Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach and Donald - Ted McGinley was Almost Dr. Cox?!

Episode Date: January 28, 2025

Ted McGinley is not a great auditioner. He's got dyslexia and the process of presenting for strangers doesn't come naturally to him. But once he has the job, he's golden. His long career is proof enough. He's the guy, for decades, that was brough into a sitcom to pump up a dying series. He did it for Happy Days, Married with Children and The Love Boat. These were major projects in their era and McGinley helped save them from irrelavance. He tells Zach and Donald about traveling first class on the Love Boat and hunting nerds in Revenge of the Nerds. Plus, what it's like to play Proto Bill in Shrinking while Bill's wife plays his wife. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here at LifeKit, NPR's self-help podcast, we love the idea of helping you make meaningful lifestyle changes. Our policy is to never be too punishing on yourself or too grand in your goals, which is why we've got shows on how to make little nudges to your behavior and create habits that stick. Listen to the LifeKit podcast on iHeartRadio. Jon Stewart is back at The Daily Show and he's bringing his signature wit and insight straight to your ears with The Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Dive into John's unique take on the biggest topics in politics, entertainment,

sports, and more. Joined by the sharp voices of the show's correspondents and contributors. And with extended interviews and exclusive weekly headline roundups, this podcast gives you content you won't find anywhere else. Ready to laugh and stay informed? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Arturo Castro, and I've been lucky enough to do stuff like Broad City and Narcos

and Roadhouse. And now I'm starting a podcast because honestly, guys, I don't feel the space is crowded enough. Get Ready for Greatest Escapes, a new comedy podcast about the wildest true escape stories in history. Each week, I'll be sitting down with some of the most hilarious actors and writers and comedians people like Ed Helms, Diane Guerrero, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I love storytelling and I love you, so I can't wait. Listen and subscribe to Greatest Escapes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

You are cordially invited to the hottest party in professional sports. I'm Tisha Allen, former golf professional and the host of Welcome to the Party, your newest obsession about the wonderful world that is women's golf. Featuring interviews with top players on tour, tips to help improve your swing, and the craziest stories to come out of your friendly neighborhood country club. Welcome to the Party with Tisha Allen is an iHeart Women's Sports Production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.

Listen to Welcome to the Party, that's P-A-R-T-E-E on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Now I'm moving in a little bit of slow motion today, Donald and Joelle, because I can hear my voice. I was over-served last night in Manhattan. I don't like to be over-served anymore these days, but occasionally in Manhattan it happens.

When in Rome, you know what I mean? Yes. So what were you getting up to? Just went to, you know, it's like everything in Manhattan is like, what are you doing? Wanna get a drink? Yeah, let's get a drink. Okay, should we go to dinner? Yeah, let's like everything in Manhattan is like, what are you doing? Wanna get a drink? Yeah, let's get a drink. Okay, should we go to dinner?

Yeah, let's get more drinks. What should we do after dinner? Do you guys wanna get some more drinks? Yeah. Oh. Should we stop by that, the bitter end and get some more drinks? Yeah, let's go there.

And then all of a sudden it's three in the morning. They serve you, their drinks are strong at the bitter end. Listen, my brother was a, he would perform at the bitter end quite a bit. And let me tell you something, every time you're like, let me get a Jack and Coke, that shit is just Jack with a splat. Like they took the Coke and just spit on it. Like the Coke was spit like,

and then they're here, take that. They serve you well at the bitter end. It's so funny though, because I left LA, which has no Christmas vibe at all, obviously. And I get into JFK and they're like, chestnuts roasting on an open fire. It's very interesting. Yeah, go ahead.

The second you get through the airport, you feel like you're in Die Hard in the opening and there's like trees and wreaths and people with presents. I felt like I was in a movie. I was like the polar opposite of LA, which is just, you want Christmas, go to the Grove. Die Hard 2, you mean?

No, in the opening of, oh, sorry. You're right, Die Hard 2, sorry. Sorry, Donald. But wait, in Die Hard 1, and he's getting off the plane and the passenger sees the gun, is that the end? There's no terminal section? That's the beginning, but it's him landing in LA

to go visit the family. Die Hard 2 takes place in the airport where the wife is coming in on the plane to visit him. And he says, just the facts, ma'am. And even as a kid, I thought that was the most horrible joke. Do you remember that? No, I don't. He's waiting for a fax at the counter,

back in the fax machine era. And he goes, can I get that fax? And she says something. I forgot if it's flirty or not or something. And he goes, just the fax, ma'am. And I was like, wow. But I digress. Still one of my favorite movies though.

Die Hard 2? Die Hard 1 and 2 are the best. Look, people will sleep on 2, but 2, that shit was fire to me when I first saw. There was no opening, that was the first movie that I ever, other than Star Wars, went and saw where it just said the opening title and then it was right into the movie

without any freaking, not without any credits. And I thought that was the coolest thing. Yeah, I don't like opening credits. It's a little pet peeve of mine. Yeah, I think it takes people out of the movie. Well, it's old school thing, but I, all my films have, they call it main on ends, which is the expression, which means if you contractually,

you're allowed to, if you do no one's name at all, then you're allowed to do the credits at the end. You can do minimal, it's like this production company, this studio, and then the title, and that's it. The second you get into any single person's name, then it triggers having to do all the stars and the ZP and you know, understandably, everyone who should get credit. But I love to, to me it's like,

I've always thought of it as like, if you were seeing a play and the audience came out and took a bow before the show started, I'd rather just get into the play and then love it. And then at the end be like, you guys are amazing. So I think of the movies like that. Like I wanna watch, don't show me names. I wanna see your movie.

And then at the end, I'll be like, holy shit, all those people did a great job. You know what I mean? Well, I agree with that. Unless you were creative with how, like Baby Driver has an amazing, amazing opening credit sequence. With him dancing and the, you know,

walking across the street and the names coming up on the background. Same thing with Deadpool, you know what I mean? Of course, it's not for everything. There's incredible title sequences, of course. I, you know, Seven was like one of the most incredible title sequences ever. But I just mean, I guess for my style of films,

I just like to get into the story. I don't, I especially don't like it. I especially don't like it, like it's one thing if you're doing like a title sequence, I especially don't like it. I just don't like it. Like it's one thing if you're doing like a title sequence. I especially don't like it if like the movies started, you know, like TV shows, you're watching TV, especially like Scrubs is a great example. And like, you know, six minutes into the fucking show,

there's still names appearing. Cause there's so many people that obviously deservedly deserve their credit. And I think that's great, but you're like, oh my God, we're still seeing names? The show's like half over. Right. Right, by the time you get gotten to directed by,

we're at the commercial break. Yeah, well, that's that. What else can I tell you? Yeah, I had a fun night out in the city. It's so beautiful and Christmassy here. It's not Christmassy here. It is not even the out. LA's not Christmassy here. It is not even at the out. LA is not a good place to spend Christmas at all.

It is like, it's, my kid, you know what my kid said to me? He said, dad, I just want to see snow for one time in my life, bro. You should get one of those fake snow. And I was like, wait a second, I haven't, he's like, I don't want to see fake snow. I want to see freaking, I want to see the shit come from the sky.

I wanna feel how cold it is when it snows. Has your kid never seen snow? No, because we don't ski or anything like that. Right. And so like Tahoe and all that shit. Take him up to the mountains. Yeah, you could take him to the mountains and not have them ski.

I don't know about that. I already hear Donald's brain being like, there's bears in the mountains. Right away I'm like, what if we get caught in a snowstorm? I know Donald's got the most neurotic brain. Like he's not, I know him so well that he's thinking of like, what if we need snowshoes and we don't have snowshoes? Yeah, right away.

Right away. I don't have chains on my tires. What if we get snowshoes and we don't have snowshoes? Yeah, right away, right away. I don't have chains on my tires. What if we get stuck? We're not prepared. Do they have electrical outlets to plug my car into in the middle of the woods? They don't. These are things.

