1 00:00:02,279 --> 00:00:05,200 Speaker 1: I'm Alec Baldwin and you were listening to Here's the 2 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:10,160 Speaker 1: Thing from My Heart Radio. Ali Wentworth has a lot 3 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:16,160 Speaker 1: of titles, actor, comedian, New York Times bestselling author, wife, mother, 4 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: and podcast host. I'll add another title, one of the 5 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:25,319 Speaker 1: funniest people I know. You may recognize Ali went Worth 6 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: as Jerry's girlfriend Schmoopy on Seinfeld's classic Soup Nazi episode, 7 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: or from her more than one hundred appearances on The 8 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:37,199 Speaker 1: Tonight Show, or from when she was a correspondent on 9 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: Oprah Winfries Show. You may also have read one of 10 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 1: her best selling books, Ali in Wonderland, Happily Ali After, 11 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: and the latest Go Ask Ali, which shares a name 12 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 1: with the podcast she launched last year. I have gotten 13 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 1: the biggest get in the entertainment world. It's not Beyonce, 14 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: it's my daughter Ellie. It's Stephanopolis. I'm talking about growing 15 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,320 Speaker 1: a teenager in a pandemic, and you are a teenager 16 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: in a pandemic, and you're my teenager in a pandemic. 17 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:12,400 Speaker 1: Ali and I have been friends for a while, and 18 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 1: I've long admired her fearlessness and poking fun at herself 19 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:20,480 Speaker 1: and at others, including me. Are you taking precautions not 20 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: to have more kids, if I may be so bold, 21 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: because I feel like there's another eight to ten in you. 22 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 1: My wife and I always struggled with that, which is 23 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 1: you have a baby and you sit, don't go, I 24 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:37,479 Speaker 1: think great? Aren't think so great? What's one more? Yeah? 25 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: We do that. We do that with dogs because puppies 26 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: are cute, just as cute as babies. So I get it. 27 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,320 Speaker 1: I understand. I wish you guys could have some more 28 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: for us because one of ours is going to college 29 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 1: in the fall. Let me ask you about that. You 30 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: got married when you were how old and you had 31 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: your first kid, you in your how old? So it 32 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: was not the typical you know, and believe me, that 33 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: was the right thing to do. I keep telling my 34 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:08,640 Speaker 1: daughters do not rush into marriage, because everybody I know 35 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,360 Speaker 1: that got married and their twenties is divorced. Now, I 36 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 1: don't think you're the same person in your twenties that 37 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: you are in your mid thirties. But when you got married, 38 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 1: and you, certainly, I guess from the get go, didn't 39 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: rule out having kids. Did you say to yourself, is 40 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 1: going to affect my work? Not? Once you didn't think 41 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: about that at all. Now, well, I don't think I 42 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 1: was ever big or famous enough to think that it 43 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:35,920 Speaker 1: would affect my work. And I was certainly not known 44 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: for my body, if you know what I mean. So 45 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 1: it never felt like that. What I did was when 46 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 1: I married George, we moved to d C so he 47 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:46,239 Speaker 1: could do his Sunday show this week. And so I thought, 48 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: all right, how do I recalibrate everything, how do I 49 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: pivot and so that I can have a career. But 50 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 1: I live in Washington, d C. Which is you know, 51 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 1: if you're an actor, it doesn't exist, you know. So 52 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: I started writing. I started writing a book, and then 53 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: Oprah hired me so I would go to Chicago once 54 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 1: a week, which was a fantastic job. So I tried 55 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: to figure out a way to have some kind of 56 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:11,520 Speaker 1: a career. But here at the end of the day, 57 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 1: you know, not to use a disgusting word, but george 58 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:18,360 Speaker 1: career it trumped mine, you know what I mean. It 59 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 1: was really like we had to kind of go where 60 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:25,800 Speaker 1: he went. So no, I mean, I understand, but I 61 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: just was thinking that, you know, you are someone and 62 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,640 Speaker 1: I don't say this, you know, just to be pleasant 63 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:34,079 Speaker 1: or whatever. I mean, Please do No, but I think 64 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: you're really fucking funny. I mean you're funny. Thank you, Alex. 65 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: And if someone came to you now and they said 66 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: to you, you're gonna do a four camera sitcom in 67 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 1: New York and you're gonna shoot eighteen episodes or twenty 68 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 1: two episodes with the answer byes or do you like 69 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: the way things are now, which is you work a 70 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: little bit, you don't have to work, I'd say yes, 71 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:56,160 Speaker 1: they're ground, they have their own independent lives. I'm used 72 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 1: for you, No, used for me. They know how to 73 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 1: make a sandwich. I'm needier than ever. And also I'm 74 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: faced with mortality. You know, I got my shelf life 75 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: is you know, unless they're going to reboot The Golden Girls, 76 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 1: even those girls were like in their mid fifties. Yeah, 77 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:14,160 Speaker 1: So I would absolutely do that. And there are things 78 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 1: that we would adjust. You know, when I did Nightcap, 79 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: which you and your wife were on and we're so hilarious, 80 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 1: there are you know. I created a couple of shows 81 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 1: that took a lot of energy, and in one show, 82 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:30,080 Speaker 1: Headcase About, I played a very dysfunctional shrink. We were 83 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:32,040 Speaker 1: shooting in l A and I was going back and 84 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,039 Speaker 1: forth in the Red Eye and I got shingles because 85 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:36,640 Speaker 1: I was completely stressed out. And that's when I said 86 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 1: I can't work in l A. I wonder for you. 87 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:42,840 Speaker 1: I mean you've worked and then you raised your kids 88 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 1: and you worked less than you might have because I 89 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: mean I view you as somebody who you could just 90 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:48,599 Speaker 1: be working all the time. You could be doing starring 91 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: in a show, uh in network sitcom twenty two episodes. 