Before Joel Kim Booster became an Emmy-nominated writer, actor, producer, stand-up comedian, and the star and creator of Fire Island, he was a 17 year old kid living in his car, kicked out by his adoptive parents for being gay, and convinced he was going to hell. Then Sarah Casey, a classmate he barely knew, turned around in choir and said the words that changed everything: If you ever need a place to stay, you can come and stay with me and my family. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, one of comedy's sharpest voices sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the girl who became his chosen family when his own family walked away.e can give you is a place to belong when the world says you don't. And sometimes, that's all you need to become exactly who you were meant to be.

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Chapters ☀️

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Intro: The Girl from Choir Who Saved His Life
• 00:01:47 The Offer That Changed Everything: If You Need a Place to Stay
• 00:03:32 Coming Out in a Homeschooled Evangelical Home
• 00:05:50 The Exorcism: When Your Father Tries to Cast Out Demons
• 00:06:56 Bipolar and Undiagnosed: The Difficult Kid Nobody Understood
• 00:08:00 Adopted from Korea: The Complex Relationship with Janet and Ken
• 00:11:47 Moving In with the Caseys: A Year of Being Seen and Loved
• 00:13:16 Pastor Tim's Words: There Is No Biblical Basis for Hell
• 00:15:18 A Version of the Future I Never Considered Before
• 00:19:33 The Dad Who Showed Up: Quiet Support and Complicated Love
• 00:23:05 Neither of Them Have Ever Seen My Work: Making Peace with Distance
• 00:24:08 The Cases Helped Me Reconcile: Bridging the Gap with His Parents
• 00:25:23 Therapy and Honesty: Why He Gives His Parents Grace Now
• 00:27:53 Relationships Are Complex: Arthur Brooks and a Better Word
• 00:29:58 Best Friends from Housemates: The Porch Talks That Built a Bond
• 00:31:11 She Always Believed I Would Be Right Where I Am
• 00:33:10 Sarah the Minister: Following in Her Father's Footsteps
• 00:38:10 Rejection from Casting Directors Hurts More Than Family Rejection
• 00:39:30 Diagnosed Bipolar Two: Six Months Before the Pandemic
• 00:41:00 John Michael: The Man Who Loves Him Unconditionally
• 00:51:01 I Never Considered What It Would Be Like to Be Loved
• 00:51:51 The Last Six Months: Finding Stability Through Marriage and Medication
• 00:52:33 Not a Single Person Would Have Predicted This: Proving It to Himself
• 00:53:35 Chosen Family: The People Who Bump Into Your Life and Change It
• 00:54:10 She's a Superhero: Real Work That Changes the World
• 00:55:59 For the Little Girl: Giving Back to Sarah's Daughter
• 00:56:23 Twenty Years from Now: Kids, Stability, and Less Self-Promotion
• 00:57:31 To His Younger Self: You Know Jack Shit, But You'll Figure It Out

ABOUT THIS PODCAST:
The Person Who Believed In Me is hosted by David Begnaud, founder and CEO of Do Good Crew and often called "America's storyteller." In each episode, David sits down with world-class guests to ask one simple question: Who believed in you before the world did? Big names. Honest stories. Relatable takeaways. Different paths — same question.

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Joel Kim Booster

Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Jonah Johnson

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Director of Social: Mariah Maull

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast