On “Tamron Hall today,” Devon Franklin discussed how he healed after his divorce from actress Meagan Good, explaining why he doesn’t believe in living with regrets. The acclaimed producer spoke about his new film “Flamin’ Hot,” which explores the life of Richard Montañez and his involvement in the creation of the popular Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and reacted to Frito-Lay’s recent statements questioning the accuracy of the film.
Tamron quoted Frito-Lay’s initial statement, which read, “We value Richard’s many contributions to our company, especially his insights into Hispanic consumers, but we do not credit the creation of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos or any Flamin’ Hot products to him.” She also shared an updated statement from a Frito-Lay spokesperson that read, “‘Flamin’ Hot’ is Richard Montañez’s story, told from his point of view. His contributions to Frito-Lay are highlighted throughout the film, specifically his insights and ideas on how to better serve Hispanic consumers and engage the Hispanic community, a legacy PepsiCo continues today. We are grateful to him for that and hope people enjoy the film.” See more onside and video clip….
Devon Franklin on having no regrets about sharing details of his marriage openly prior to his recent divorce:
“What happens with life, when we regret. we’re looking through the rearview. So there’s no regret. It’s like, okay, every step led me here. And so everything that I shared, I shared in truth at that time. And certainly I think sometimes I’m glad we don’t know the future, because it impacts how we live the present. And so you know those moments that we shared in the present, were honest and true moments and this moment is an honest and true moment and so I tend not to live in regret.”
Devon on the advice he gave himself and detailed his healing process following the divorce:
“Well, first and foremost, the advice was ‘Devon, I love you. And I’m here for you.’ Right? Like that’s where it started. Because so often, you know, especially when you’re in the public and do the work that I do, there’s a temptation to want to be there for everybody else and not be there for myself. So I first had to say ‘Devon I love you. You’re going to be okay. You’re right where you need to be. You’re going to get through this.’ And I really tried not to worry about anybody else but just focus on the healing process, right, and committing to that because no matter what, that pain is a teacher. So instead of me trying to push through it, I really had to sit in that pain and say ‘okay well how did I get here?’ He added, “Feeling what I feel and not judging it. Because we don’t like pain, we’re always trying to feel good. So and that’s cool, but so often what happens is, if we don’t feel then we don’t reveal.”
Devon shares his reaction to Frito-Lay disputing the accuracy of his recent film, “Flamin’ Hot”:
“Well, you know, listen, as a filmmaker, I always do my due diligence, and I’m always wanting to tell great stories that are true. And so I went to PepsiCo and met with the executives three years before in 2019. And I sat with them, got all the information, so we had already incorporated everything into the script.” He added, “Yeah, I mean, you know, and here’s the beauty of this process is that when people see the movie, it tells the true story. And you’ll see how what Richard [Montañez] did, what the company did and how all of these things work together.”
