Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Chelsea Clinton

Episode Date: September 19, 2023

Advocate and author Chelsea Clinton joins the show. Over salmon salads, we discuss growing up in the public eye, potty training toddlers and advice for people nervous about this political moment. This episode of Dinner's On Me was recorded at Upland in NYC's Flatiron District. Want next week’s episode now? Subscribe to Dinner’s on Me PLUS. As a subscriber, not only do you get access to new episodes one week early, but you’ll also be able to listen completely ad-free! Just click “Try Free” at the top of the Dinner’s on Me show page on Apple Podcasts to start your free trial today. A Sony Music Entertainment & A Kid Named Beckett production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you like a little danger with your romance and come on who doesn't, there's a new showtime original limited series for EO. Fellow travelers from the writer of Philadelphia and the network that brought us homeland and the affair is part epic love story, part political thriller, and all in on one big secret. It's this story of the risky, volatile, and very steamy relationship between two political staffers who fall in love at the height of the lavender scare. That's the McCarthy era campaign against gay government employees that you may not have learned about in school. Matt Boemer and John Lombardley star as lovers whose fiery and forbidden affair intensifies through the anti-war protests of the 60s, the discocene of the 70s and the

AIDS crisis of the 80s, all despite the constant threat being exposed and losing everything, including each other. Don't miss the series premiere of Fellow Travelers streaming October 27th with the Paramount Plus with Showtime Plan. Hi, it's Jesse. Today on the show, author, mother, champion of causes, and one of the smartest people I know, Chelsea Clinton. I'm just laughing because last night somehow, a dinner, Aiden and Charlotte said, oh,

like, you know, dad is the patriarch of the family mom is the patriarch of the family. And then Aiden was like, and which is the most important? And Mark was like, in this family, your mother. That's right. This is Dinners on Me, and I'm your host, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. So I'm only five years older than Chelsea Clinton, and yet she's been someone I have looked up to

since I was a kid. I know that it must have been impossible hard to be thrust into the public spotlight during the height of puberty, but her poise and individualism at that young age always inspired me. Our paths finally crossed one another on turf that I felt very comfortable on in the theater.

It was bizarre being introduced to this person I had watched grow up in a world so incredibly different than mine. I mean, I already knew so much not only about her but her family and yet she made me feel comfortable and welcome And she was the direct opposite of intimidating I've noticed as I've gotten older that it's harder to forge new meaningful relationships But Chelsea and our husband Mark have been such wonderful additions to mine and Justin's lives Chelsea and her husband Mark have been such wonderful additions to mine and Justin's lives. She's constantly giving me great parenting hacks while simultaneously picking my brain about how I'm navigating fatherhood. She patiently and graciously explains politics to me when I have

dumb questions while assuring me that the question is not actually dumb, it actually usually is, and somehow she does all of this while being a blast to hang out with. So I was thrilled when we were finally able to make time in her insanely busy schedule to have a meal together while I was passing through New York. Hi! We decided to opt for an early bite at Ublind in the Flatiron District. Ublind has this great light and always feels cheerful and bright. The menu is kind of rustic, Californian, but there's also this French broth revived at the space. It's so cute. And I thought it would be a great place for us to sip some coffee

and catch up on things. So let's get to the conversation. Did you run this morning? I didn't run this morning because it was just so hot already. I will run inside later. I remember specifically you telling me, you were training for the marathon, and I was like, I would do you run a lot,

and you're like, yeah, you run every morning, like at five in the morning. It's true. Before the kids wake up. Lots of other people. That is insane. It's such a gift to see the city transition, like just going home from work or whatever else that you've been doing or going to work.

It's great. I used to also, before I became a parent, run at night sometimes. And now I just, I really like being at home with my kids and watching them on the baby monitor creepily. Maybe just like knowing that they're there down the hall with like a pure them through a screen or go quietly open the door and now wake them up. Just knowing that they're there down the hall with like a pier at them through a screen or go quietly open the door and not wake them up. We're in the thick of it with Sully,

who's 10 months now. And there is that thing of like going back to like, oh God, sleep training. I know. And like I'm so excited for, because we're not gonna have anymore after Sully, but like after every phase, like I was like, okay, now I get to get rid of

like this bouncing baby Bjorn, like I get to donate that. And like I'm so excited, it's like purge things. I get a get rid of this bouncing baby beort. I get to donate that. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. It's like purge things. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited.

I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited.

I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. Feeling like I know we really have like moved on. Yeah, I know I was like like the wars the Walker You know Jasper's in his big bed now and like I know Hottie trained Hottie trained Hottie trained that was a whole other thing like the amount of parades

That Justin and I threw for Beckett every time I went to the bathroom because like you want him to be so excited I'm proud of himself. We just like hunkered down for like three days and Three days yet it works like the that book like potty training in three days. That's right genius I'm never really paparazzi, but I just and I were on a vacation and I was on a beach and I was reading that book and that's the Pops. I shot we used to be a copy of that I will I mean I never want to give them any like answer like you and come up like down loon go photo But I feel like that might be worth it. That might be worth it.

I know, yeah. I mean, it's rough, but I'm so happy with you. Teething is so, so, so, so, Teething. Yeah, yeah. I don't have any hacks for that. There was a moment where Mark was traveling in Charlotte. It was probably around the age of solely,

like nine or 10 months, and getting three teeth at the same time. And just I felt so helpless and I wound up singing wheels on the bus. This is maybe like the apagy of my parenting. I wound up singing wheels on the bus for more than four hours. I mean every animal I could think of got on the bus. It was like no is arc on the bus. Yeah. All our friends got you may have got on the bus. I was like who else can I throw on the bus. And every time I stopped singing she would like burst into tears again I was like oh my gosh, it was like a Saturday. We put on the bus

I was like I was just like we all I like I think I FaceTime my mom one point I was like you need to sing wheels of the bus my mom's like hi It's like I just I need everybody to participate and give me a verse Give me a verse. She didn't want any other song like I think I tried I tried, like, you know, down by the bay and twinkle to go to the little star and the only thing that calmed her was wheels, and then she finally, like, fell asleep in my arms. And I was like, oh, gosh, I can stop singing

about, like, wipers and cats. So, buddy, that keeps her from- Yeah, the t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t Back at the cary into Taylor Swift and Beyonce right now because that's what we're listening to in the car But you have good taste. Yeah, yeah, you have good taste. So we request these people. Yeah, with hi. How are you? Thank you so much? Very good. Thank you May I have an iced coffee? Exactly what I want to I will take some luck on the side and none for me. No, thank you. Just black please. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Thank you. If you have questions, let me know. Thank you so much. I think we met probably at like a public theater gallery or something. Yeah. I think that's right. I'm about having like a brief introduction to you.

But then the next time I kind of met you was when you came to see fully committed, which was this one man show I was doing on Broadway. And Jason Moore, who's a friend of your family, directed it, so he told me, he's like, oh, Chelsea's coming to see the show on Saturday, Matt and I was like, oh, great, I would love to say hello to our athletes. So then I got this message,

and I said, okay, so Chelsea's like 12 and a half months pregnant. So you come back, and you're so sweet, and I was like, I'm so glad you came out to support Jason. This is so sweet. And you said, what do you talk about? I said, Jason more. And you're like, what about him? And I said, he directed the show. And you said, I have no idea. I thought that's why you were here. You're like, well, no, I came to see you. But also one of the main reasons I chose this show was because I'm so pregnant. And I can't sit for very long. And I was looking for a one-act play, 90 Minutes is perfect.

And then you were like, you backtracked like, but I love the show and that's not like, why is it good? I'm like, I'm like, all that, everything was, and I did love the show. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was on your director, but admittedly, yes, it was the convergence

of being a fan of yours and also can't lay the duration. But what I loved about that is, it's like, I didn't know you very well. I was like, I love how honest you were. And I kind of also self-deprecating. Sometimes to a fault, honest, yes. But I just appreciated that so much because I was like, you know, I don't know if,

it was just a lovely thing for you to admit because I was like, I totally relate to that too. Like sometimes I just want, I don't want to sit in a theater for more than three hours, you know. And I, I, I, I, you were very sweet to come and very sweet to say hello afterwards. But that's the first time I think we kind of like truly connected.

Thank you so much. May I have the little gym solid with salmon, please? And may I have the dressing on the side? And there's no croutons on that, right? Is there a direct? Cause I'm gluten free. Thank you so much. I'm going to do the Caesar with salmon.

Ooh, what is the roasted eggplant agridolce? It's agridolce. It's agridolce. Agridolce is a slice today, and then it's agridolce. It's served with, and then it's spices. It has a little bit of chryftin to it, but there's a sweetness from agridolce, which is a reduction. It's kind of got this sweet savory thing going on with the stew to the menu. has a little bit of fit to it. But there's a sweetness from having a little too much for adoption.

It's kind of got this like sweet savory thing by one of the students and many years. Great. May we please try that as well? Let's do it. Thank you so much. Thank you. So we did a double day Justin and I in you and Mark,

we went to go see network on Broadway with Brian Cranston. And we were going to go say hello to Brian after the show. And when the show ends, do you remember this? There was a video of, I think starting with Nixon of presidential inaugurations and swearing ends and then it went forward and time all the way up to it, that point Trump. And this was all happening when the show had already ended.

There was this video happening as the audience was leaving the theater. So we were walking down the aisle toward the stage to go backstage and you were watching this video screen and you saw what was coming. You were like, oh, get ready for me with my zits and like three, two, one. And then all of a sudden there you were.

I was like, you and your dad and like you knew exactly where you were standing in that moment. And I was like, this is a crazy moment for me, because I've been watching that on TV. And I was like, now I'm standing with you. We're watching it in a room full of strangers after this show, but that was really intense. And people started watching us. And people started watching us.

Very meta. Very meta. And I was like, wow, this is an insane moment. And I mean, it's probably something you kind of live through every day, just being a public figure and people knowing who you are and having certain opinions about you because they feel like they know you.