92 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:54,479 Speaker 1: I mean, whatever you want to do, you'd have no 93 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 1: problem doing it. Yeah, although there for me there's a 94 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:01,040 Speaker 1: different thing, which is I just have no like what 95 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 1: the funk is how I think about everything? Now? Great, 96 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 1: if you said to me, right now, let's go do 97 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:07,640 Speaker 1: love Letters at the Warp Theater, I go, great, let's 98 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: do it, like I have nothing to lose, and I'm 99 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:14,360 Speaker 1: excited for anything that's sort of new and different and 100 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 1: happy to perform because I'm not so focused on myself 101 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 1: anymore at all. When you did Nightcap, whose idea was 102 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:24,400 Speaker 1: that you? Was that all completely self generating? Yes? And 103 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 1: how many episodes did you do? We did two seasons 104 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:32,280 Speaker 1: of about thirty something and it it mad? Yeah? How 105 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:35,360 Speaker 1: many episodes per season? God? We did? I want to 106 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:38,400 Speaker 1: say sixteen or so, I mean a lot. But the 107 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 1: great thing about that show was I used to do 108 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:42,599 Speaker 1: the Tonight Show all the time. Jay Leno had me 109 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 1: on all like, I did it over a hundred times, 110 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:47,600 Speaker 1: and I didn't necessarily have anything to promote. They would 111 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:50,120 Speaker 1: call me and say, you know, Melanie Griffith has a fluke, 112 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 1: can you be here in twenty minutes? And I would 113 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:54,159 Speaker 1: go in and just tell funny stories. And I'm not 114 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: a stand up comedian, so I would really just have 115 00:05:56,680 --> 00:06:00,720 Speaker 1: to pull stuff from my life and why I was there. 116 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 1: I would see the most incredible things, like from celebrities, 117 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 1: you know, because I was always the second guest, and 118 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: you know, just like I remember one guy came in 119 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 1: movie Star, and his stylists came in with racks and 120 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: racks of the same white shirt and the same pair 121 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:19,599 Speaker 1: of jeans, so he was going to decide right before 122 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 1: he went up. You know, just crazy stuff. Or the 123 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:24,800 Speaker 1: publicist and the actress were not coming out of the 124 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:27,680 Speaker 1: wardrobe room because they were having sex, and the p 125 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:30,000 Speaker 1: as are running around going like you know where, And 126 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:32,159 Speaker 1: I just thought, this is the show who gives a 127 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:35,680 Speaker 1: ship with what the actors say or promoting their movie 128 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: that whatever is happening behind here is that is the show. Now. 129 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:44,320 Speaker 1: You came from a very proper family, correct, Yes, how 130 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: would you describe it? You came from what kind of family? 131 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: Dysfunctional but proper, proper? Yes, Yeah, I went to boarding school. 132 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: My mother was Social secretary of the Reagan White House. 133 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 1: Only Democrat in the Reagan White House. Yeah. My stepfather 134 00:06:59,839 --> 00:07:02,159 Speaker 1: was one of the editors of the London Sunday Times 135 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:05,000 Speaker 1: in chief foreign correspondent, and my father was a reporter 136 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: during Watergate for the Washington Post. So I grew up 137 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 1: in that world. And when you went into this business, somebody, 138 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 1: did your family have a different plan for you? Listen 139 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 1: for my family, when I said I want to be 140 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 1: an actor, they thought it was just a phase. I'd 141 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:21,800 Speaker 1: grow out of it. And then I said no, no, no no, 142 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 1: I'm going to be an actor. And then my mother 143 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: was basically like, well, then just go be a whore. 144 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:28,920 Speaker 1: Then just go go to a brothel and put your 145 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 1: name on the So they didn't get it at all. 146 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:34,240 Speaker 1: At least Las Vegas is sunny, Yes, go to the 147 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:37,360 Speaker 1: Mustang ranch. It's warm there, yes, and if you can dance, 148 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:42,480 Speaker 1: even better, So I you know, left all that. I 149 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:45,000 Speaker 1: went to l A. I didn't know anybody. I had 150 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:47,600 Speaker 1: no connections in that world at all. And how old 151 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: you went to l A right out of college, right 152 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:52,000 Speaker 1: out of n y U. Yep, so four years at 153 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 1: y U. Four years at n y U for what 154 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:59,280 Speaker 1: acting circle in the Square? And somebody at William Morris 155 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:00,680 Speaker 1: came to see me in a play and he said, 156 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 1: you have a nice generic girl next door best friend. Look, 157 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 1: you should go to l A. And I went all right, 158 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 1: all right, sure, yeah, sure, And so I went to 159 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 1: l A. And I thought that I would eventually marry 160 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 1: Hugh Grant or Matthew Perry or one of those guys. 161 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:19,560 Speaker 1: And the head of the studio, Yeah, well if my 162 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:22,280 Speaker 1: boobs are bigger. But then I met George and I, 163 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:29,280 Speaker 1: you know, it was like the Godfather comedian Ali Wentworth. 164 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:32,640 Speaker 1: When it comes to great episodes from the Here's the 165 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 1: Thing Archives, you can always check out my episode with 166 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:40,679 Speaker 1: Mr Ali Wentworth, George Stephanopoulos, or for more funny women 167 00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:44,480 Speaker 1: who can really write, my conversation with Paula Pell, who 168 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 1: was a writer at Saturday Night Live for nearly twenty years. 169 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:50,960 Speaker 1: I was always a bit of a class clown, I 170 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:54,080 Speaker 1: really pushed the envelope because I would be funny in 171 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 1: class and I do things like one of my teachers. 