1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:05,040 Speaker 1: She called me about ten years after we did League 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: of their own, So, you know, twenty years ago, twenty 3 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:11,720 Speaker 1: five years ago, mame and she said to me, Rosie, 4 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:17,639 Speaker 1: can you play soccer? I said, what can you play soccer? 5 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:21,880 Speaker 1: I don't know. I never It wasn't my sport truthfully, 6 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:24,120 Speaker 1: too much running. I didn't like it. I had to sit. 7 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:26,760 Speaker 1: But you know, yeah, I know how to play soccer. 8 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: Why She's like, well, there's a team in Mexico. Great story. 9 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 1: You could be the lady. I go, I'm Rosie o'donnald. 10 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:36,640 Speaker 1: I'm going to be the Mexican woman on the soccer coach. 11 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: But she was always trying to like get everybody back 12 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: together and do it again. And you know, do you 13 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: play soccer? Hi? This is Rosie o'donnald and I have 14 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: a cold. 15 00:00:52,760 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 2: Soar friends, Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Beat. 16 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 2: I am, as always, your humble host, Brian Baumgartner. Today's guest, Well, 17 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 2: she needs no introduction. I'm going to give one anyways, 18 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 2: but I just want you to know I am so 19 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 2: excited to welcome the legendary Rosie O'Donnell to the podcast. Honestly, 20 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 2: it would be much easier for me to tell you 21 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 2: what Rosie hasn't done in the entertainment business than to 22 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 2: list her her countless huge projects from the last what 23 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:40,319 Speaker 2: four decades. I mean, maybe you know Rosie from some 24 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:44,319 Speaker 2: of the tiny movies she's done, you know, a League 25 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:48,280 Speaker 2: of their own, Sleepless in Seattle, Or perhaps you're more 26 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 2: familiar with her stand up career, or from her years 27 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 2: doing the iconic Rosie O'Donnell show. The Queen of Nice 28 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 2: is also the Queen of candid. To be clear, She's 29 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 2: also responsible for some of the biggest philanthropic efforts in 30 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 2: the history of show business and was continues to be 31 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 2: groundbreaking for the LGBTQ plus community around the world. We'll 32 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 2: hear a lot about that and the impact she has 33 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 2: made in that community. Look, she's a legend for a reason. 34 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 2: You might even say that she's in a league of 35 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:34,680 Speaker 2: her own. Okay, not the best, but I'm trying. This 36 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:37,519 Speaker 2: is a great conversation. There is so much insider info, 37 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:40,360 Speaker 2: and if you know anything about Rosie, you should not 38 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 2: be surprised that she was able to be completely candid, moving, 39 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:49,679 Speaker 2: and hilarious all at once. So I'm not going to 40 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 2: make you wait any longer. Here she is Rosie O'Donnell, 41 00:02:58,400 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 2: Bubble and squeak. 42 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 1: I love it, Bubble and Squeakana, Bubble and Squeaker. Cook 43 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: get every mo. 44 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:10,919 Speaker 2: Lift over from the Nubyo. 45 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 1: Hi, Rosie, how are you? 46 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 2: I'm good. 47 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:26,560 Speaker 1: I'm so happy to be doing this. 48 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:30,120 Speaker 2: Well, I'm so happy that you're here. It's it's a 49 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 2: little bit of a different environment than Watch What Happens Live. 50 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 2: The last time I saw. 51 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: You, I know, that was so fun. And I remember 52 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 1: I said to Laurie, I love that guy. We should 53 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: hang out with him. So this is our first hang. 54 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: Consider this our first hang. 55 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 2: This will be our first of many, I hope. 56 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, me too. 57 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 2: Congratulations on the new podcast. We're going to talk about 58 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 2: that in a little bit, but I wanted to start 59 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 2: back by the way I told you this when I'm 60 00:03:56,920 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 2: I'm a huge fan of yours. You're career is well, 61 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 2: I mean, it's unbelievable and inspiring. I want to get 62 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 2: into a little bit. When did you first begin to 63 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 2: have feelings of interest in performing? When you were a kid? 64 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:21,479 Speaker 1: Pre kindergarten pre kindergarten. Yes, in kindergarten, everybody would do 65 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:23,799 Speaker 1: show and tell and they would bring in a toy 66 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 1: and I would go and now I'd like to do 67 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: something from Guys and Dolls, and I would belt out 68 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:32,599 Speaker 1: a Broadway show song that my mother would listen to 69 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:35,720 Speaker 1: the original cast recordings all the time. So I knew 70 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: every Broadway show and I wanted to be a performer. 71 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:41,040 Speaker 1: I wanted to be Barbara streisand I want to be 72 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 1: Bette Midler. Now the fact that I really couldn't sing 73 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: or dance didn't really, you know, dissuade me. I was 74 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:51,479 Speaker 1: still like, gung ho, let's do this. And the goal 75 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: for me was never Hollywood. It was always Broadway, because 76 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 1: you know, Hollywood was some imaginary illusion that I mean, 77 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 1: I had been on a plane and you know, I 78 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:03,160 Speaker 1: didn't know how to get there, But Broadway I knew 79 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: how to get there, and I knew how to watch 80 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: sweaty people come out of that stage door that I 81 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:10,000 Speaker 1: just saw on stage, and I'm like, this is the 82 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:13,359 Speaker 1: destination Broadway. So that's always always what I thought I 83 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: would do. You know, I would have a career as 84 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 1: a Broadway performer and then maybe producer. 85 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 2: Did you so you went to a lot of shows 86 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 2: even as a young Oh yeah, a young kid. 87 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 1: Okay, yes, yeah, very very often. I would take off 88 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:29,160 Speaker 1: Wednesday and go on the train into Manhattan and then 89 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 1: get a ten dollars tk TS seat. Yeah, or the 90 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:36,040 Speaker 1: when you did they used to do standing room. I 91 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: don't know if they still do that now with COVID, 92 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:40,800 Speaker 1: but they used to do standing room for for a 93 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:44,160 Speaker 1: very discounted fee. And and I saw all those hits 94 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,840 Speaker 1: in the seventies. I saw you know, best little whorehouse, 95 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 1: I saw a Pippin, I saw a horus line, I 96 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:55,280 Speaker 1: saw you know, they're playing our song, and I loved it. 97 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:59,120 Speaker 1: I thought it was the most magical part of the world. 98 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: And I came to find out in my career that 99 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:05,320 Speaker 1: I've been very lucky to do a lot of different 100 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:09,240 Speaker 1: things in different avenues, and I think the most enjoyable 101 00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: for me is definitely Broadway. But it's a young person's 102 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:16,200 Speaker 1: game because eight shows a week when you're sixty one, 103 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 1: trying to remember the lines is not what it was 104 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 1: in my twenties. 105 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 2: You know, Yeah, you know it's funny because you know, 106 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:25,000 Speaker 2: I don't know if you know this. I started off 107 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 2: in theater as well, and I thought I thought that 108 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 2: that was my life, that was all I wanted to 109 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 2: do as well, and so I was never based in 110 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 2: New York. I did some shows there, but I was 111 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:43,360 Speaker 2: sort of on that major regional theater circuit, traveling from 112 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:47,279 Speaker 2: city to city, Berkeley Rep and the Guthrie and others. 113 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:50,599 Speaker 2: And I think what you just said is so true. 114 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:53,600 Speaker 2: It is kind of a young person's game that eight 115 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:58,279 Speaker 2: shows a week, NonStop. The only day you have off 116 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 2: is Monday, and nobody else is off on Mondays. It's 117 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:05,080 Speaker 2: hard to have a life, right. 118 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:08,240 Speaker 1: Well, you only have your life and your world amongst 119 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:10,760 Speaker 1: the people who are on your schedule. So it's a 120 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 1: small community. It's a very connected kind community. Everyone knows 121 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 1: each other. It's so much more tangible than the vagueness 122 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:23,840 Speaker 1: of Hollywood success. When you're on Broadway, you know, you 123 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:25,960 Speaker 1: see the same people when you go out to eat 124 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: in between shows at Joe Allen's, and you know, you 125 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:32,120 Speaker 1: get your routine and it becomes your life and your world. 