I deal with it a little bit on some level, just being an actor and being in people's living rooms on my character on television. But what has just in general that been like for you is an adult navigating through that? Well, I think you I can't answer that question about being an adult you without just like the candor that I was a public figure as a child Right, like you as you just were referencing my dad was going to work on someone I was born And then he lost in the regular landslide and then he

Want to get a 1982 and I don't have any real memory of that. I mean, my earliest memory is being in the house in Midland, not the Arkansas governors mansion, and falling down the stairs and my mother picking me up and reading to me, I'm sure something like wonderful. A good nightmare. How old is it, where you'll remember that? Two.

That was two, wow. That's a really memory. And I remember my dad running in the 1984 election. And I remember being very proud of my flag waving and sticker hand outing, because when you're a little kid, and you're... Any pomp and circumstance, it's exciting.

Yeah, oh my gosh, the bunting, the pageantry. And also when you're a little kid, there's not much you can do to support your parents except cheer at the right moments and hand out stickers and wave flags. And when I got older, like stuff on bloaps or the phones back when we all had like old-fashioned landlines and campaign headquarters and at home and everywhere else. So I don't know what it's like to not be a public figure.

I just made a decision a long time ago that I was going to lead my life and make the best and right choices at any moment that I was gonna lead my life and make the best and right choices at any moment that I could. So I think in some ways I was more well prepared for like adult public figure life and like social media. We're arguably now everyone is a public figure right in their own communities and their own ecosystem because of how I grew up. Right, and I think about this with people who are born into like Drew Barrymore, for example,

but then there's that point where it's like, okay, I have to figure out where my current is, apart from my parents, apart from my legacy. And I think you've done a really remarkable job with that. I mean, both alongside your family legacy, but then also independent of that. Does that something that you're cognizant of? You know, I'm very proud of my parents

and have been very proud to sometimes be in the position of supporting them. Particularly, I think, for my mom, when she was running for the Senate, or then President, or when she was Secretary of State, for my father and his post-Presidential life to work alongside them. They've always worked incredibly hard, whether as a little kid at elementary school or in my, in a professional life, in my, you know, 20s and early 30s, where I was, you know, not doing

anything, you know, explicitly related to my family to kind of over-prove myself that I've more than had earned kind of over-prove myself that I'm more than it earned, kind of whatever opportunity or position, because I've always known that people had preconceived notions about me and that it was my responsibility to hopefully help them overcome those over time. Right. And kind of program a little bit, you know? Yeah.

Well, and I think to you, though, becoming a parent, you know? Yeah, well, and I think to you though, becoming a parent, you know, really has helped me very much feel deeply secure. And again, I'm really proud of my parents. Incredibly proud of the work that we do together now. Grateful for the opportunities. Though now my most important role in life is being you have Charlotte, you know, a Jasmine Tom. And there's so much that I want to do,

you know, as an advocate, as an author, you know, as an investor, as a mentor, that I know my parents are really proud of. That my parents are really proud to support me, and that my parents are really excited to sort of see where any and all of that, you know, takes me in where I take that. Yeah, Vanessa Carey, I read that she said, you know, when her father, John was running, you know, being an adult child of a candidate, there's this really painful decision you have to make, whether or not, there's definitely only two things you could do, you could step back and like, just maintain privacy,

or you have to like kind of say, I'm here to support you, and then in turn sort of sacrifice privacy and continue to put yourself in a place of where you're under the microscope of America. And obviously, you've chosen to be very supportive of specifically your mom, which I think there was an opportunity to say, I'm gonna step back and like, you do your thing and I'm here to love you and support you,

but like, you were very, very present, you know, choosing to be in front of the press and interviews. And now, you know, taking such a significant role in the Clinton Foundation. Was there ever a moment where you thought, like, maybe this is something I don't want to do or don't need to do? Or you said the best, best like you think about your family I mean, that's your most important role right now is your children and and to be you know the matriarch of this beautiful family that you created I'm just laughing because last night somehow a dinner Aiden and Charlotte I can't remember which one said oh like you know, you know, dad is the patriarch of the family mom. It's the patriarch of the family.

And then Aiden was like, and which is the most important? And Mark was like in this family, you're my dad. That's right. I was thinking, yeah, that's not the true. Keep everything on time and organized. Now for a quick break. Don't go away. When we come back, we'll hear the romantic backstory of her marriage, and one of her favorite

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of the 70s and the AIDS crisis of the 80s, all despite the constant threat being exposed and losing everything, including each other. Don't miss the series premiere of Fellow Travelers streaming October 27th with the Paramount Plus with Showtime Plan. And we're back with more dinners on me. You know, I think, you know, Jessie, for me, I was for a long time, like in my 20s, like when my mom was running for Senate, I took a term off of Stanford to be with her on the campaign trail, and I did that in a kind of public private way in some ways because I wasn't giving speeches. You know, I certainly wasn't talking to the press but I would sit down on a coffee shop and talk to anyone about why I hope they support my mom.

