Breaking Bread with Tom Papa - Episode 248 - Leanne Morgan

Episode Date: January 28, 2025

This week on Breaking Bread we sit in on a date between girlfriend & boyfriend, Leanne Morgan and Tom Papa. They talk all things romance: night sweats, pontoon boats, and men who are “tiny in their pants.” Leanne doesn’t have much time for her boyfriend between touring, writing her book “What in the World?!” and starring in the new Amazon Prime film, “You’re Cordially Invited.” In her free time, Leanne films her upcoming Netflix show with Chuck Lorre, and somehow still manages to have imposter syndrome. Enjoy!  0:00:00 Intro 0:02:41 Hello's and the effects of Hollywood 0:05:17 Alcohol and sleeping meds 0:09:25 Kids and boujee babies 0:12:30 The big city & Leanne's Chuck Lorre TV show 0:16:40 Growing up and smoking 0:22:00 Filming "You're Cordially Invited" 0:24:45 Spelling cuss words 0:30:10 Southern folk love pontoon boats 0:32:50 Renovating house 0:33:30 Filming LEANNE pilot and having a heart attack 0:39:00 Getting nervous for live shows 0:42:40 Being on Jimmy Kimmel 0:43:30 Shooting a new special in NC 0:45:00 Playing Reese Witherspoon's sister 0:47:00 Leanne's busy schedule 0:49:25 Chuck Morgan, Leanne's husband and kids 0:52:45 Uncomfortable Moment 0:59:00 Chuck Lorre is a genius 1:00:15 Living in LA & the fires 1:03:05 Coming up and being a mom while being a comedian 1:06:00 Taste Test 1:10:30 Goodbyes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Welcome to another edition of Breaking Bread with Tom Papa. Papa, thank you for being here. We've got a great one today. Leanne Morgan is on the program. How exciting is that? She's so funny. There's very few people that roll in and are just so naturally funny that it becomes undeniable. There's a lot of people that scrape and claw and convince people that they're funny and they find their way. and even though Leanne has been doing it a long time, when she came to everybody's attention, it was just a universal. Oh, yeah, we love Leanne Morgan.

Her Netflix special is the thing that really kind of put her over the top. But she was on this program years ago, and I'm going to bring it up when I talk to her. I think we're really the key to her success because we adore each other. And, you know, this podcast is known. It's a star maker.

It's a star maker. She's so great. She's in a new film, her first movie. You're cordially invited with Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell. It's out on Amazon Prime on Thursday. This Thursday. Wow. I have not seen it.

I can only imagine she's going to be a delight. She's just so naturally funny. And to be with all those other funny people and there's other great people in that as well. She's also out here in Los Angeles shooting a new Netflix show sitcom that will, she'll have to come back when that airs and talk about that. And it's just a lot of great things. She's been touring like crazy, working super hard. And when we were on the podcast the first time, when we really hung out for the first time, she had just had this vision in her head since she was a little kid that she was eventually going to come to Hollywood. and be a famous comedian and an actress. And she's done it.

She literally has done it. And I adore her. And I hope she adores me. Let's jump into it. Oh, hey, go to tompapa.com. My tour is out. And I have to sell tickets in Chicago at the Chicago Theater and the beacon in New York City and a whole bunch of other.

We're going to Vegas. We're going to be doing the Venetian. We're going to Florida. We're going to San Francisco. We're going all over the place. So many shows, tompapa.com. You guys are the best. Now, enjoy a conversation with Leanne Morgan.

It's time for breaking bread with Papa. Hey! Don't you know? Hey, it's how we go. Hey, it's time for breaking bread with Papa. Hey, don't you know? Hey, it's also a show. Hey.

So nice to see you. My Tom Papa. I know. look pretty because I want to be pretty for you. You look so stunning. I can tell that you've become a big hit because you're starting to get all of the Hollywood. You think so, Tom, I'm trying.

I don't, let's stop it, though. But I haven't had any surgery. Not yet. I think I need it, though, now that I see myself on film. Like, whose neck is that? It's the worst. Now, I did put on eyelashes for you, and my baby put new ones on that go up under and she had touched my eyeball,

but only for you, Tompapa, because you know you are my boyfriend. I know. In a Christian biblical way. Yeah, we, well, look, we kind of made a mistake, and that's okay. We married other people. We missed a boat. We just missed it. I don't know where I was in New Jersey when you were.

I was in Knoxville, Tennessee. Knoxville, Tennessee. And we weren't comedians yet, and we were. We're not in comedians yet, and we were like, there was just no way our paths were going to cross. So it's kind of awkward that now we just have to wait for our others to either get so fed up with us that they leave or we just sin. So nice to see you. Your book is amazing. Your book is so good.

Tom, do you mean that because you're so smart and you've written? books. Yeah. Your book is, it just, it flies by. It's really well written. I mean, it's very funny. The story's great, of course. You know, you can't, you can't,

but some people could take that story and write a bad book. You wrote a great book. It's very funny. Thank you. And just flies. Thank you, my darling. Last time we were together on this podcast, and we're friends, we talk all the time, but on the podcast, we were in another location, and it before Netflix and all of it.

It was before all of it. It was, I was on the big penny tour. That's right. I was kind of, I mean, I had, you know, things were going well. Things were going well. You felt like the momentum was kicking. Yes. But, uh, I was finally one of the cool kids.

Remember, I'm always one to be a cool kid like you. We were both trying to, yeah, and you kept saying that I was one of the cool kids. And I was like, you don't know. I'm not one of the cool kids. Tom, Papa, you are the coolest. You are. You know, I'm fatter than I've ever been. I just went on my scale this morning, and I realized I was going to dial it in in January,

but then the fires hit and all the rest of it. And I haven't stopped eating or drinking. You are drinking? Yeah. Alcohol. Mm-hmm. Not a lot. A little wine because you're from Italian descent.

Yes, a little red wine, maybe a martini. Not a lot. Do you drink? I do not often nail because menopause. I hate to say that to you because you're my boyfriend. It's all right. But I sweat. If I drink wine, I loved wine.

I went through, in peri menopause, I started, I've never been a drinker. And I just started craving it. And then I thought, I realized it was making me roll in the bed all night. As the country people say, Waller, I was wallering in the bed all night. And it was making me sweat. And then I wouldn't feel good the next day, even a glass. Yeah. And then now that I'm doing a television series and I have to learn so much.

Right. Tom, there's no way I can do it. I can't. I got to go to bed at eight and take a bunch of supplements, magnesium and vitamin D and all that. Is magnesium working for you to sleep? It is. It is. I have to drop some in my wife's water when she's not looking.

She doesn't like taking stuff, but she's, having a hard time sleeping. And that means I have a hard time sleeping. Because she's wallering in the baby. She's wallering. Yeah. Yeah. If she would double up that magnesium, that would help.

Okay. There's several things that she could be doing. You can see, like I'm a doctor and I kind of am. Yeah. Because I did a podcast years ago called Sweating, MPS, Menopause, and More, with my nurse practitioner who was brilliant. Uh-huh. And we would talk about all these issues.

And so your wife needs to switch it up. I know if she doesn't like taking stuff, that's going to be a booger. Yeah. But you got to switch things up like Elthenanine, Gabba, Passion Flower. So there's all those little kind of supplements, but you need to not do the same thing all the time as your body will get used to it. So you got to mix it up. Okay. It's awful.

What about Ambien? No, because, and I got on that for a while, when my mama was in the hospital and I had to tour and stuff and I was freaked out. but that they think can lead to dementia. There's another one, triazodone that people take instead of Ambien now

because Ambien just kind of knocks you out but you really don't get good rest. Traazodone, I think, let you go into an REM. Oh, that sounds nice. But it's better to do natural. Like red wine. But they disrupts sleep and makes your blood vessels expand

and then a woman will sweat all night. and then she'll be hateful to you the next day. Right. You don't need that, Tom. I don't need that. But I am, I'll admit it, not menopausal. But alcohol still has an effect. It doesn't make me feel great the next day.

Even though I love it and enjoy it and just sometimes you just have to do it, yeah, the next day is not, it's not a real sleep. You kind of pass out and then Waller. Waller. Yeah. I did have a really good drink the other night to celebrate my baby's 27th birthday. She's out here with me on the television series. She's my makeup artist. And she drives me at night because I can't see Tom.

Tom's not going to want to date me because I'm now an old woman with bad eyesight and I sweat all night. Everything you're saying, I have the same. So we're in good shape. But she is out here with me, thank the Lord, because I could not do all this. and navigate this big city and the fire and all that. But we went to Craig's Hollywood Spot. Ooh, nice. It's my second time to go.

And they had a margarita, a skinny margarita with pomegranate juice, and you could make it spicy. And it was too dieful. Yeah, they're good. They're fun. It's good. My daughter's into makeup also. You told me that.

Yeah, yeah. Because you have one in, one is in college. One's in college, and one is graduated, yeah. And she's just a person now out in the world. And is that what she wants to do? She wants to make up for television and film? I think so, or fashion. She's kind of finding her way.

She's still in school, so she has two more years to go. Oh, you still got a baby at home. Yeah, well, she's at school, but she has been home for four months, and she's very comfortable and does not want to go back to school. She doesn't? No. Not at all. She's like, this is fun.

This is nice. I was like, you know what? I think I might be too fun of a house. You know what I mean? Like, I wanted to leave when I was 16. I was like, these people are riding me. I did too. I could not wait to get out.

Right? I know. And I'm renovating a house in Knoxville and my baby. She's the baby and she's boozy. Yeah. She's like, I want my wing to. And it's not a wing. But she said, I want to pick up my own fabric.

And her daddy's like, you're not living here. You're not staying here. My daughter just told me she's going to stay until she's around 31. I was like, no. See, I want to get out and flirt and make out and get a man. Now, my baby wants a man. She wants a man, but she unfortunately is to be around middle-aged people all the time. It's your baby that's the makeup artist?

Uh-huh. Okay. My oldest is my boy that's got my two grandbabies. boys. Right. That he just sent me a video this morning. Didn't you? Well, James is now 19 months old.

Okay. And my new baby. And I, we had him during the, when I was shooting the movie. And so I went back and forth because he was born. But they, he, Charlie sent me a video of, I bought them bird butter, it's called. And at Christmas, and you slam it on the bottom of trees and the birds love it during the winter. And so. they can bird watch.

And so they were standing there in their diapers and pull-ups. And the dog was right between them and eating pouches and watching the birds. The little birds that look like Elvis, the little chickadees that have the black hair. And they were telling grandmama about that. So he's my oldest. He's 31. He's married and got two babies. Maggie's my middle one who is in nonprofit and raises money for Children's Hospital,

who doesn't have anything, doesn't want anything. Right. You know, her nice clothes on the bottom of her Mazda X-7 or whatever that is. She does not care. She just wants to. Yes. And then the baby is with me that's bougie. Right.

She's a good luxury item. Yeah. And she knows that you're in Hollywood now and you're a big shot. So she's like, I'm sticking with mom. I'm sticking with mom. Right. We're renting a house out here. Okay.

Uh-huh. For seven months so I can shoot this. Okay. And every day, Tom, I wake up and go, what am I doing? I still cannot believe it. It's amazing. But it's well deserved. I mean, your story is, it's made for a show. Thank you. It's also made for you to have a boyfriend in it, which is, and I keep, I keep waiting for the phone call.

Does Chuck Lurie know who I am? I need, we need to tell him. I'm, you know, he, you know what he does, I've realized, is that, and if you notice this on two and a half man and all the show, mom, and all these shows he's done. Yeah. He uses a lot of the same people. Oh. He's very loyal to people. Right.

And so Kristen Johnson plays my sister. Nice. She was in mom. Right. Ryan Stiles plays my husband who has walked off and left me. Oh, that's funny. He's funny. He's funny.

Yeah. It's very funny. I wonder what he thinks of me. He must adore you. I hope he does. But he's got to play a little like, because he's left you. He has left you. He has left me.

me, but, yes, and later on he will want me back. You know, they always come back. Yeah. And then, you can just tell there's people that it, because Ryan Stiles was in two and a half man. So there's people that they bring back and then, but, yeah, but there will be boyfriends, Tom Papa, and you mean, because I'm, he's so cute. A 59-year-old grandmother. Yeah. She's going to have boyfriends. Smoking hot. There was a time at the laugh factory When he was putting together Bob loves

Bob Hard I'm Ashola Jeannie Yashore was there And she was going to do a set for Chuck Lorry And you know As they were getting all settled in I went up And I had a really great set And when I got in the car

I was like I wonder if I should call my agent now And tell him I can't do the rest of the tour because I'm going to be on Bob Hart-Abashola. And when I was in Cleveland doing my shows, I realized he had not called. But it's okay. TV's not for everybody. But you've done a bunch of TV, haven't you?

I've done. I wouldn't say a bunch. I would say a smattering. We'd like to thank the good people at Quince for sponsoring today's program. If you spend a lot of time cooking at home, it's time to elevate your game. When your cookware actually feels good to use and is thoughtfully made and looks beautiful on your counter, it just makes the whole experience better. That's what I've really liked about quince.

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I made this bread for you. I baked this this morning. Oh, my gosh. You can feel it. It's still warm. Mm-hmm. Now listen. I said, ball.

Please ball. Bob La Chola. And I finally got to, well, Billy Gardell, wingtale, wingtale that later. Oh, yeah. When, uh, now I know because you're, you're Hollywood now. And you're going to look at this bread when you bring it home and be, and think this is the enemy. I don't eat bread anymore. I'm a movie star.

Oh, I should think that, Tom, but I won't. You better eat it. I'm from Tennessee. Okay, good. I'm from farming people. I know, but once this Hollywood gets a closet in you and you start seeing yourself in magazines and you're like, oh, why do I have all those chins? Then everybody starts to deflate.

Everybody's tiny. I know. Me and here are tiny in their pants. I figure out they're really tiny in their pants. Like little legs and stuff. I know. I know. I don't feel long here.

You are darling. Thank you. But I'm not tiny in my pants. I'm heavier than I've ever been right now. Well, I mean, maybe you needed this weight on you because I think you're perfect. I mean, and I'm not blowing smoke up your butt. I think you look wonderful, my darling. Thank you.

