If you’re a girl on the internet, there’s no doubt you’ve seen Dom Roberts and Maya Umemoto Gorman pop up on your ‘For You Page’. The dynamic duo are the hosts of the podcast Upstairs Neighbors, which has been growing exponentially since they launched just over two years ago (the channel just hit 100,000 subscribers on YouTube). Through their unparalleled sense of humor, raw honesty, and hyper-relevant cultural critique, Roberts and Umemoto Gorman have been able to foster a community founded in authenticity, create a platform that allow their following to feel more confident showing up as themselves, and ultimately feel less alone, which feels increasingly important, particularly for women in their twenties trying to navigate an endlessly changing world.
BUST had the chance to sit down with the hosts to chat about all things media, the influencer lifestyle, and staying true to yourself in a career (and world) that can sometimes value performance over authenticity.
Roberts and Umemoto Gorman’s close friendship began the way many LA creatives’ do: outside of a club. “It was very LA kismet,” stated Umemoto Gorman, “I just moved to LA and Dom had been living here, and we ended up meeting over a mutual friend’s birthday party.” At the time, Umemoto Gorman was a full time photographer, and Roberts was already building a substantial social media presence. “Afterwards we did a shoot together,” stated Umemoto Gorman, “Since I was doing photography I was very much in my reaching-out-to-people-I-thought-were-cool-and-wanting-to shoot-with-them era.” After this kismet meeting, the podcasters’ friendship only skyrocketed from there. “We’d just hang out and talk for hours, or spend the whole day together. I feel like our friendship developed super fast,” said Roberts, “We just grew super close really quick. Once we were at a diner and I think we were there for, like, ever.” Umemoto Gorman chimed in to mention, “We were there for like three hours just talking.”
On the lightbulb moment that ultimately led to the birth of Upstairs Neighbors, Roberts mentioned, “I have never laughed so hard in my life…genuinely. And I was just like ‘Ugh, I wish we recorded that conversation, That was so funny’. And then we were both like, ‘Wait, people do that. They record conversations.’” And just like that, one of the most impactful (and funniest) podcasts on the internet was born.
Roberts and Umemoto Gorman represent a new generation of women who were raised on the internet. Gen Z has had the unique experience of seeing everything in the world, good and bad, happen in real time. Not to mention, the media change that has come with the new millennium has made a real impact in how we form and navigate our identities. While former generations might have found identity, representation, and/or community through magazines and other more analog teen media, many of Gen Z’s icons, idols, and beloved fanbases are connected to internet creators. Roberts and Umemeto Gorman have discussed growing up with the internet at length on their podcast, and shared the media that shaped them as young people. “The OG YouTube was what I consumed the most and was very much what shaped me,” said Umemoto Gorman, “Like, I didn’t really watch a lot of movies or TV… Well, I didn’t watch like any movies or TV…which comes up now because I’m watching The Devil Wears Prada 2, but haven’t seen the first one.” A feeling that I’m sure many of us internet girls can relate to—there are so many movies, how can we be expected to have seen them all?!
While Roberts shared that she certainly enjoyed content from some OG YouTubers like Noel Miller and Kingsley, the more traditional media was where she found the content that resonated with her most. “I feel like [for our generation] you either turn on YouTube when you wake up or you turn on the TV, and I was very much so turn on the TV.” On her personal go-to’s, Roberts shared “The Mindy Project, honestly they slept on her. A lot of Chowder, honestly low-key Chowder-core… like deadass that show is half my personality.”
While sharing the media that shaped (and continues to shape) them, Umemoto Gorman and Roberts also reflected on what it feels like to potentially be that media for other people, and particularly for young women. “It still does feel so kind of personal, and one of those weird things where sometimes I’m like, ‘Oh, people are listening to us,’” shared Umemoto Gorman, “I kinda totally forget that that happens. But I remember a while ago, I think it was when we were with UTA they mentioned that. They were like, ‘So how does it feel being the next gen of internet people?’ And I was like, ‘What the hell are you guys talking about?’” Roberts chimed in, mentioning, “It definitely feels insane. Especially when we had that conversation with UTA and they were saying those things. I don’t think we ever realize our impact because we are just so normal I guess. It doesn’t hit us that people watch us. Like when I’ll meet someone who watches I’ll be like, ‘Oh wait, word! Hell yeah.’”
