Savannah James and her bestie, April McDaniel. Image via: JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images
A $10,000 fare is very negligible for Savannah. Because each side respects the other’s finances, mcDaniel stressed that the friendship holds.
She said the two live different lifestyles and neither pretends otherwise. On a recent trip, reportedly to Japan according to local media, James took first class and McDaniel took business. They laugh about it, she said. The seat split had come up on their own show before the Mental Wealth appearance, McDaniel said, and some viewers were openly critical. I can’t afford first,’” April said. Others said withholding an upgrade felt like a quiet reminder that the two women are not on the same level. McDaniel called it ridiculous to assume everybody should fly first and said expectations need managing. The two live in separate worlds, she said, and meet up to talk about them. She credits James with adjusting to where she is financially, and says the friendship runs on feel. Her friends, she said, understand the situation before any trip begins, and every one of them respects it. It “has never, ever been that,” she said.
The hosts, Rich Kleiman and Jack Howard, opened with a broad question about how friendship and money mix, and the exchange came about four minutes into the episode. McDaniel answered first. They don’t turn up at Fashion Week on a week’s notice, whatever people assume about how they move. First was outside what McDaniel planned to spend, and she saw no reason to match James seat for seat. One detail seemed to bother people most. During flights, she goes up front, gets into James’ bed and watches a movie with her. “And I was like: ‘Why? Critics started with cost. A few wanted James to either buy the ticket or sit in economy with her friend. Some asked why anyone would sit alone on a long flight just to prove a point. She described a recent run-in with someone stunned that she flies commercial instead of private, and she played it for laughs by asking the person if they were okay. In her view, social media has bent people’s sense of what things cost, and people used to fast money treat it differently than people who earn it slowly. She wants others to know it is fine to live a normal life. Her rule for money is to worry about yourself. If a plan doesn’t feel good to both of them, they skip it. James spoke to the other half of the question. Nobody has asked her to take care of a cost or be responsible for them. She voiced gratitude for that understanding.