I mean, is that how Hollywood is? You're going to have to be emaciated? Yeah, that's what happens. You'll see it. It happens to all these people. I don't have any discipline. That's good. How long did you smoke for? From about 19 to about 26.

19 and I quit before I had my babies. When you were working in restaurants and stuff. I was waiting tables. Sling and hash. Yeah. Smoking by the dumpster. Yes. Right. And slinging hash, I think, means selling marijuana now.

I think the young people call it. That's not what I was doing. But, yeah, all the girls that worked in the restaurants all smoked. And they all looked 40, but they were like 19. Yeah. And we would all get in the bathroom and smoke instead of taking care of our table. And then there were the line cooks who were so fun and had some jail time. And I like to smoke with them out by the dumpster because they're fun.

They're fun, too. I like fun stories. I like to hear about jail. I do. I love people and I love to talk about fun, you know, twisted stuff. Yeah. Do you miss the, when you quit, did you just quit or did it take a while? It took a while. I had to go on a patch, which is horrible, makes you dream horrible things. Oh, yeah.

Yeah, during, like somebody's chasing off a cliff. You have to jump, that kind of stuff. And then, yeah, it took me a while. And then I kind of snuck, I'll just say this, after I had Charlie, I was in Morristown, Tennessee, Chuck Morgan had moved me there. That's where he was raised. And there were some country club people. Oh. And I'm not used to that.

But, and there were these girls who also did charity work. It was called Junior Reading Circle, like Junior League, but Junior Reading Circle. And at first, and I hate to say this because I know you're an academic, but I really thought, oh, no, are they going to make me read? But they didn't. They do charity work for different stuff. And then we would sneak and smoke after the Junior Reading Circle meetings. And then Chuck Morgan's got a nose like a hound dog. And he would say, have you been, and I went like, no, I didn't do it.

It was Kelly. And then one night I put a big turban on my head. I snuck out in my backyard. I was not nursing anymore, anything like that. And I put a turban, when I say a turban, a tail so he wouldn't smell the cigarette smoke. I got out there, and I was trying to blow it real hard so he wouldn't smell me. And I looked and I thought, are those somebody's eyeballs? Is that Chuck?

It was a big buck deer in my backyard that was staring right at me as I was. And so I flipped that cigarette and kind of burned my hair. And I thought, I got to stop. I mean, so I never have sense. And I'm so thankful that was a monkey on my back. Yeah. And I don't think I would want it now. When I smell it, it makes me, it's gross to me.

I know. But it was fun and I loved it. And it looks cool. It looks cool. definitely look cool. I never smoked. And I keep these cigarettes here just because it's fun to hold them. But because it is fun. I'm not going to do it because it'll trigger you. And I could lose weight. I know. I know. Dancers always. Yeah, then you get emphysema and that kind of thing. Rattle in your chest. And that's not good in Hollywood.

No. You're so funny when we're out on the road at the same time and you'll always text, Tom, they're killing me. What are they doing to me? I don't think I can go on. It is so hard touring. And then when I'm here doing this and I'm learning a script every week and, you know, thinking I'm going to have a heart attack over that, then I miss touring. And then I get back out and had to get on a plane. I was just in Reno last weekend.

And I'm doing Palm Springs this Saturday night. But I flew to Reno and was there less than 24 hours. And I had a ball and they were darling. But I thought, oh, yeah. This is, you know, hard too. Yeah, yeah, I know. But it's, you got to make hay when the sun shines. You got to make hay when the sunshine.

How does a movie? How is it going on the set of a big fancy movie with fancy Reese Witherspoon and Will Farrell? I think Fortune has a role in it, right? Fortune does. Yeah. I love my fortune. Were you in the same scenes? We were, yes.

One, we have to do a big stunt. And she, her character is the one that causes the dock to collapse, and I'm on the dock. Okay. So she was coming and going and leaving and I was there the whole time. Right. So I would be so tickle when she came back. Right. Because I was scared to that.

But I had a ball. I had a ball. And now I think, oh, I wish I could go back and do it again now that I know. You know, I was so nervous during it. Right, yeah, yeah. And I was so, I didn't know what in the world, how everything worked. But Nick Stoller was the director who is precious. And it's just like being one of your best friends in high school that you sit behind, you don't get any work done.

Yeah. All right. So we just laughed, and then Will Ferrell, you know, would just come on set and not say a word and give some look. And we would all just bust out laughing. And then Reese, I had mad at it. her several years before, before COVID at a country music award after party. I didn't get together. Right. I was nobody. Nobody cared. And I just got invited her to the party. And she was there. And we talked and she was precious and tiny. And I could have held her like a baby. And she did that for me. She got me that part. They asked me, I was on tour and exhausted. And they said, they want you.

to do a table read. I go, what's a table read? And I had to call one of my best friends from high school. I graduated 42 people in this farming community. And we went to a little school, high school that had future farmers of America. It was not academic. There were a few classes to get you ready for college,

but I didn't take those. And I took home at because I wanted to learn how to make an omelet and a baked Alaska. And flirt. I was so busy and I played sports. But, um, um, um, I was so busy. I was busy. My hair, you know, it took a lot for my hair time.

Back then, you know, I hot rolled. Yeah. And I had to bowl those rollers in the morning, you know. But, um, but I had these, I had these, some of the most creative people in this little bitty country school. David Alford was in my class and we had speech and drama. I took all that and loved that. And I got one part in a play and it didn't have a, it didn't have a speaking part in it.

I played stupefying Jones in Little Abner, and I had to wear a bathing suit and gyrite. But I wanted that part because I thought, I'm going to Hollywood. Right. You knew. And I knew. And I was like, I don't have the same thing.

I'm going to gai right in this bathing suit. My little daddy, it's in the book. My little daddy said, you didn't have a line? I mean, like, and it scared him. I had a bathing suit on. And I thought, what? I'm, you know, I'm dazzling. Yeah. But David Alford went on to Juilliard and is an actor and does a lot of theaters on Broadway.

And he was in my class. And then I had these, he was also in a country music band. These four boys got a band together and cut an album. But then they all went to college and finished doing whatever they were going to do. But they were wonderful. And they were all theatrical. And we had this wonderful thing in high school. But anyway, I called David and I said, what's a table? read. And he goes, you got a table read. He went to Julia. And here I've got a movie.

Yeah. And he's like, oh, great. But anyway. He probably thought you were rubbing it in. Yeah. And I was and I didn't really know. And he goes, it sounds like they want you. So just be you.

So I went in the big table read. I'd never done anything like that. And it was so fun, but I was scared of death. And there was some cuss words they wanted me to say, Tom. And I spelled them. You said. And I think that got me the part. I'm not kidding.

They wanted me to say the F word, and I said, if you see a girl or something. And I think I got a laugh. And I think I got it because of that. Wow. Did they let you spell it when you shot it? No, they changed it. Do you have a hard fast rule? I do.

