummy brings this very interest to light effortlessly.

Coupled with the more reserved behavior of Zack Justice and the far less reserved jokes and the kind nature of Jared Bailey, the three were able to bring a dynamic to the stage that felt magnetic. 

The show began with as much expected chaos as the podcast brings each week under red lights. They carried out Yummy to a song from “The Lion King.” As the trio settled in, they began to tell stories that don’t typically make it onto the internet, giving the show a more personal feel before going into different segments for the crowd to engage with. 

With mentions of inside jokes from the podcast, such as Snickers wrappers and Tara’s dating stories, it really felt like watching one of the online podcast episodes come to life in front of you. It’s clear from the dedication from the crew, just how much they have grown to care for each other and the show that they’ve been able to bring to life together. 

Some highlights from the show included a truth or drink segment with a pickle-flavored martini, a story about prom from Tara, some trivia with fans being brought on stage, and of course some local pizza being passed out to the crowd by Bailey. 

The show continued to be interactive, as they did a Q&A section from the crowd and were also able to bring members of the audience on stage for a trivia segment. It’s clear that all involved worked hard at putting on a show in order to be able to give a good time to the audience in the same way that they’re able to share each other’s company each week. 

By the end of the night, when the show finished with a musical performance including air-filled guitars and a music video on screen, everybody was there to truly have a good time and enjoy the atmosphere of friends coming together to share their stories and have a level of authenticity to offer a venue.

Even as I was leaving the venue, fans were happily lining up for meet-and-greets and were sure to have an unforgettable experience.

Since the show has passed, Tara Yummy has recently announced that she is stepping down from her place on the podcast, and although she enjoyed her time with the duo, it’s time to be able to focus on her own individual content once more.

The news comes following Justice facing some backlash for the relationship between Massara and Justice, the two original hosts, and whether their dynamic was appropriate. It’s difficult to say what the future of the podcast will hold, especially given that Yummy helped to bring such a wide audience to the podcast and really became an integral part of the already existing show. 

No matter what the future may hold for the overall trio, it’s clear to see that there is a lot of love between many of the crew. It was amazing to be able to experience the energy that these performers had together before things came to a halt only a few short months after the show. 

The love for podcasts also shows no indication of slowing down with the current demographic and has only been able to grow in popularity even further. To stay up to date on all things Tara Yummy, you can follow her on Instagram and YouTube, as well as The Dropouts Podcast on Instagram.