172 00:08:56,440 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 1: I would go by him and drag my hand along 173 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:01,280 Speaker 1: the chuck shelf, and then I'd come over and I'd say, 174 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:03,440 Speaker 1: you know, Mr gracer're just a really great teacher, and 175 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:05,000 Speaker 1: I pat him on the back and I'd leave like 176 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:08,440 Speaker 1: a handprint. He'd let me make him a little bit 177 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:10,880 Speaker 1: the fool for a moment, and then he'd do you know, 178 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:12,800 Speaker 1: he looked like Rob Briner and all in the family 179 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 1: at the big bushy mustache and along there he just 180 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 1: kind of looked a camera three, you know, non existent, 181 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:21,080 Speaker 1: and the audience, would you know, the audience, the class 182 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 1: would crack up. Here more of my conversation with Paula 183 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:29,920 Speaker 1: pell at Here's the Thing dot Org. When we come back, 184 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:32,960 Speaker 1: Ali talks about being set up on a blind date 185 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:48,920 Speaker 1: with George Stephanopoulos. I'm Alec Baldwin and you were listening 186 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 1: to Here's the Thing. In the spring of two thousand one, 187 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:56,240 Speaker 1: Ali Wentworth was newly back in New York City and 188 00:09:56,320 --> 00:10:01,240 Speaker 1: found herself talked into a life changing lunch. Where did 189 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:04,880 Speaker 1: you first see him face to face in personal at Fred's, 190 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:08,440 Speaker 1: which was the restaurant at Barney's on sixty one to Madison. 191 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:10,520 Speaker 1: That's where we were going to meet. And of course 192 00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:13,240 Speaker 1: I knew who he was. He was George Chephanopolis. It 193 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:15,680 Speaker 1: was a blind date ish, I mean I knew who 194 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:18,439 Speaker 1: he was, of course, But who set you up on 195 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:20,559 Speaker 1: the date? An old friend of his that worked in 196 00:10:20,559 --> 00:10:22,439 Speaker 1: the White House with him. Why didn't they think that 197 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:24,960 Speaker 1: would be a good match? We were going to swap. 198 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:28,280 Speaker 1: I offered up my older brother who was in l A, 199 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:32,640 Speaker 1: who worked for David Lynch, and she offered up George, thinking, 200 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:36,280 Speaker 1: you know, George was a one date wonder like. He 201 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:39,240 Speaker 1: never got serious, so it was very easy for her 202 00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:42,320 Speaker 1: to trade him up because she knew he wouldn't go 203 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:44,840 Speaker 1: on a second date with me. He wasn't married before, 204 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:47,960 Speaker 1: never never lived with anybody. I'm the first person he said, 205 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:51,840 Speaker 1: I love you too, my virgin bride. So when we 206 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:55,360 Speaker 1: were being set up, I was not interested. And George 207 00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:58,520 Speaker 1: gives me so much shit about it because he said, 208 00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:00,120 Speaker 1: that's not true, that's not true. But I was in 209 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:02,600 Speaker 1: He was not my type. I didn't want anybody from 210 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:06,640 Speaker 1: the political world. I like a tall, Simian looking man 211 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:09,960 Speaker 1: and so he was just you know, I thought, this 212 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 1: will be my you know, my date with George Stephanopolis. 213 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:15,080 Speaker 1: It will be like a New Yorker article someday, you 214 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:17,440 Speaker 1: know what I mean, part of my routine. Yeah, part 215 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:20,040 Speaker 1: of my routine, which it has become anyway. But I 216 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:21,920 Speaker 1: didn't shower it and shut my legs. I wore a 217 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:25,280 Speaker 1: black suit because that meant smart to me. I read 218 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:27,760 Speaker 1: the New York Times, the financial section. I read the 219 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:30,640 Speaker 1: whole thing, and I thought, we'll have a really interesting 220 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 1: intellectual conversation and that'll be that. And I got to 221 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:38,000 Speaker 1: Fred's and there was George in in Armani suit that 222 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:40,480 Speaker 1: was way too big with the shoulder pads, and I went, 223 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:43,200 Speaker 1: all right, all right, don't be shallow. Look beyond it, 224 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:45,640 Speaker 1: look beyond it. And we sat down. The first thing 225 00:11:45,679 --> 00:11:48,840 Speaker 1: we talked about was antidepressants. What are you on? What 226 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:51,520 Speaker 1: are you want? And I thought, okay, this is good. 227 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:54,200 Speaker 1: This is the glue. This is the glue. And we 228 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:57,920 Speaker 1: both ordered crab salad. And afterwards he walked me out 229 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 1: and he shook my hand. Now, in l A, where 230 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:04,640 Speaker 1: I was living, if you went out with somebody and 231 00:12:04,679 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 1: they shook your hand, they weren't interested. If they didn't 232 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:10,120 Speaker 1: drag you by the hair like a caveman into their 233 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:14,160 Speaker 1: gross bachelor pad in West Hollywood, then they weren't interested. 234 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:16,920 Speaker 1: So and George, but it is very nice to meet you, 235 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:19,080 Speaker 1: and I went, oh Jesus, okay, very nice to meet you. 236 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:20,719 Speaker 1: And then that night he called me and said, do 237 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:22,520 Speaker 1: you want to come out again? And I didn't play 238 00:12:22,679 --> 00:12:24,560 Speaker 1: the game. I don't know how to play games. So 239 00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:27,600 Speaker 1: I said to him, Yep, I'm free to night. I'm 240 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:29,719 Speaker 1: free tomorrow night. Listen. I'm supposed to go away for 241 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:31,839 Speaker 1: the weekend with my mom and sisters, but I'll blow 242 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 1: that off. You liked him, I did like him. What 243 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:37,920 Speaker 1: about him? Did you like? I was attracted to him, 244 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 1: which I did not think I would be. I found 245 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:44,360 Speaker 1: him it'd still do very sexy, and I found his 246 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:48,520 Speaker 1: brain very sexy. And he had smile. And I've written 247 00:12:48,520 --> 00:12:50,280 Speaker 1: about it and I've said it's like a good melon. 248 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:54,080 Speaker 1: But it felt like, oh, you're my people, my wife, 249 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:56,680 Speaker 1: same thing, like the way she looked, her hair, color, 250 00:12:57,080 --> 00:12:59,480 Speaker 1: her voice, old of it. I was like, oh God, 251 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:01,679 Speaker 1: she's might dream girl. You know. I felt that way 252 00:13:01,679 --> 00:13:03,280 Speaker 1: when I met her too. By the way, but you 253 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:05,800 Speaker 1: and my wife had a very intimate moment on the show. 254 00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:08,680 Speaker 1: It was really well and I wrote that for a reason. 255 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:12,439 Speaker 1: I wrote, to have your wife's vagina on my face 256 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:16,480 Speaker 1: for about six seconds, and you got, as they say, 257 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:18,720 Speaker 1: and bye bye, Bertie. You got a lot of little 258 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:20,480 Speaker 1: to do, or as I like to say, I got 259 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:25,880 Speaker 1: a whiff and I get it. So so anyway, yes, 260 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:29,960 Speaker 1: all that stuff, all that chemical stuff happened. Chemistry, Yes, 261 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:34,040 Speaker 1: And that weekend I was going to a spa with 262 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:36,199 Speaker 1: my mother and my sisters, and I spent the whole 263 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:39,360 Speaker 1: time on the phone with George. They were all yoga 264 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:42,679 Speaker 1: ing and eating brand muffins, and I was at Canyon 265 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 1: Ranch with my head out the window, chain smoking and 266 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:46,880 Speaker 1: talking to George the whole time. Every once in a 267 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:49,240 Speaker 1: while they come back and they, you know, throw some 268 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:52,400 Speaker 1: almond butter at me. And then we were engaged two 269 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:54,240 Speaker 1: months later, and that felt like it took a long 270 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: time he did. It took me two whole fucking months 271 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:02,080 Speaker 1: to close this, like hello, hello. And then he we 272 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:04,040 Speaker 1: went to Greece and I knew that he had a ring. 273 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 1: How did you know his nephew dealt in jewelry? I 274 00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 1: don't know what that means, but it sounds shady. But 275 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:13,000 Speaker 1: he dealt in jewelry and George had to go at 276 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:15,640 Speaker 1: breakfast with him the day we were leaving for Greece, 277 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:18,280 Speaker 1: and I thought, there's only one reason he would meet 278 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:21,960 Speaker 1: his nephew. He deals in jewelry, and I it was 279 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: in his knapsacks. The whole way to Greece, I kept 280 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:26,520 Speaker 1: hiding his knapsack in the lounge and on the plane, 281 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 1: just because I'd like to see him sweat, really suck 282 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:32,400 Speaker 1: him up. And then we we were in Micanos and 283 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:35,040 Speaker 1: he proposed to me. And I have to tell you, 284 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:39,800 Speaker 1: not ever being a celebrity myself, I had no idea 285 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:43,720 Speaker 1: until he proposed to me in Micaos, and somehow the 286 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:47,360 Speaker 1: press found out about it, and we had photographers all 287 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:50,920 Speaker 1: over the rocks across the water from our hotel, and 288 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:54,080 Speaker 1: we would walk down the street and there'd be thirty 289 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:57,160 Speaker 1: paparazzi all over us, and George's hand would be sweating 290 00:14:57,160 --> 00:14:59,400 Speaker 1: and he'd say like, oh my god, I'm so sorry, Ali, 291 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:03,280 Speaker 1: I'm so sorry. I was like, what are you talking? Yeah, George, 292 00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:05,480 Speaker 1: could you step back from them? When you're in my light? George, 293 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:08,320 Speaker 1: you wants singles? Guys who wants singles. I mean, you know, 294 00:15:08,480 --> 00:15:10,400 Speaker 1: I all but took my shirt off. It was all 295 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 1: very exciting that first time, you know, that kind of 296 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:17,240 Speaker 1: Tom and Nicole moment, and then and then it was horrible, 297 00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:20,800 Speaker 1: but it was fun for that day. Now, that magical 298 00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:23,760 Speaker 1: moment I'm making us when he finally found the knapsack 299 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:25,640 Speaker 1: that you hit under the rocks and said, oh, some 300 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:27,880 Speaker 1: guy came in. I think that guy in the bicycle 301 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:32,040 Speaker 1: there just stole the knapsack. George run, George run. When 302 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:34,120 Speaker 1: when you did all that at the moment that he 303 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:37,000 Speaker 1: presents you with the ring, were you both on antidepressants 304 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 1: at that moment or did you abstain? I was? He 305 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:42,880 Speaker 1: was off by then. I think the White House really 306 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:45,040 Speaker 1: took it out of him. But then I was still on, 307 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 1: definitely still on. And in fact, the funny you should 308 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:51,240 Speaker 1: bring that up because we went on our honeymoon and 309 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:54,720 Speaker 1: I decided to self regulate and self medicate, and I 310 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:57,560 Speaker 1: decided I didn't need antidipressence anymore. I didn't realize that 311 00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:00,480 Speaker 1: you taper off, you know, so I just my cold 312 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:03,600 Speaker 1: turkey and that was bad because I was naked in 313 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:06,720 Speaker 1: the fetal position in our bathroom. It was it was 314 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:09,840 Speaker 1: apocalypse now covered in bird poop. They found you in 315 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:13,280 Speaker 1: the pond with all the cranes covered in crane plamingo 316 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:15,400 Speaker 1: leg in my mouth, and I don't know how it happened. 317 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 1: So I had to get zola FedEx to the Caribbean. Yeah. Well, 318 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:24,520 Speaker 1: it's funny because in my lifetime, if I've ever taken 319 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 1: things which were like sleep aids, I've got horrible insomnia. 320 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:29,480 Speaker 1: And I have all my adult life. I'm thirty five 321 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:31,440 Speaker 1: years sober. I've been in an A thirty this year 322 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:33,640 Speaker 1: was thirty. Congratulations, Well thank you. And I always tell 323 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:36,200 Speaker 1: people that I haven't slept since the day I got sober. 324 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:39,640 Speaker 1: Once I stopped drinking, I couldn't sleep. So I have 325 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:42,720 Speaker 1: really really like at times, I have like crippling insomnia, 326 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:44,400 Speaker 1: Like I sleep like maybe three hours a night, you 327 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:45,800 Speaker 1: know what I mean. And the problem with it is 328 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:48,640 Speaker 1: if I took any kind of drugs and it didn't help, 329 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 1: I woke up tired and groggy. So I got very, 330 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 1: very nervous about any kind of medication because God knows, 331 00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:57,720 Speaker 1: if I found one that worked, i'd be I wouldn't 332 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:02,600 Speaker 1: even be talking to you right now. Bueau. Well, I um, 333 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:06,600 Speaker 1: I took ambient once I was in l A and 334 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:09,880 Speaker 1: I come from New York and time difference, blah blah, 335 00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:14,480 Speaker 1: block took ambient, went to the Malibu Mart, that shopping 336 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:18,120 Speaker 1: center in Malibu, and BT six genes of the exact 337 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:20,760 Speaker 1: same gene in the exact same size, And I don't 338 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:23,280 Speaker 1: remember doing it. I also got an email the next 339 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:26,840 Speaker 1: day from Pottery Barn Kids asking what address did I 340 00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:33,520 Speaker 1: want the Princess canopy bed delivered? Don't remember well. One 341 00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:34,960 Speaker 1: thing I would do when I was in the kind 342 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:39,320 Speaker 1: of love craft Ian baffles of my insomnia, I'd sit 343 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:41,560 Speaker 1: there and I'd start to buy things online, like antique 344 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:44,199 Speaker 1: alarm clocks. I'd I'd be like, you know, I'm like, 345 00:17:44,359 --> 00:17:48,119 Speaker 1: where's this guy in Germany? They probably have better alarm 346 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:49,920 Speaker 1: clocks in Germany than here. How much does he want 347 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:52,800 Speaker 1: for the alarm clock? Eight dollars? And I could probably 348 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:54,679 Speaker 1: get the same thing at a flea market in Syracuse 349 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:57,080 Speaker 1: for like thirty I don't care, I want it. Do 350 00:17:57,119 --> 00:17:59,840 Speaker 1: you meditate? I do now. I do a lot of 351 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:02,679 Speaker 1: deep breathing. I do what's called classical breathing, when you 352 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:04,879 Speaker 1: try to literally fill your lungs up to where you 353 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:07,360 Speaker 1: almost can feel your lungs at the bottom of your 354 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:10,240 Speaker 1: chin if you breathe deep enough. And I do this 355 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:13,480 Speaker 1: very deep breathing meditation thing to sleep, and it does work. 356 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:17,560 Speaker 1: But one time I take an ambient like I work, work, work, work, work, 357 00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:19,000 Speaker 1: and it gets to be eleven o'clock at night or 358 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:21,120 Speaker 1: twelve o'clock at night, and I'm like, okay, sleep one 359 00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:24,960 Speaker 1: to three sleep, Simon says, sleep, And I can't sleep. 360 00:18:25,119 --> 00:18:27,960 Speaker 1: So I take the ambient. Nothing happens. I take another one. 361 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:31,119 Speaker 1: Nothing happened. I take the third one. I think I 362 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:32,920 Speaker 1: took the third and the fourth one. Then all of 363 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:34,800 Speaker 1: a sudden, I'm like, I'm literally living in then and 364 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:37,440 Speaker 1: I'm watching you know, Jimmy Falloner and and my daughter 365 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:39,600 Speaker 1: Ireland calls and I think, like, while I'm on the 366 00:18:39,640 --> 00:18:42,679 Speaker 1: phone call she's in California. She was like fourteen, and 367 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:45,680 Speaker 1: I go, um, so I think maybe tomorrow I'm gonna 368 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:51,720 Speaker 1: get a ticket. I'm like your your berver raw. I 369 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:57,199 Speaker 1: go out an Island's going dad, Dad, And I go, 370 00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:01,440 Speaker 1: this is a true story. And I go I'm okay 371 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 1: until the pound uh to the pound, and I'm playing 372 00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:10,880 Speaker 1: them no I'm like, how in two thousand one they're 373 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:14,800 Speaker 1: disconnecting care delays, disconnecting my circuits. And the next thing 374 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:16,879 Speaker 1: you know, I hear bang Nay nick nick name, nick 375 00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:21,160 Speaker 1: name on the service elevator door of my apartment. It's 376 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:25,720 Speaker 1: three firemen with axes, Oh my god, and an E. M. T. 377 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:27,880 Speaker 1: Menic and they're like, we got a phone call, Mr 378 00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:30,000 Speaker 1: ball when we're really sorry, we got a call from 379 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:31,800 Speaker 1: your daughter. You have to put your clothes and come 380 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:33,919 Speaker 1: with us, sir, right now, to the hospital. And I'm like, 381 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:40,320 Speaker 1: I don't roll you're joking about, or you a fireman, 382 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:44,320 Speaker 1: or this is this trigger dreat. You want some guarandy, 383 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:46,840 Speaker 1: Like I'm so out of it. They take me, make 384 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:49,439 Speaker 1: me get dressed. I'm in the bathroom, they take me, 385 00:19:49,640 --> 00:19:53,240 Speaker 1: they take me to the hospital and I go, okay. 386 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:55,240 Speaker 1: I started to stop up very quickly, and I go 387 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:59,120 Speaker 1: I took one too many ambient because they weren't working. 388 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:02,800 Speaker 1: They were like, uh huh sure, Mr Ballman, Sure, And 389 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:05,439 Speaker 1: I never took another one of those fucking things again. 390 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:10,199 Speaker 1: My daughter called the police because she thought I was odin. 391 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:12,200 Speaker 1: But good for Ireland to know how to do that. 392 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:16,679 Speaker 1: I think ambient is dangerous you do. Yes, Yes, people 393 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:19,600 Speaker 1: have all these crazy ambience stories. I took him away 394 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:21,760 Speaker 1: from George because he was taking them for a while. 395 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:24,280 Speaker 1: He only sleeps like four or five hours anyway, because 396 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:27,359 Speaker 1: of his schedule. Yeah, we go to bed at eight 397 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:30,320 Speaker 1: and thirty and I go with him. That's love. That's love. 398 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:32,320 Speaker 1: Now you go to sleep, or you just lay next 399 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:35,200 Speaker 1: him and you're like on YouTube. No no phones allowed 400 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: in the bed and no TV. You're in bed and 401 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:39,520 Speaker 1: you're trying to get eight thirty and he's up. What 402 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:44,200 Speaker 1: time to No? Yeah, he gets up. He reads every 403 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:48,080 Speaker 1: newspaper and here's here's the thing. We start, just started 404 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:51,480 Speaker 1: a production company. So he's up at two thirty, not 405 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: only reading all the papers, he's reading scripts, he's reading articles, 406 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:57,840 Speaker 1: he's doing doing all of it, which he loves. He 407 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:00,480 Speaker 1: loves this kind of new thing. He's got this deal 408 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:03,640 Speaker 1: with Hulu and it's all very exciting. So he can't 409 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:05,800 Speaker 1: sleep because of that. You know, he wants to get 410 00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:09,640 Speaker 1: up and you know, read stuff starring vehicles for Alec Baldwin. 411 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:14,119 Speaker 1: So he sleeps, I don't know, five hours. Maybe we 412 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:16,520 Speaker 1: just were on vacation and you know, he slept in 413 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:19,480 Speaker 1: because he slept till four, so I never am awake 414 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:21,320 Speaker 1: when he wakes up in the morning. So I have 415 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:23,080 Speaker 1: to go to bed with him at night or we're 416 00:21:23,119 --> 00:21:26,040 Speaker 1: not how's the marriage now? What did your family think 417 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:29,520 Speaker 1: when you married George? They couldn't believe it. My mother 418 00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:32,760 Speaker 1: hysterically cried. I think she wanted to marry him, but 419 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:34,679 Speaker 1: it was it was okay if I did you know? 420 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:38,440 Speaker 1: She was beyond excited. I was bringing home comedy writers 421 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:40,320 Speaker 1: and then I brought home a French director and my 422 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:42,160 Speaker 1: mother goes, you have an affair with him, you don't 423 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:46,520 Speaker 1: marry him. So they were beyond thrilled when I married George. 424 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:49,639 Speaker 1: I mean still they all love him the most. What 425 00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:52,080 Speaker 1: does George want? What does George say? What would George 426 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:56,000 Speaker 1: want for dinner? There's a lot of that beyond the 427 00:21:56,040 --> 00:22:02,400 Speaker 1: war room, Burgala and Clinton and Carville and your husband, 428 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:07,280 Speaker 1: beyond all of them. In the promotional lap that you take, 429 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:12,399 Speaker 1: I am always happy to do Good Morning America, and 430 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:14,520 Speaker 1: I will say, can I do it with George? Can 431 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:17,200 Speaker 1: I do my segment with George? Because I'm still admiring 432 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:19,160 Speaker 1: of him and he did my podcast. I will say 433 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:23,119 Speaker 1: one thing to this, which is what I love about 434 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:27,240 Speaker 1: George is he's genuinely curious. It could be anybody. It 435 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:30,239 Speaker 1: could be Chuck Schumer, it could be Zac Efron. If 436 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:32,920 Speaker 1: it's not an area that he knows about, he's interested 437 00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:36,040 Speaker 1: to know about. Truly, you know, he doesn't just go oh, 438 00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:39,720 Speaker 1: it's an actor who cares. He's like, all right, I'm interested. 439 00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:42,800 Speaker 1: What is this person? What can I glean from this? 440 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:46,199 Speaker 1: Which I think is a very interesting trait and a 441 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:52,400 Speaker 1: great trait. Comedian and author Ali Wentworth. If you're enjoying 442 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:55,959 Speaker 1: this conversation, tell a friend and be sure to follow 443 00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:59,440 Speaker 1: Here's the Thing on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 444 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:03,760 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts. After the break, Ali 445 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:07,919 Speaker 1: talks about parenting in a pandemic, her social media rules 446 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:15,239 Speaker 1: for her teenage daughters, and how she learned to be funny. 447 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:25,080 Speaker 1: I'm Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the Thing. 448 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:29,400 Speaker 1: Ali Wentworth as one of those people everyone friends and 449 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:34,280 Speaker 1: strangers alike ask for advice. Last year when she got COVID, 450 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:38,679 Speaker 1: she had the inspiration for her own podcast, Go ask Ali. 451 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:42,280 Speaker 1: We were you know, everything takes forever in this business, 452 00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:44,760 Speaker 1: So we were talking. I was talking to Shonda land 453 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:47,320 Speaker 1: about it, and then in the middle of COVID, I 454 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:50,040 Speaker 1: called them and I said, you know what I had COVID. 455 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:52,760 Speaker 1: I'm lying here in bed. I have two teenage daughters downstairs. 456 00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:55,120 Speaker 1: I said, I'm ready to do a podcast and it's 457 00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:57,480 Speaker 1: going to be how you grow a teenager in a pandemic. 458 00:23:57,640 --> 00:23:59,720 Speaker 1: And they're like, great, what's been the challenges for you? 459 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:03,040 Speaker 1: But um, there have been good and bad. You know. 460 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:06,439 Speaker 1: The girls have anxiety like me and George, so they worry. 461 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:08,840 Speaker 1: They worry about school and they worry what's going to happen. 462 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:11,720 Speaker 1: And then we're worried about college. Our eldest, Elliott, is 463 00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:14,199 Speaker 1: going to Brown in the fall, but there's no prom. 464 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:15,720 Speaker 1: There's a lot of that now. On the one hand, 465 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:18,440 Speaker 1: there's no fomo, so you're not missing anything, but it's 466 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:21,840 Speaker 1: not natural for two teenage girls to be home with 467 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:25,119 Speaker 1: their parents for a year and not see anybody. On 468 00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:27,600 Speaker 1: the flip side, in terms of our family, it was 469 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:31,200 Speaker 1: fantastic to have George have that kind of time with 470 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:34,080 Speaker 1: his kids. We would have three hour dinners where we 471 00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:38,960 Speaker 1: had amazing discussions. We as a family, we really kind 472 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:41,840 Speaker 1: of grew and it was fantastic. But it's not good 473 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:43,400 Speaker 1: for them. I kept saying, like, you know, I don't 474 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:45,399 Speaker 1: want them to go drop Molly or give hand jobs, 475 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:48,280 Speaker 1: but they should be out kissing boys and you know what, 476 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:52,120 Speaker 1: having normal teenage experiences they should be living, should be living. Yeah, 477 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:56,840 Speaker 1: making mistakes of it. And then there's the social media 478 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:00,040 Speaker 1: part of it, which is, you know, their whole. I 479 00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:03,199 Speaker 1: got sucked into that little social media void which was 480 00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:06,919 Speaker 1: their only contact, their only connection, which you know, I 481 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:11,040 Speaker 1: have such specific and strong views about social media. Also, 482 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:15,600 Speaker 1: I don't want my girls to sort of sexualize themselves, 483 00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:19,200 Speaker 1: because there's such a dangled carrot about like get likes 484 00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:21,240 Speaker 1: be sexy, and I'm like, I don't ever want to 485 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:24,240 Speaker 1: see bikini shots. I don't you know. To me, that's 486 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:27,560 Speaker 1: a whole you're trying to fill, like be substantial. You 487 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:29,800 Speaker 1: have two girls, two girls. Yeah, And I said the 488 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:32,520 Speaker 1: stuff also that you can put on social media colleges, 489 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:34,840 Speaker 1: everybody looks at that stuff, and that stuff can come 490 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:37,600 Speaker 1: back to haunt you. So yeah, I've made my mistakes 491 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:39,920 Speaker 1: on social media because what I realized was I thought 492 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:42,080 Speaker 1: to myself, oh, this is my chance to bypass the 493 00:25:42,119 --> 00:25:46,760 Speaker 1: mainstream media and talk directly to my fans. After about 494 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:49,240 Speaker 1: a year and a half, I thought maybe I would 495 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:51,560 Speaker 1: like to have a little membrane between me and my fans. 496 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:54,479 Speaker 1: Lauren Michaels had a great line. He said, you know, 497 00:25:54,680 --> 00:25:58,800 Speaker 1: he said, you know YouTube the logo is broadcast yourself, 498 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:01,720 Speaker 1: he said, And one thing we've learned is maybe it's 499 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:04,320 Speaker 1: nice to have a layer of producers and executives between 500 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:07,800 Speaker 1: you and the camera and you and you're broadcasting yourself. 501 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 1: And to a large degree, he's right. Elliott is going 502 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:14,840 Speaker 1: to Brown. And the other one is how old she's fifteen? 503 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:17,400 Speaker 1: She's a sophomore. And let me tell you something. She's 504 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:20,840 Speaker 1: an amazing babysitter, Like she is a baby. I'm not kidding. 505 00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:24,639 Speaker 1: She's a baby whisperer. She'll take all seventy four of 506 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:28,560 Speaker 1: your kids at one time. What do you think it 507 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:31,639 Speaker 1: is that? For me? When I was young, I would 508 00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:35,000 Speaker 1: watch TV. You had to watch TV and had to 509 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:38,240 Speaker 1: really watch it. There was no pause, nor rewind, no VCR, 510 00:26:38,359 --> 00:26:42,720 Speaker 1: no nothing, Szippo network, TV, broadcast TV. So you watched 511 00:26:43,119 --> 00:26:47,600 Speaker 1: and you become funny by absorbing what's funny from other people. 512 00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:49,600 Speaker 1: And I'd watch anything. I'd watch Bob Hope of your 513 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:52,280 Speaker 1: name it how was that in your life? Like, what 514 00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:55,280 Speaker 1: was media like in your childhood? Well, we were only 515 00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:58,600 Speaker 1: allowed to watch one hour of television a week, that 516 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:01,640 Speaker 1: was the rule. But I had divorced parents, so when 517 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:04,240 Speaker 1: I went to see my dad on the weekend, his 518 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:08,040 Speaker 1: second wife hated the fact that he had kids from 519 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:10,480 Speaker 1: a former marriage. So she would put me in front 520 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:13,240 Speaker 1: of the TV with one of those heat up TV 521 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:16,920 Speaker 1: trays and I would watch Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett, I 522 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:20,240 Speaker 1: would watch that whole Friday lineup. And that's exactly where 523 00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:23,359 Speaker 1: I learned, Oh, that's funny if you wear the curtain 524 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:26,160 Speaker 1: rod on this show, that's funny. That's funny. And it's 525 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:28,960 Speaker 1: instinctual too, because I remember once I had a meeting 526 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:32,719 Speaker 1: with Jodie Foster and she said to me, did you 527 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:35,440 Speaker 1: take classes for comedy? I said, it, never took classes. 528 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:37,480 Speaker 1: I was part of the groundlings when I moved to 529 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,480 Speaker 1: l A And she goes, that's because it's instinctual. You 530 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:44,080 Speaker 1: cannot teach it, And she's right, it is instinctual, and 531 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:49,400 Speaker 1: that watching Carol Burnett was an instinctual kind of osmosis 532 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:52,280 Speaker 1: for me. What I think is interesting about you is 533 00:27:52,320 --> 00:27:56,359 Speaker 1: that I've worked with people who their actors by and large, 534 00:27:56,400 --> 00:28:00,640 Speaker 1: and the concentration is comedy. They're comic actors who themselves 535 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:04,440 Speaker 1: are not that funny off the set. They don't think 536 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:07,880 Speaker 1: of funny things, they don't say funny things. Isn't that interesting? 537 00:28:08,040 --> 00:28:12,240 Speaker 1: And you, yourself are funny. You're funny whether you're whatever 538 00:28:12,280 --> 00:28:15,040 Speaker 1: the writing is, whatever the situation is. And you're saying 539 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:18,240 Speaker 1: that that came from just osmosis. And then you learn 540 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:22,480 Speaker 1: over the years, you learn, oh, this makes people laugh. 541 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:24,639 Speaker 1: When I was a teenager, I was fat because I 542 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:26,920 Speaker 1: went to Spain and I ate as much as I could, 543 00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:30,320 Speaker 1: and my mother walked by me in the airport, looked 544 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:31,880 Speaker 1: at me right in the eye and kept walking, didn't 545 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:34,280 Speaker 1: knows me. You went to Spain when you were a teenager, Yeah, 546 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:37,159 Speaker 1: I went for four months. I love Spain and I 547 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:39,720 Speaker 1: loved the country, the people, the language. And I went 548 00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:43,160 Speaker 1: to live with a family who were obese, and they 549 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:45,600 Speaker 1: ate like they ate like six meals a day, like 550 00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:49,040 Speaker 1: potatoes and oil sangria, and they fed me like a 551 00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:51,240 Speaker 1: fog walk goose. They just shoved food in my mouth. 552 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:55,600 Speaker 1: I gained forty pounds and I couldn't be happier. I 553 00:28:55,880 --> 00:28:58,360 Speaker 1: even broke a chicken's neck, you know, the whole thing. 554 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:00,960 Speaker 1: So I came back and I was fat. And listen, 555 00:29:00,960 --> 00:29:02,640 Speaker 1: when you're fat in high school, you go all right, 556 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:05,080 Speaker 1: so I'm not. No one wants to hook up with me, 557 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:08,000 Speaker 1: so I'm going to find a different route. So I 558 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:10,680 Speaker 1: was funny, And what ages you were? You were overweight 559 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:13,800 Speaker 1: between what years of your life? Uh, sophomore year in 560 00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:16,920 Speaker 1: high school till sophomore year in college. So not that 561 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:20,560 Speaker 1: long five the most formidable years, critical years. But I 562 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:23,320 Speaker 1: still got the guy. But that's all about again, like 563 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:26,760 Speaker 1: honing that comedy thing. And you have an audience of 564 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:30,080 Speaker 1: people at a party or hanging out, and that's where 565 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:32,400 Speaker 1: you learn it. You know, you've learned very quickly what 566 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:34,920 Speaker 1: gets a laugh what doesn't. In same with stories. The 567 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:36,760 Speaker 1: reason I would go do the Tonight Show all the 568 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:40,320 Speaker 1: time is because I had already rehearsed those stories at 569 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:43,200 Speaker 1: a dinner party and so I knew they worked. So 570 00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:45,640 Speaker 1: if I got a call, you know, even today when 571 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:47,520 Speaker 1: I go do a talk show, I go, oh, you know, 572 00:29:47,560 --> 00:29:49,320 Speaker 1: it was really funny? Was that thing that George and 573 00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:51,320 Speaker 1: I just did? And I remember telling my kids that 574 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 1: and they were laughing, really hard. I'm going to tell 575 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:55,000 Speaker 1: that story. So that's why you do. It's like the 576 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:57,000 Speaker 1: little metal box your mother had in the kitchen with 577 00:29:57,080 --> 00:30:00,160 Speaker 1: recipes where the index cards went and yours. This is 578 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:02,280 Speaker 1: your brain. You have a file with all those stories. 