Man, I wish I had an, wait, you hung out with 50 Cent for real? No, I was at a, we stopped by a Christmas party where he all of a sudden performed and I was like, oh wow, that's cool. That is pretty cool. I don't know what you cared about me. Did he do that one? Did he do the, did he do P.I.M.P.? I think that's the one. But I'm a motherfucking P.I.M.P. I love that song.

What's going on with you? Joelle, how are you doing? I'm so good. I just spent an insane amount of money on Kendrick Lamar tickets, but I didn't want to miss the event and I'm very excited about it. And I just keep looking at them and I'm like, it's going to be the greatest concert of all time in LA off of the Super Bowl. March Can't Get Here is enough. I was about to say, you didn't want to wait for the Super Bowl? The Super Bowl is going to be a pretty good concert too, I imagine. Yeah, but I'm not going to the Super Bowl. Tickets are crazy expensive.

I mean, I wouldn't go to the... You know, he's going to be at the, uh, the new Dodger Stadium performing in March. So it'll be like right after the Super Bowl. So I'll just bleed right into it. It's going to be great. I believe. I was with Andrew Watt last night and I was singing Christmas carols in the streets.

And I said, you know, cause I reposted the, baby it's cold outside, that Donald and I did years ago. And while I was singing Christmas carols, chestnuts roasting on an open fire. I was like, Donald and I should do a Christmas album. And he goes, he goes, I'll produce one song. And I go, what do you mean? And he goes, I'll write you guys one original Christmas song for the album.

We got to write it with him so we can get paid for them, so we can get them royalties, bro. We can get the Mariah Carey. That's where that's where your your head goes first. I'm saying like we can get them royalties, bro. We can get them Mariah Carey. Mariah Carey. That's where your head goes first. I'm saying like we can do old standards. I wanna do it like with an orchestra. Like Seth MacFarlane does with the orchestra. I wanna do it with an orchestra.

And guest stars. Maybe. And then, but Andrew said he would write us one original Christmas song. Right. Wow. And we got to write it with him because that's how Mariah Carey gets all that money every year.

Her and freaking her and- You're thinking the monetary route. I'm just thinking like we're going to have a fire album. I know the album. I'm not worried about the album being fire. I already know that's gonna happen regardless. But what's important is that we can open up the vault at the end of, thank you, every Christmas. Yeah.

Like Mariah? Like Mariah, she makes something like $20 million every Christmas. Is that real or is that just internet rumor? My man, how many times, how many times, how many times have you heard that song already? Well, I don't really listen to the radio. No, you don't have to listen to the radio.

That shit's on television too. All right. I'm surprised you didn't go to the open mic last night and hear a version of that shit. Well, we stopped by, we stopped by and Andrew just played guitar for a second and then we left, it was cool. But there wasn't like, we weren't there long enough

for people to be like, I don't want a lot for Christmas. There's just one thing I need. And I. Come on now, come on now. Okay, Mariah Carey herself has said that she makes $3 million a year just from All I Want from Christmas Is You. Not the whole Christmas album, but just that one song.

$3 million a year just from the single alone. That is a Christmas that all of us deserve to have. I have a feeling Mariah probably doesn't even notice that three million go in the bank account. I bet you she does. I bet you she goes every year she goes, how much did we make this year? Three million, it was five million last year. Don't you think like Mariah making $3 million

is like you making a hundred bucks? No, I know when I make a hundred bucks, bro. My man. Somebody calls Mariah like, hey, the 30 million came in. She's like, I can't talk right now. I'm on the treadmill. You see the video of her doing the treadmill and heels. She's so impressive.

No, it was the step master, I think. Wasn't it the step master? It might have been the step master. I can't remember, bro. I was like working on the heels is so intense. Step master? think wasn't it the step master? It might have been a step master. I can't remember. I was like, what do they call it? Step master. Is that what that machine's called? Stair master. That was from Stairmaster.

That was from her cribs, I think. Yeah. Back in the day, it was like a classic MTV clip of her doing it with like with high pumps. Was she singing and doing it? No, she was like, you know, remember old school cribs? You'd give a tour and she'd be like, this is my workout room.

And she was like in pump heels on the StairMaster. I never understood that. I never, and you can't do that in this day and age, man. You can't do a cribs this day and age. Well, no one wants to see you like flex about your fucking wealth. And they will come and rob your ass too. Even though they're fucking extra digested.

But you know most of those were rentals. Like most of the Cribs places were rentals and people didn't really live there. That's true, yes. That's only for some of these cats. I don't think Red Man's was a rental cause this dude was walking around with. Red Man's was crazy, I think he was like,

no I'm gonna be real as hell. Like. I live in an apartment in Brick City. Was that real? Yo dude, yeah man, yeah. Oh my God, it was wild. Didn't he have a freezer with money in it? He said he's gonna put some dough away for the future.

Freeze the dough. Who can we get to produce our Christmas album, Donald? We need like a- Andrew. No, he's not gonna do that. What about who do you think? Joelle, who do you think? Charlie? Charlie, no, we need,

he's not gonna produce a Christmas album for us. We need someone who's like gonna give us the time. By the way, Joelle, did you ever get any emails with anyone saying about what they would do with Donald's only fans? We have a couple of DMS confirming that just a couple. See, listen, listen, love that. No, we asked them for audio. You didn't hear the DMS. I have access and I'll check all of my DMS were like, wow.

Yeah, no, Donald could totally get it onans, and he would make a lot of money. Let me, I could check our Gmail and see if we have any. I was going to wait to the near. No, check the Gmail because, well, check the Gmail because we asked for audio, and I would love to hear. You want to hear some audio? OK. Yeah, if you have any, you could share your screen.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. By the way, when I posted the Baby It's Cold Outside video, the funniest comments were, this is the content I want to see on Donald's OnlyFans. ["Baby It's Cold Outside"] ["Baby It's Cold Outside"] ["Baby It's Cold Outside"] ["Baby It's Cold Outside"]

Do you remember when everybody was like, Baby It's Cold Outside shouldn't be sung? Yeah, and I understand why, but... But come on, man. With all the music that's out today. No, I know, but I, you know, whatever. People, I understand people having problems with it, but I posted the clip that didn't have

the controversial lyrics, although it did have, Hey, What's In This Drink. Hey, What's In This Drink, yeah. Yeah, but I think it's because it was you and me, it was okay. Joelle, you got anything? You're smiling. Hold on, I'm getting into the, yeah.

Donald, what are you getting your kids for Christmas? You're getting them, oh, you told me, computers for video games. Yes, so look, this is what we're doing. My kids are really into the YouTube culture where you play video games, like what Daniel does, the Twitch culture where you play video game, like what Daniel does, the Twitch culture. They're very into it.

My daughter wants to do something that's similar to a podcast where, you know what I mean? So we were like, what we can do is we can buy the equipment for it and they can pretend to do it, but it really never goes anywhere. Yeah, you gotta make sure you don't upload like the wilder phase on podcasts. God knows what she's gonna say.

Right. Did you see that viral video of the little girl, I guess her mom said you can go in the bathroom and curse and she goes in the bathroom and just starts cursing. That shit was the funniest thing I ever saw. There's a bunch of parents that do it. You can see her running out of curses and she's trying to think of them.

Do you know what I'm talking about? Yeah, well there's a bunch of them. There's a bunch of them. Oh, this one was so funny. I guess the context was her mom was like, I will give you 30 seconds and you can go in the bathroom and you can say whatever curses you want. It was so funny.

Well she's like, shit, fuck, dick, pussy ass. But then she runs out and she's like. Jerk. Are you happy to be in New York? I'm having so much fun. I'm going to see a play with Josh Raden tonight. I'm jealous. The whole Lawrence Posse is coming into town.

I'm gonna see Bill and we're gonna go to restaurants and we're seeing, we're gonna see Audra McDonald and Gypsy opening night. Jealous, so jealous, oh God. Fucking jealous of him right now. My soul, oh please tell us how it was. Yeah, Audra McDonald, you know, I love that show. I have such a place, special place in my heart for that show.