Right. And Nick Stoller, I did say this is Nick Stoller, because I play Gwyneth, Reese Witherspoon's big sister, who is from Buckhead, Atlanta, who is wealthy and think she's got a lot on her, but she really doesn't. She's just got to find somebody to polish silver. Okay. So, and I know people like that. Yeah. So I said to Nick, I go, Nick, because I had four children in the movie, and they were always around me.

And I said, Nick, a woman in the South with four children would not talk like that. Right. And he goes, you know, Lynn, we don't. You do that. So they were really good to me about all that. Yeah, yeah. So there's a lot of language in this movie, but not me. But let me ask, would you, because you're clean like me,

do you have a hard, fast rule that you wouldn't do it if it was playing a character that, would you not take those roles? I guess I'll never say never, but I would prefer not to. Prefer not to. I feel like I couldn't do it authentic. I mean, that's acting, I know, but I don't want to. Yeah. But Jake McBrayer said to me,

Lynn, there's times when it's okay. You knew it. Yeah. But it feels, you know, and even in this Netflix series, I don't want anything. Yeah. Now, other people, they write in a little. They pepper a tiny bit.

Uh-huh. But they know that it's not me. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah, you don't talk like that. I'm a grandmother. You don't talk like that in your real life. So why would you bring it into your stuff?

I'm a mama and a grandmama. Yeah. I don't want to say anything. that I don't want them to, you know, go around and say. Does Chuck swear? Yes. He does. Around the house?

Not bad. But yeah, he'll say some stuff. And this baby says cuss words. I prefer her to spell them. In my Netflix special, I talk about it, but she's always spelled cussed. Yeah. And would say it's somebody's birthday party, what's up, mofo? You know, when she was in first grade.

And I don't like that. And she'd call her daddy an a-hole and stuff like that. And he would just get so tickled and we all thought, you know, and we enabled her. But now that she's 27, she actually says the cuss words. She knows I don't like it. S-H-I-T. I don't like it. So in front of me, in front of the makeup artist on the show, she'll try to say S-H-I-T, but she lets them fly too.

She does not say the F-Warned. You know, it's funny. I don't like it in my house. We don't really, we don't. and but then the kids roll in and they will once in a while and I could they kind of just absorbed it like they don't around me or like in the house but when I hear them with their friends oh you like prison stories I mean swearing like pirates but I think people everywhere now swear like pirates I know and especially in Los Angeles that that I love, I feel like it's very common, just in normal, common talk to say it. It's, which is, and I was conscious of that when I was starting my career, and I was like, why, if kids, I remember distinctly walking through Washington Square Park, and there were, like,

kids, like, eight, nine years old, and they were, F this, F that, and I was like, if it's, if we're at this point where children are using it, how special, how shocking, it's not going in my ass. I'm not going to put it in my act. That should be a special place that's different from all of this. It is amazing. It's everywhere. I know.

Yeah. You know, I was voted the, I don't think it was voted. What do you say when the New York Times says you had the best clean special of the year? Would you say you're not nominated? Selected. I was selected. It's the best clean special of the year. So now I have to say,

I'm actually offended that you even spell curse words. But isn't it wonderful? And look at Nate Burgundy, you know, Jim Gaffigan, Jerry. Does Jerry say ugly words? No, no. And I just have people all the time. And I love Dave Chappelle. I mean, I can listen to it and I don't care.

And I love him. There's several people that I just die over it. then it does not bother me one bit if they say it. No. But I do think people appreciate it. It would be hilarious if you came out into one of your shows and your lovely theaters and you just started swearing like people would be, what do you do it? What is wrong with you?

I know. I know. Why do Southern folk love pontoon boats? Well, I think, and I want one and I don't have one. You didn't get it. I was, because you mentioned in your... I know. It was like a goal of yours.

I know. And why? I'm going to do it. Well, we're in the between these houses right now. Okay. Yeah, Chuck stops a lot of joy and fun. We had a ex-game boat because we have lakes in Tennessee. An ex-game boat?

You know when the ex-games and they do crazy mess on TV? One of our friends worked at a boat manufacturer. and got us a deal on this boat. And so my kids grew up. Tube and Chuck would try to kill my children on a tube. Surfing, skiing, all that. And it's this, and it's, you can,

you hook at this top thing, X game kind of boat. I don't even know. And I stayed just scared out of my mind. I just stayed and preyed on a boat all summer. And then I'd have changed sheets at night. It really wasn't fun for me. But anyway, but then we had babies, grandbabies.

And I said, Chuck, sell that boat, please, because we need a pontoon. So, because my new baby's got red in his hair. And the oldest one's white-headed. And we're all fair people. And I said, we need a pontoon boat with shade. And to be able to change diapers. You know, you need to have. The flat surface.

Yes. That's why I want a pontoon boat. But I think that you're, you may be referring to the redneck. Like people always on a pontoon. Yeah, they sing songs about it. Yeah, and I guess they hang off of it and party on it. There's like 50 people on it. They really enjoy it.

And sometimes there's even a grill on the back of one. And people grill. Bring a lot of Tupperware. So you're saying that you have a more elegant pontoon boat? I would have a more elegant. The one I'm looking at, yes, would be more elegant and may even have a potty on it. You know, you may have to like sit. in like one of those little individual saunas and potty, but, you know, like on the bank of it.

Yeah, that would be nice. I like, I liked your, uh, your little vision. It was, um, you like a lake. And I like that you like a lake that you can just, uh, stare out while you're drinking coffee. Stare at while you're drinking. Probably in a couple of hummingbirds come around. That's such a simple, joyful moment. I, there's nothing better than having coffee.

I'm looking at something that you, look at water. Yeah. This house that I'm renovating is not on the lake, but I can see it from far away. And I can see the Smoky Mountains. Oh, nice. It's up on a hill, so I can see that. But I'm not on it. But my friends have a boat dock around the corner, but I don't get to have fun.

But no, you need to. So I don't know when I'm going to ride this pontoon boat. After the second season gets picked up of the TV show, then Chuck can't say, No. Yeah. You'd be like, we have to. I hope it gets picked up. It's actually a write-off.

We have to do it. We need it. I hope this series goes to sick. Warren Buffett says, put your money in pontoon boats. You, yeah, you're enjoying it now. Now you're in a groove. I am. In the pilot episode, I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

I've never been as scared in my life, Tom. You know, I've never, I've had deals, but nothing ever went. to a pilot. Yeah. And I, they gave me this big script. I was in every scene, of course. And I thought, wait, what? I've got to learn all this.

And then there's a thing called blocking. Mm-hmm. And then, Liam, pick up the cream when you say the word so-and-so. And you're like, what? I mean, I was crazy. Yeah. It scared me to death. Yeah.

And, but I had fun. That's good. But the scared outweighed the fun. Who took the scare away? Was it the director? Was it Chuck? Was it another actor? I just shot my sixth episode.

And I have a new director. And I love the old director. I guess they just get... Yeah, they bounce. They bounce. Yeah. And I have Andy Ackerman now. Did he bring me up?

Did he mention me? No, but honey, we won't, because we're trying to do a television show, but I will... So you know him because of Seinfeld? Because of Seinfeld in my first TV show, Andy Ackerman was... the director and one of the producers. He was like my first executive, not executive, my first director who took me in and taught me everything and made me feel calm because he's such a mellow, lovable, good energy person that, yeah, I adored Andy Ackerman.

And we had this run together. And he was just like the guiding light. Oh, he just did this sixth episode. He's going to do more? Uh-huh. Oh, good. And I fell in love with him. If he is not precious and gives me so much direction, because I'm new, I don't know what to do.

And I do think that's why they give comedians sitcoms. We're meant for that. And we've got that time and in front of a live audience. You know, I can thrive. Yeah. But I still don't, I'm not an actress. And so he, and I, and sitcom is kind of like, like, like over the top kind of reaction to stuff.

And Kristen Johnson is a pro. Right. And they put pros around me to help me. And so Andy gives me a lot of direction, this last episode, that really helped me. Because I don't know what I'm doing. Yeah. And that's all right. And sometimes they were afraid to say it because they don't want to, but you want it.

Just tell me, just tell me how to stand and tell me what to do. Yeah, tell me if it's funnier to do that or to do that. I don't care. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, because I know what's funny. Right. I feel like I've got that gift. Yeah.

But if they're seeing something, then I want them to tell me. Yeah. But yeah. Oh, he's great. And Chuck Lori flew to my house and sat on my porch and held my grandbabies. Wow. He said, I don't want her to come to Hollywood. I want to go see where she lives.

I want to see her house. Wow. And so, yeah, I know. So to have him and the things he said to me. The best. The best. What do you mean the things? things he said. He said, Lee Ann, when I watched your Netflix special, he talked about the book

about when they write about it, it takes 10,000 hours to master something. He said, that's the first thing I thought is she's mastered this. But you know, I've been doing comedy for 25 years. A lot of people don't know that. Somehow in this narrative in my PR, it's gotten out that I was just like, all of a sudden in my 50s said, I'm going to give this a whirl and go stand in the McDonald's parking lot and talk. And I've been doing this. for 25 years. And he said, I can tell. I mean, and that made me feel good to have that validation.

Yeah. And you know, I've had a lot of deals, but none of them have made it. And I've had Matt Williams and Mike Clements and all these wonderful people say, you know, you're meant to do a sitcom. Do you feel like, I mean, you had all these years doing it and mastering your craft and you, even way before when you were little, you knew you were going to do this. Do you feel like the big break was the first time you were on this podcast? Yes. Yeah, I thought that too. Yes.

And I think about it, Tom. Honest to goodness, though, I had a manager at the time that I'm no longer with. And, like, he just dropped me off. And I didn't, and I knew what a big deal it was to be with you and be on your podcast. And when I say that, I'm not blowing smoke up your butthole. I have loved you. and I have been such a huge fan of yours for years. And I would look at somebody like you and think, oh, my gosh, I'm never, I know I can, if I could just be out there in L.A.

Because they never would let me do spots in New York or L.A. I would do something for Nick at night, you know, some little contest, funniest mom in America. Yep. Where people put asparagus up their nose. And I just wanted so badly, I would see your name everywhere and I would want to go. And so it was a big deal to me to be on your podcast. It really was. It was a delight.

It was, and we hit it off right away. And I feel like I'm the reason you're on film and television. Probably so, Tom Papa. And then I got to finally do a set with you at the Laugh Factory with Jenny Johnson had that night where in the lab. Oh, right, in the lab at the improv. In that little room. Right, that tiny little room. How do y'all do all this?

Yeah, and you were like, and you had already, you know, been doing it forever, and you're legit nervous. Uh-huh. Well, I looked in the audience, and, you know, Joel Kim, what is his name that's on? Booster. Booster was going to go up. And you, and me and you, and Chris Rock's little brother, is that? Yeah. And so I got on stage and I saw all these boys doing it.

this and I realized they were there for Joel Kim. It was a lot of little boys that looked like, you remember when Mike Myers would play that character with the black turtle name? It was all little boys doing that. And I was like, oh no, shit. So I pulled out the old, you know, old people going to concerts,

deaf leopard and journey. That guy looked like Hannah-Harnia. That's when I always feel like I'm churning and something bad's going to happen, go, all right, old people at concerts. I'll just pull that old thing out. Yeah. But it's, I always find that the smaller the room when it's not your people, that's the most terrifying.

Terrifying. Like a big crowd. You can be like, I can ride this. I can work with this. But when it's like 20 people in a cool space just looking at you, I still get nervous. Oh. And that's what they did to me. They were like, who is this grandmother from Tennessee?

Is she, does she wear shoes? Ryan Stiles said to me, we had to do a scene with a gun like I thought I had an intruder. And he goes, I didn't know how to hold it. And he goes, how do you not know how to hold it? You're from Tennessee. And I guess people think we go around packing a bunch of guns. I never held a gun in my life. My dad never had a gun.

No, Chuck Morgan didn't have one. He did shoot some skeet with my boy. who was on the high school shooting team that shoots keat. Right, right, right. When he was in high school. Right. But no. No, I guess I think it's like the Wild West.

But no, we're not out there packing guns. People have, you know, and hunt and do all that. But yeah, I never held a gun. Do you guys have ATVs and you all? People do. I don't allow them. People get killed on them. Yeah.

I don't like that. My grandbabies do have a little John Deere, two-seater, tractor, towee that you can get at Target, where they can drive them and it's got a little battery in it. Right. That's cute. I will allow that kind of yummy stuff. Right. But no.

I wouldn't like a golf cart someday in my life. I think that would be fun. Dole it up? Doll it up. Because, see, I'm from the country and we're farming people. but my people always had a business too, a meat processing plant. And I was just on Jimmy Kimmel, and they were fascinated by that, and they wanted to talk about meat. So we said and talked about meat.

Most of my interview, and my sister and I worked in it, all my grandparents and my aunts and uncles and local high school kids. And so we had a business too. So we weren't out riding ATVs. I know people do. God love them, whatever. Yeah. But we weren't that. We didn't have all that.

You have civilized pontoon boats. Pontoon boats and, yeah, and, you know, grew a little soy beans and alfalfa. Jimmy likes to talk about food. Jimmy was here, and we talked about food the whole time. Well, he was precious to me, and I was so nervous, you know, because I've been on Seth Myers and then Jimmy Kimmel. I've never gotten to be on Jimmy Fallon. I don't know if I'll ever be.

I mean, I don't know if he'll ever want me, but Jimmy Kimmel. Well, who'll go if you want to? Well, so far I don't think anybody cares But anyway But Jimmy, they said, O'Lean, he'll love you And it'll be sweet And he was, he was precious Yes, he's great

Yeah, I had I ended up having a wonderful time I was torn up, but I ended up having a wonderful time I'm just so nervous, I'm not used to all this stuff And you're uh, and you're going to shoot another special? Yes, in June in Wilmington, North Carolina We chose there. Nice. You know, because I've been working like a meal and there's nowhere else to film it

But I wanted, there was, but I wanted, I've been a lot of places. And I really wanted Dallas, at the majestic. Yeah. But I do well in Texas, but they're renovating that or something. But I wanted the South after the Netflix special, and you know, that legitimate. I mean, that's like the stamp. So then I start selling well all over the United States. And I'm going to finally get to go to Boston that I've never gotten today.

But I wanted to film it. the South because when I'm in the South, honey, I just, if I just go, they throw their purse there. So I need that electricity. They try to get me do it in Florida. And I love Florida and they're darling and I do well in Florida. But it's a mix of different people from different places. And not everybody throws their purse in there.

Right. And I need purses thrown in there. So I wanted somewhere like, you know, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, New Orleans. anywhere down in there. North Carolina do well in North Carolina, South Carolina, but I wanted somewhere there. But it's an historic, I think it's historic theater. Oh, that'll be great.

That'll be nice. That's because that'll be what, like three years since the other one came out? The other one came out in 2003, April. In 23. Yeah. So it'll be about two years. Two years. I think we'll put it out in November. Oh, that's perfect. And I'm hoping,

I don't know for sure, but I think my Netflix sitcom. There'll drop eight. Then my Netflix special will come out and then they'll drop another eight. I think is what they're thinking. And then the movie comes out on Amazon Prime January the 30th and let's hook somebody.

Yeah. That people love that. It was funny and wacky and cute. And it was supposed to come out during the wedding season last year because it's a wedding wacky wedding movie. Two families overbooked one venue. And we fight.

And who were you in it? I'm Reese's big sister, Gwyneth, and her family, Roy Scovel's my brother. Meredith Hagner's our little sister. Celia Weston is my mother, who is my mother in my sitcom. Oh, really? Yes, who was a Mel's diner in the 80s and this wonderful actress, Broadway and movies. And, oh, she's precious from South Carolina. Wow, that's great.

Yeah, and then Will and his daughter and all of her bridesmaids and groomsmen. and we're all fighting over the same venue. That's funny. Yeah, and there's alligators and it's nuts. And my character, I'm the oldest in the family, and they've got, that's a wig on my head. I want you to know that top. What?

You're wearing a wig? I'm wearing a little topper. I'm wearing a little tamper because they said, this woman in Atlanta Buckhands got to have her hair done perfect. You know, gets her hair shampoo and set two to three times a wink. And I love the character. It was fun. That's funny.

Yeah, so that'll be up. That'll be a, and then that run in November will be huge because you'll have the special and the show. That'll be great. And that's, I'm still on just getting started tour. I think I've done a little over 100 dates. I've got 200 cities. Right. So I'll be still, I guess, doing that.

Well, I mean, that'll hit. That will drop and then I've got to come up with a whole new hour. Are you doing that now? You're going to have to write it. Are you doing that now? I'm doing a little. bit. But yeah, you can't.

You're working on TV. I'm thinking and doing, but yeah. It's too hard. In my mind. Yeah. I've only got room for this script every week. Yeah, exactly. That's why I'm taking all that magnesium and I'm taking fish oil and I go to bed at eight.

Do you really go to bed at eight? I really try to get eight hours of sleep a night. Right. So wait, eight. So what time are you getting up? I'm a grandmama, so I get up early. Okay. Monday's at a table ring, and that's not like until 10 o'clock, and then we do a little rehearsal.

And then Tuesday's usually 9 to 3. Wednesday's 9 to 3, something like that. And then very long days on Thursday, we shoot the scenes we can't shoot in front of an audience. Because I've got my elderly parents in it, Celia, and Blake Clark. Blake Clark plays my daddy. You know, Blake Clark, the stand-up who has done all the Adam Sandler movies. Yeah. Precious.

Great. We just sit and squeeze each other. All right. They shoot a lot of scenes with them. on Thursday, so that's a long day, and then Friday's audience. Please come and see it. I would love to. Yeah.

And laugh real big, even when you don't feel it. So you're not in the writer's room? I go a little bit, and I will, but not a lot. That's good. I don't have the capacity. No, that's twice as long. Yeah, and they know what they're doing. I just punch you.

I'll just say, well, I would say this or I would say that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, but they're all Nick Backeye, Susan McMarton, and Mark Gross, and all these wonderful people. Man, it's such a, there's so, there's, there's so few being made now that you can get the best of the best and just put them on your show. It's pretty great. I still can't. When I'm in a fetal position at night time and thinking, I'm not, I can't do this.

What am I? Who am I? You know, go through an imposter syndrome and feel like I'm going to die. Yeah. And then I think, and I'm so grateful. I am. But I'm scared. I think, and that's why I think people get on dope in Hollywood.

Yeah. You go through all these emotions. Yeah. No wonder, if I were 20 and came out here and did this. I would end up on something. And a bunch of money thrown at you and all the rest of it. Yeah, absolutely. What's up with Chuck?

So is he out here? Chuck Morgan is still over a division of a company, a Warren Buffett company. and people ask me all the time, they go, when's he going to quit? And I'm like, we're never letting him quit. He needs, we need health insurance. And he needs purpose. Chuck Morgan is an overachiever-driven executive. And they ask him, he's been with his company for over 30 years,

and they ask him to start this new division. It's been so stressful. But he likes stress. I realize this after being married to him for 30-something years, I said, because he's had every position at that company. He's a problem solver. He's the guy they get to do crap that nobody else wants to be tormented with. But he likes to be tormented.

And I figured that out because I said, why don't you be like some of these other boys and drink tank coat and go home at 4? And he's like, I would not be contributing. And I need to be what I'm supposed to be. And I've got things to do. And so I realize that he likes to stay torn up. He likes to stress and he likes a challenge and he likes to know that he's doing something that will help people.

He really does. So what's it like being a part? I mean, you're apart for months at a time now, right? It's got to be weird. Well, two or three weeks at a time. Two or three weeks. Like he's coming out next week. Okay.

But that's the first time he's come out. But okay, so I started in October, so I got Thanksgiving off. So I got to be with him then. Then I got three weeks off at Christmas. And so he's coming out next week. Wow. So it's a lot. Yeah, that's a lot.

Yeah. He would probably like for me to take pictures of myself and send them. But I'm not doing it, Tom. My name doesn't look right. They have filters for that. I need to learn those filters and sit on the side of the man in my rental house. But, yeah, it's hard. And it's hard being away from my other children.

And that's been the hardest part is I just, because I'm a mama before I am a comedian. And you also built a life where it seems like everybody's in the same. you have a little compound. Everybody's all there. They're near me. Yeah. How did you pull that off? Because people just leave now and they go to different places.

I know. I know. And I don't want to stifle my children. I swear they could have gone anywhere to school they wanted to and all that. But my son works under my husband in that division. He hasn't always, but he's been there now about a year. That's a really good company. In Knoxville, there's like two companies everybody works for, and that's one of them.

And my son just loves the Smoky Mountains. He's an outdoorsman. He likes to fly fish. He used to be a fly fishing guide. So they just kind of settled there. And his wife, who is from Atlanta, and they met in Georgia when they went to school, but she loved Knoxville. So I'm very lucky that she clings to us.

Yeah, and it's a great place. I'm asking because, you know, my kids are, one is flirting with, New York and one is flirting with California. And I don't know how. That means I'm just flying back and forth to stalk them. Yeah. Or do I just get a place near the Smoky Mountains and try and make them come to me? Come to you.