There’s obviously so much conversation right now around the manosphere and podcast culture, and while Upstairs Neighbors is certainly carving out a space for women in the world of podcasting, what their show does, feels really distinct from just being the “girl version” of that. The show feels so authentic in a way that almost reinvents what a podcast space can look like online. What makes that authenticity that Upstairs Neighbors projects so radical comes from how easily influencer culture can reward performance or inauthenticity. On this, the girls reflected on protecting their sense of self while existing so publicly on the internet. “Still figuring that out myself,” joked Umemoto Gorman. Roberts shared, “When we first started the show, I had had a podcast previously, and I saw a side of the industry that’s very centered on performance, analytics, things like ‘you’re not doing enough’, ‘you need to have this guest on’—just very formulaic. There is a formula to how to succeed in this industry, that’s true to an extent. But for the most part, when we first started the show, the first thing we ever decided on was that this show is happening rain or shine. So, we wanted to prioritize being able to do it in a way that makes this happy for us, because the happiest part of our job is recording the podcast,” Roberts elaborated, “We decided early on that we won’t care about things like ‘we’re gonna talk like this’, and do it like ‘this’, or have these guidelines around what we can do. And because of that, we were honestly just able to get into a flow state, because it’s like genuinely we would be having this conversation recorded or not. We’re two years into the show and we’re two years into recording our conversations, but previous to this, there’s two more years of us not recording anything that we’ve ever said, you know?”
Roberts went on to state, “I do think at times we have to reground ourselves and try not to get caught up in the mix, because now we have a team behind us and so many things and moving parts have been added, it’s so easy to forget that it’s not just Maya and I. At the end of the day because the foundation of this is our heart and our friendship, it’s easy to find it. Even if we’re, like, all the way out here, it’s easy to go back to the heart.”
If you haven’t turned into Roberts and Umemoto Gorman’s podcast yet, there’s a good chance you’ve seen them while scrolling through Instagram reels or TikTok. Many of the shows’ clips go viral because of the hilarious chemistry between the pair. It’s safe to say the duo often says things we were all thinking but didn’t even know we were thinking. Underneath these clips, you’ll notice occasional comments from non-regular viewers writing notes to the tune of “they’re speaking in tongue,” or in other words, that they can’t understand what the two are talking about.
However, for fans of the podcast, the feeling is quite the opposite. It’s one of the first times many have seen a style of communication, humor, and emotional processing online that feels deeply recognizable and understood. Given the fact that for women, and particularly women of color, there’s often pressure to tone yourself down or make yourself more relatable to other people, the pair shared reflections on how they resonate with their viewers, as well as advice on how they staying connected to themselves and their community instead of getting lost in outside noise or misunderstanding. Umemoto Gorman referenced that strong foundation Roberts discussed, stating, “For me it really comes back to the foundation. Setting us up in a certain way to where we really were just like, ‘This is how we talk’, and ‘This is what we’re doing’ and we’re just gonna keep showing up. Since there’s no performative aspect, that is in a sense inherently how we stay grounded.” Umemoto Gorman went on to share, “Dom knows I’ve literally been losing my goddamn mind on the industry front and just feeling so busy that I’ve been feeling so not grounded. But in essence, what I’m trying to say is, even still with being super authentic and showing up as ourselves, there still is a lot happening. And I think without that core understanding that we just show up as we are, and we do what we do, and there’s nothing to change about how we show up—without that, it would be all the way cooked. Like, I would literally be bald. It would be so serious.”
