Will Packer On Supporting Black Women with New Podcast by MSNBC Alum Tiffany Cross: 'They Hold the Keys to the Kingdom' (Exclusive)

The film producer and veteran journalist are set to launch 'ACross Generations' with iHeartPodcasts, debuting March 12

Will Packer and Tiffany Cross have teamed up for a new show giving voice to Black women of different ages and points of view.

Cross, 45, formerly of MSNBC, is gearing up for the March 12 debut of ACross Generations, a new podcast from Will Packer Productions and iHeartPodcasts, that she's hoping will inspire all listeners and diversify the audio space.

"I was thinking of ideas after my MSNBC show was canceled,' says Cross of coming up with the concept for ACross Generations. "I grew up at my grandmother's kitchen table. We had discussions about life and love and joy, grief and childbearing, marriage, divorce and friendship."

She continues, "She passed in 2014 and I so miss her presence in my life. I thought if I could bottle up her wisdom and give it as a gift to women across the country, across the globe, I would."

Cross came up with the idea of hosting a show with Black women from three different generations conversing over a particular topic. "I'm the only constant and there will be a revolving door of guests, an older women, old enough to be my mother, and a younger woman, who could be my daughter. When I presented this idea to Will he really took it to the next level."

For the Girls Trip producer, 49, the concept falls right in line with the heart of his business. "I certainly have been influenced throughout my life personally and professionally by Black women," he says. "I like to say that Black women hold the keys to the kingdom, and just because some folks, some power brokers haven't realized that, doesn't make it any less true."

He adds, "Look at my projects and how I've been successful. It's been sisters who have not only supported early on, before I had mainstream success that made Hollywood take notice, but also they were the audience that helped me to hone my storytelling because I listened to them. Now someone like me can give a platform to that conversation."

That said, Cross feels that what is shared on the show will reach beyond the Black community. "I know that this show is about Black women but it is not exclusively for Black women," she says. "I predict that women of all backgrounds will join and listen because these conversations are things that happen all the time. We invite all audiences, even though we are at the center of it."

And Cross herself will be digging deep on each episode. "I am getting all in my business. I really hold nothing back, a hundred percent unfiltered about my personal life and every concept. So I'm a little embarrassed for my mother to watch some of these episodes."

One thing Cross's collaborator will definitely be watching this weekend is the Oscars. Packer, who famously produced the live awards show in 2022, which was upended by the Will Smith and Chris Rock debacle, is still a fan of Hollywood's biggest night.

"I definitely still enjoy watching the Oscars. Once you produce a live event, you understand the weight that goes behind every single choice that's made," he says. "And so from the presenters to the production design of a particular performance, I'm paying attention to all of that. "

For Cross, this weekend's show will provide more for her and her guests to talk about. "We have a segment, 'The Streets Are Talking', and this is where we will talk about something that's happening in pop culture," she says. For all of it, "I'm super excited."

ACross Generations is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and will be available on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard.

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