You could. We do a thing on this program called an uncomfortable moment. And we're good friends, so I hesitate to do it. But we do research. We have a researches take a deep dive. and sometimes we uncover stuff and it's usually not bad. Is it my sin in the 80s?

Well, close. Thank goodness I didn't have a phone then. There's a, you know, read your book and it's delightful and you cover most things in your life and some things seem to be missing. I wanted to tell all of it and my agent's saying,

honey, you're not John Crawford yet. He goes, let's do a cookbook next and then you can talk about your sin and the third one. Okay. One thing that was omitted that we found, and I think it's time that we both come clean about it. You want to tell people about when we went to the prom together?

RBC Training Ground has discovered potential in over 20,000 Canadian athletes and counting. Your story could be next. If you've got the drive, they'll help you find your path to the Olympics. Let's see what you've got. Sign up for free at rbc trainingground.ca. Oh, would we have not had a good time at the prom? We would have had a great time. I know.

Do you like R&B? Yeah. See, we would have busted a move. And then made out in a car. And then made out in a car. And then made out in a car. And smoked cigarettes. And smoked cigarettes.

Cute. Who did you go to the prom with? Um, my high school boyfriend. Mm-hmm. Warren Corbyn that I thought I was going to marry and have six. children and raised tobacco with and can my own food. Little Warren Corbyn. I started dating him when I was 16 and I followed him at the University of Tennessee,

and I made that poor thing. God love him. I made him come home and go to my prom. Because he was already in college. That's so nice. And my hair was bigger than he was. He was tiny and had tiny pants and so sweet. And he liked R&B, but he'd just barely.

move and kind of move his neck. But he was very sweet. I think he was narcoleptic because we would get out in his Monte Carlo and make out on his farm. They were big tobacco farmers. And he would fall asleep. And then I wouldn't know how to get

out of there. I wouldn't know what field we were in. But he drove Monte Carlo that was as long as this building that you do your podcast in. And I followed him in the University of Tennessee and I thought, and I hate to say this to you because I know you're academic. But I

thought, I'll go to college. My parents said either college or the military and, good Lord. I couldn't go in the military. God love them. I love my military and I could not do that. I'm too sissy. So I thought, I'll just go for a little while, but I'm going to marry Warren and I'm going to have a bunch of

babies. Even though in my mind, I'm at the old time thinking I'm also going to Hollywood which is crazy. But anyway, I and I got to UT and he was in a fraternity and he was drinking and they would have a ban and he would get up and drunk sing Rick James super free. They did know the words.

And I was coming off of a United Methodist Youth Fellowship. And my feet would be stuck to the floor because of beer. And I didn't like that feeling. I felt Satan there. And I would nag him and say, you don't need me doing this. And then he thought, well, you're not fun. And he broke up with me. and my freshman year, and I grieved, like somebody died and sat in my dorm room and watched Perina dog commercials and ball my eyes out.

Should have come home, probably. And then one night I went out clubbing at Gabby's with a shirt dress on and big hair, and I got over it. And I think I told you, I made out with a couple boys from New Jersey and Italian boys. I've never seen those before. and I was so tickled, and I got over a little Warren. And then Warren wanted me back and we get drunk and throw rocks at my apartment window. Oh, no. So, yeah, it was back and forth, back and forth.

But, yeah, I made him go to the prom with me. Mm-hmm. And I took it very seriously. And I had, my little daddy would take me to Nashville, and I bought a sequin gown. I was the first one to have a sequin. Whoa. Fancy. Well, you're in Hollywood.

Yeah, I mean, yeah. Do you like what Nashville is now? Is it too much? I'm not there a lot. I mean, I'm there some, but... It's a lot. It's a lot. But it's booming.

I mean, it is booming. It is booming. I just grew up going to the doctor in the mall. But now, I mean, there's girls' legs jiggling on those streets downtown. You know, there's always a bachelorette and everybody's legs are jiggling. And they're on scooters and you're worried about a brain bleed. Yeah, and those booze. Cards.

To me, but it's still beautiful Nashville. Don't get me wrong. And Franklin, beautiful. But like Burke Chrysher, I think Burke Chrysler is going to buy a house there. I mean, a lot of people are going and doing there. A lot of L.A. people have moved there. It's nice to tour from there. It cuts down on your flying everywhere.

And I hope that may be why he's doing that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. Knoxville's not easy to tour from. We've got one little airport. It's precious. but it's only like 12 gates.

So I have to connect everywhere. But Nashville, it's big internationally. Yeah, yeah. It would be easier for me. And Little Reese Witherspoon looked at me and said, are you moving to Nashville? And I went, no, because I want to be near my children. Yeah, you can't, yeah, you got it all set up.

You can't blow that up. I can't blow that up, I mean. But, yeah, lots going on in Nashville. Yeah. Well, no, you're going to live in L.A. now. Maybe they can move the shoot to Tennessee. I don't know if Lori would ever want to do that. Because he's got five going right now out here.

Does he five right now? He's got five. God, this guy is, what a wonder. Yeah, he's got Booky with Sebastian and then Georgia Mandy. I'm trying to think of what all they are. They tell me like five going. Amazing. And he's been like that forever.

I know. Jeez. I know. And when he's on set, he's kind of pulled back. You know, he's not because he's got other shows. but like he'll say, do it this way. And you'll be like, I mean, brilliant. Like, he just knows.

He just knows. He just knows. How brilliant. So lucky to be working with him. I know. Yeah. That he picked me. Well, it's well deserved.

Thank you, Dawn. So you have, so that means you're going to be out here till when? April. I mean, well, now we push because of the fires last week. I mean, the first week of May is my last, my 16th episode, you know, if everything goes all right. Okay. And then I don't know when I'll know if they'll let me do it again.

You and your daughter should come over for dinner. I would love that. She would love that, Tom. That would be great. We'll cook for you. Oh, you angel from heaven. You know what I need to do? I need to get a big poster of L.A. and all the towns.

And I need to frame it and put it on the wall at my rental and figure out where everything is. I've been here for 12 years and I don't know where everything is. You don't. No. No. When people say to me like Eagle Rock and all those other places, I'm just like, that's where the cool kids live, I guess, because I don't know where it is or the difference between them. I don't get it. No. I know when people go Sherman Oaks and then, you know, I'm going to Palm Springs and I don't know where it is. I've worked there twice, but I don't know where it is.

So it's just odd to me, you know, in the fires when I was trying to watch. all that. Like, where is everything? We had to evacuate. You did? Uh-huh, did you? No, we were on standby. If it had come over that ridge, we had to go, but never did. Those firemen, fire people, did an

amazing job that night and stopped it from coming to all these other neighborhoods. That was impressive. I know. You had to evacuate. I had to evacuate, and it was, and say, I don't know where I live, but I think, I'm near Laurel Canyon. So it was that

Sunset Boulevard. We went down Sunset Boulevard and it was on fire. We could see the fire and everybody was, cars were pulling out in front of each other and people running down the street with suitcases and it was like a movie. But I was out here working on my hour I'm doing now

when y'all had the biblical floods. January 2003, I was out here working out new material when they said it's like an arc. They had the word arc and articles and everybody was running through the streets.