I would talk to anyone on a rope line. I would be there to help her think about something else after a long day of campaigning. My grandmother was alive at the time and my grandmother, mom, and I had a little book club of sorts, so we would like, already, the same book, and then we would talk about that. And so it was sort of on the edges of, but still very central to, and the way that that felt like authentic and right to me.

And then, when my mom ran into 2008, I just felt like I have to go tell anyone to listen like why I'm so proud of my mom, like why she's an awesome mom and also such a kind of deeply awesome committed public servant, why I think you know she should be our president and then so I took a leave of absence and one of the campaign trail and I still had this sense of like you know, I will talk to anyone, I will give speeches in front of like two people or two thousand people. And that's what I did for months. Like on the campaign trail is, you know, such a proud daughter, proud servant, supporter,

advocate for my mom, and then support then candidate and then later like president Obama. And then I went kind of back to life. And I think because I'd been so out there while I had always attracted to press attention. Like I always had the paparazzi following me around periodically. I was like, how many pictures can you take of me like with a cup of Starbucks coffee

like I don't understand why these are like sufficiently interesting to like show up on page six. After that, it never really went away. And so I either could just be kind of on the receiving end of it or I could try to kind of harness it and redirect it toward like things that I really cared about. And that was a life changing decision for me,

but gave me more kind of agency. That was important to me and continues to be important to me. Yeah, yeah. Bon appetit. Yeah, this looks delicious. My salmon never looks like this. I would just like to say at home, it's never quite as perfectly either cooked or prepared.

The old meal I've had in your house is pizza. Oh yeah, well we eat pizza on Friday night. Yeah, I think I was supposed to be on the Friday night. Our kids eat a pretty consistent meal throughout the week, because it just like removes stress during the school week. Sure. But like, generally it's salmon on Monday. Uh-huh.

Tacos on Tuesday. Good. Turkey, me, Bob, pasta on Wednesday. Like roast chicken on Thursday. They get pizza on Friday. And then we choose different meals to cook. Yeah. One of the weekends together, which is fun. It's been great cooking and making with our kids on the weekends.

Yeah. It's so fun. I think it teaches them so many practical skills, patience, early chemistry, early math. Yes, you can't have too much salt or sugar in something. That's right. Also, there's something about the time you have to take to make something. It sometimes takes, you have to slow down.

And I think for me, actually, doesn't it all, that's why I love cooking so much, is it's a meditative process. And I feel like with back there, we were baking, other than. What were you making? We just make cupcakes. Great.

But just the learning about patience, and like, you know, we have to now wait for this thing to finish baking. And he's really having a hard time with timelines right now, like, you know, taking a nap, you want to know how long that's going to be. And if you say for an hour and a half, it's just like that sounds like a lifetime. So, you know, that's what we're working on right now, patience. The different ways you have to have patients. Yeah.

I think it's also really good for kids. Yeah. And then you get like a delicious red velvet cake. Yeah. Or whatever we're making. You wanna mark met at Stanford, right? No, we met as kids. You did?

Mm-hmm. We met as kids. I mean, we were friends for a long time. We were friends in college. Then we both went up in New York. And we were at dinner one night, and all of a sudden we were like, oh, I think we might be out of date.

Like, maybe this is different. Maybe something is shifting. Really? What age did you mean by that? We met when we were kids. His parents were both involved in politics. I heard about this, and I want to ask you about that. And came to something called Renaissance Weekend, which had been started in the early 80s, I think,

by initially a group of kind of Southern Democrats and kind of progressive policy thinkers and advocates, and I've been the aftermath of the Reagan landslide, and then kind of grew just beyond the south. And so I grew up going to Renaissance Weekend, which is always over New Year's in Hilton Head South Carolina, and then it became much bigger. And I think it now may be in Charleston, but that's where I spent every New Year's Eve as a kid, and his family was there too. So we met when I was 12 or 13.

Right, right, right. What was your courtship like with Mark? Well, we were already such good friends that it just felt quite, I think, organic. Also a little bit surprising here. We're when I call my mom really, to say like, oh, you know, I'm dating Mark. My mom was like, Mark who?

Because she had known for so long as a friend. It just hadn't occurred to her that there would be a evolution, I guess. I mean, so tell me that this is an accurate assessment of Mark. I find him to be really cool. First of all, he is really funny. He's hysterical. He's hysterical.

If he didn't work in finance, I think he's hysterical. But there's something sort of mischievous and a little bit like, I want to say, I guess I want to say, what is about him? Is that accurate? I think that's accurate. He definitely, like very much goes to the beat of his own drummer, not in a disrespectful way.

No, no. Or a dismissive way toward anyone else, just sort of like, he has this deep sense of like what he thinks is right, but also what he thinks is fun. And rather, there are many jokes in our house and a lot of like, you know, not dangerous, like, you know, g-rated mischief that he is as likely to have been a provocateur of as our children. So I think your sensibility is like spot on and he would be very thrilled to be described that way.