Umemoto Gorman went on to discuss how creating that core foundation has in turn shaped a really beautiful digital community for herself and Roberts and beyond, “We’ve built a really safe space to just show up and do what we do. And I will say, you know, as a woman of color who definitely has always been loud as shit, I think that starting with no expectation was really helpful. Like, we didn’t start off thinking like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna dominate the scene.’ We really showed up just like, ‘Okay, our homies will listen. They’ll laugh. Like, we all sound the same, so it’s like no tea, whatever.’” Umemoto Gorman went on to state, “On top of that, the response to the podcast has been honestly beyond healing in a way. It’s really healing to know that there are people who hear us and resonate and understand. The part of me that was a young girl who was loud and not always super understood didn’t think everybody was gonna get it. That was never my expectation. So to be in a position where people come up to us and they’re like, ‘Yeah, dude, I see you, I get you guys, you’re so funny, you make me feel seen.’ I’m like, damn, bro that’s crazy. It’s kind of like, this weird, energetic circle back where I’m like ‘you seeing me makes me feel seen.’”
On this, Roberts chimed in noting, “It’s very much the saying be yourself so the right people can find you tea.” Roberts also shared, “You know, my comment section is very much filtered. You can only call me beautiful.” Roberts joked, “But I know somewhere out there in the void where they can’t get to me, they praying on my downfall ’cause they don’t get me, and I’m like, honestly, y’all do it over there.” Important advice as we all attempt to stay sane and remain online.
On the strong fan community they’ve built through Upstairs Neighbors, the duo reflected fondly on their encounters with listeners. “I think the thing that always sticks out to Maya and I is how cool everyone is,” stated Roberts, “I think we have a lot of alternative audience, and an audience that likes the same things we like. So it is a mirror in many ways, and I think–and I’m sure Maya can relate to this–for me, growing up in Arizona in the suburbs where people were like, ‘You listen to what? You like what? What are they doing?’ and to now create this space online feels really impactful. You know, we live in LA, so I think it’s easier to find that subculture of people who likes the same things we like. But for the kids who live in these areas that don’t really have that outlet, just hearing them say, ‘You’re helping me get through this period of my life until I can go do this’, or ‘I went through a breakup and you guys were my friends during that time’— I’m happy that we can offer that to so many people. So for the kids who live in more rural areas, or don’t have access, or haven’t moved out of their suburban town and want to experience living in a bigger city or even a place where they feel represented–them saying that we helped do that digitally is always so powerful for me because I’m like, ‘I know how that feels.’”
Umemoto Gorman agreed and also added, “I feel like something that sticks out to me now that I’m 26 about to turn 27, is that I know we have so many young divas who listen to us and so many of them will reach out and be like, ‘Yeah, guys, I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, I’m 20, and I’ve been watching y’all and you make me feel like it’s gonna be okay.’ And I really can look back and be like, ‘That’s crazy.’”
In conversation with Roberts, Umemoto Gorman mentioned how surreal it feels to play a role in designing the community you dreamed of when you were younger. “We just have so many listeners who are so sick, and it’s crazy because we meet people and they just feel so resonant with the kind of people I would have loved to hang out with growing up. As somebody who had a little more alternative interests and things like that, I would have loved to have that community growing up. So it really is insane to have now built a community that mirrors back all of these parts of us that we project, but also the parts of us that we really like, or the parts of us that I think might have made us feel different growing up.”
At the end of every episode, the girls give their viewers their Neighborhood “Watch of the Week”, which can be anything they are enjoying from media to music to an overall life philosophy. The duo was kind enough to offer an exclusive Neighborhood Watch for BUST readers. For Roberts: “Mine’s an Apple Watch right now. Even though it’s like so Chud-maxxing, I do not care. It’s so tea. (We should add that in true renaissance woman fashion—as both these women are—Roberts is also training for a marathon right now). For Umemoto Gorman: “Honestly, having fun.”
You can catch a new episode of Upstairs Neighbors every Wednesday anywhere you watch podcasts. Be sure to also check out the Upstairs Neighbors Patreon where fans can enjoy even more exclusive content from Dom and Maya.
Images Courtesy of Quentin Swenke