579 00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:05,880 Speaker 1: You tell. How did you lose weight? It fell off naturally. 580 00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:08,840 Speaker 1: It just it wasn't supposed to be. It fell off naturally. 581 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:12,400 Speaker 1: She reversed. But you know, I have only had one 582 00:30:12,480 --> 00:30:16,400 Speaker 1: scene where I was scantily clothed. I never had a 583 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:19,959 Speaker 1: career where I worried about that feeling of oh, I'm 584 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:21,480 Speaker 1: going to do this film. I gotta get in shape, 585 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 1: I gotta work out. Never Now you have a cadre 586 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:27,160 Speaker 1: of show business chicks that are your great but I have. 587 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:29,000 Speaker 1: I have a little posse. You guys have your own 588 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:31,960 Speaker 1: little club. Yeah you have a posse, Yeah I do. Yeah. 589 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:36,640 Speaker 1: Mariska Brooke Shields dead Messing dead messing. Yeah. When she's 590 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:39,920 Speaker 1: in town. I mean, Marska and I during the pandemic, 591 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:43,320 Speaker 1: we kind of quarantined together like our families. So I 592 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 1: saw her a lot during the pandemic, too much. And 593 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:48,720 Speaker 1: so you know, some of the other girls I haven't 594 00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:50,520 Speaker 1: really seen as much. Brook. I have but you know, 595 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:53,320 Speaker 1: now that things are opening up and people are getting vaccinated, 596 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:56,640 Speaker 1: we can be a full on girl power group. What 597 00:30:56,720 --> 00:30:59,240 Speaker 1: do you watch? Name two or three things you watched 598 00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 1: drama or come that you really really thought were special. 599 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:05,080 Speaker 1: Because I respect your opinion a lot. I watched Lupin 600 00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:08,160 Speaker 1: on Netflix. Okay, you say it like, oh, like everyone 601 00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:11,800 Speaker 1: knows Lupe. I'm sorry. I thought, well, I'm sorry, I 602 00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:14,320 Speaker 1: didn't go to boarding school. What is Lupin? No, these 603 00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:17,680 Speaker 1: people in my literary soire and I watched Lupin and 604 00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:23,000 Speaker 1: Lupin is fantastic. It's this incredibly dynamic, handsome black guy 605 00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:28,040 Speaker 1: who's a thief and whose father was set up to 606 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:30,080 Speaker 1: seem like he was. He was like a butler that 607 00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:32,320 Speaker 1: he stole a diamond necklace from a made off type 608 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:34,640 Speaker 1: guy and went to jail and killed himself in jail, 609 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:37,680 Speaker 1: and the sun becomes this international thief and seeks revenge 610 00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:41,720 Speaker 1: by stealing this necklace at Southeby's. Anyway, It's it's a 611 00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:45,120 Speaker 1: cat and mouth great show. Um. I watched The Promising 612 00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:49,040 Speaker 1: Young Woman. I thought that was a great movie. Streaming movie. Oh, 613 00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:51,239 Speaker 1: call my agent, you would love it, Alec. It's just 614 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:54,720 Speaker 1: like Nightcap. It's about a dysfunctional agents in Paris. They're 615 00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:59,760 Speaker 1: always pandering to their clients in French with subtitles, with subtitles, Yes, 616 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:03,840 Speaker 1: tell me what you've been watching besides Nickelodeon, right, besides 617 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:07,120 Speaker 1: a lot of Powerpuff Girls. I sent him an email 618 00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:10,440 Speaker 1: to Owen Wilson and I said, Owen, I said, my god, 619 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:12,880 Speaker 1: these cars movies. I said, you are such a part 620 00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:15,040 Speaker 1: of my kids, child, You're such a part of my life. 621 00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:18,560 Speaker 1: We've watched these fucking movies. We've watched each of the 622 00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:21,880 Speaker 1: three movies a hundred times each. And I can't tell 623 00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:24,880 Speaker 1: you how fabulous you are. And this you're so great 624 00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:30,320 Speaker 1: these movies means so they have every cars, every Lightning McQueen, bedsheets, 625 00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:35,440 Speaker 1: bath towel, slippers, every fucking thing. And he writes me 626 00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:40,480 Speaker 1: back and she's like, oh the great great, Oh yeah, 627 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:44,040 Speaker 1: Lightning McQueen was so good for me too. But yeah, 628 00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:46,880 Speaker 1: Disney Plus, it's like the Eternal Flame at Arlington. It's 629 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:49,760 Speaker 1: on in my house twenty for hours a day. Disney plus. 630 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:53,880 Speaker 1: But for me, because the Hampton's International Film Festival is coming, 631 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:55,800 Speaker 1: I watch a lot of docks. I watch a lot 632 00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:58,800 Speaker 1: of dogs, a lot and there's one that came on 633 00:32:58,880 --> 00:33:01,480 Speaker 1: that was really fun if you can, because we look 634 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:04,680 Speaker 1: for like a mix of something serious and topical or biographical. 635 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:08,160 Speaker 1: You know when Susan Lacy did the bio of Jane Fonda. 636 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:12,120 Speaker 1: I love that movie, Loved, Loved, and I'm really well done. 637 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:17,520 Speaker 1: But there's one called Lily Topples the World and it's 638 00:33:17,560 --> 00:33:21,880 Speaker 1: about a woman who's the dominoes champion. She's the Chululi 639 00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:27,200 Speaker 1: of dominoes. She does arrangements that all radiate out into 640 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:32,400 Speaker 1: patterns that are like Georgia o'keeith painting results from her 641 00:33:32,440 --> 00:33:37,000 Speaker 1: tapping one thing. You can't believe this school, this young woman, 642 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:39,280 Speaker 1: what she does. Let me tell you something, You're still 643 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:41,440 Speaker 1: one of the funniest people I've ever met in my life. 644 00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:43,280 Speaker 1: I gotta part for you, all right. What do I 645 00:33:43,280 --> 00:33:48,240 Speaker 1: gotta do? I hope there's nudity. There is no nudity. 646 00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:51,600 Speaker 1: Thank you for doing this with us, Alex, thank you, 647 00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:58,200 Speaker 1: My love to you, My love to you. Actor, comedian 648 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:02,320 Speaker 1: and author Ali went Earth. I'm Alec Baldwin and this 649 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:06,480 Speaker 1: is Here's the Thing from My Heart Radio. We're produced 650 00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:11,600 Speaker 1: by Kathleen Russo, Carrie Donohue and Zach McNeice. Our engineer 651 00:34:11,680 --> 00:34:13,920 Speaker 1: is Frank Imperial. Thanks for listening.