Yeah. And I don't, I don't remember it being real bad. Yeah. But everybody was torn up over the end. But it was. And it rained for. Rained a month.

Yeah, it was crazy. Yeah, well, you know. I hope I don't bring locusts next. Maybe God's just trying to clean things up out here. I know if their frogs start coming out of the sky, it's my fault. But, no, but I've loved my time out here. I can't believe it. I've dreamed of this all my life.

Yeah. And I look at Mahal and Dr. And, you know, because I came out here before Chuck and I married. My sister worked in Huntington Beach, and we came out to visit her, and Chuck and I were dating. And he said, what do you want to do? And I said, I want to go to the comedy store. And I want to go on that Hertz to her where you see where people were murdered. And he thought that was so morbid.

And he was riding in that hearse with me, but he was in love with me. And I was like, that's where Fatty Arbuncle fell on. on that woman and burst her bladder. And he goes, from the 20s, and he goes, how do you have all this useless information in your head? Because he reads and knows a lot of stuff. It's very smart. And I go,

that's where Buxie Single was shot down in his house. And Salmeneo was stabbed in the alley. And he was like, who are these people? But I loved Old Hollywood. And then I went to the comedy store, and I got to see, I remember Don Marrera. And I got to see him in Montreal this year. told him, I go, it meant the world to me to see you.

Amazing, yeah. And I, even though I knew I was going to Hollywood, but I didn't know how, I knew I could be funny. And I was a good storyteller in high school. That I, when I saw at the comedy store, finally at a comedy club, I thought that's it. That's what I'm supposed to be doing. Yeah. My heart was beating out of my body, and I thought that's it.

How old were you then? I was probably 25, 26. Right. it all worked out. It all worked out. Man, oh, man. No, you were right the whole time. Did you ever go through a spell where you thought, okay, maybe I'm crazy?

Maybe I'm thinking, I'm like these kids on American Idol that think they can sing. I went through that. I thought, maybe I'm crazy. Yeah, yeah. And then, you know, then I'd get a little validation. I was never working big gigs like you were. I was always doing, you know, like a breast cancer fundraiser or all those things to be a mom and a few clubs a year, but I would get a deal out of Hollywood every once in a while, every few years,

and it would keep me going. Even though it didn't work. No, I mean, that was the one thing that stood out in your book was just knowing the path and knowing what it takes to do this and reading the stories of every time you would consider going to do a gig, it was, well, do they have a babysitter? Or can I, where am I going to do with my kid? Like the whole enterprise of running a giant family and making sure everyone is taking care of while doing this is just a whole different level. It's just it's like you should be graded on a curve.

It's twice as hard. It's twice as difficult. But the other part is it informs all of your comedy. So it is a blessing. And it was a blessing. Yeah. Even though I wanted to be out here with y'all. I don't know how y'all do it going from club to club every night.

And I couldn't have done that with three babies. No, it's a different thing. And that grind would have killed me and would have, I don't think I could have handled that, what people go through out here. And we're in New York. But out there, even though I didn't get to do all this fun and be with the cool kids, I did get to be a mama. Yeah. And so I do have this authenticity of I really, you know, in Reese Witherspoon every day. On that, because we were a family in these wedding scenes.

And Meredith Hanger was on one side. I mean, that's Goldie Hawn's daughter-in-law, Mary Dwight. And she's in everything. And White's an actor. And Reese would be talking to her, and she would say, you've got to move out of L.A. to have a community to help you raise these kids. She's got two babies. And she said it was just so hard for me.

Like, you know, everybody's trying to hustle with work. You need a community. You could find that Nashville or Atlanta or whatever. It's what she said. But Reese would look at me and say, you've got to raise your own children, land. every day. You got to raise your own children. I'll go.

But these little women that have been hustling out here, you know, had to have help. Yeah. Yeah. No. It's, uh, but, you know, then comedians, I mean, everyone has their own path. But then you see, like, the cool kids seeing what you did. And there's no way they could have done that. There's no way.

Everyone has their own path. Yeah, I was ironing all those little uniforms. Yeah. And cooking, I like a crock pot. Mm-hmm. Which I know is not. culinary, but it helps when you got a bunch of kids. Well, before you leave, I'll show you how culinary we are on this program.

We do a taste test of stuff that we don't make. I mean, I make these beautiful bread for you, and I've been working on this for days. But we also try things out that maybe we don't normally have in our everyday life. And today we're going to try flips blueberry donut flavored covered pretzels. Wow. At first I thought, is that a prop? No. There's that actually out.

What's that? With little children eating this. Yeah. There's actually people eat this by this. I can't open it. That's another thing. I think I'm losing all the grip in my hands. That's why my 27-year-old is also living with me.

She can still open stuff. Did we get those scissors that we were going to get? I had to carry scissors on tour with me, just a little pair. just in case I need to open something. It's the worst. And I don't think it's us. I think it's become more difficult. Look, we have a young person who can't open the flits.

Because of terrorists, or why are they doing that? Here, Rach, there's a little knife. Look at this. I do love a pretzel. And I do love a chocolate cover pretzel. So this is going to be a blueberry covered pretzel. Blueberry donut. And I do love a blueberry donut.

So it could work out for us. It could work out for us. And I love donuts, but I can't eat them. I feel like I've taken a bag of him. Here you go. Ooh, they smell. You smell it? It smells like a blueberry donut from Duncan Donuts.

It's like you're eating a blueberry donut at Duncan. At the end, you finish with a pretzel. That's what it's like. To me, it's the donut first, and then you end with that note, The pretzel note. The pretzel note. I think I love it. It's pretty good.

Right. It is. It's good. Be honest. You go home and you have my bread on the counter and you have those blueberry donut pretzels, which goes first. Yeah. That's fun and a nice treat at the end of the night. That is.

I'm getting in my gown and I'm going to eat that long from bread. There's nothing like bread. Mm-hmm. And maybe should I stay authentic in Hollywood and have a big butt? Yes. Oskreen. Because people in the United States want to see my big butt. Yeah, absolutely.

And they don't want me to go Hollywood. No, they tell me. They don't want my neck to be fixed. No. No, and I realize this. If you chase skinny, we're never going to be as skinny as those people who are legit skinny. It's like we'll think in our mind while I lost this much.

This is it. It's not going to change. No one's ever going to. You're beautiful. Don't change it. Thank you, Angel. Look on my Instagram. They put up a picture of me at 17 in Daytona Beach on my senior trail.

I saw it. I had a metabolism. But that was, I'm from farming people. We killed her own beach. beef and grow our own food. We didn't eat processed. Yeah. Mama didn't get to buy this because we were so far out of town.

That is heaven. Yeah, it is heaven. Well, send me a picture of your daughter eating it. Oh, I thought you wanted a picture of me and my gown. Well, I was going to say that off air. I was waiting until we were off air for that. I love you. I love you.

I'm glad this worked out. You, Angel, thank you for having patience with me and letting me come when I could because they're working me like a meal. I know you're super busy. It really does mean a lot that you made some time. It's nice.

But during this time, if you get any breathing room, we should have you over to the house. We'll have dinner. I would love that. Yeah, it'll be great. You angel. Love you.

I love you. We got it.