Of course, I've gotten to know you as an adult, I didn't know you as a kid, but I love the way Mark compliments you. And that way. He helps me be less intelligent, but there is something sort of playful that brings out, I think, a side of you, at least I see it when you're together, and I think it's really charming. Well, thank you.

He helps me be less serious, which is important. Because otherwise, yeah, I could just sort of only be earnest. Right. And I like to think I have other parts of me too, that he helps want to bring to the surface. For sure. 100%. No, absolutely.

And he's also just such a good dad. And the way that you hope your partner will be, if that is an important aspect of what you hope for your own life. And I always do that I wanted to be mom. And very close to my parents. I mean, particularly as an only child, I'd always hoped to have a sibling. Yeah. I constantly asked my parents initially for an older brother or sister and then I realized, oh, that's probably harder. Right. And then for younger one. And they've spoken openly about how they tried to have

more children and weren't able to. So I'm very aware of how lucky and blessed we are to have three healthy, happy kids and that they have able to. So I'm very aware of how lucky and blessed we are to have three healthy, happy kids and that they have each other. Were there moments just growing up and under such an intense lens where you were wishing that you had a sibling to go to that with? Absolutely.

Like, you know, I don't have a sibling, I don't have any cousins that are my generation. Like I don't have nearly sibling, I don't have any cousins that are my generation, like I don't have nearly the kind of bench that Mark grew up with, and like a big, relic-ing family. So yes, absolutely. I wish there was someone I could experience this with or talk to about this. I will say, thankfully, I also have very good friends, and I have very good friends from every part of my life.

I'm still very close with my best childhood friend, our mother's met in La Mosa's class. She's six weeks older than I am. I've truly known her my entire life. Wow. And I have very good friends that I now have met over the last years. You were the moms of my kids' friends.

So I think that, thankfully, has always been very grounding to me. So while you're absolutely right, like I would wish that I had a sibling, I never felt like I didn't have people that I could share an experience with or talk to about something kind of bigger or small. Right.

And being a mom now and being a public figure, I'm sure you can, and I feel this way with my children too, there's a lot of protection that happens around just making sure that they have its normal the life is possible. Yes, absolutely. I know you've talked about how your parents were very good about making sure you had its normal of your life as a possible, but you are also moving into the White House. And the entire country's watching you do that. I mean, what were some of the things that they did

to keep your life grounded in reality? It's hard. A few of my friends came with us for that first week, which was really nice. A few of my friends were working until I came and stayed with us on Blair House, which is kind of the official guest residence of the White House, and where President Alex stays.

Also helped to thank me, I made good friends. Quickly, at my new school, I still had to make my bed. I had like, chorders that I had to do. So I think they were quite thoughtful in kind of helping me feel like this was my home. And yet also like, you know, when I came home from school, I walked into the diplomatic receiving room. Like I always was aware, I felt a real responsibility to be like respectful, like of this, of the people's house where we were living.

And I can only imagine it's a kid, you know, when you're, you moved in when you were 12 I think. Well, yeah. It's a kid, you know, when you moved in, when you were 12, but you're in Charlotte's four years away from this, but like those years are so formative. I mean, that's puberty, that's like, there's so much that goes on that has to have been intense in a lot of ways, and just also the way it was.

I think in some ways, like, you know, I just didn't wanna leave my friends, like any kid I think when they're moving from one place to another, their parents job, whatever that may be. And what ways did those years, such formative years, inform the way to term other now? Be fiercely protective of my kids privacy. Yeah. Because I want them to be able to discover who they are without other people's opinions and that they should

be able to write their own story without others kind of imposing narrative. I think also, like, bluntly, we're even in a more dangerous place today. Then we were 30 years ago in that the violent rhetoric from the right in this country, which is not infrequently directed at my mom, or my dad, or our family, makes me feel the sense of protecting my kids' privacy to protect their privacy and also for their safety. And just being mindful of that

in a way that hopefully then means they don't have to be mindful of that. It's my job to worry is there a mother or not there a job. Yeah, yeah. I mean Charlotte's probably at the age now where she knows that her grandparents are important figures in history and that her mom is an important figure in history. How do you talk about her family tree with her? Well, you know, I let her like ask the questions, you know, which she does. She is, I think, similar to me that she's really proud of her grandparents and also, like, she's just starting their grade and like, that's her life.

That's exactly what I want her to be. When you were leaving the White House with like and the Bush family was coming in, I don't know how old were Jin and Barbara at that point. I was 20. 20, yeah. I think they're two years younger than I am, but don't quote me on that.

They could be like three or four, one year. Was there like any advice that you gave as like a first child leaving the White House to these new group of girls ever coming in? Oh my gosh, I always say to any young person in anything akin to what I grew up with, like I am an open door. Different people have taken me up on that and other people have them,

but it is an open offer without expiration. Yeah. I was very happy and also moved when you were standing up for Baron Trump and when he was having a lot of... I was furious. I think it's just uncomfortable when adults make fun of children. It's someone who was a kid that adults make fun of.

I would hope though you don't have to have that lived experience to still just have a wheel. Absolutely, yeah. That empathy and indignation, like this is just wrong. We also know that that's wrong. We should all just know that's wrong. Yeah, 100%.