I was, I did it, I was involved with it when I was a kid in community theater. I just place in my heart for that show. I was, I did it, I was involved with it when I was a kid in community theater. I just, I've always loved that show. Who was the original, Shirley MacLaine? No, it was, I think Angela Lansbury? No, no, no. Really? No, no, she did it maybe second.

I just read this. All I remember was, I remember the Shirley MacLaine poster and I remember the Debbie Allen poster. No, I'm gonna- Oh my gosh. Joelle's doing it, so I'll, original Jibsie Rose. Listen, when I was younger, I'm gonna date myself. She's played my mom in Next Day Air, she played my mom, but I was so in love with Debbie Allen. Oh my god

everybody's like Felicia Rashad I was like no Debbie Allen. Okay here we go this is someone who was asked if he would tune in if Donald had an OnlyFans. Hey Joel my name is Luke Stegi um I am not only a gay man that would subscribe to Donald's OnlyFans account because I love you, Donald, you're everything. But I am also, as a side gig, I manage some of my friends' OnlyFans accounts that have popular OnlyFans. And so I have a little bit of analytics here for you. Not only do I run women's OnlyFans accounts, I run a man's OnlyFans account. And I will say, I would say there are women subscribers,

it's a low percent, probably like 10, 15%. It's mostly gay men subscribing to men's OnlyFans accounts. And as far as content, um, you know, Big Man, he just like kinda makes, it's like stupid content, it's like, oh, me jerkin' off with my bro, or, um, that's like a little thing, actually,

like, can you jerk off with one of your friends, or can I see you, you know, I'm not doin' that that a lot of gay men like what like solo content which is kind of abnormal because with the women's accounts that I run the women's like sex tapes any who I have a lot more info on it if you ever want any more only fans content let me know yeah we need to have one to show you need to be on the show I've been listening since thank you thank you brother scrub since I was a kid thank you you guys I love you

anywho okay bye thank you back at you great we draw him as a guest he needs to come on it and we need to have a conversation about what I need to do to get my only fans poppin so I can make this animated short. This animated short's gonna be made on sex money, y'all. Listen, he said the number one thing is like, I'm beating off with my bro, and I just want you to know that I'm not gonna be your bro.

You're totally gonna be my bro. No, not doing that. You're totally gonna be my bro. I don't care about your animation. You and me. You and me. I don't give a fuck about your animation. I'm not going to beat off on your only fans.

Do you all are there any others? Do you know how much money we would make? Too well, do you have any others? We share them for next time. So I can pull processes. And but we do have a few more. She well, you said it was sent to a much like much like Donald's only fans, you have successfully edged me

and I am titillated to no more. When we come back to the new year, we'll have some more videos for you. Oh, my God. Zach, I love you. Yeah, me too. You know, what's funny is that I don't I'm sorry to spoil anyone who thinks they're having a real relationship with an OnlyFans person,

but the people who manage these accounts are guys like that. You know? There are people, well, I don't have an OnlyFans relationship, I have a real relationship with my wife, so I can't, you know. I'm sure there's people with low amounts of followers

who maybe are doing the communicating, I'm guessing, I don't know, I'm sure there's people with low amounts of followers who maybe are doing the communicating. I'm guessing I don't know but anyone who's Who's gotten a huge following and there's some guy in the DMs being like she's texting me how my day is And it's like literally that guy in his car being like hey babe thinking of you of you. And the guy is thinking like, oh my god, it's this OnlyFans mom. Oh my god, Trippie Bree just hit me up. Right, oh we got another one, Joelle? This is a quick voicemail from a female fan.

Let's see what she has to say. Yes. Hi Joelle. I don't know if you'll remember me. My name is Tamika. I'm the Spanish teacher from New Jersey who sent a few voice memos about trying really hard to like season nine of Scrubs and just not being able to

get there. I was listening to today's episode and the OnlyFans conversation that's continuing and you didn't ask for feedback from straight women, but I thought I'd be helpful and put the question to bed about whether or not straight women are subscribing to only fans and the answer Is absolutely not the reason is supply and demand. There is no dick shortage for us. They show up They show up on dating apps. They show up whether or not Never actually ask for them. So no, we don't go online and subscribe to dixieing services. It's basic economics. However, I do think there is an OnlyFans avenue for you, Donald. Everyone enjoys looking at someone who's attractive, which you are. Don't let these people dim

your shine. But behavior tends to be very stimulating for women because behavior lets us infer things about what kind of lover you'll be. I'm pretty sure someone smart said that the brain is the greatest sex organ or something like that. So I think your golden ticket may be to start an OnlyFans focused on behavior that women want to see and are lacking. I hear married women are exhausted and maybe they'd pay to watch a man share the mental and emotional load of running a home without Expecting praise or sex in return like in the rom-coms or in the romance novels that make us do the dishes and vacuum and Help with kids homework and like just do it. Holy shit and expect nothing. It's exactly

Their husbands would probably fit the bill because they'll be happy to have their wives hot in the pants. And you could make your money. Just don't do it naked because we are good on dick and balls. Just some food for thought. Happy holidays, everyone. Well, Mika coming through again. She's a great. I'm going to say something.

She has a great idea. Yeah. I think I could do an OnlyFans where I'm washing dishes. Yeah. I'm cooking food. Right. I'm cooking food. Right. I'm helping my kids with their homework. I mean, I do wash dishes.

I do cook the food. I don't necessarily help with the homework. Casey's way smarter than me. Excuse me. Excuse me. She's way smarter than me in that capacity. But I mean, I think I could do that type of stuff. Right, but isn't it interesting what Tamika finds sexy

is exactly what the sex therapist said you should be doing to turn your own wife on. Yeah, but I expect sex after that, you know what I mean? Right, but I'm saying Tamika is agreeing with the sex therapist. She's saying like, women don't wanna see dicks. We get dicks everywhere, dick pics sent to us. We don't want that.

We would be hot and bothered by you being, doing the dishes, helping around the house. Chore, what do they call it? Chore play. Chore play. Look, I am down to do it for animation money. Okay. Well, I think Tamika. How about that?

Thank you, Tamika. That was great. Thank you, Tamika. I am down to make some animation money, washing dishes. Well, I don't know that I'm gonna subscribe to your OnlyFans watching you wash dishes. Well, it'd be a mixture. But who knows?

It'd be a mixture. It'd be a mixture. A lot of times you don't know kink. Yeah, a lot of times you don't know that you're into a kink until you see it. Right. I mean, it could be you and me washing dishes. Hey, you're just washing dishes with my bro, and we're washing dishes together. No, but I'm saying, I mean, it could be you and me washing dish. Hey, you're just washing dishes

with my bro. And we're watching. I'm saying if I'm watching it for all I know, I'm not I'm not. Let's say I'm watching you wash dishes because I'm trying to support you. I've subscribed your only fans. I bought the Donald washing dishes video. And then all of a sudden I'm like rock hard. And I'm like, Whoa, I never knew I had this kink. Wow. That would be very interesting. Yeah. It would say a lot about I don't think it's gay if it's just dishes. Well, to the same sex then it qualifies as gay. I don't know if the action is't matter.

All right. I saw this stand-up comic saying, this stand-up comic, she was so funny. It was brilliant. She was like, you know, true sex equality and hatred and bigotry will be out the window when dudes can be like to their bros, yo, you remember that time when I was gay for a little bit? And they'd be like, yeah, man, you remember that time when I was gay for a little bit?

And they'd be like, yeah, man, you was fucking gay as fuck from like 2003 to 2004, dog. And then people be like, and then she's like, and then the liberal would be in back and be like, bisexual. And they'd be like, no, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, you was gay as fuck, dude. And they would be all right. And they would be able to still be buddies and shit like that.