126 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:34,840 Speaker 1: And it is a beautiful part of show business. It's 127 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:37,840 Speaker 1: the part that kind of moves me the most. When 128 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 1: you go home after doing a series, go in your bed, 129 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:44,400 Speaker 1: you go to sleep. It's not the same as live 130 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 1: performers there with you making a show every night just 131 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:51,320 Speaker 1: for those sixteen hundred people in the theater. You know. 132 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, you're in high school and your dream is to 133 00:07:56,800 --> 00:08:01,760 Speaker 2: be on Broadway. What begins to get you into stand up? 134 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 1: I did a comedy show where you make fun of 135 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: the teachers, called Senior Follies, Okay, And I would take 136 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:15,040 Speaker 1: the whole Saturday night live record and I would change 137 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:18,720 Speaker 1: the names, like you know miss Baron, who was a 138 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:22,120 Speaker 1: very skinny, flat chested teacher. More on this story as 139 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 1: it develops, right, I would just change the and I've 140 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:27,000 Speaker 1: made it all about the teachers. Well, they thought I 141 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:29,160 Speaker 1: was a genius. They're like, I'm like, don't, don't put 142 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 1: on that record because I stole everything from there, you know. 143 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 1: And so I wrote it and I did Rosanne, Rosanna, Dana, 144 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:40,080 Speaker 1: you haven't nice. You got a little piece of saliva 145 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:43,080 Speaker 1: and your mom that goes up and down and up 146 00:08:43,160 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 1: and and I had a wig on. And this man 147 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:50,400 Speaker 1: comes over to me, who's about thirty and I'm now sixteen, right, 148 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:53,880 Speaker 1: and he says, my brother is in this play. Yeah, 149 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:56,280 Speaker 1: I'm his older brother. I just opened a comedy club 150 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:59,760 Speaker 1: out on Huntington, Long Island. Uh, you know, next two 151 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:02,319 Speaker 1: town over, why don't you come and do some stand 152 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:03,680 Speaker 1: up And I was like, I don't want to do 153 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:05,720 Speaker 1: stand up. I want to be on Broadway, right, And 154 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:07,560 Speaker 1: he was like, well, maybe before you get to Broadway 155 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:09,199 Speaker 1: you can do a little stand up. And I was like, well, 156 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:12,120 Speaker 1: i'll try. So I go to this club and it's 157 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:15,280 Speaker 1: a Saturday night and it's every kid I knew in 158 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:17,640 Speaker 1: high school that would and I was popular in high school. 159 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 1: The whole place was packed, and I didn't really have 160 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:23,800 Speaker 1: an act per se, but I would make fun of 161 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:26,400 Speaker 1: the people in the audience, like, oh, mindy, you know, 162 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: do you know that your boyfriend Billy made out with 163 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:32,440 Speaker 1: Lisa Shackner last week? Like it would just be like cobitzing, 164 00:09:32,559 --> 00:09:34,839 Speaker 1: you know. Well, I killed because they thought it was 165 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:37,520 Speaker 1: hysterical that I was on a comedy club. And well, 166 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:39,960 Speaker 1: Richie said, why don't you come back tomorrow night? And 167 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:41,520 Speaker 1: I was like, all right, I'll try it again. Look 168 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 1: how good I was. The next night was a school 169 00:09:43,679 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 1: night and nobody could come, so it was just a 170 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:51,079 Speaker 1: regular crowd. When I say that I died a death 171 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 1: on that stage, it was torturous to watch. So I 172 00:09:56,840 --> 00:09:58,880 Speaker 1: get off and Richie goes well, you know, you gotta 173 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:00,679 Speaker 1: bomb a little bit, kid, you get a little bit. 174 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:03,640 Speaker 1: And I'm like, okay, all right, I go back and 175 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:06,040 Speaker 1: he says, I can start working the open mic night 176 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 1: as the as the MC and you know, not get 177 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:11,000 Speaker 1: paid really. But I did that and I learned a lot. 178 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 1: I learned how to do it. And then Shirley Hempill 179 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:18,640 Speaker 1: from What's Happening, she was the headliner and she saw 180 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:22,240 Speaker 1: me at the open mic night and she told Richie Menavini, Oh, 181 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:24,800 Speaker 1: that kid's going to open for me this weekend. And 182 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:27,679 Speaker 1: he said, she's not ready. I'm not paying her. She's novid. 183 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:30,360 Speaker 1: She said, well, I won't perform if you don't book 184 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:33,199 Speaker 1: her and pay her fifty bucks a show. So it 185 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 1: was like I made three hundred dollars on the weekend. 186 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 1: I could not believe it. I couldn't believe it. And 187 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:45,560 Speaker 1: that's how it began, you know. A few years later, 188 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:48,880 Speaker 1: when I was twenty two, a woman at that same 189 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:51,000 Speaker 1: comedy club came over to me, and she's in her 190 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:55,120 Speaker 1: forties and she says, my dad is Ed McMahon, and 191 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:58,680 Speaker 1: I'm the talent coordinator for Star Search, and we'd like 192 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:00,360 Speaker 1: you to come on Star Search. I thought, you're not 193 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:03,960 Speaker 1: Claudia McMahon, you're not his daughters, what would you be 194 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:06,920 Speaker 1: doing here? Sure enough, that was Claudia McMahon, and it 195 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:10,240 Speaker 1: was Ed's daughter, and she got me on that show 196 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:12,720 Speaker 1: where I won five or six weeks in a row 197 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: and made like twenty seven hundred dollars each time I won. 198 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:20,640 Speaker 1: I was rolling in it right, and I ended up 199 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:23,560 Speaker 1: not winning the year but the final one hundred thousand 200 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:26,120 Speaker 1: dollars prize. But I got to a point where now 201 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:29,120 Speaker 1: I was known enough to be a headliner. So by 202 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:31,920 Speaker 1: twenty two after that show was on, I was headlining 203 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:35,040 Speaker 1: all over the country in small venues like little clubs, 204 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:36,800 Speaker 1: you know, but still it was it was a living 205 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:39,360 Speaker 1: for sure. I could make a living. And that's how 206 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:39,800 Speaker 1: it began. 207 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 2: So when you say I'm going I want to go 208 00:11:42,559 --> 00:11:45,520 Speaker 2: back just a teeny bit. But you were m seeing 209 00:11:45,559 --> 00:11:50,160 Speaker 2: these comedy nights. So what were you What were you 210 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 2: learning as you watched these comics? 211 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 1: Well, you know, it was mostly open mic night, and 212 00:11:56,679 --> 00:11:58,880 Speaker 1: you don't really learn a lot from open mic night 213 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:02,560 Speaker 1: because you know, nobody there is a professional. But Richie 214 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:04,200 Speaker 1: was so kind to me. He used to let me 215 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:07,280 Speaker 1: come and hang out on the weekends in an empty seat. 216 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:10,440 Speaker 1: So I rarely got to see female comics, which was 217 00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:13,560 Speaker 1: a bummer because there were so few of us back then. 218 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:15,520 Speaker 1: They were like, you know, ten women, and we were 219 00:12:15,559 --> 00:12:18,160 Speaker 1: working the circuit and we never got booked together because 220 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:20,840 Speaker 1: they didn't think two women could do a show together. 221 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:23,320 Speaker 1: You know, it was so rare to have a woman 222 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:27,520 Speaker 1: comic that they didn't ever let us work together, which 223 00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 1: was kind of sad. But what I learned from watching 224 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:34,240 Speaker 1: comics is first of all, that you have to use 225 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:38,640 Speaker 1: your own material. I used Jerry Seinfeld's material when I 226 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:44,080 Speaker 1: was seventeen, right, And not only did I take his material, 227 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:48,280 Speaker 1: I took his cadence. So I literally went on stage 228 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 1: and said, you know, my cow got stuck on the 229 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:51,839 Speaker 1: way here. What am I looking for? 230 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:52,200 Speaker 2: Big? 231 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:56,839 Speaker 1: On off, switch on off. I'm thinking, hey, dogs don't 232 00:12:56,880 --> 00:12:59,800 Speaker 1: have pockets, you know I did. And they walked off 233 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:02,600 Speaker 1: stae and I got a very good response, right, And 234 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:04,720 Speaker 1: these male comics come over to me in their thirties 235 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:08,200 Speaker 1: and I'm like a teenager and they said, where'd you 236 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:10,680 Speaker 1: get that? I said, Jerry Seinfeld, he was on MERV 237 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:14,439 Speaker 1: Griffin yesterday, he's a comedian. They say, well, you cannot 238 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:17,640 Speaker 1: use his jokes. I go why. They go, he you 239 00:13:17,679 --> 00:13:19,040 Speaker 1: have to write your own jokes. I go, hold it. 240 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:21,720 Speaker 1: Barbara Streisam does not write music. All she does is 241 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:23,680 Speaker 1: sing I'm just going to be funny. I'm not going 242 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:26,840 Speaker 1: to write my own jokes. I'm not a writer. And 243 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:28,720 Speaker 1: they're like, well, that's how you have to do it. 244 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:32,120 Speaker 1: And here's our advice. Talk about your family, something nobody 245 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:35,040 Speaker 1: else talks about. Talk about your own experience and your 246 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:37,360 Speaker 1: own family. So that's what I learned, how to take 247 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:42,400 Speaker 1: my life, exaggerate it, twist it, and present it as 248 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:45,679 Speaker 1: a finished product. Like I learned that there's a couple 249 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:49,679 Speaker 1: kinds of comedy conversational and presentational, and the difference is 250 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:53,800 Speaker 1: pretty big. And which kind did you want to be? 251 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:57,480 Speaker 1: Where did you naturally fall in your comedic timing and 252 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:02,680 Speaker 1: your comedic vision? You know? And it was very very 253 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 1: helpful whenever I read like Max Max Malcolm glod Well 254 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:09,040 Speaker 1: whatever his name is, and it says you have to 255 00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:11,440 Speaker 1: do like one hundred thousand hours of something to get 256 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:14,440 Speaker 1: I put in my time at those comedy clubs years 257 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:15,920 Speaker 1: and years and years. 258 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:20,000 Speaker 2: You know, which type do you think you're more conversational presentation. 259 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:24,120 Speaker 1: I definitely think when I started, I was presentational, okay, right. 260 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:27,280 Speaker 1: I would work a bit, work a bit, work a bit, 261 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:29,400 Speaker 1: get it till it was a finished product and wrapped 262 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:31,520 Speaker 1: up in a nice little bow. I put it in 263 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:34,680 Speaker 1: the basket, and then I go on. But as I've 264 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:38,200 Speaker 1: gotten older and with this job now of podcasting, I 265 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:42,560 Speaker 1: think I prefer a more conversational approach. You know, even 266 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:46,080 Speaker 1: when I'm watching young comedians, I think I love when 267 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:49,760 Speaker 1: they're having conversations rather than you know, but I'm bumch, 268 00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:51,040 Speaker 1: but I'm bumch. 269 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:54,760 Speaker 2: You know. Yeah, Well it's interesting because you know, we're 270 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:58,520 Speaker 2: all both in this business and by the way, even 271 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:01,720 Speaker 2: people who are not in this business, you're everyone's playing 272 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:04,720 Speaker 2: a character, right to a certain degree. You're playing a 273 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:07,720 Speaker 2: character with your family, or with your friends, or with 274 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:10,280 Speaker 2: this set of friends. It's different than that other set 275 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:14,360 Speaker 2: of friends. And but for you, did you feel like 276 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:19,160 Speaker 2: you were creating a character which was Rosie the stand up? 277 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:23,840 Speaker 2: Or what percentage of yourself did you bring into it? 278 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:28,280 Speaker 1: Well, you know, I didn't bring anything about being gay 279 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:31,600 Speaker 1: because it was at a time when no one really 280 00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:34,560 Speaker 1: talked about it and or asked you about it. Like 281 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:36,760 Speaker 1: no one ever said to me as I was, you know, 282 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:40,320 Speaker 1: growing up in the industry, Oh, by the way, are 283 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:44,280 Speaker 1: you gay? Like it wasn't a conversation. And I remember 284 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:47,080 Speaker 1: once when I was touring with Greece before we came 285 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:51,920 Speaker 1: into Broadway, and Lois Smith, who was a legendary publicist, 286 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:55,200 Speaker 1: was for one of the people who founded PMK. She 287 00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:57,720 Speaker 1: was my publicist, and she was amazing because she was 288 00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:01,880 Speaker 1: also Marilyn Monroe's publicist, and she knew everyone in show 289 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:05,440 Speaker 1: business and she was a legend and a wonderful blessing 290 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 1: that she was in my life. And she had me 291 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:12,800 Speaker 1: interview somebody from Patrick Pachenko, I think his name is, 292 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:18,040 Speaker 1: from Cosmopolitan magazine and he asked me if I was 293 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:21,520 Speaker 1: dating anyone and I said no, and he said, well, 294 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:23,720 Speaker 1: who would you want to date? And I said anyone 295 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 1: who applies? And he said could that person be a woman? 296 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:32,360 Speaker 1: I said, you never know, could be. Well, Lois called 297 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:37,320 Speaker 1: Helen Gurley Brown and had that part taken out of 298 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 1: the interview. It was a time when there was no internet, 299 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:45,200 Speaker 1: the rumors weren't flying around everywhere. You could just remove it. 300 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:48,200 Speaker 1: She would made a call and removed it, you know, 301 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:51,800 Speaker 1: So I didn't use that part of my life, but 302 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:54,320 Speaker 1: I used my childhood because I was a young kid 303 00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:56,400 Speaker 1: doing it starting out right, I was twenty. It was 304 00:16:56,840 --> 00:17:00,920 Speaker 1: in my teens in the early twenties, and and I 305 00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:05,520 Speaker 1: talked about my Irish being Irish and what that meant, 306 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:09,359 Speaker 1: and my dad with a brogue, and you know, I 307 00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:12,240 Speaker 1: did my life as much as I could, but I 308 00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:14,240 Speaker 1: didn't you know, I didn't put in any of the 309 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:20,200 Speaker 1: personal stuff about sexuality. And I don't think I would 310 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:22,600 Speaker 1: have even been I've been able to imagine how to 311 00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:24,200 Speaker 1: incorporate that at the time. 312 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:28,760 Speaker 2: You know, did you lie or was it just omission? 313 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:32,600 Speaker 1: It was omission, but it was also a very public 314 00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:36,439 Speaker 1: non secret. Like I would take Kelly, who was my wife, 315 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:41,080 Speaker 1: and to the Emmys every year, would sit next door. 316 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:44,200 Speaker 1: I mean, like I didn't show up with a boy. 317 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:48,440 Speaker 1: You know, people would say, well, you like you pretended 318 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:50,600 Speaker 1: that you love Tom Cruise. I go, no, I do 319 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:55,040 Speaker 1: love Tom Cruise. I fully love the fourteen year old girl. 320 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: And me who put Bobby Sherman's picture on the wall 321 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 1: loves him in the same that I loved Bobby Sherman. 322 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:05,800 Speaker 1: And he's turned out to be personally in my experience 323 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:11,639 Speaker 1: the most unbelievably consistent kind man to me. He sends 324 00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:14,720 Speaker 1: me flowers on my birthday, he sends me things when 325 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:19,400 Speaker 1: my children are born. He's been stalwart and steady and 326 00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:23,840 Speaker 1: really really like a dream almost to me where he 327 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:26,679 Speaker 1: could have run the other way going stalker stalker, you know. 328 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:31,400 Speaker 1: But yeah, so I don't know that. I don't think 329 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:35,320 Speaker 1: that I was hiding, but I didn't have a way 330 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:41,119 Speaker 1: to approach the gay thing because of the time period 331 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:43,640 Speaker 1: that it was in. Like when my show started, there 332 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,359 Speaker 1: was no will and grace right right. They said to 333 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 1: me after the first season, Oh, there's a new show 334 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:52,240 Speaker 1: coming on NBC. It's a gay guy and a girl 335 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:54,000 Speaker 1: and they're going to be roommates. And I'm like, well, 336 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:55,800 Speaker 1: that'll never last. I'm gonna have a show with a 337 00:18:55,800 --> 00:18:58,720 Speaker 1: gay person on it. I mean seriously, that was like 338 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:02,080 Speaker 1: what everyone thought. If people knew somebody was gay, they 339 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:04,280 Speaker 1: didn't watch. And remember Love Sidney. Do you remember that? 340 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:08,080 Speaker 1: It was a Tony Randall series that ran for like 341 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:12,120 Speaker 1: three weeks and they never said that he was gay. 342 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:14,040 Speaker 1: But he had a picture of a man over the 343 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:16,439 Speaker 1: fireplace and he would sort of look at it at 344 00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:18,760 Speaker 1: the end of the episode, and I remember the Catholic 345 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,920 Speaker 1: Church went that shit crazy and it was pulled off 346 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:25,679 Speaker 1: the air. Wow, it just wasn't in my reality to 347 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:30,320 Speaker 1: think that it was accomplishable. Now, then the lawsuit came 348 00:19:30,359 --> 00:19:33,879 Speaker 1: out with the ACLU where gay foster parents like me, 349 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:37,960 Speaker 1: I was a gay foster parent, were unable to adopt 350 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:41,760 Speaker 1: even the children they raised because that was the law 351 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:45,680 Speaker 1: in Florida, and the ACLU had a lawsuit with the 352 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:48,560 Speaker 1: Loft and Cruteau is the two men's names who the 353 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:52,440 Speaker 1: lawsuit was named after. They were pediatric aids nurses and 354 00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:56,639 Speaker 1: aids cars. So anyway, I came out through that and 355 00:19:56,680 --> 00:20:01,199 Speaker 1: that was like in January, right after nine to eleven, 356 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:04,040 Speaker 1: and it kind of was not even a story because 357 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:06,040 Speaker 1: we were aill in shock as a nation. 358 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:28,880 Speaker 2: You know, right, Star Search nineteen eighty four, you're making 359 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:32,400 Speaker 2: twenty seven hundred dollars a week. Do you consider that 360 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:37,080 Speaker 2: chance meeting with Claudia McMahon, What kind of impact do 361 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:39,280 Speaker 2: you feel like that had on your career? Did that 362 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:41,160 Speaker 2: change your life totally? 363 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:45,560 Speaker 1: One hundred. It was a very big show. I venture 364 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:48,160 Speaker 1: to say that it was as popular in nineteen eighty 365 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:51,760 Speaker 1: four as American Idol was at its height. Sam Harris 366 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:54,679 Speaker 1: had been on the year before and America fell in 367 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:57,560 Speaker 1: love with him and his Judy Garland impression singing, and 368 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:01,480 Speaker 1: this was year two and so it was a very 369 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:05,200 Speaker 1: big deal and I went from being maybe an MC 370 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:08,920 Speaker 1: or an opener to a headliner after that. No, they 371 00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:11,960 Speaker 1: weren't like big venues like Caesar's, you know, which I 372 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,920 Speaker 1: eventually worked my way up to. But they were little clubs, 373 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:18,800 Speaker 1: but you could make a living, you know. So I 374 00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:21,080 Speaker 1: think if it hadn't been for Claudia McMahon, I would 375 00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:24,080 Speaker 1: have toiled away in New York at the comedy clubs, 376 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:28,520 Speaker 1: you know, forever and hopefully you know, got a career 377 00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:31,359 Speaker 1: or a sitcom or hopefully you know, get to play 378 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:33,600 Speaker 1: Rhoda Norgenstern. 379 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:33,919 Speaker 2: You know. 380 00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:40,159 Speaker 1: Yeah, so I was. I was very happy with that 381 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:43,359 Speaker 1: chance meeting and and stayed you know, in touch with 382 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:46,399 Speaker 1: him throughout his life, and he was very proud of 383 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:50,960 Speaker 1: the Irish me that got up there to the finals. 384 00:21:51,359 --> 00:21:56,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, at this point, do you consider yourself And I 385 00:21:56,200 --> 00:21:58,840 Speaker 2: talked to a lot of people about this. I get 386 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:02,680 Speaker 2: I get introduced or identified as this often, do you 387 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,040 Speaker 2: at that point at least did you consider yourself a 388 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:08,159 Speaker 2: comedian or an actor. 389 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:14,840 Speaker 1: Well, I think I think I would say actor, okay, 390 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:17,960 Speaker 1: because I was acting like a comedian, right, right, That's 391 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,159 Speaker 1: what I was studying comedy and then performing it and 392 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:24,640 Speaker 1: trying to figure out how to mold that clay myself 393 00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:27,239 Speaker 1: every night on stage. And and you know, I got 394 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:30,520 Speaker 1: pretty good at it. I mean I got nominated for 395 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:34,240 Speaker 1: a couple of Emmys for my specials. And you know 396 00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:38,160 Speaker 1: I headlined Caesar's Palace. I mean that's a pretty big gig. 397 00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:39,800 Speaker 2: You know, it was a huge gig. 398 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:44,199 Speaker 1: Yeah, And I filled in for George Burns on his 399 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:47,400 Speaker 1: hundredth birthday at Caesar's Palace. He was supposed to be performing, 400 00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:49,760 Speaker 1: but he couldn't, and he asked me to perform in 401 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:53,080 Speaker 1: his stead, and I did. And he called me in 402 00:22:53,119 --> 00:22:56,960 Speaker 1: the dressing room and said, Rosie up. Did you hear 403 00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:02,160 Speaker 1: the one about the domain at the Sparmbank? His job 404 00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:06,119 Speaker 1: was to say thank you for coming, he told me 405 00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:09,919 Speaker 1: jokes one hundred years old Hews on his deathbed, one 406 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:12,320 Speaker 1: hundred years old. He died like a week or two later. 407 00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:16,560 Speaker 1: You know, oh, unbelievable. When I think about the people 408 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:20,320 Speaker 1: I've met, right, when I think about what my life 409 00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:23,600 Speaker 1: has been since that little girl on Long Island. I'm 410 00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:26,959 Speaker 1: kind of in awe of what's happened to me, right, 411 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:30,200 Speaker 1: you know, but it almost I have that dissociation still 412 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:32,439 Speaker 1: where it almost feels like it's kind of not me. 413 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:36,680 Speaker 1: Not like I'll see myself in at at the height 414 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:40,760 Speaker 1: of my fame, on the cover of a magazine and 415 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 1: I'd walk by in New York in those little magazine 416 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:46,879 Speaker 1: huts they have, and I go, oh, look, Rosie O'Donnell's 417 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:50,800 Speaker 1: on Newsweek. But I wouldn't think, oh, look, there's me 418 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:53,200 Speaker 1: right right, there's me right. 419 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:56,040 Speaker 2: You do star search, you get some television shows, give 420 00:23:56,040 --> 00:24:01,080 Speaker 2: me a break to mention one, you're headlining comedy clubs, 421 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:07,720 Speaker 2: then bigger and bigger, and then suddenly you're getting I assume, 422 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:11,159 Speaker 2: although I shouldn't assume, make some house out of you 423 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:15,440 Speaker 2: and me that you start getting talked to about being 424 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:16,800 Speaker 2: in the in the in the. 425 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:20,680 Speaker 1: Pictures, in the pictures, the movies. 426 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:23,560 Speaker 2: A league of their own obviously. 427 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:30,360 Speaker 1: Well, I mean it's like all time classic static, unbelievable. 428 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:32,920 Speaker 2: Did you get approached to do that? Yes, you got 429 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:34,879 Speaker 2: you got it. I was. 430 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:37,480 Speaker 1: I was a VJ. I became a VJ on Video 431 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:41,679 Speaker 1: Hits one VH one. Yeah, and I would make little 432 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:48,520 Speaker 1: two minutes the bits four times an hour live on TV. Okay, 433 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:50,919 Speaker 1: so I had to say coming up next as Whitney 434 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:54,359 Speaker 1: Houston from VH one Hits one, a special edition of 435 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,560 Speaker 1: a new album that and you know, and okay, that's 436 00:24:57,560 --> 00:24:59,680 Speaker 1: thirty seconds. Now you have a minute and a half left, 437 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:02,080 Speaker 1: and i' start telling stories, Oh you know what happened 438 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:05,000 Speaker 1: today on the way is And you'd see the cameramen 439 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:08,480 Speaker 1: laugh and the camera would literally go like this because 440 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:11,359 Speaker 1: it was just me and two guys sitting there making 441 00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:16,000 Speaker 1: it up for hours, right, And my agent called and said, 442 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:19,000 Speaker 1: can you play baseball? And I said yes? And she 443 00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:21,960 Speaker 1: was also Julia Roberts agent, and I said, if there's 444 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,520 Speaker 1: one thing I can do better than Julia Roberts, it's this, 445 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:29,399 Speaker 1: you know. And so you had to play baseball first 446 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:34,399 Speaker 1: before you could audition, okay. And I played baseball very well, 447 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:39,879 Speaker 1: and you know, Penny knew who I was, and it 448 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:44,240 Speaker 1: was very very sisterly and took me under her wing. 449 00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:47,600 Speaker 1: And there was times when she was calling out direction 450 00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:51,400 Speaker 1: to us. Right, So she's got a bullhorn, she's got 451 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:54,399 Speaker 1: that accent. She usually had something in her mouth, like 452 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:57,439 Speaker 1: a piece of bacon or a cigarette, and she'd right 453 00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:01,639 Speaker 1: cigarette and she'd be going, okay, well, what are you 454 00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:05,119 Speaker 1: girls are all about? A fair there? Don't like bendo again? 455 00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:07,520 Speaker 1: Get the file ball, come up with a hot dog 456 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:10,119 Speaker 1: and him I wants to do it. Nobody understood what 457 00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:12,680 Speaker 1: she meant. Everyone looked at me and I go, I'll 458 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:16,080 Speaker 1: do it. You go, why always rosy? It's always rosy? Okay, 459 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:19,320 Speaker 1: go do it Rosie. So that part ended up being 460 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:23,720 Speaker 1: much bigger than it was written because of her generosity 461 00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:27,840 Speaker 1: and her encouraging improvisation and you know, so so that 462 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:32,679 Speaker 1: was a huge, huge role to get. And then you know, 463 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:35,240 Speaker 1: three days in Penny goes calls me in the office 464 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:39,679 Speaker 1: and goes, tomorrow, Madonna's gonna come in. If she likes you, 465 00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:43,480 Speaker 1: one likes me, she's gonna do the movie. Try to 466 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:48,200 Speaker 1: be funny. I was like, no pressure, no pressure at all, 467 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:50,800 Speaker 1: my first movie best friends with the most famous woman 468 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:53,280 Speaker 1: in the world. What's the chances of that happening? 469 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:58,160 Speaker 2: How was that for you? I mean, so you're a fan. 470 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:01,959 Speaker 1: I was a Madonna fan and totally and everyone was. 471 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:04,879 Speaker 1: Everyone was. Of course, she was magnificent. She was and 472 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:08,320 Speaker 1: still is, you know, one of those one named one 473 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 1: a generation Bowie and and Elvis and Madonna, like there's 474 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:19,919 Speaker 1: no denying a legacy. Beyonce exactly, Beyonce and Eminem if 475 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:23,919 Speaker 1: I do say so myself. But yeah, so it changed 476 00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:26,880 Speaker 1: my whole life, My whole career changed. Every single thing 477 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:30,919 Speaker 1: was being cast as Madonna's best friend. And you know, 478 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:33,840 Speaker 1: the thing is, we had very similar childhoods, with our 479 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:37,240 Speaker 1: mother's dying when we were young, and big Catholic families, 480 00:27:37,359 --> 00:27:41,680 Speaker 1: and you know, we really got along right away. And 481 00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:45,000 Speaker 1: the weirdest thing was I had just seen her movie 482 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:47,720 Speaker 1: Truth or Dare the day before. Penny said to me, 483 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:50,760 Speaker 1: you're going to meet her tomorrow. And when I met her, 484 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:52,720 Speaker 1: I said, you know, my mother died when I was 485 00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:55,000 Speaker 1: young too, and I was named after her as well. 486 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:57,840 Speaker 1: And when I went to her graveside and laid on 487 00:27:57,880 --> 00:28:00,800 Speaker 1: that grave with my own name on the two, I 488 00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:03,720 Speaker 1: never thought I'd meet someone else who did that, and 489 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:06,119 Speaker 1: she was like, that was it for us. Then we 490 00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:09,120 Speaker 1: became like, you know, blood sisters. You know, it's hard 491 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:12,959 Speaker 1: to maintain friendships in this business sometimes when people live 492 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:16,960 Speaker 1: all over the world and they're super duper megastars like Madonna, 493 00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:21,040 Speaker 1: you know, but we have maintained a consistent, lifelong friendship 494 00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:24,200 Speaker 1: for the last thirty years. And I can't imagine what 495 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:27,720 Speaker 1: my career would have done or become or if it 496 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:30,360 Speaker 1: hadn't been her in that movie, if it had been 497 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:34,640 Speaker 1: any other actress. But she was literally the most famous 498 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:36,440 Speaker 1: woman in the world at the time. 499 00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:47,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, and totally, and also Tom Hanks and also Gina Davis, yes, 500 00:28:47,520 --> 00:28:51,280 Speaker 2: I mean this, and Penny Marshall, by the way, and 501 00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:56,640 Speaker 2: John Love It's John love It. That's right. Yeah, that's right. 502 00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:03,959 Speaker 2: I love that that friendship is real. I don't know, 503 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:07,000 Speaker 2: I don't know that's the that's the boy and me, 504 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:11,200 Speaker 2: the younger man and me. But loving that that is 505 00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:14,360 Speaker 2: the case. I think we, you know, everyone who watches 506 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:17,400 Speaker 2: that movie wants wants that to be the case. You 507 00:29:17,760 --> 00:29:23,120 Speaker 2: came back, skipping ahead and did a cameo on the 508 00:29:23,360 --> 00:29:27,120 Speaker 2: A League of their Own series. Yes, I did last year. 509 00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:30,600 Speaker 2: Was that fun for you? I mean, this series deals 510 00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:34,520 Speaker 2: with an issue you discussed earlier. There was a time 511 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:38,040 Speaker 2: when things weren't talked about as great as that movie was. 512 00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:43,880 Speaker 2: Sexuality and race were not prominently featured, unlike the series. 513 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:47,400 Speaker 2: How did it feel for you to go back one 514 00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:50,680 Speaker 2: into that world and two to be dealing with some 515 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:54,400 Speaker 2: of those issues a little bit deeper? Yeah? 516 00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:58,480 Speaker 1: Yeah. You know, Habby Jacobson is such a talent, and 517 00:29:58,600 --> 00:30:02,000 Speaker 1: Natasha Leone is a close friend, and she introduces me 518 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:04,880 Speaker 1: to all these young amazing women who are you know, 519 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:07,720 Speaker 1: in their thirties and producing and directing and writing just 520 00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:11,560 Speaker 1: like Natasha is, and acting. And it's been so great, 521 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:14,640 Speaker 1: you know, because it keeps me like inspired, and you know, 522 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:16,960 Speaker 1: like I see them doing so well, I'm like, oh 523 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:20,080 Speaker 1: my god, that's Aubrey Plaz. I know her through Natasha, 524 00:30:20,280 --> 00:30:24,320 Speaker 1: you know. So I met with her and with we 525 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:28,240 Speaker 1: had dinner and me Abby and Natasha, and Abby was 526 00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:30,160 Speaker 1: telling me that she had met with Penny and she 527 00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:32,880 Speaker 1: had the rights and she was thinking of doing this, 528 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:35,840 Speaker 1: and I said, oh my god, if you could, it 529 00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:39,640 Speaker 1: would be fantastic, you know what, in a wonderful way 530 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:44,120 Speaker 1: that the new generation of young women athletes wanted to 531 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:47,880 Speaker 1: be represented like that. You know, she wanted to put 532 00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:50,800 Speaker 1: in all the realities that we face in our world 533 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:54,960 Speaker 1: today about all this you know, anti gay rhetoric, all 534 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:57,800 Speaker 1: of these bills that are being passed against trans people, 535 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:02,400 Speaker 1: and you know, what's currently political is very relevant, and 536 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:06,040 Speaker 1: it was then too. It's just we've only now caught 537 00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:08,800 Speaker 1: up to, you know, almost telling the truth. We don't 538 00:31:08,800 --> 00:31:12,040 Speaker 1: want to teach critical race theory, you know, God forbid. 539 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:15,200 Speaker 1: We should actually teach what we have done as a 540 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:18,080 Speaker 1: nation and learned from and no longer are as horrible 541 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:22,880 Speaker 1: as we were dot com, you know. I mean, I 542 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:25,240 Speaker 1: don't know. I was so moved that she asked me 543 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:27,960 Speaker 1: to do it. I said, of course. I went down 544 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:31,160 Speaker 1: to Pittsburgh and walked in and they were all in 545 00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:34,600 Speaker 1: our uniforms. Like it was so weird. I'm like this, 546 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:37,600 Speaker 1: like I'm looking around for Bitty Shram and Renee Coleman, 547 00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:39,760 Speaker 1: all the women I did it with, Like I'm going, 548 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:42,040 Speaker 1: how did this happen? You know? And I love the 549 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:44,880 Speaker 1: way they cast it as like homages to people like, 550 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:49,000 Speaker 1: you know, the girl who's chubby and beautiful, you know, 551 00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:51,920 Speaker 1: and funny and wisecrack, and they have a Madonna archetype, 552 00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:54,840 Speaker 1: they have a Bitty archetype. Like I loved how they 553 00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:57,000 Speaker 1: did that, and they did it beautifully, and I was 554 00:31:57,080 --> 00:32:02,120 Speaker 1: so proud of what that show stood for. The nuances, 555 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:09,200 Speaker 1: the inclusion, the historical perspective, the sociological relevance, it just 556 00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:12,560 Speaker 1: really I thought it was an excellent piece of art. 557 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:17,880 Speaker 1: And I'm very disappointed that Amazon only gave them four episodes. 558 00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:21,600 Speaker 1: They got to pick up for four episodes, and you know, 559 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:24,600 Speaker 1: people love that series. I can tell you right now 560 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:27,400 Speaker 1: it's going to be a fan uproar because four is 561 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,760 Speaker 1: not enough for that show. The girls were wonderful, the 562 00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:35,200 Speaker 1: young women, and I thought it was an important role 563 00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:38,640 Speaker 1: to play of this, you know, lesbian woman who based 564 00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:41,760 Speaker 1: on a real character, real woman who had lived and 565 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:45,760 Speaker 1: presented as a man mostly you know, in a time 566 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:47,880 Speaker 1: when that would get you beat up by the cops. 567 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:54,520 Speaker 1: And I thought it was a very tastefully done gay 568 00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:59,400 Speaker 1: bashing that happens every day, and that's been happening in 569 00:32:59,440 --> 00:33:03,880 Speaker 1: our country, you know, for too many years. And it 570 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:09,440 Speaker 1: was very trauma trauma, like I had a trauma response 571 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:13,280 Speaker 1: because even though your brain tells you these are cops, 572 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:15,720 Speaker 1: these are not cops. These are actors. And you just 573 00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:18,040 Speaker 1: had lunch with them. That one has a kid, and 574 00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:21,160 Speaker 1: that when someone's calling you names and hitting you with 575 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:25,520 Speaker 1: a ton, now it's a course, a prop one. Your 576 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:29,080 Speaker 1: body I think doesn't realize, oh my god, this is fake, 577 00:33:29,320 --> 00:33:32,480 Speaker 1: you know, when you're being thrown against a like or 578 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:35,200 Speaker 1: I'm not a good enough actor to separate it. But 579 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:39,320 Speaker 1: it was very traumatic to film, very emotional to film. 580 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:41,040 Speaker 1: But I was very proud of it, and I'm so 581 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:42,360 Speaker 1: happy that they asked. 582 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:45,760 Speaker 2: Me, yeah, was it weird? I mean you talked about 583 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:50,280 Speaker 2: seeing them in your in your your uniform. 584 00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:51,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, in our uniforms, right. 585 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:53,960 Speaker 2: I mean, this is what this is twenty twenty five 586 00:33:54,080 --> 00:33:57,800 Speaker 2: year at thirty you know later yes, uh, I mean, 587 00:33:57,840 --> 00:34:01,040 Speaker 2: what a gift to be able to go back, yes, 588 00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:02,160 Speaker 2: and experience that. 589 00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:06,760 Speaker 1: Again, and to see also the excitement of this very young, 590 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:12,560 Speaker 1: very gifted group of actors and actresses going back. 591 00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:16,400 Speaker 2: You know, we talked about Madonna. There's Tom Hanks, so 592 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:20,319 Speaker 2: she and Davis Penny Marshall for her to be the 593 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:25,120 Speaker 2: director of your first film as well. I mean, a 594 00:34:25,239 --> 00:34:29,719 Speaker 2: legend as an actor originally and now as a director. 595 00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:33,040 Speaker 2: Do you feel like she helped. 596 00:34:32,719 --> 00:34:39,759 Speaker 1: You tremendously, Yeah, tremendously, tremendously. I can't even articulate it. 597 00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:45,480 Speaker 1: She was my first director, and she featured me prominently 598 00:34:45,719 --> 00:34:47,680 Speaker 1: in the movie that she didn't have to do that. 599 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:50,359 Speaker 1: She took me on every talk show she went on 600 00:34:50,400 --> 00:34:53,480 Speaker 1: because she would usually get nervous and she wanted someone 601 00:34:53,520 --> 00:34:56,240 Speaker 1: to commits with her. And we commits very good together. 602 00:34:56,360 --> 00:35:00,520 Speaker 1: And then we started doing those KMAR commercials. You know, Yeah, 603 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:02,400 Speaker 1: made a lot of money on. 604 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:06,920 Speaker 2: I forgot the care, Yeah, of course. 605 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:09,480 Speaker 1: Me and Penny. And sometimes, you know, she would get 606 00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:11,960 Speaker 1: there and she was in no shape to be awake 607 00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:15,200 Speaker 1: and she had had a few too many the night before, 608 00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:18,840 Speaker 1: and so David Steinberg, who directed them, and I would 609 00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:22,440 Speaker 1: rewrite the script and have Penny dressed as an elf 610 00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:25,799 Speaker 1: asleep on the toy shelf, and then I would just 611 00:35:25,920 --> 00:35:29,279 Speaker 1: talk about what Kmart wanted us to say. But you know, 612 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:34,680 Speaker 1: she she indulged a little bit, Penny Marshall, and you know, 613 00:35:34,840 --> 00:35:37,360 Speaker 1: she got sick at the end. It was very sad, 614 00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:41,279 Speaker 1: and when she lost Carrie, I think it was devastating. 615 00:35:42,239 --> 00:35:44,839 Speaker 1: They were like glued at the hip, you know, for 616 00:35:44,880 --> 00:35:47,960 Speaker 1: a very long time, and I think, you know, she 617 00:35:48,040 --> 00:35:52,400 Speaker 1: got lonely and towards the end had gained a tremendous 618 00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:55,960 Speaker 1: amount of weight from cancer treatments and was in a wheelchair, 619 00:35:56,120 --> 00:36:02,239 Speaker 1: and you know, was was very unhappy and tragic, and 620 00:36:02,520 --> 00:36:05,520 Speaker 1: I was in shock. Even though I knew that she 621 00:36:05,719 --> 00:36:09,120 Speaker 1: wasn't well, I wasn't expecting to get the phone call 622 00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:12,160 Speaker 1: that she had passed. You know, yeah, I mean she 623 00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:16,719 Speaker 1: took me to Laker games. She took me to every basketball, football, 624 00:36:16,760 --> 00:36:20,080 Speaker 1: any sport. She was a hoarder, collector, like she had 625 00:36:20,239 --> 00:36:24,120 Speaker 1: fifteen hundred quilts in her house and you know, in 626 00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:28,840 Speaker 1: a thousand old typewriters, and you know, it's a crazy 627 00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:34,560 Speaker 1: it was a crazy, extremely exotic and artistic and nutty 628 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:35,439 Speaker 1: way to live. 629 00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:39,440 Speaker 2: Right. It's funny that you just said the Lakers, because 630 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:42,879 Speaker 2: that's you know. I never had the opportunity to work 631 00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:49,040 Speaker 2: with her, but many times in the in the bowels 632 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:53,520 Speaker 2: of Staples Center, and there was a little cigar room 633 00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:57,560 Speaker 2: where I would run into Penny and she we would 634 00:36:57,719 --> 00:37:00,000 Speaker 2: talk about the Lakers. Let's talk about basketball. 635 00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:03,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, that's all she cared about, really. And you know, 636 00:37:04,040 --> 00:37:08,759 Speaker 1: she called me about ten years after we did League 637 00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:11,440 Speaker 1: of their Own, So, you know, twenty years ago, twenty 638 00:37:11,480 --> 00:37:15,560 Speaker 1: five years ago, mame and she said to me, Rosie, 639 00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:21,480 Speaker 1: could you play soccer? I said, what could you play soccer? 640 00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:25,719 Speaker 1: I don't know, I never It wasn't my sport truthfully, 641 00:37:25,760 --> 00:37:28,000 Speaker 1: too much running. I didn't like it. I had to sit, 642 00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:30,600 Speaker 1: but you know, yeah, I know how to play soccer. 643 00:37:30,640 --> 00:37:34,440 Speaker 1: Why She's like, well, there's a team in Mexico. Great story, 644 00:37:34,440 --> 00:37:37,560 Speaker 1: you could be the lady. I go, I'm Rosie O'Donnell. 645 00:37:37,600 --> 00:37:40,480 Speaker 1: I'm going to be the Mexican woman on the soccer coach. 646 00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:43,879 Speaker 1: But she was always trying to like get everybody back 647 00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:46,920 Speaker 1: together and do it again, and you know, do you 648 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:52,440 Speaker 1: play soccer. We'd never made the soccer movie, but we 649 00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:54,440 Speaker 1: had a lot of dinners. We had a lot of 650 00:37:55,360 --> 00:37:59,600 Speaker 1: late night conversations. She wasn't always easy to understand because 651 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:02,720 Speaker 1: she mum, and sometimes when you know she was feeling 652 00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:06,440 Speaker 1: no pain, she'd mumble a lot. I was on a 653 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:09,520 Speaker 1: private plane with her once, her plane from the Kmart 654 00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:11,840 Speaker 1: commercial flying back to LA and she gave me a 655 00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:16,080 Speaker 1: ride and it was full of Kmart crap, like you know, 656 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:22,120 Speaker 1: a stove right, like you know, an outdoor camping tent, 657 00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:25,759 Speaker 1: and it was full. She goes, I like, get a 658 00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:28,839 Speaker 1: calm on a plane, but we got so much shit, 659 00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:31,239 Speaker 1: I don't know if there's gonna be a seat. And 660 00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:33,319 Speaker 1: surely when I got on it was it was like 661 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:37,240 Speaker 1: Santa's workshop. She took everything. It was right before Christmas, 662 00:38:37,280 --> 00:38:39,640 Speaker 1: and she's like, I got everybody what I need for 663 00:38:39,719 --> 00:38:41,200 Speaker 1: Christmas from Kmart. 664 00:38:41,440 --> 00:38:46,839 Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, that is amazing. Those were legendary, those commercials. 665 00:38:46,880 --> 00:38:51,600 Speaker 2: I mean, I don't remember commercials, but I remember those commercials. Yes, 666 00:38:51,920 --> 00:38:57,759 Speaker 2: I had totally forgotten. So prior to ninety six, you 667 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:00,560 Speaker 2: also do Sleepless in Seattle. Now is that a connection 668 00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:03,520 Speaker 2: to knowing mister Hanks or is that totally separate? 669 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:08,000 Speaker 1: That was Nora Ephron and her son Jake, who is 670 00:39:08,040 --> 00:39:10,920 Speaker 1: a wonderful gay man that I've known since he was 671 00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:15,240 Speaker 1: a baby. He loved Madonna, okay, like in a way 672 00:39:15,280 --> 00:39:17,959 Speaker 1: that I can't even. So I went to Nora's house 673 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:21,600 Speaker 1: and I read for her movie Sleeps in Seattle, and 674 00:39:21,680 --> 00:39:24,719 Speaker 1: she went and got new pages off the printer and 675 00:39:24,760 --> 00:39:28,000 Speaker 1: had me read those that they had just finished. And 676 00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:29,879 Speaker 1: then I talked a little bit about what I knew 677 00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:32,719 Speaker 1: about her, which I knew a lot, and she was 678 00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:35,480 Speaker 1: kind of charmed, you know, I think, And she mentioned 679 00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:38,680 Speaker 1: at dinner, oh, I interviewed this girl or audition this 680 00:39:38,760 --> 00:39:41,400 Speaker 1: girl Rosie O'Donnell, and Jacob went, mom, you have to 681 00:39:41,440 --> 00:39:43,840 Speaker 1: hire her. She's about to come out in this Baseball 682 00:39:43,880 --> 00:39:46,319 Speaker 1: movie and she plays Madonna's best friend and she's so 683 00:39:46,440 --> 00:39:49,600 Speaker 1: great then, and Nora Efron gave me that job and 684 00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:53,920 Speaker 1: then got me an apartment in the Apthorpe and I 685 00:39:54,000 --> 00:39:55,880 Speaker 1: lived there with her and her husband Nick and her 686 00:39:55,960 --> 00:39:58,959 Speaker 1: kids for a big chunk of time in New York City. 687 00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:22,839 Speaker 2: Wow. In ninety six, you decide to change careers again again. 688 00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:26,280 Speaker 2: If you're Broadway actress, if you're a stand up comedian, 689 00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:32,200 Speaker 2: you're a movie star. Now you decide to launch begin 690 00:40:32,560 --> 00:40:34,600 Speaker 2: the Rosy O'Donnells show. Talk to me a little bit 691 00:40:34,600 --> 00:40:37,600 Speaker 2: about how that happens. Is this something you want? You say, 692 00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:40,799 Speaker 2: this is what I want? Or this kind of opportunity 693 00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:41,520 Speaker 2: presented to you. 694 00:40:42,320 --> 00:40:46,480 Speaker 1: What happened was Kathy Lee Gifford was always saying at 695 00:40:46,480 --> 00:40:48,839 Speaker 1: this time, and it was a very popular morning show. 696 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:51,560 Speaker 1: Her in regis that she was leaving. She was, you know, 697 00:40:51,600 --> 00:40:54,640 Speaker 1: she didn't like the paparazzi and they did said things 698 00:40:54,640 --> 00:40:57,440 Speaker 1: about her husband and she didn't like any of it, 699 00:40:57,760 --> 00:41:02,840 Speaker 1: and she was quitting. So I had Parker, my first child, 700 00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:07,440 Speaker 1: in June of ninety five, and I did Harriet the 701 00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:11,160 Speaker 1: Spy six months later. I did not have a nanny 702 00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:14,160 Speaker 1: because I never knew anyone who had a nanny. So 703 00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:17,080 Speaker 1: I had the baby with me for the first six months. 704 00:41:17,560 --> 00:41:20,440 Speaker 1: And I bring my cleaning lady with me to the 705 00:41:20,440 --> 00:41:23,560 Speaker 1: movie set in Toronto so she can watch him while 706 00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:26,440 Speaker 1: I go do this movie. And I came back from 707 00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:30,080 Speaker 1: work one day late, you know, in late hours, hard 708 00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:34,279 Speaker 1: movie schedules, and he wouldn't come to me. She was 709 00:41:34,320 --> 00:41:36,440 Speaker 1: holding him, and I put out my arms and he 710 00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:39,200 Speaker 1: wouldn't come to me. And I called my agent and said, 711 00:41:39,280 --> 00:41:41,080 Speaker 1: I want a job that I could stay home in 712 00:41:41,120 --> 00:41:43,280 Speaker 1: New York, that he can be raised with his cousins, 713 00:41:43,760 --> 00:41:46,799 Speaker 1: that I can have a life, and I don't want 714 00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:49,960 Speaker 1: to go away from my family and life for months 715 00:41:49,960 --> 00:41:52,640 Speaker 1: at a time and live in a hotel. I did it. 716 00:41:52,880 --> 00:41:55,000 Speaker 1: I don't think I can ask for more than the 717 00:41:55,080 --> 00:41:58,000 Speaker 1: number one movie three summers in a row I was in. 718 00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:00,879 Speaker 1: I don't know who wants more, but they're if they do, 719 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:05,160 Speaker 1: you know, shame on them, because that was pretty astounding. 720 00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:09,760 Speaker 1: And then they said, well, Kathy Lee Giffer is leaving, 721 00:42:09,760 --> 00:42:12,239 Speaker 1: we're going to put your name in and I said, fantastic. Well, 722 00:42:12,320 --> 00:42:15,759 Speaker 1: Kathie Lee decided to stay, but they had got such 723 00:42:15,800 --> 00:42:19,080 Speaker 1: a good reaction when they went and focus grouped it 724 00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:24,640 Speaker 1: that they said, let's do your own show and I said, well, okay, 725 00:42:26,040 --> 00:42:28,960 Speaker 1: I'm going to do it like Merv Griffin and Mike 726 00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:32,560 Speaker 1: Douglas and they go, well, you know, is it going 727 00:42:32,600 --> 00:42:34,080 Speaker 1: to be I said, no, It's going to be exactly 728 00:42:34,239 --> 00:42:37,040 Speaker 1: mur Nobody gets hurt, celebrities come out, we have fun, 729 00:42:37,120 --> 00:42:40,520 Speaker 1: we laugh, we might sing an Irish song, we play games, 730 00:42:40,560 --> 00:42:44,640 Speaker 1: and nobody gets hurt. And at the time, Heraldo was 731 00:42:44,680 --> 00:42:47,399 Speaker 1: being beat up and Jenny Jones had a death with 732 00:42:47,440 --> 00:42:49,600 Speaker 1: one of the guests because he was murdered by the 733 00:42:49,640 --> 00:42:52,960 Speaker 1: other guests, and you know, people were being bloodied. It 734 00:42:53,040 --> 00:42:56,080 Speaker 1: was like a horrible time for daytime. Yes, and so 735 00:42:56,160 --> 00:42:57,920 Speaker 1: when I came on, it was like a breath of 736 00:42:57,920 --> 00:43:00,239 Speaker 1: fresh air. And then, you know, they call me the 737 00:43:00,280 --> 00:43:02,480 Speaker 1: Queen of Nice, which I knew was going to bite 738 00:43:02,480 --> 00:43:05,080 Speaker 1: me in the ass and definitely did, because nobody really 739 00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:06,880 Speaker 1: is the Queen of nice. If you had seen my 740 00:43:06,960 --> 00:43:08,920 Speaker 1: stand up, you never would have called me that because 741 00:43:09,280 --> 00:43:11,720 Speaker 1: I went and went after Woody Allen. I went after 742 00:43:12,239 --> 00:43:16,640 Speaker 1: societal ills. I you know, I used my voice loudly 743 00:43:16,800 --> 00:43:20,640 Speaker 1: and wielded it, you know, powerfully, in certain parts of 744 00:43:20,680 --> 00:43:23,279 Speaker 1: my life and career and felt like you have to 745 00:43:23,640 --> 00:43:25,920 Speaker 1: that is what's asked of you. If you have access 746 00:43:26,080 --> 00:43:28,960 Speaker 1: to a microphone, you better use it for a cause 747 00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:30,200 Speaker 1: other than just yourself. 748 00:43:30,320 --> 00:43:30,480 Speaker 2: Right. 749 00:43:31,000 --> 00:43:36,520 Speaker 1: So anyway, I said, I want the Oprah deal. And 750 00:43:36,800 --> 00:43:39,959 Speaker 1: at the time, nobody was paid to do a pilot, right, 751 00:43:41,080 --> 00:43:44,200 Speaker 1: But they paid me five million dollars up front because 752 00:43:44,239 --> 00:43:47,760 Speaker 1: I was coming off all these movies and I had, 753 00:43:47,840 --> 00:43:50,239 Speaker 1: you know, made a lot of money, and then I 754 00:43:50,280 --> 00:43:54,200 Speaker 1: had ownership and back end like Oprah. And I thought, well, 755 00:43:54,200 --> 00:43:57,760 Speaker 1: this baby that I'm doing this for will be going 756 00:43:57,840 --> 00:44:01,560 Speaker 1: into kindergarten in four you so I'll make a four 757 00:44:01,640 --> 00:44:05,719 Speaker 1: year deal and then I'll leave when he gets to kindergarten. Now, 758 00:44:05,760 --> 00:44:08,560 Speaker 1: my mother had died at thirty nine, so I always 759 00:44:08,640 --> 00:44:12,400 Speaker 1: knew I wanted to retire by forty. That was totally 760 00:44:12,440 --> 00:44:16,319 Speaker 1: in my brain and I worked very hard up until 761 00:44:16,360 --> 00:44:18,640 Speaker 1: I was forty in order to get that. And one 762 00:44:18,680 --> 00:44:21,400 Speaker 1: of the things was the talk show. Now, it was 763 00:44:21,440 --> 00:44:25,480 Speaker 1: a huge hit instantly. It you know, threw me into 764 00:44:25,920 --> 00:44:27,960 Speaker 1: a level of fame that I don't think anyone is 765 00:44:28,000 --> 00:44:32,000 Speaker 1: ever ready for. People kind of think they want it 766 00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:35,120 Speaker 1: and they crave it. But how you maintain your equilibrium, 767 00:44:35,480 --> 00:44:37,920 Speaker 1: you know, in the middle of a tsunami, all you 768 00:44:37,960 --> 00:44:41,000 Speaker 1: try to do is get some air, right trying to 769 00:44:41,200 --> 00:44:43,239 Speaker 1: you can't get to a stable place. You just got 770 00:44:43,239 --> 00:44:45,640 Speaker 1: to stick your head above the water and breathe, you know. 771 00:44:46,400 --> 00:44:49,360 Speaker 1: And it caused a lot of anxiety for me, a 772 00:44:49,400 --> 00:44:53,000 Speaker 1: lot of depression, a lot of panic, a lot of 773 00:44:53,080 --> 00:44:58,600 Speaker 1: feeling responsible for the things that go wrong. Like you know, 774 00:44:59,160 --> 00:45:05,040 Speaker 1: April twentieth, nineteen ninety nine, Columbine, and I could not 775 00:45:05,160 --> 00:45:10,160 Speaker 1: believe that in our country children were killing other children 776 00:45:10,239 --> 00:45:14,480 Speaker 1: in schools while the cops stood outside like I couldn't. 777 00:45:15,400 --> 00:45:19,520 Speaker 1: As a mother, I felt a duty to speak up. 778 00:45:19,719 --> 00:45:22,399 Speaker 1: I had two small children, and I thought this has 779 00:45:22,440 --> 00:45:25,200 Speaker 1: to stop. I'm gonna go speak out against the NRA, 780 00:45:26,080 --> 00:45:28,920 Speaker 1: you know, and I did. I also had a breakdown 781 00:45:28,960 --> 00:45:31,120 Speaker 1: at that time. That's what I think we technically would 782 00:45:31,160 --> 00:45:33,640 Speaker 1: call that, where I couldn't sleep and I would wake 783 00:45:33,719 --> 00:45:36,000 Speaker 1: up and think that my children were in the hallway 784 00:45:36,040 --> 00:45:38,160 Speaker 1: and there was a gunman in the house. And it 785 00:45:38,280 --> 00:45:40,520 Speaker 1: was the first time I was put on medication. And 786 00:45:40,560 --> 00:45:43,600 Speaker 1: I thank God every day that I was because I'm 787 00:45:43,640 --> 00:45:48,080 Speaker 1: still here in one piece and having a great, happy 788 00:45:48,160 --> 00:45:51,840 Speaker 1: life at sixty one. So you know, thank god, everybody 789 00:45:51,880 --> 00:45:54,920 Speaker 1: finds the way that works for them. But you know, 790 00:45:55,080 --> 00:45:59,919 Speaker 1: my clinical depression and PTSD and you know, trauma tat 791 00:46:00,040 --> 00:46:05,960 Speaker 1: two is pretty hard to deal with sometimes, but I'm 792 00:46:06,000 --> 00:46:08,480 Speaker 1: on it. You know, I am a great therapist. I 793 00:46:08,480 --> 00:46:12,760 Speaker 1: have a great psychopharmacologist. I'm totally in charge of keeping 794 00:46:12,760 --> 00:46:16,719 Speaker 1: myself balanced and happy. That's great, and I have been 795 00:46:16,760 --> 00:46:19,160 Speaker 1: able to do it. Yeah, been able to do it. 796 00:46:19,200 --> 00:46:21,520 Speaker 1: But so I took the show. I don't know how 797 00:46:21,560 --> 00:46:22,960 Speaker 1: I got here from the show, but I took the 798 00:46:23,000 --> 00:46:27,040 Speaker 1: show it and it became a huge hit, really really quickly. 799 00:46:27,760 --> 00:46:30,000 Speaker 1: And then when it was a huge hit, I signed 800 00:46:30,040 --> 00:46:31,640 Speaker 1: on for two more years, so that would make it 801 00:46:31,719 --> 00:46:34,759 Speaker 1: six years, so he would be like in going into 802 00:46:34,800 --> 00:46:37,840 Speaker 1: second grade. So I thought, that's still young enough. But 803 00:46:38,880 --> 00:46:41,239 Speaker 1: that's what I did, and so when I left, he 804 00:46:41,320 --> 00:46:43,040 Speaker 1: was seven. When I was done with the show, he 805 00:46:43,120 --> 00:46:43,439 Speaker 1: was seven. 806 00:46:43,600 --> 00:46:47,960 Speaker 2: You talked about the label of queen of nice is 807 00:46:47,960 --> 00:46:52,360 Speaker 2: what your label was? Yet you started your comedy career 808 00:46:52,400 --> 00:46:54,239 Speaker 2: and through a lot of your stint. I mean you 809 00:46:54,280 --> 00:46:56,719 Speaker 2: started your comedy career making fun of your teachers. Let's 810 00:46:56,719 --> 00:47:00,960 Speaker 2: be clear of that. Yeah, true, yes, and making fun 811 00:47:00,960 --> 00:47:05,279 Speaker 2: of your classmates at your first stand upright, because you 812 00:47:05,280 --> 00:47:10,640 Speaker 2: don't have any material, Like, was that label for you difficult? 813 00:47:11,560 --> 00:47:14,600 Speaker 1: I just knew right away that's not really the right word, 814 00:47:14,680 --> 00:47:17,600 Speaker 1: you know. But comparatively at the time to what was 815 00:47:17,640 --> 00:47:22,080 Speaker 1: on daytime TV, Who's Your Daddy, you know, Maury Povich, Like, 816 00:47:22,520 --> 00:47:26,120 Speaker 1: it was crazy, It was insane. People were having fistfights. 817 00:47:26,160 --> 00:47:29,960 Speaker 1: It was crazy. And I wanted a safe place that 818 00:47:30,040 --> 00:47:32,080 Speaker 1: my kids and I could watch, like my nana and 819 00:47:32,120 --> 00:47:35,719 Speaker 1: I watched Dinah and MERV and Mike. I wanted a 820 00:47:35,800 --> 00:47:40,880 Speaker 1: multi generational show like that. And you know, for that show, 821 00:47:41,280 --> 00:47:43,440 Speaker 1: I was the Queen of nice at that time. 822 00:47:43,920 --> 00:47:44,040 Speaker 2: Right. 823 00:47:44,320 --> 00:47:48,120 Speaker 1: But whenever that's your moniker, you know, people are very 824 00:47:48,200 --> 00:47:50,880 Speaker 1: happy to try to pull you off of it. 825 00:47:51,080 --> 00:47:59,680 Speaker 2: You know, do you like that form of entertainment like. 826 00:48:00,080 --> 00:48:03,239 Speaker 1: I used to? Okay, I used to. I used to 827 00:48:03,280 --> 00:48:06,280 Speaker 1: love it. In fact, when they offered me my own show, 828 00:48:06,719 --> 00:48:09,000 Speaker 1: I knew exactly how to do it because I loved 829 00:48:09,040 --> 00:48:11,960 Speaker 1: and studied them so much all during the seventies and eighties. 830 00:48:12,560 --> 00:48:14,080 Speaker 1: So by the time they asked me to do it, 831 00:48:14,120 --> 00:48:15,600 Speaker 1: I was an expert at it. I had done my 832 00:48:15,600 --> 00:48:20,759 Speaker 1: one hundred thousand hours, right, but I found during my 833 00:48:20,840 --> 00:48:23,200 Speaker 1: own show this was happening. You know, you would only 834 00:48:23,239 --> 00:48:27,800 Speaker 1: get someone when they were doing press for a certain movie. 835 00:48:28,480 --> 00:48:32,359 Speaker 1: They had specific stories because they're not comedians, right, And 836 00:48:32,840 --> 00:48:36,960 Speaker 1: you had to prompt them with the story that someone 837 00:48:37,040 --> 00:48:39,680 Speaker 1: produced talking to them and then told you about and 838 00:48:39,719 --> 00:48:43,719 Speaker 1: you have to act surprised at it. You know, it's 839 00:48:43,719 --> 00:48:47,480 Speaker 1: hard to be authentic when those are the rules. And 840 00:48:47,560 --> 00:48:50,440 Speaker 1: the more and more we became a celebrity obsessed culture, 841 00:48:50,920 --> 00:48:55,200 Speaker 1: the more social media platforms were added to our reality, 842 00:48:55,320 --> 00:49:01,799 Speaker 1: the harder it got to find authentic way to talk 843 00:49:01,840 --> 00:49:05,919 Speaker 1: to people as entertainment. You know, I think what David 844 00:49:06,000 --> 00:49:09,760 Speaker 1: Letterman has done is amazing that you know, he conquered 845 00:49:09,760 --> 00:49:14,360 Speaker 1: that field and then some right, he created a whole 846 00:49:14,400 --> 00:49:19,879 Speaker 1: new generation of kind of deadbeat, quirky, weird comedy. And 847 00:49:21,320 --> 00:49:26,160 Speaker 1: he's now doing these beautiful produced sit down interviews, yeah, 848 00:49:26,280 --> 00:49:29,200 Speaker 1: with people that he wants to talk to, and it's 849 00:49:29,920 --> 00:49:35,279 Speaker 1: completely compelling because his intent is pure. You know, he's 850 00:49:35,320 --> 00:49:36,840 Speaker 1: not trying to make a lot of money. And I 851 00:49:36,840 --> 00:49:38,480 Speaker 1: hope he made a big deal. I'm sure he did. 852 00:49:38,520 --> 00:49:41,239 Speaker 1: He's David Letterman, but he's not sitting there going you know, 853 00:49:41,800 --> 00:49:44,319 Speaker 1: I'm gonna do this for the money, right, right, He's 854 00:49:44,360 --> 00:49:46,879 Speaker 1: gonna do it as a creative outlet to keep your 855 00:49:46,880 --> 00:49:53,760 Speaker 1: brain agile and your artistic nature exercised. So I loved 856 00:49:53,800 --> 00:49:58,040 Speaker 1: the art form back then. I would love to see 857 00:49:58,080 --> 00:50:01,920 Speaker 1: what it can become now, Zach Gelifan between two ferns. 858 00:50:02,120 --> 00:50:04,319 Speaker 1: Come on, that's a pretty good take on a talk show, right, 859 00:50:04,840 --> 00:50:09,680 Speaker 1: There's ways to do it. And you know, I'm just 860 00:50:09,840 --> 00:50:13,040 Speaker 1: not so sure that the show would be able to 861 00:50:13,080 --> 00:50:17,520 Speaker 1: be as popular today because we're such a divisive nation. 862 00:50:18,080 --> 00:50:21,399 Speaker 1: We're really cut in half. I mean, you watch TV 863 00:50:21,640 --> 00:50:27,240 Speaker 1: and France and Israel, and everyone is on the verge 864 00:50:27,280 --> 00:50:32,200 Speaker 1: of authoritarianism, pouncing and grabbing their country. And we're not 865 00:50:32,320 --> 00:50:34,879 Speaker 1: the only ones, you know, we're not the only ones, 866 00:50:34,880 --> 00:50:37,360 Speaker 1: but we're all in crisis and it's been for a while, 867 00:50:37,520 --> 00:50:42,400 Speaker 1: and you know, it's really hard to stay balanced. And 868 00:50:42,920 --> 00:50:46,520 Speaker 1: you know, we had Rory Kennedy on yesterday and it's 869 00:50:46,520 --> 00:50:48,839 Speaker 1: just today, I guess it's on. I'm sorry, I don't 870 00:50:48,880 --> 00:50:50,480 Speaker 1: know we dropped it. I don't know what that means. 871 00:50:50,480 --> 00:50:53,960 Speaker 1: But anyway, she was saying that, you know, scientists are 872 00:50:54,000 --> 00:50:57,480 Speaker 1: saying that there's maybe ten more years and then there 873 00:50:57,560 --> 00:51:02,280 Speaker 1: is complete breakdown and failure of world because of climate change. 874 00:51:02,520 --> 00:51:06,200 Speaker 1: Like these are pretty meta concepts, right, but we have 875 00:51:06,280 --> 00:51:08,680 Speaker 1: to get together. I don't know if a show like mine, 876 00:51:08,719 --> 00:51:10,879 Speaker 1: if if I would be allowed to be as loud 877 00:51:10,920 --> 00:51:14,600 Speaker 1: as I want to be on TikTok and and whatever 878 00:51:14,719 --> 00:51:17,799 Speaker 1: state my views, you know, and it would you know, 879 00:51:17,880 --> 00:51:22,800 Speaker 1: it doesn't seem that it would fit in today's culture. 880 00:51:22,840 --> 00:51:24,600 Speaker 1: But I don't know. You know, I think when you 881 00:51:24,680 --> 00:51:28,279 Speaker 1: watch it, there's an innocence, there's a nostalgia. Yes, there's 882 00:51:28,320 --> 00:51:32,600 Speaker 1: a feeling of new babies being born and life blossoming, 883 00:51:32,719 --> 00:51:36,319 Speaker 1: and you know, it's really wonderful. I watch it back 884 00:51:36,360 --> 00:51:39,240 Speaker 1: and I get choked up sometimes and I go, wow, 885 00:51:39,680 --> 00:51:42,400 Speaker 1: look at that. You know, my kid will find it 886 00:51:42,400 --> 00:51:45,040 Speaker 1: on We'll find a clip on something and Blaky You'll 887 00:51:45,080 --> 00:51:47,719 Speaker 1: send it to me. He's like, Mom, you know, told 888 00:51:47,719 --> 00:51:52,919 Speaker 1: me you met him like I met everybody. Everybody there 889 00:51:53,120 --> 00:51:57,600 Speaker 1: was to me, I met him. 890 00:51:57,960 --> 00:52:04,000 Speaker 2: It's awesome. I mean, it's it's so crazy. When you 891 00:52:04,040 --> 00:52:07,000 Speaker 2: think back, you have all this jews coming off as 892 00:52:07,040 --> 00:52:10,440 Speaker 2: you say, the number one movie for three years in 893 00:52:10,480 --> 00:52:13,520 Speaker 2: a row, three summers in a row. Yeah, yeah, three 894 00:52:13,520 --> 00:52:17,000 Speaker 2: summers in a row. And you create a show that 895 00:52:17,080 --> 00:52:19,560 Speaker 2: you want to do that's different than what's happening there. 896 00:52:19,640 --> 00:52:28,040 Speaker 2: It becomes a huge success, and you're still feeling the anxiety, 897 00:52:28,239 --> 00:52:31,720 Speaker 2: in part, I'm sure because of all of the attention 898 00:52:31,840 --> 00:52:34,360 Speaker 2: being focused on you at this time. I mean, you 899 00:52:34,520 --> 00:52:38,680 Speaker 2: truly are one of the biggest stars in the country 900 00:52:38,760 --> 00:52:43,640 Speaker 2: that everybody is looking to, and you know, diving into 901 00:52:43,760 --> 00:52:47,680 Speaker 2: and all of that. What do you see now as 902 00:52:47,719 --> 00:52:51,600 Speaker 2: the show's legacy after it's it's now done. 903 00:52:52,480 --> 00:52:56,040 Speaker 1: I would say it was the time of the legacy 904 00:52:56,080 --> 00:53:00,520 Speaker 1: of the show. I think is love because I think 905 00:53:00,560 --> 00:53:04,480 Speaker 1: the reason that I was successful is because I really 906 00:53:04,560 --> 00:53:08,120 Speaker 1: loved Florence Henderson. And when I had her on the show, 907 00:53:08,640 --> 00:53:10,560 Speaker 1: it was trippy to think that I would dream that 908 00:53:10,600 --> 00:53:13,040 Speaker 1: she would be my mom and that here she is 909 00:53:13,080 --> 00:53:17,400 Speaker 1: sitting next to me and being motherly. Florence Henderson would 910 00:53:17,480 --> 00:53:20,600 Speaker 1: come over to my house and play with Parker and 911 00:53:21,360 --> 00:53:24,759 Speaker 1: these older women who knew that I was a motherless child, 912 00:53:25,000 --> 00:53:31,160 Speaker 1: motherless child, you know, and stepped in in a magical 913 00:53:31,200 --> 00:53:34,759 Speaker 1: way almost. You know, there was something magical about the show. 914 00:53:34,800 --> 00:53:38,719 Speaker 1: It was pure, and it was it was kind, and 915 00:53:38,760 --> 00:53:42,960 Speaker 1: it was it was fun. I think we had fun, 916 00:53:43,080 --> 00:53:47,160 Speaker 1: you know, and everybody wanted to be in the audience. 917 00:53:47,160 --> 00:53:51,040 Speaker 1: It was a tiny little studio with like two hundred seats, 918 00:53:51,080 --> 00:53:54,239 Speaker 1: and everybody wanted to be there. And then when when 919 00:53:54,239 --> 00:53:56,680 Speaker 1: I did tickle Me Elmo, I remember getting a call 920 00:53:56,760 --> 00:54:01,680 Speaker 1: from Aaron Spelling, like, one of the richest men in 921 00:54:01,719 --> 00:54:04,680 Speaker 1: the world calls me to ask me if I had 922 00:54:04,760 --> 00:54:09,719 Speaker 1: four Jicklebee almos for his grandchildren. I was like, okay, sir, 923 00:54:09,800 --> 00:54:13,360 Speaker 1: well listen, thank you for Dynasty. I enjoyed that so 924 00:54:13,560 --> 00:54:15,640 Speaker 1: much when I was a job. Let me get back 925 00:54:15,680 --> 00:54:17,600 Speaker 1: to you. And then I go to my assistant find 926 00:54:17,640 --> 00:54:20,560 Speaker 1: four fucking almost for Aaron Spelling like, and then I think, 927 00:54:20,600 --> 00:54:21,600 Speaker 1: whose life is this? 928 00:54:21,600 --> 00:54:23,000 Speaker 2: This is a crazy life. 929 00:54:23,080 --> 00:54:26,800 Speaker 1: You know, it's a crazy life. And I never really 930 00:54:26,840 --> 00:54:29,000 Speaker 1: believed at the height of like when oh, you're the 931 00:54:29,000 --> 00:54:31,680 Speaker 1: most influential, you're on this list, You're on that list. 932 00:54:31,760 --> 00:54:35,000 Speaker 1: You know. I usually didn't go to the party, you know, 933 00:54:35,120 --> 00:54:37,719 Speaker 1: I like, I didn't always believe it, you know what 934 00:54:37,800 --> 00:54:41,120 Speaker 1: I mean, Like, I feel like I have a healthy 935 00:54:42,880 --> 00:54:47,239 Speaker 1: amount of reality in my show business. I don't know, 936 00:54:47,480 --> 00:54:49,279 Speaker 1: is that weird to say? No? 937 00:54:49,440 --> 00:54:53,120 Speaker 2: I think I get it, but but you must be aware, 938 00:54:53,200 --> 00:54:58,080 Speaker 2: or you should be aware of the countless doors that 939 00:54:58,120 --> 00:55:03,960 Speaker 2: you opened in your career for other people in the 940 00:55:04,080 --> 00:55:09,280 Speaker 2: LGBTQ community. You opened up a lot of doors during 941 00:55:09,360 --> 00:55:12,840 Speaker 2: this time and after for people that came after you. 942 00:55:13,120 --> 00:55:16,640 Speaker 2: Do you are you proud of that? Do you acknowledge 943 00:55:16,680 --> 00:55:17,360 Speaker 2: that to yourself? 944 00:55:17,400 --> 00:55:20,680 Speaker 1: Yes, yes, I definitely do. And I you know, I 945 00:55:20,680 --> 00:55:25,800 Speaker 1: feel that some people are marathon runners and some people 946 00:55:25,800 --> 00:55:29,839 Speaker 1: are sprinters, and I knew that I'm hardly a jogger, right, 947 00:55:29,960 --> 00:55:32,840 Speaker 1: I work very very hard, but I'm tired, you know, 948 00:55:32,960 --> 00:55:35,680 Speaker 1: like I want to lay down and watch something like 949 00:55:36,239 --> 00:55:39,480 Speaker 1: I don't have the kind of energy that that I 950 00:55:39,560 --> 00:55:42,800 Speaker 1: did back then, and it was a very large amount 951 00:55:43,000 --> 00:55:46,640 Speaker 1: of work. But I do realize that. And you know, 952 00:55:46,760 --> 00:55:50,360 Speaker 1: I was at NOBU yesterday and this is it's. 953 00:55:50,200 --> 00:55:52,799 Speaker 2: So funny because you're so not this. I'm gonna totally 954 00:55:52,840 --> 00:55:57,280 Speaker 2: interrupt you that that is like the most like Hollywood. 955 00:55:57,520 --> 00:56:02,400 Speaker 1: I know, I know yesterday anyway, I've never seen it. 956 00:56:02,520 --> 00:56:04,640 Speaker 2: He was like the opposite of that. So I had 957 00:56:04,680 --> 00:56:05,520 Speaker 2: to at least call it. 958 00:56:05,680 --> 00:56:07,840 Speaker 1: You have to. I've never seen a Kardashian there. I 959 00:56:07,920 --> 00:56:09,719 Speaker 1: just want you to know. I go there like three 960 00:56:09,800 --> 00:56:11,839 Speaker 1: or four times a week. It's almost like my come 961 00:56:12,160 --> 00:56:15,040 Speaker 1: my neighborhood restaurant. I'm right on the beach in Malibu 962 00:56:15,440 --> 00:56:17,120 Speaker 1: and right next door is Noboo. 963 00:56:17,760 --> 00:56:20,839 Speaker 2: I just ate at Nobuo two nights in a row 964 00:56:20,880 --> 00:56:21,320 Speaker 2: in Vegas. 965 00:56:21,880 --> 00:56:24,879 Speaker 1: Now, if I could eat it every day, I would 966 00:56:24,920 --> 00:56:27,440 Speaker 1: eat it every day. But can I read this to you? 967 00:56:27,520 --> 00:56:29,520 Speaker 1: What this this note that happened at Nobuo. 968 00:56:29,719 --> 00:56:29,919 Speaker 2: Yes. 969 00:56:30,080 --> 00:56:33,000 Speaker 1: So I see this family sitting in front of me, 970 00:56:33,239 --> 00:56:35,880 Speaker 1: and they're very young. I thought at first they were teenagers, 971 00:56:35,880 --> 00:56:39,600 Speaker 1: but very kind of good looking, like like he looked 972 00:56:39,600 --> 00:56:41,520 Speaker 1: like an artist to me, like I thought he had 973 00:56:41,560 --> 00:56:44,080 Speaker 1: done real funky clothes. I bet he's a fashion designer, 974 00:56:44,120 --> 00:56:46,560 Speaker 1: I thought to myself, And what a pretty wife. And 975 00:56:47,280 --> 00:56:50,359 Speaker 1: I go to get the check and the guy says, oh, 976 00:56:50,520 --> 00:56:54,839 Speaker 1: it's paid for. I said, what do you mean. He said, well, 977 00:56:55,360 --> 00:56:59,279 Speaker 1: there's a note for you. And apparently this young man 978 00:57:00,080 --> 00:57:02,719 Speaker 1: paid my bill and left with and never bothered me, 979 00:57:03,000 --> 00:57:05,960 Speaker 1: but he left me this note. Rosie, Thank you for 980 00:57:06,000 --> 00:57:09,080 Speaker 1: being you and setting an example of what it means 981 00:57:09,160 --> 00:57:12,480 Speaker 1: to be yourself in the face of adversity and negativity. 982 00:57:13,000 --> 00:57:16,360 Speaker 1: Because of your strength and bravery, a little boy found 983 00:57:16,400 --> 00:57:19,840 Speaker 1: the light in a childhood riddled with violence, drug abuse, 984 00:57:20,120 --> 00:57:24,080 Speaker 1: and depression, and now I'm one of the biggest rappers 985 00:57:24,160 --> 00:57:29,840 Speaker 1: in the whole world. Thank you with unconditional reverence. Logic 986 00:57:31,520 --> 00:57:35,440 Speaker 1: Bobby Hall, Now, I had no idea who Logic was, 987 00:57:36,360 --> 00:57:39,240 Speaker 1: but I felt like, this is the legacy of the show, 988 00:57:40,040 --> 00:57:45,400 Speaker 1: that there are millions of artists and they were inspired, 989 00:57:45,520 --> 00:57:47,760 Speaker 1: and they knew to go there, and they knew what 990 00:57:47,800 --> 00:57:51,800 Speaker 1: we were selling was membership in this world. And uh, 991 00:57:54,040 --> 00:57:56,920 Speaker 1: I was so blown away. I go on to my 992 00:57:57,040 --> 00:58:00,600 Speaker 1: son who's twenty three, and my daughter who's twenty and 993 00:58:00,640 --> 00:58:03,560 Speaker 1: I send the copy of it to both of them 994 00:58:03,720 --> 00:58:08,240 Speaker 1: and they both call me screaming on the phone, screaming, 995 00:58:08,680 --> 00:58:12,320 Speaker 1: I am going to use this for the next three years. 996 00:58:12,560 --> 00:58:13,960 Speaker 1: Like Blake was like, do you want to keep it? 997 00:58:14,000 --> 00:58:16,240 Speaker 1: I'm like, yes, I'm keeping it. He's like, I want 998 00:58:16,240 --> 00:58:18,080 Speaker 1: to show my friends. I'm like, I'll send you a 999 00:58:18,120 --> 00:58:21,720 Speaker 1: picture of it. You know. But I was so I 1000 00:58:21,800 --> 00:58:22,000 Speaker 1: was so. 1001 00:58:22,200 --> 00:58:27,000 Speaker 2: Moved that is I'm you know what I'm so that 1002 00:58:27,080 --> 00:58:31,320 Speaker 2: makes me so happy. Yeah, for you, that makes me 1003 00:58:31,400 --> 00:58:36,280 Speaker 2: so happy that that happened for you. Obviously for Logic 1004 00:58:36,520 --> 00:58:39,400 Speaker 2: as well, that he was able to come out of 1005 00:58:39,400 --> 00:58:41,800 Speaker 2: a difficult situation in part because of you. But for 1006 00:58:41,920 --> 00:58:43,040 Speaker 2: him to tell you that. 1007 00:58:44,480 --> 00:58:47,000 Speaker 1: And to buy me a very expensive dinner as well 1008 00:58:47,560 --> 00:58:49,640 Speaker 1: a lunch with a friend of mine who I knew 1009 00:58:49,720 --> 00:58:52,480 Speaker 1: was a comedian years ago and I hadn't seen in 1010 00:58:52,560 --> 00:58:55,400 Speaker 1: forty years. We had a lunch and talked about doing 1011 00:58:55,440 --> 00:58:58,400 Speaker 1: stand up in the old days. But he did, and 1012 00:58:59,000 --> 00:59:01,600 Speaker 1: I thought, you know, and I think to myself every 1013 00:59:01,640 --> 00:59:04,240 Speaker 1: time that somebody writes to me or stops me or 1014 00:59:04,280 --> 00:59:08,280 Speaker 1: tells me, you know, it is a gift. It's a gift. 1015 00:59:08,920 --> 00:59:11,960 Speaker 1: And my children make fun of me because of the 1016 00:59:12,120 --> 00:59:15,080 Speaker 1: difference between when they were little and we used to 1017 00:59:15,080 --> 00:59:17,000 Speaker 1: go to the mall and going to the mall now, 1018 00:59:17,520 --> 00:59:19,440 Speaker 1: and or we go to a baseball game or a 1019 00:59:19,480 --> 00:59:24,080 Speaker 1: football game, and and my sons would totally rag on me, like, mom, 1020 00:59:24,200 --> 00:59:26,440 Speaker 1: nobody recognized you the whole game. 1021 00:59:27,040 --> 00:59:27,280 Speaker 2: You know. 1022 00:59:27,760 --> 00:59:30,439 Speaker 1: I'm like, well, honey, Mommy's lost it. I got gray 1023 00:59:30,480 --> 00:59:32,720 Speaker 1: hair now, and I don't know what to tell you. 1024 00:59:32,760 --> 00:59:34,040 Speaker 1: Nobody knew you. 1025 00:59:37,800 --> 00:59:41,640 Speaker 2: Well, you start going to games again. Yeah, by the way, 1026 00:59:41,680 --> 00:59:43,560 Speaker 2: because you're you are hot. 1027 00:59:43,920 --> 00:59:45,440 Speaker 1: I am. I didn't know. 1028 00:59:45,320 --> 00:59:50,520 Speaker 2: That you you are, you are absolutely you come back. 1029 00:59:50,680 --> 00:59:51,920 Speaker 2: You do smelf? 1030 00:59:52,080 --> 00:59:52,320 Speaker 1: Yeah? 1031 00:59:53,040 --> 00:59:57,120 Speaker 2: Uh you Then your friend, as you said, Natasha Leone, 1032 00:59:57,560 --> 01:00:01,560 Speaker 2: you get cast in season two of Russian All and 1033 01:00:01,800 --> 01:00:07,760 Speaker 2: Now Onward with Rosie O'Donnell. For those who haven't heard 1034 01:00:07,800 --> 01:00:11,480 Speaker 2: it yet, this is Rosie's brand new podcast where she 1035 01:00:11,600 --> 01:00:18,000 Speaker 2: gets to have real conversations with incredible people. Right, what 1036 01:00:18,400 --> 01:00:22,240 Speaker 2: has it been like for you diving into the podcast world. 1037 01:00:22,680 --> 01:00:26,600 Speaker 1: You know, I'm I'm just learning how to do it, though, Brian, 1038 01:00:26,880 --> 01:00:29,880 Speaker 1: I thought it would be more like the radio show, 1039 01:00:29,960 --> 01:00:33,120 Speaker 1: and it's very different than a radio show. Yeah, you know, 1040 01:00:33,400 --> 01:00:36,240 Speaker 1: I had a thing I'm serious for a while, and yes, yeah, 1041 01:00:36,280 --> 01:00:38,160 Speaker 1: it was four friends of mine and we all just 1042 01:00:38,240 --> 01:00:40,440 Speaker 1: kind of did like what Howard does in the morning. 1043 01:00:40,520 --> 01:00:43,760 Speaker 1: You know, we talked to a celebrity or whoever we 1044 01:00:43,800 --> 01:00:46,760 Speaker 1: could get, and we just that was the one to mimic. 1045 01:00:46,800 --> 01:00:50,480 Speaker 1: If you're going to mimic a successful radio pro person, 1046 01:00:50,560 --> 01:00:53,080 Speaker 1: it's going to be Howard's stern. Right. So, yes, but 1047 01:00:53,160 --> 01:00:57,720 Speaker 1: I did think. I did think I'm gonna do something 1048 01:00:57,800 --> 01:01:00,400 Speaker 1: creative that I can stay home because I have a 1049 01:01:00,480 --> 01:01:03,840 Speaker 1: daughter who has autism, who is ten years old, and 1050 01:01:04,160 --> 01:01:08,160 Speaker 1: I want to be I have to be more accessible 1051 01:01:08,400 --> 01:01:11,520 Speaker 1: to her, especially now that she's getting to be a preteen. 1052 01:01:11,720 --> 01:01:15,400 Speaker 1: And you know, they've what I've heard from doctors and 1053 01:01:15,440 --> 01:01:18,560 Speaker 1: experts and people I used to help guide her is 1054 01:01:18,600 --> 01:01:21,400 Speaker 1: the teen years are quite difficult usually because you know, 1055 01:01:21,440 --> 01:01:25,520 Speaker 1: hormones are going everywhere and emotions are sometimes confusing for 1056 01:01:25,680 --> 01:01:28,320 Speaker 1: artistic kids. And so I wanted to do something I 1057 01:01:28,320 --> 01:01:30,680 Speaker 1: could do like this right from my home. I hear 1058 01:01:30,720 --> 01:01:34,720 Speaker 1: her playing her iPad in the background, right. So it's 1059 01:01:34,800 --> 01:01:38,760 Speaker 1: it works for me, and it's artistically fulfilling because I 1060 01:01:38,800 --> 01:01:41,160 Speaker 1: get to talk to people like you were interesting and 1061 01:01:41,520 --> 01:01:45,160 Speaker 1: have conversations that matter and mean things without you know, 1062 01:01:45,240 --> 01:01:47,280 Speaker 1: a timeframe of you have to get off at this 1063 01:01:47,320 --> 01:01:47,919 Speaker 1: many a m minute. 1064 01:01:47,960 --> 01:01:49,760 Speaker 2: I mean, that's what I always talked about, not being 1065 01:01:49,840 --> 01:01:53,680 Speaker 2: on such a strict schedule. You know, the idea of 1066 01:01:54,160 --> 01:01:57,200 Speaker 2: you know, a couple of weeks ago, I did the 1067 01:01:57,240 --> 01:02:00,360 Speaker 2: Today Show, right, and it's like I all I hear 1068 01:02:00,720 --> 01:02:06,600 Speaker 2: is you have thirty five seconds, you have fifteen seconds, giggle, giggle, giggle, 1069 01:02:07,160 --> 01:02:11,160 Speaker 2: one joke and we're done. You know, being able to 1070 01:02:11,280 --> 01:02:13,320 Speaker 2: really talk to people, are you? Are you having a 1071 01:02:13,360 --> 01:02:15,000 Speaker 2: good time with very good time? 1072 01:02:15,080 --> 01:02:17,440 Speaker 1: But I really am just learning, Like I have to 1073 01:02:17,480 --> 01:02:22,080 Speaker 1: admit that I never really listen to any Besides, I've 1074 01:02:22,080 --> 01:02:24,080 Speaker 1: seen Joe Rogan a lot because I knew him as 1075 01:02:24,080 --> 01:02:27,120 Speaker 1: a comic and I, you know, like his podcast. I 1076 01:02:27,120 --> 01:02:30,240 Speaker 1: think it's very interesting. I listen every day during the 1077 01:02:30,240 --> 01:02:34,120 Speaker 1: Trump administration to Podsave America, and those guys saved me 1078 01:02:34,440 --> 01:02:37,400 Speaker 1: and they helped me navigate my emotions through the trauma. 1079 01:02:37,960 --> 01:02:44,040 Speaker 1: And I aside from that, I haven't really known the 1080 01:02:44,160 --> 01:02:47,200 Speaker 1: art form for very long. And in hindsight, I think 1081 01:02:47,240 --> 01:02:50,680 Speaker 1: it was kind of lazy of me. I should have 1082 01:02:50,960 --> 01:02:53,280 Speaker 1: like I should have consumed it more before I started 1083 01:02:53,280 --> 01:02:56,080 Speaker 1: trying to do it. But you know, Laurie and I 1084 01:02:56,120 --> 01:02:58,600 Speaker 1: who's been a producer with me since my TV show, 1085 01:02:58,680 --> 01:03:01,280 Speaker 1: she did all the music on my TV show. We 1086 01:03:01,280 --> 01:03:04,400 Speaker 1: put it together and and we we got something that 1087 01:03:04,520 --> 01:03:06,760 Speaker 1: has a strong voice. And now the other parts were 1088 01:03:06,760 --> 01:03:09,560 Speaker 1: gonna fix, you know, like where to put the commercials 1089 01:03:09,640 --> 01:03:12,919 Speaker 1: and how many commercials? And should it be longer? Where 1090 01:03:12,920 --> 01:03:14,840 Speaker 1: should it be? You know those things that I have 1091 01:03:15,000 --> 01:03:16,320 Speaker 1: no knowledge about. You know. 1092 01:03:16,520 --> 01:03:23,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, I look, you have absolutely crushed everything that 1093 01:03:23,480 --> 01:03:27,200 Speaker 2: you have that you have that you've done so far, 1094 01:03:27,720 --> 01:03:31,040 Speaker 2: and you're such a delight to talk to. I have 1095 01:03:31,400 --> 01:03:34,560 Speaker 2: long admired you and your career and all that you've 1096 01:03:34,560 --> 01:03:41,000 Speaker 2: accomplished and done for people. I yeah, I wish you 1097 01:03:41,120 --> 01:03:41,920 Speaker 2: nothing but the best. 1098 01:03:41,960 --> 01:03:44,360 Speaker 1: Thank you so much, and the same thing for you. 1099 01:03:44,360 --> 01:03:47,360 Speaker 1: You've made me laugh so many times. My kid, uh 1100 01:03:47,400 --> 01:03:50,120 Speaker 1: does all the impressions and knows all the lines, and 1101 01:03:50,440 --> 01:03:53,600 Speaker 1: it's a beautiful it's a beautiful legacy to have been 1102 01:03:53,800 --> 01:03:56,240 Speaker 1: so funny for so long on such a great show. 1103 01:03:56,640 --> 01:03:59,200 Speaker 1: You know, those people like Mary Tyler Moore for me, 1104 01:03:59,680 --> 01:04:03,840 Speaker 1: Valor Harper, you know Vivian Vance, They're factors in my 1105 01:04:04,000 --> 01:04:07,680 Speaker 1: childhood and you are that for so many Well, thank. 1106 01:04:07,520 --> 01:04:10,200 Speaker 2: You, thank you so much. I can't wait for us 1107 01:04:10,240 --> 01:04:11,720 Speaker 2: to do it again. This is part one. 1108 01:04:11,760 --> 01:04:14,280 Speaker 1: That's part one. I'll be back for parts part one right. 1109 01:04:14,840 --> 01:04:16,240 Speaker 1: Thank you so. 1110 01:04:16,200 --> 01:04:31,240 Speaker 2: Much, Rosie, thank you so much for joining me. That 1111 01:04:31,440 --> 01:04:33,960 Speaker 2: was a pleasure. I cannot wait to check out your 1112 01:04:34,000 --> 01:04:39,160 Speaker 2: new podcast, Onward with Rosie O'Donnell, and truly I cannot 1113 01:04:39,200 --> 01:04:43,000 Speaker 2: wait for part two. Listeners, I'll see you next week 1114 01:04:43,040 --> 01:04:48,520 Speaker 2: for another episode with another fantastic guest who's thankfully not 1115 01:04:48,760 --> 01:04:53,240 Speaker 2: dead yet. Boy, you know, I love doing this podcast, 1116 01:04:53,320 --> 01:04:57,000 Speaker 2: I really really do. Thank you for listening, have a 1117 01:04:57,040 --> 01:05:05,360 Speaker 2: great week, and uh yeah, I'll see you next week. 1118 01:05:11,000 --> 01:05:14,000 Speaker 2: Off the Beat is hosted and executive produced by me 1119 01:05:14,320 --> 01:05:18,840 Speaker 2: Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer lingg Lee. Our senior 1120 01:05:18,840 --> 01:05:22,960 Speaker 2: producer is Diego Tapia. Our producers are Liz Hayes, Hannah 1121 01:05:23,000 --> 01:05:27,760 Speaker 2: Harris and Emily Carr. Our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, 1122 01:05:27,960 --> 01:05:31,680 Speaker 2: and our intern is Sammy Katz. Our theme song Bubble 1123 01:05:31,760 --> 01:05:35,760 Speaker 2: and Squeak, performed by the one and only Creed Bratton,