And also that there's fine. We all should know that's fine. Yeah, 100%. And also that there's like nothing benign about commenting on a kid's appearance either. Like, we're still creepy and weird. Right. Do you want another coffee? I'm okay, right now. Thank you. Yeah, thank you so much.

I feel like if I have another one, I'm gonna like, jitter out of here. But it would be fun to see jitter. So the small earth, is that an earthquake? No, just as you got the coffee. I think I'm great. I'm great. Thank you. It's delicious. Jitterbug. Do you know how to Jitterbug?

I don't know how to Jitterbug. I know. I took a ballroom dancing class. Or maybe I went to a ballroom dancing club. Gosh, I can't even remember now. Exactly. It's Stanford. It was so fun. There's a ballroom dancing class at Stanford. I mean, there was, but it might have been a club. Gasha, I can't remember.

It was like 27 years ago that makes me feel so old. But I remember learning the fox drop. Like the fox step. We used to ballet as a kid, right? I did ballet as a kid. And Charles is a ballet now. And like, I'm a big believer. All our kids are in different forms of dance.

Even if they only do it for a few years, I think it teaches you such body awareness and posture and hopefully core strength, and just how you move in space that I think is helpful for whatever sport or non-athletic endeavor or endeavors that you feel drawn to in life. But I always wanted to like learn the Charleston and like the Jitterbug and like swing. And like what was that movie? Just about like the

swing dancers in Nazi Germany. Do you know what I'm talking about? What was that called? I loved that movie as a kid. I know what you're talking about. I can't I feel like I have to go find out what that is and also figure out where I can take Mark. He took he took part ofer dancing lessons with me before our wedding. Oh, that's sweet. She's very sweet. It was his idea. I was like, really?

I'm gonna learn how to actually ballroom dance. And then we had a choreographed wedding dance because Mark was like, I need a plan. Oh my God, tell me about that. He was like, I can't make it up on the fly. And I was like, I could leave. It's like, this is no issue. And he's like, I don't even think I'm gonna be able

to follow him. You had a choreographer help you. We had a choreographer. That's awesome. All of his own instigation. I was like, this is amazing. I feel like it's a big moment. It's a big moment. I'm once looking at you.

Yes. I was very surprised and touched. And it was so fun to do. Justin and I are our first dance. Our French Chasinabine, who you're also a friend of, is saying our first song. She was a guest at our wedding. But I wasine, who you're also a friend of, saying our first song, she was a guest at our wedding, but I was like, we're using one song for us. So she sang Rihanna's Diamonds, like a really slow version of that song. And we just had a very simple,

like, swaying dance, and then we invited our guests to join us, ASAP, because we did not want all the eyes on us. You're like, and that was one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What is the sort of fact to the first part of our conversation? Like, what is the range of duration? Yes, exactly. For the different life of this circumstances. Whether, theater or wedding dance. Yeah.

So funny. I thought about that in a long time. I'm going to tell Mark, I'm going to remind him now. Like, remember, you keep offering periodically. Once your back is all healed. But where do you, where do you, I mean, we don't like go out to like dance halls now. Like like where do we use the skill? It's like

I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. Sometimes I'm having a bad day. Just I think it's so sweet He's like do you want to slow dance for a little while and we'll just stand in our kitchen like hold each other and slow dance I think it's very sweet. That's very sweet We have a lot of dance parties in our house in the day, but more just again to like, you know, Taylor Swift or Beyonce also about it. But there also, it's funny, like the things that our kids get very into, like his song, it is obsessed with Imagine Dragons right now and Beethoven.

Oh, interesting. You know, we're just gonna be all things simultaneously. And watching him like transition in his dancing from like Imagine Dragons to like the fifth symphony is just kind of a magical genius thing to witness. I mean I watched your daughter Charlotte do an amazing interpretive dance. I might have only three kids to the Dolly Parton version because we also had very specific favorite versions of Christmas music. Yes we're very into

interpretive dance. And just dancing in general, I had forgotten that. Yes, with the star she had the prop too. She had the props, because it was Christmas time. Yes. And I went over because you were celebrating both the Jewish holiday and Christmas. Yes.

And so I watched the candles being lit and all that, my songs, and then we transitioned right into We Three Kings and Charlotte did interpret it. Because she really does like an audience. So I think you just have a have a barrier to sit down. I think she ran off to her room, pulled out a little costume, came back, she was ready.

Yes. And you're honest. This is very serious. Yes, we have a little performer on our hands. Yes. Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, I'll talk to Chelsea about the important work she's doing around climate change

and reproductive justice. And what advice she has for those concerned about the important work she's doing around climate change and reproductive justice. And what advice she has for those concerned about the state of the country? Okay, be right back. The official Prince podcast returns this October with a new four-part series, The Story of Diamonds and Pearls. We cut like Oda. You're hearing a band playing together. There was just nasty funky greezy.