She said, that's when Bigotry is out the window. All right, is Ted McGillie here? Me too. Five, six, seven, eight. He's got stories about a show we made, about a bunch of dogs and nurses and a calendar who love to hang out. I said, he's got stories that people should know. So gather round and let's go. A bunch of dogs and nurses and a Canada who love making acid He's got stories that we all should know

So gather round to hear our Gather round to hear our Scrubs rewatch show with Zach and Donald Oh my god. Oh wow. Ted, that's, welcome to the program. That is Joelle Monique, our our producer. I had to. Well, I don't know if you and Donald have met before. Do you guys know each other?

Do we have Christmas party? Yes. Yes. Yeah. Yes. It was quite a pleasure for me. It was a pleasure for me as well. You have no idea. I've been a big fan of yours for a long time, even though I've never seen scrubs. You know, ever. Well, I've been in another fan of yours for a long time. Even though I've never seen Scrubs. Ever. Well, I've been in other things.

He's not lying. And the reason he's not lying, we'll get right into it audience, is that there were two men who were up for the, at the end for Dr. Cox. And one was John McGinley and one was Ted McGinley. And so Ted McGinley- I drove on the lot that day. Oh, sorry, I was gonna say, I I drove a lot that day.

Oh, sorry, I was going to say I drove a lot that day and I got to the guard and he said, what's your name? And I said, McGinley, and he goes, sure, there's already McGinley here. And I said, no, I'm I'm also what show you testing for scrubs? He's already here. Nice try. No, I'm the other one. I didn't know. So I was surprised. And it went downhill from there.

What happened at your audition? Did you feel that it didn't go well or did it go well and then Johnny was just more right in Bill's mind? What happened? Well, you know, it's funny. You know, you go to many auditions leading up to that, right, to that moment when you go to the studio. So I've had a lot of really good auditions.

I felt great about the character and I thought I had a good shot. I knew there were two people going. I didn't know who the other one was. And thank God I didn't know it was John. And I think it went like all my auditions probably went very poorly. Right. Are you a bad auditioner?

Yeah, he said that in the past. He's not a good auditioner. We'll talk about that because I'm curious why you're, Donald agrees with you, but why, what happens to you? We have a lot of actors that listen. I'm sure they'd love to, you're not, you're a very successful actor.

So people probably want to know what happens. I'm nervous. I'm a nervous auditioner, I think. It makes it tricky. I'm also dyslexic, so if I'm on paper, I can't do anything on paper. So I always try to get everything into my head and then I it's just too many things going on So yeah, I seem to be better once I have the job. I feel a little more secure Yeah, I feel like the people don't hate me I'm a lot of that actor stuff going but I I just don't think I just never really my wife's an amazing Auditioner she she's so good at it. And so I watch people who are excellent.

I just think, how come I don't have any of that in me? I wonder the same thing. I feel like I've missed out on so much. And I think I have a really great career, but I feel like I've missed out on so much because of my fear of auditioning. Like, there's parts where they were like, they love you and they want you for the part. They just need you to audition.

And I'm like, fuck it, I'm not going in. That's exactly the same with me. Exactly the same is that I just. You know, I know I'm their pick. And then I go in and I just I put too much on it. And then I just always I think when I started in on Happy Days, I always felt like the other side of the table hated me, the producers and the directors,

and so I think I carried that, and I think maybe they did, but they carried through, just carried through. You know, Ted, you probably don't know this, but Donald fucked up his Scrubs audition too. I did. And Donald, you can tell the story, but Bill like found him at the elevator and was like, bro, what was that?

And can't brought him back in, right? Yeah, well, he said we were all waiting in the lobby for the announcement who was gonna go home and everything like that. And he came out and he was like, all right, the announcement who was going to go home and everything like that and He came out and he was like, alright everybody can go Donald you stay Yeah, and everybody immediately thought oh shit. He got the part. Yeah, I walk into the waiting room and Before we walk into the the room with all of this with Jeff Zucker and the rest of the studio in there

and the network, and he stops me and goes, now look, you really did a, you fucked up in that first audition. Yeah. And he said, I kind of get a sense that you know you did too. I need you to go in there and do it like you did it all these other times. And I was like, oh shit. Did you know what you had, did you know what he meant?

I was so big. I've got, you know what I mean? I was like, here we go, it's me again. Donald Faison's back. And he was like, dude, what the fuck, calm down. Yeah, yeah. My life story right there. That's me, That's me.

Bring it down and let's do it again. And this time, try and be as real as possible. Don't go for the jokes. Just be real. And I went in there and I and that's what happened. I just I said, forget trying to go for the jokes. And then I got the call later on and I got the part that night. And I was like, oh, God, man, I thought I thought this was going to be like there's so many movies that I went out for. And this is, this is

why I started smoking weed too, while acting, no bullshit, because I thought maybe this will calm me down. Maybe this will make me relax a little bit. And it never, it, it, I remember my agent saying, the part is yours. All you gotta do is go in there and audition. And I went in and auditioned and I could tell halfway through I lost the job. You know what I mean? You know, for those of you who aren't actors,

there's so many variables. You have your nervous energy, you have what happened to you that morning, you have whatever's going on in your mind from your life, your family, your partner. Then you go into the waiting room and there's all the energy of the waiting room. You might see a star, a bigger, you know,

when I was in scrubs, I was a waiter and I saw stars in the waiting room. I was like, what the fuck am I doing here? I'm not gonna get this, that guy's famous. And then sometimes you can hear the people going in the room and you're like, oh my God, I'm not doing it like that. Is that what they want?

And then there's also these mind games in the waiting room where actors will try and distract you. They'll try and like engage you in conversations. So you're not even like focusing and thinking about the sides. You're like shooting the shit with some guy who sometimes is trying to fucking sabotage you. There's all this dynamics.

And then you can go into the room and they've had a bad day and they're tired and they're not laughing at you. And then you just get in your head and like, oh, I suck. You know, there's so many things. Yeah, the other thing is on the way there, you have a contract to be signed for the next seven years of your life.

So if you happen to be a waiter, when they make these deals, they're like seven years long. And all of a sudden overnight, your life changes. So that adds to this this especially if you have kids and a family. It's so real. It's so unreal that it adds so much on there. But I think I just really got in the bad habit of thinking that everybody on the other side already doesn't like me and that, you know, it's very funny when I first started the business, before I had any idea what I was doing, I

would go up for things and if they didn't hire me, I always felt bad for them. Yeah. I was like, Oh, wow. You blew it too bad. I mean, you blew a good thing. And then as time goes by, you sort of walk in the room like, I know, I know, I know, I'm not right for this, but I'm going to throw it up there anyway. And you've been beaten down by so many times by that point, just go, I get it.

I wouldn't pick me either. There's that element that is heartbreaking, but it's part of the history of your, I mean, after a while, I admire people who just say, I should have this. Yeah, you know, I gotta be, there's two things that this industry does to you that's so fucked up, but it's what it is and I get it. If you come off of something hot, like, you know, I did a play that Steve Martin wrote with a really dope cast and I felt so good about where I was as an actor. Went on a bunch of auditions and didn't get shit. And I couldn't, I was, that shit was like, wait a second.

Yeah. You know, what the fuck, man? I just did fucking eight shows a week at fucking the old Globe. How am I not, you know, how, how do they not see what the, I was killing it on that shit. I was also on a television show where everybody was like,

yo, Donald, Faison has graduated from comedy to drama. And I thought after that, X-Men would be calling, fucking Marvel would be calling, all these, my Star Wars is gonna be calling. And nobody fucking called. And it was like, what the fuck? Everybody just said how good I was and nobody's calling. It's such a mindfuck.

This industry is so humbling. And, and, and look, I said it before, I think I did pretty well for myself. Ted, I know you did great for yourself, but there's just that feeling of, you know, I'm not good enough. You hear no so much in this industry that that one, yes, it doesn't really change the, it doesn't change the, the, uh, the thought process in your head. It doesn't really change the it doesn't change the the Process in your head. It doesn't take away the insecurity Yeah, if we can you hear know so much that that one yes, yeah It's gratifying and it's great and you feel good for that split second

But you know that could be taken away too. I got fired dude. I got fired after a table read once I was like what the fuck I don't even get to really I don didn't even get to do this shit the way I wanted to do it. You know what I mean? Like it's just. I'm surprised I don't get fired after every table read. I am 100% certain. Every single table read. But you know, so you bring up a great point. Like, I think the business, you're the one who does it. The business is the framing. The thing you have to hang on to, you can't, the business is the business. And Tom Bossley told me when I was on Happy Days, he said, look, if you can't handle this,

you gotta get out now. And I had two very disappointing, I was up for two features leads, and he said, and I had this teary-eyed and said, dude, if you, if you can't handle this, you've got to get out right now. This is not for you. And I remember that was, I thought at the time it was such an asshole comment. It happened to be one of the most accurate statements ever, ever given to me that it,

it just keeps repeating itself over and over. But I'm giving, you cannot give those people that permission to, I still get to come home. The no that hurts me the most is when I give it myself. When I look in the mirror and I go, no, that's the one that kills, that's the one that hurts me, I believe. And... Ted, I wanna start with, I wanna go back to Happy Days because that's where it all began for you. You came

on to the show. Do I understand it right when Ron Howard was leaving? Yeah. So during the actor strike at the time, his contract ran up and Ron wanted to direct and ABC wouldn't let him direct. So head of NBC at the time, I think it was Grant Tinker said, Oh, I'll let you direct. And he went over there and did a TV movie that was, uh, Anton Williams and Betty Davis, I think. And that was it. Ron's career took off as a director as it should have. And he came back, but we had a softball team that toured around the country and throughout Germany.

And they eventually went around the world, but I was working, but they played softball in all these troops, from the troops throughout Europe and the United States. And so that's when I got to meet Ron. And that was the only time I really got to hang out with Ron, but yeah, that's when I got to meet Ron. And that was the only time I really got to hang out with Ron. But yeah, that's why I got into the show. And they were looking for a straight man opposite Henry Winkler, opposite the Fonz. And Gary Marshall saw something in me that he thought

he could work with. Well, that's quite an honor because Gary Marshall was about as big as it gets in TV at the time. He, and I. Come on bro. He was more than that. No, no, of course he went on to be an incredible filmmaker. I'm saying at the time I, and I highly, I've said this before,

but get Gary Marshall's autobiography on tape. It is incredible to hear him, his voice, tell his story. And there's so many funny anecdotes. I'm sure you've heard it, Ted. Yeah. But I really loved it. And he, you know, I had some, not only we did Chicken Little together.

He was my father in the animated movie Chicken Little, but also he went, he was a very big benefactor of Northwestern when I went to school. Yes. And he would come, he would come speak. in the animated movie, Chickalittle, but also he was a very big benefactor at Northwestern when I went to school. And he would come speak. And so I really, really loved that man a lot. And I wonder if you could talk about what it was like to work with him because he was such a legend

in the industry. It was a very interesting time because Gary was transitioning from, he was just trying to make that change from TV to film and so he wasn't as day to day involved in the show as he was previous to my time there. Apparently. But we had Laverne Shirley right next to us. So we shared the stage with them and they had massive chaos and people would be throwing scripts and counting lines. It was just a big familiar one.

It was craziness. It was a great introduction for me. And my dressing room was outside the stage. Everybody else was inside the stage. So I was outside so I would see the chaos constantly and hear them It was it was crazy when Gary used to Gary would always pull me aside and say it's gonna be good. It's gonna be good And that meant a lot from Gary because he wasn't effusive But that meant a lot because I wasn't really getting that anywhere else. And I felt bad for Henry Winkler because he went from working with one of the best stars in the world, one of the greatest sidekicks ever, Ron Howard, to a guy who had never done

anything and had no idea of where the joke was, what the timing was, any of that. And so I learned a lot from Henry. He was very generous. And through the week, he kind of put me through it a little bit. And then on Fridays, he would, because it was sink or swim, we had to put it out there.

He was just, I learned so much being around that cast and around Henry. But those were tough days because I knew I wasn't up to par, but I didn't know, and I just, I really didn't know what this world was, and I wanted to stick around long enough to see what it was. Anyway, Gary's a guy who finds types of people,

and then figures out how to make it work, and find their little magic. And for me, it was a godsend. Gary Marshall was, I would say, the most important person in my career. Wow. Well, he really invested in you because you hadn't really worked. I know you were working as a model, but had you done any acting before? No. And I had a little TV movie where I was hired as a model to run in the

first scene of the beach, you know, and I'm running and Jack Albertson comes up next to me and I blow him away. And then I'm in the last scene of the movie and Jack Albertson's there and I'm running with him and all of a sudden he starts keeping up with me after he's been through his journey. That was my first thing. But I hadn't, you know, I was like, come on old man or something. That was my first thing. But I had, you know, I was like, come on, old man or something. That was my big line. But that, so yeah, happy days with my first gig. And you know, Gary,

Gary took a risk on me and then he put me in a pilot called Herbden and Me, which was directed by Gary Marshall, written by Lowell Gans and Babalu, two monsters at the time. And it was for ABC. And it started myself and Michael Richards. Wow. And Michael Richards was doing Kramer in that project at the time. And he we had a scene where he flipped over a Chair and broke three ribs on a couch and that was the it but the Kind of messed up the timing of our of our pilots. We didn't take two and a half weeks off. Oh

Anyway, so Gary Gary put a lot of faith in me. Yeah. Well, that's that says a lot I love story about Henry also, though. You know what I mean? Henry was the same way with me. I had a really bad day on Clueless and he was directing the episode. I was like an hour and a half late. I still had booze on my breath from the club that night. And he intercepted me after I rushed through hair and makeup and everything and stopped me and was like, it's okay. You're not, we're not going to fucking have an issue about this. You're going to be fine.

I need you to come in here and do what you do. And in doing so, he put me at, I'm not saying what I did was correct, but I had a really bad day. You know what I mean? And from that moment on, he was so giving with not only his time, but also with his knowledge of the comedic craft and what I needed to do to make it better. And I vowed I would never show up to work

like that ever again. I was like, I'll never be this guy ever again. Flash forward, I did it a couple of times. Again, but that's not the point. The point is, the point is, Henry Winkler was so generous with his knowledge and his time. We had him on the podcast and I was great

and I was able to thank him for it. And all the things that we, all the things that you and I are talking about, the fear of auditioning, whenever I would bring that up, he would be like, all right, now Donald, you know, it was like he was like my, my, my TV dad or my TV uncle was there to reassure me, dude, all of that shit's in your head. You got to get rid of that. You got to drop that stuff. You are who you are.

And that's, and that's, and that's good enough. Pretty much. You know what I mean? I always knew going home, I was who I was. And you know, that's why my home has always been a sacred place for me, because I know I'm okay here. I know I've done everything that I've done to my highest level here. And so I'm very proud of being a good dad. I think that's why I put on this world and, and, and for, and trying of being a good dad. I think that's why I was put on this world. And for trying to be a good husband. But I, so that really matters to me, like, cause that's my safe place.

That is the place where when I get hurt, I come in and I heal. And so this place, I don't ever want it to be injured or rocky. But out in the world, I expect it. I figure you got to be tough. And if you want to play in this arena, you're going to take some serious wounds. And I guess that's how it goes. Let's take a break. We'll be right back after these fine words. Here at LifeKit, NPR's self-help podcast, we love the idea of helping you make meaningful

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We wanna be with you every step of the way in your financial journey this year, offering the information and insights you need to thrive financially. Yeah, whether you find yourself up to your eyeballs in student loan debt, or you've got a sky highhigh credit card balance because you went a little overboard with the holiday spending or maybe you're looking to

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How many years did you do Love Boat? I think I did three and a half seasons. So same thing. So when I after I auditioned for Happy Days, I did it in a room with some executives and I didn't know they were they were in Gary's office. And for two weeks, I was going back and forth between this other show and where they call me in one day, work with the people and then call in the next day and I'd work with the casting directors.