You name it. Subscribe to the official Prince podcast now to get the first episode as soon as it drops. The story of Diamonds and Pearls is produced in collaboration with NPG Records, Paisley Park Enterprises, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Records. Hi listeners, I'm Donnie Dust, and I'm here to tell you about our new podcast, Rescue.

Go deep into the heart of the world's most astonishing rescue stories told by the people who are there. I'll never forget his words to me, they struck me like a knife, he said, Billy, nine guys are missing. And we think they're trapped under your farm. Marvel, at the links, people will go to preserve the most sacred of things. Life. At any point, the transmission is going to quit, and we're going to crash in the water, and we're going to die. Because once the engine's quit, we probably wouldn't survive.

Join me, Donnie Dust, for rescue, defying fate, defining heroes. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. And we're back with more dinners on me. Can we talk a little bit about your work with Clinton Foundation and the Global Initiative? One thing I know is I don't know if you watch your Republican debates, but there was, I did not do that to myself.

I didn't do it to myself either. I watched clips later. I watched clips later. I did do that. But I did see that there was one of a young Republican asked a question talking about how kind of on both sides for young people right now, global warming is a huge, huge important issue.

And I was wondering if that surprised you to hear that. I know it's the work that you are also really passionate about. We look at what young people say really galvanizes them. Like global warming is often understandably at the top of the list because of how existential it is and also because adults rather deplorably like haven't done enough to either ameliorate global warming or stop its progression

and it's existential for all of us. So I'm not surprised, I'm also not surprised because there are conservatives who are very concerned about little warming. Sometimes from a religious position, God gave us this miraculous gift. Of earth, we have a religious as well as a moral and ethical obligation imperative to take care of our planet. So I'm actually not terribly surprised that a question like that was asked

and the Republican today. I also watched that and saw how many of the candidates either just ignored the science. It's pretty unimpeachable and clear. Yeah. You know, or we're kind of dismissive of the need for urgent action. Right. And I do think, you know, if we look at one of the defining dynamics of this moment that we're living through, I think we see on the Republican side, you often just a real dismissal of reality and a very clear facts whether that's around the 2020 election, or vaccines and vaccinations, or climate change. And I find that really troubling because, you know, if we think about even President Reagan with whom I disagreed on, you know, many, many fronts, like at least now as an adult, I'd

like to say I was like six years old and hyper-tuned in to national politics, though I was not at the time. The Reagan administration led the effort to ban chloroplorocarbons and to really help eradicate acid rain, President Nixon led the effort because administration, at least, for the Clean Water Act, for the Clean Air Act, the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. It's possible for it to be a bipartisan.

And for many years it was, meaning great. I guess I have two questions. First of all, what can we do? But also, what is the Clean Condition like? Well, I think, first of all, I'll start kind of in the political context because we know that clearly who's in office matters. Yeah.

Even Charlotte Naden, you are in a second and third grade. You know that Donald Trump took us out of the Paris Climate Accord. And that we kind of lost momentum to put it mildly when he was in office. And so I do think helping more people be more aware of why he's elected really matters, particularly at the federal level, we're thinking about, are we going to modernize our grid so that we can store more electricity and have more electricity generated from renewable sources in a durable sustainable way. Like we need federal government leadership on kind of big questions like that. And so I'm a huge believer that we have to make individual choices.

Like, I do not subscribe to the people who are like, what you're doing doesn't matter. I think it matters both because the math matters, right? If everyone drove EBS, if everyone recycled, like we would all be in a better place. And also I think it matters is it helps people feel connected. Like to these otherwise often, like very overwhelming issues, right? I think so action, meaningful action, even on a small scale, I think helps like prevent climate anxiety, but also helps us all feel better connected. So like we are in this together. Right, right. So that's something that we've done into the Clinton Global Initiative, you know, making increasingly climate as a focus climate and health because we know extreme heat, which we've been living through here in the United States over the

summer, as has so much of the world. It was a huge health risk for anyone who's already vulnerable, but also more likely to lead to food insecurity. I know they are also really passionate about reproductive rights as a my, talk a little bit about that and like what the conditions are doing around that. So the Clinton Health Access Initiative, which is the global health kind of organization,

it does a lot to support women and kids around the world and accessing just good quality, like prenatal and postnatal care, trying to ensure that no woman dies while giving birth anywhere in the world. Sometimes that is, you know, helping women think through, like, child spacing, some of the things through, like, whatever the right contraception it is for them, or whether or not they need, you they need abortion care, whatever reason. Here in this country, on a personal level, so not a foundational level, but on a personal level,

particularly my mom and me, you are doing all that we can to help people understand why we need to, again, take abortion out of the political context and put it in the medical context. When I talk to people in the media often, they're like, well, this was last year's issue. Like, if you're one of the tens of millions of American women, a reproductive age, like living in states where you no longer have access to medically indicated care or care that I think should be like your fundamental human right.

And then, like, the new cycle doesn't matter. Yeah. Alright, so I think we have to keep reminding those of us who don't live in those states kind of like why we need to care about all the women who do. Yeah, absolutely. And to have you know still national pressure. Thank you for the worth that you do. I mean, say brand, yes. We obviously have a pretty big election coming up.