Finally, Gary Marshall asked first and I got to be on Happy Days. So then I did a couple guest spots on the Love Boat and while I was there they said, hey, when Happy Days ended, would you like to come in as a regular? Sure. Yeah, why not? I loved that cast. They were so nice. And they treated you like a king. You got first-class trips for you and the guests everywhere. We traveled all over the world. It was spectacular. I mean, that was a great, great. I didn't know. So were you shooting on a real boat? Well, you're shooting on a stage.

And then, so it would be basically two months out of the year, you would be on a ship. So for at least six weeks, it would be two, three, two hour shows. So it would be about two weeks each. So it would be about six to seven weeks you'd be out on a ship. Wow.

And you'd stay on the boat? Yeah, yes, and they, I mean, you were treated like a king and then they would invite people to be on the ship. So regular folks were just on the ship while we were shooting. And they got to hang out with you, I would be in the casino every night and they would be in there, or we'd be dancing

or whatever it was, and just regular folks were there. It was really fun. They couldn't go into certain rooms at certain times, there'd be cable all over the boat. I kind of felt sorry for them. But it was, they knew what they were getting into and they loved it. They were literally on the love boat. They were on the love boat. Yeah. Yeah. But that was a, that was a, it put me in a weird, in a weird category all of a sudden. And it was hard to kind of get out of that one. And then we smashed it open with, with Married with Children. Yeah. So that's so, so let's talk about that. Let's go back first because Revenge of

the Nerds needs to be talked about. Wait, I was focusing on TV first, Donald. Then we're going to go Revenge of the Nerds. Okay. My bad, my bad, my bad, okay. Thank you for bringing it up, though. I'm very proud of you. Well, Donald and I have a very special place in our hearts for Revenge of the Nerds. That's one of my favorite movies of all time, even though that's not PC to say nowadays.

Well, nowadays it's a very problematic film, but we're not gonna talk about that. We're only gonna talk about the good parts of the movie. That's right. That all focus around Ted McGinnon. That's all. But, wait, Marrying with Children, that was really a new take on the sitcom, right?

It was Fox's sitcom, and they were gonna be outrageous, right? Yeah, they wanted to go, they wanted to do the exact opposite of Family Ties and the Cosby Show, and they wanted to do something that would rock the boat. And they did. I mean, they really did.

They did. They certainly did. That was an enormous hit, right? Yeah. And you came on later too, though. You weren't in the beginning. There was another person. And then they killed him off and brought you on, right?

Well, yeah. He wanted to go do Broadway. He was a Broadway actor and wanted to go back to his roots and I think also it happens where initially they pitch the show something and then two of the characters all of a sudden Al Bundy just takes off and the Bundy family I think he felt like hey hey, I'm right here. But so he wanted to go do other things. And greatest thing that ever happened to me was that he decided to leave. And he did very well. He's done.

He's, he's done well. But David Garrison and I, you know, I'm so thankful to him to have the decision. But I went into Mary and my parents used to come with me to happy days, and we'd have these big parties after every show with the cast of, you know, Taxi, Laverne and Shirley, Booze and Buddies. We would all go to this place called Nickendale's outside of Paramount.

And everybody was in there on a Friday night. And it was so much fun in those days. And my parents were invited. Everybody was invited if you knew them. So we went in there and then when I got out to marry my children, my parents came to the first show. They were like, what the hell is this? And it was so much fun.

Again, that cast from day one just said, come in, bring whatever you got and we love it. And I was so expecting the opposite and they couldn't have been better. I love that job. We had so much fun. I bet you were laughing your asses off. No one really does that now, do they? There's no like R rated sitcom, which would be funny. I don't know why. No, it's all animated. Yeah. It's all animated.

Family Guy is the version of married with children. I'm surprised no one does like a, whatever the 2024 risque version of a sitcom would be. Yeah. I'll tell you, I found we did, uh, there are a lot of people who think they are, by the way, but, you know, they're not they're not. I see. I see what you're saying about family guys, the kind of the version of it. Yeah. Well, they try.

They do. Simpsons is really married with children just in a different way. But they also ripped up. They also started to cut you off. They ripped you off also with that other show. There was a show with ripped you off also with that other show. There was a show with uh Kevin Connolly was the kid on it and Nikki Cox was the daughter and it was pretty much the same shit. It was the same show but it wasn't uh I'm trying to remember Ronnie Lovett if he had something to do with it. I can't I do remember that I can't remember do you remember this this? It was the exact same shows like they tried to make the exact same show. Yeah, they did.

Anyway, yeah. Well, nothing was married with children. I'll tell you a funny story though. Sorry, with Mary, I never got a call time ever. You would look at the script and you'd say, oh, on the rewrite. And by the way, in those days, you had to wait for the script guy to drop off your script. So you go on a Monday, you rewrite it, Tuesday, you rewrite it. Each day you get a new script. But I would get mine at like two in the morning. I'd wake up at like 11 every day. You know, I checked in the front door because I can't read it like everybody else does.

So I would go through everything. Oh my God, I'll be up all night looking. So then we would go there but you would say, okay, I'm in the third scene. So that means we start at 10, that means I come in at 11, 10. You just make it up. Nobody said you come in at this time, ever, not one time. So I know I haven't called That doesn't exist in our business. It was just, we ran it ourselves in that regard. And then if you were late, they would sit around the couch,

they would go get food, and everyone would sit around the couch like a family and just talk poorly about you until you showed up. And they would go. And then they would go. I mean, it was so much fun. It was such a great gig. All right, now we have to talk about Revenge of the Nerds

because this movie was like, Donald and I were the target demo for this movie. Yes. And I remember identifying with the nerds. Yeah. I identified with the jocks. Attaboy. You did? Attaboy. You did. I did. I played sports and everything like that.

In my neighborhood, if you weren't into sports, you weren't into anything. You know what I mean? So like the artists in my neighborhood, I learned how to play basketball, I learned how to play football, I learned how to play baseball, all so I could be cool. You know what I mean? And so that was me. I identified with the jocks. I get it, you identified with the nerds.

I identified you with Lamar. No, well, I did love Lamar too. That was the rapping part of the whole movie. Oh my God. The end of that movie with the performance the performance is just that's not the end That's that's not the end. No, well, I'm saying when the builds when it builds to the performance, but anyway, so yeah Ted I I read that that when you got to set there was actually like Friction between the jocks and the nerds like offset, like for real?

You guys had older. Yeah, right. I didn't know that, right? So we show up, and I think perhaps I wasn't astute enough in technique to know that some guys maybe work where if they're going to be opposite you and adversarially they stay that way in character kind of right throughout the process of a show where sometimes people won't talk to you for an entire movie off camera. But and but I thought it was presumptuous to say the least that that's how, if that's what they were doing. But so we went down there and in the beginning they wouldn't give me the time of day and they would get together. The nerds, the nerds as a group, the nerds didn't charge you. And they would exclude. I was.

They would have nerd parties. Yeah, they did, big time. But it was just, early 80s, they were massive parties. So yeah, the jocks weren't really invited. Now, Ogre, I don't know, I haven't talked to Don about that, but it wasn't until we started doing all night episodes where we had to work all night long for about a little over two weeks where we were stuck with each other and we had to hang out all night long. And that's when we started to break the ice and start to find that we had a lot in common. That turned to be magic.

And I mean, the parties would start, the parties then would start at six in the morning. Wow. So you would work all night and they would come back and then start the party. And then you'd go back six at night. That woman that played Betty, I was right at the age where things in my body were turning on, like things were shifting.

Betty, I didn't know what she, she shifted my whole mind I was like yeah I couldn't I was so in love with her. Yeah she and by the today she's still amazing uh Julie Montgomery but she she is so recently I just went down to Mexico and I got hired to go down uh have there's a group of people apparently who love the 1980s shows and so they all music and shows. So I went down to a resort in Mexico and it's inclusive, all inclusive. And you spend a couple of days with all these people and take photographs with them.

And it was so much fun. They all showed up in dress half of them, Stan Gable and Betty Childs and the cheerleaders. Anyway, so the nerds apparently have been doing this as a group where they tour around, they go around and sign autographs. They've been doing this. They're still excluding you this many years later. They are. By the way, the love boat excludes me. Happy Days excludes me. Really? Nerds excludes me. Happiness excludes me. Really?