People always ask me anytime I'm sort of in a political space like what can I do to you know what I'm concerned about the next election what can I do and I always tell people first of all vote and then get involved in ways that you feel like might be impactful. I mean, what advice do you have for people when they ask you what they can do? Sometimes like this. I think of course vote and also don't take it for granted that everyone you know is registered to vote. I mean, I know it sounds maybe tripe, but the greatest indication of whether someone votes

is whether or not they're registered. And many states simply now have same day registration, though still many do not. And so just making sure that like everyone you know is registered to vote and that has a plan to go vote. And take your kids to vote. And if they don't have fun stickers that you're pulling place ask them to make that marginal investment because it has a real impact. I see with my kids like they're so excited when they get their future voter stickers. Do you remember the first time you voted? Oh yes. I remember the first time I voted.

And I remember how excited I was when I got to vote for my mom. My story. No, it was never old enough to vote for my dad. Yeah, what do you our hopes for this country in the next few years? I hope that we continue to move toward a more perfect union. Yeah. That we continue to build a more robust, inclusive democracy that we continue to have debates, of course,

and dialogue, of course, but also that make decisions rooted in shared reality and science have deeply troubled by the complete, not only dismissal, but derision threats even against people who are working on whether their vaccines or working on climate change. I would also like us to never be in a place where we're not looking at the whole power to account,

but being in a place where we're not using violence as a means or mechanism of political discourse or discourse around science. I think that's also something I would like to see us to move beyond. Yeah, I just want to finish off by saying, like I really love the children's books that you've written. And I didn't personally know this,

but she persisted around the world. Is that the name of the book? I've written a whole different sheet persisted. There's sheet persisted. She's around the world, sport, science. And is it sheet persisted around the world that was turned into a musical? No, that was sheet persisted. The first one was turned into a musical and it's wonderful. If I do, I, again, I'm biased. Tell me a little bit about that because I know you're a big lover of the theater.

It's completely charming and fun and informative. And it's about these kids who are on a museum trip. It's completely charming and fun and informative. And it's about like these kids who are on a museum trip and then like kind of fall into the stories of these inspiring, historical and contemporary figures. What about Sonya Sotomayor at the end? It's very fun. And so it was written, it's written to turn to musical

for kids to do its goals. So initially, we're talking about Broadway 2024. I mean, It's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it's written it to see it. And it was so fun. It was great. I mean, I was pretty. I was pretty. You've done a lot of really amazing things. But maybe that's-

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I know I know she's moved away from we three things until like well, of course, he's always sort of like tsunami's everything and Hanukkah Yeah, oh my gosh. There's a Hanukkah shake it off. Let's just bring it all together before the end. There is not a Hanukkah shake it off. Oh there is. There is. And our children love it so much that we listen to it like even in September. Wait, wait, wait, wait.

I need clarification. There's actually a version of Shake it off that's made for Hanukkah. Or that's, is this something that your children created? No, they are very creative, but they're not quite. It's like a Hanukkah cover? You know what? This is something that your children create. No, they are very creative, but they're not quite. It's like a helicopter. You know what? Oh yeah.

The lock is on my plate. Oh, it's pretty genius. Oh yes. Aha. Aha. Aha. Yep. I pray to God, Taylor's foot as hard as this.

I mean, if she has, and her team is failing her. Oh my God. It's pretty special. This is genius. Oh yeah. I'll sit. I'll, if she has, and her team is failing her. Oh my God. That's pretty special. This is genius. Oh yeah, I'll sit. I'll text it to you so you can look at the whole thing. Oh yeah, Monica, shake it off. That is spectacular.

Yep. Oh my God, thank you for starting out with me. Just so happy to leave you with this file. Oh, I really did leave me with this file. Thanks for doing this. Yeah, thank you. Walking down the street. Yeah, thanks for going to me in delicious smile. Thanks for doing this. Thank you. Welcome down the street. Thanks for going to me in a delicious lunch.

Fun conversation. Next time on Dinner's On Me, Soledad O'Brien, we'll get into her parents' incredible love story. What it was like covering some of our country's biggest stories and the media moments that really rile her up. Oh, she's also a very good Twitter follow. Okay, well, I'm still calling a Twitter. And if you don't want to wait until next week to listen,

you can download that episode right now by subscribing to Dinner's On Me Plus. As a subscriber, you not only get access to new episodes one week early, you'll also be able to listen to them completely ad-free. Just click try free at the top of the Dinner's On Me show page on Apple Podcasts to start your free trial today. Dinner's On Me is a production of Neon Hum Media, Sony Music Entertainment and a kid-name

Beckett Productions. It's hosted by Yours Truly. It's executive produced by me and Jonathan Hirsch. Our showrunner is Joanna Clay. Chloe Chobal is our associate producer, Sam Bear, engineered this episode. Hans Dail Shee composed our theme music. Our head of production is Sammy Allison. Special thanks to Alexis Martinez and Justin McKeeta.

I'm Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Join me next week. you