Nerds excludes me. And I expect shrinking will too soon. No, no, no. We gotta talk about shrinking, dude. All right, now we gotta get to that. My now is, now let's say, okay. I don't know, because I don't do social media, so I don't stay in contact with people.

I just started. Well, I wanna say, if any of the nerds from Revenge of the Nerds are listening to this podcast, I want you to, it's been too many years and you need to start including Ted McGinley and Ogre. You need to stop, put that shit. Poor Ogre probably spends his weekends in the fetal position because he's not being invited to these. No, no, Ogre became a nerd.

What are you talking about? Ogre became a nerd. Ogre knows with them. What about Booger? Does Booger go home? Yeah, Booger? Does Booger go? Does Lamar throw a javelin? So in the day when all the party was going on, he was a badass athlete. Yeah. Oh, really? He was sincerely, he was an. I gotta tell you. Oh really? He was so...

Sincerely, he was an amazing athlete. He didn't have a limp-wristed throwing style? No. He was... He was that great an athlete. That was the funniest thing when they said they designed the javelin for Lamar's limp-wristed throwing style. Well, I'll tell you the secret. When we started the nerds, I actually played two parts. I played a twin brother who was a nerd. So I had Stan Gable had a twin brother who was a nerd and they cut it out after day three. They said the movie's not going to go. It's

not what the movie is. So we're going to we're going to get rid of it. That would be its own movie. Really. Right. That is a different movie. Yeah. But no one ever talks about that. I think all those guys forgot about it. Anyway, so we were down in Mexico.

I ran into all those guys. So much fun. And we were, they never heard my side of anything because they hang out together all the time, but they never heard me talk about how unfriendly they were. And, you know, there was real atmosphere. They're like, what? What are you talking about? It was, it was interesting.

It was a lot of fun to see them. But yeah, I don't expect to get- I don't like, I don't like that the nerds don't treat Ted McGinley right. If you are one of the nerds, we'd like you to call in and explain yourselves, especially if you're Lamar, we want to talk about your limp-wristed throwing style. All right.

One more funny story. So I get contacted through my agent. There's a lady in Connecticut whose husband has tri-lams. He and his entire three brothers, all his family has tri-lams. He and his entire three brothers, all his family has tri-lams tattooed on their forearm. And for his 40th birthday, he wants me to fly back and have dinner with them. And they're going to fly me first class, they're going to pay me, and I'm going to go back there and sit with these guys and I'm going to surprise him at dinner.

That's amazing. And it was, it was that you forget how much that movie meant to some people in the day. Yeah, I mean, Donald and I were the right age where we would just like thought it was, I was probably too young to be seeing it, but I did see it and I just thought it was the funniest

fucking thing I'd ever seen. And I guess I, probably because I did feel nerdy and was intimidated by jocks and I don't know I was like the perfect target demo for it. And then I was and then there was Betty. I love the jokes I thought the jokes were hilarious and I thought you know I and I know a lot of them can't be I know a lot of the stuff that's in that movie can't actually be You go to jail for a lot of that. Well, we acknowledge it's problematic in some ways, but we can still appreciate segments of it.

That changed my, I remember my friends telling me I needed to see it and then finally seeing it and thinking, this is the most cutting edge movie I've ever seen in my life. I freaking laugh. Like literally, dude, I laughed so well, come on, man. His limp wristed throwing style to this day that and the and the Tricycle race and the song and the song and the song I mean the song was like the funniest fucking thing

I think I think that song is written by Tom Newman who's been nominated really numerous Academy Awards For scoring major films. Thomas Newman is a legend. Yeah. Not only that. Every one of those people connected to that film, by the way, Ted Fields, our cinematographer, they all went on to big things after that.

Yeah. Let's take a break. We'll be right back after these fine words. to make little nudges to your behavior and create habits that stick. Listen to the Life Kit podcast on iHeartRadio. Hey, you guys. I'm Catherine Legg. I'm a racing driver who's literally driven everything with four wheels across the planet. And I've got a new podcast. It's called Throttle Therapy. This season, I'm gearing up to make history competing in some of the world's most notorious racing events starting at the Indy 500. Join me as I travel from racetrack to racetrack in my quest to continue a memorable career in racing. I'm also going to bring you inside stories with legends of sports,

new faces from the next generation of auto racing and conversations with the people who've supported me throughout my career. We'll be getting into everything from karting to NASCAR, even Formula One. Whether you dream about being a pro athlete or an astronaut, we're talking about what it takes to make it. Listen to Throttle Therapy with Catherine Legg, an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. 2025 is bound to be a fascinating year. It's going to be filled with money challenges and

opportunities. I'm Joel. Ooh, and I am Matt. And we're the hosts of How to Money. We want to be with you every step of the way in your financial journey this year, offering the information and insights you need to thrive financially. Yeah, whether you find yourself up to your eyeballs in student loan debt or you've got a sky-high credit card balance because you went a little overboard with the holiday spending or maybe you're looking to optimize your retirement accounts so you can retire early. Well, How to Money will

help you to change your relationship with money so you can retire early. Well, How to Money will help you to change your relationship with money so you can stress less and grow your net worth. That's right, How to Money comes out three times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, for money advice without the judgment and jargon. Listen to How to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Snakes, zombies, public speaking, the list of fears is endless, but the real danger is in your hand when you're behind the wheel. Distracted driving is what's really scary and even deadly. Eyes forward, don't drive distracted. Brought to you by NHTSA and the Ad Council. We watch your wizard and I know.

All right, let's segue to Shrinking. I have to say, I'm lucky enough to have a front row seat to watching what's happening to you at Shrinking. And what's happening to you at Shrinking reminds me of what happened to Neil Flynn on Scrubs, but even in a bigger way, because as hilarious, Neil Flynn was in the pilot and he was supposed to, of Scrubs, he was supposed to have a small part

as the janitor, and Flynn was in the pilot and he was supposed to have scrubs. He was supposed to have a small part as the janitor and he was so incredible that Bill just kept giving him more and more and more to do. But he was always because he was always, you know, because he was always so crazy. He was the janitor and the character was so wacky. It was sort of capped at how much he could do. What's happening with you on Shrinking is so thrilling as a fan of yours to watch, because you started with just having quips, as Bill used to call these guys his assassins on scrubs, who could just walk by, say, a one-liner

and make everybody die laughing. Rob Masha was the king of that. And then I've watched over the seasons now, your part, if you look at a graph, it's just skyrocketing because you are killing it on the show and everybody loves you. Anytime anyone knows I have anything to do with the show,

they go, oh my God, I love Derek, he's so funny. I don't even know what to say. I need to tell you, before you say it, I'm trying to find out if my wife is home because she wanted me to tell you, you made her cry. You made her cry with your scene with Josh Hopkins. You made, she is a forever fan. She was a fan before, but she is a forever fan now.

And it's an amazing story so I'll let you take it but my wife loves you all right now you now you know that is very sweet both of you thank you very much I would be remiss if I don't start by saying Zach you're an amazing director. The energy that he brings to a set, and you must know, is no one like it. It's so much fun. The one thing that I appreciate, because I've been directed by many, many actors, is that when Zach comes to the set, he's a director.

He's looking for attention as a director. He's not trying to be anything else other than be a director and be a really good one. And he's always prepared. I just, and you can trust his judgment. He'll try it. You know, I love that. I love being able to trust the director

because you know they know funny, but two, they're only in it to make the whole better. And it's really a compliment to you, Zach. Thank you, thank you. I tell them that all the time, I tell them that all the time. I'm like, yo dude, you're a better director than you are an actor.

And you're really good. Thank you. But you're a really good actor, though. I always preface it. I always say you're a really good actor too man. That's like when people say to me, oh god, you're, well you got great hair. I had nothing to do with the hair. I'm trying to do a scene here. But Ted, but it speaks to just the experience because obviously Bill is a huge fan of yours and he knows, I think we've spoken about how he's like,

Ted is not a great auditioner, but he's a brilliant performer. And so with this thing, I didn't ask him to audition. I know how funny he is. I just put him in the show because I love him. And I know Krista had a voice in it too. She wanted a husband she was definitely attracted to and you qualify.

But then it was like you just, you can see that he's increasing and increasing the use of the character. Well, I found it was hard because when I first got there, literally first day, just walk through the scene and with your dog and, you know, say, just walk with the dog. I didn't want to. Uh, and I was going to do it with the, with the attitude. And Bill said, no, no, no, it's nice.

He's nice. He's, and he'll sometimes say things that that you shouldn't say, but he says it nicely. So you get away with it. And so then I started to grab on to that. And but I had no background. I had nothing on the guy and I could figure out what do I do? Oh, hello. This is Casey. Calm and Casey.

Good to see you. She Hi, good to see you. She's stopping by to tell you, we have here a genuine fan of yours. She wants to say her piece. Go ahead, Casey. No, I just, I know, I always have a couple of pieces to say, but I'll just leave it at this one. But I watched the episode,

I don't know which episode it was, but it was when, you was when you had just found out that she had kissed the other guy, and you go to Jessica and you're having like, your heart to heart or therapy session or whatever. Yeah. Oh, I just have to tell you, you made me cry. You're very sweet.

I like to say that it's just honestly brilliant writing. And it's just like you stand, hold onto the rope and let them pull you. And Christie doesn't get enough credit because she walks this fine type rope of so many different tough things to play. Just sitting next to her, I get more credit than I should. But you're very sweet to say that I'm I never get I was just so honored that they trusted me enough to take a chance with that. Yeah, I know it was great because I feel like I'm at the

age of my life where I kind of identify with Krista's character in that sense not not to Oh, you know, the kids are getting older. You're at home all the time. You do so much, but you don't really feel like you're important enough and all those things. So I'm always trying to champion that character.

But to see you and your take on it and your side, and it was just so, I just, I got so emotional. I texted Bill at 11 o'clock at night. I texted Zach. Yeah. So I thought you did such a great job showing the flip side of it. Like, yeah, it sucks for women. But it also sucks for men too, who are trying to be great husbands. Yeah, you know, it's so hard early how at home it's he feels safe at home. That's a safe space at home yeah because he loves being a great dad and he loves being he tries to be a great husband yeah it was just

it was just a beautiful moment all right casey we don't have a lot of time so put your husband back on oh no don't let her please let her stay no kacy get the hell out of here we love you. Zach, I love you. Zach, I love you. Casey, go on, please. No, Casey, get the hell out of here. We love you. I love you too, Ted. I love you too. I love you too. I like how you spell your name. So, where do you think is gonna happen with Derek?

I mean, I was a little surprised to be honest that, and I know this is the writing, it's not up to you, but I was surprised that Bill resolved it so quickly. I thought that there might be, you know, I don't know, what was your reaction to that? I was, it didn't, it made me nervous that they resolved it so quickly.

However, you know, it's not their show and there's a lot to go on. And I thought what was really cool was How real an adult they handled instead of me walking in there with a pistol you know they made it a real situation and I liked how I liked how When you have a family you have all these things you to keep going. And I just thought it was real.

I thought they did it. I'm always amazed at how wonderful they see the world and how well they're able to actually set an outline for you and then set you on your way. I just think it's so deep. There's a lot of giggling from people that know them well, that you're kind of playing a version of Bill. And he certainly writes stuff for you that he wishes he could say to his wife,

but he's afraid to. There's a moment, there's a great moment in season one where you're like, where she's telling you that you're not gonna be able to hang around the house. And you're like, no, I'm retiring. I'm the one who's been out there doing stuff. You can do whatever the hell you want, but I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want in this house.

I'm paraphrasing, of course. And all I could think of as I was watching it was like, this is what Bill would love to say to Krista, but he's afraid to. Yeah, he said that. Didn't he say something like that to you? Yeah. What did he say to you?

You saw on the Paley Center panel, you. On the What did he say to you on the on the Paley Center, pal? You on the panel? He said, that's exactly what I want to say, what I would like to say. But I know I did kill. So he lets me say, but he did tell me afterwards. He said that is it. And that's the first time he said to me, that's me. That's what I want to say.

If I could get away with it, that's what I would say. And I thought, okay, there's more there's there's Bill inside of there. And their relationship is, is very complicated. Bill and Krista, because he's the he's the supreme being, he's the boss. but yet she's really the boss. And when he walks on a set and we're doing something, she says, how about this? He says, no, that's not funny. And if I said that, I would be beaten.

My wife would be, you know, but they've worked out how to say it to each other. They understand. They have an incredible dynamic where she's definitely a tough boss at home, but he gets to be the tough boss at work. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And the second he walks through the door,

it's all gone, right? Yeah, yeah. It's funny, because I hang out with them sometimes. I wonder if she's ever like you. So you remember when you were getting all bralicky and all loud with me on set today, we're going to, we're going to talk about that now. She is such a pro. She, all she really understands is part of their method. It's part of the method. And that if, if he,

he's talking to everybody in those situations and I and it's so impressive I just love how she is so selfless sometimes to be able to take and by the way rarely does she do something where he's saying but no I do it the other way that's funny but I love that she'll say well I don't know what do you think and they have that ability to like he'll listen and he'll say no do it that one then he'll say no You know what? You're right. Go back to the other one It's just rare they work in rare air

Yeah, well, it's such an incredible cast and you know with all those big personalities and all those big names I just love as a fan of yours as a human and as a as an actor. I just love watching you rise Through it all because you know he has so many actors to service from Harrison Ford and Jason and Jessica and Michael Urie and Krista and everyone and Lukita and Luke and Little by little I'm just watching like your screen time increase increase and now you've got scenes with Harrison and now you've got these moving dramatic scenes. And I'm just so happy for you, Ted, because I just I think you're fantastic. And I love watching it happen.

And we've been fans for a really long time watching you also. That is no bullshit. Yes. So to see this, to see this and you getting your comeuppance as they say. Yes. You've come really good. You've come a long way from eating a pie and saying, that's my pie. That's my pie. I improvise that way. That's my. Well, that's my pie. That's my pie.

That's one of my favorite parts of the movie. That's how the pie tastes. It's all right. Really? By the way, That's how the pie tastes. It's all right. Really? What? By the way, today, maybe this is why. Today, if you go to those conventions, she still has those pies and she has whipped cream put right over the perfect spots and she signs them for you.

Oh, my God. She travels with her pies. Oh, my God, Donald, we got to go to one of these conventions. Donald and I are the target demo for these conventions. It would be an honor. Ted, we'll let you go. Thank you so much. We really appreciate you.

And everyone check out Trinking. It's on Apple TV Plus. It's in its second season, which is about to conclude. And there's going to be a third season. And it's an excellent show. And you will be directing in the third season? I am going to be directing, I believe, episodes three and four.

You're hearing it first. Episodes three and four of season three. Nice. You're so funny, because he shows up with this massive load of energy. He's nonstop and after two weeks, he's just a waif of a human being. He just has nothing.

He's given literally everything he has. It's hard. Listen, look at the amount of personalities on that show. And we shoot an episode in six and a half days and it's a big set. It's a big crew. It's a lot of personalities. So by the time I'm done directing two in a

row, I definitely need some time in the fetal position. Yeah, it's very good. And you keep that up. All right, buddy. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Here at LifeKit, NPR's self-help podcast, we love the idea of helping you make meaningful lifestyle changes. Our policy is to never be too punishing on yourself or too grand in your goals, which is why we've got shows on how to make little nudges to your behavior and create habits

that stick. Listen to the Life Kit podcast on iHeart Radio. Hey, you guys. I'm Catherine Legge. I'm a racing driver who's literally driven everything with four wheels across the planet. And I've got a new podcast. It's called Throttle Therapy. This season, I'm gearing up to make history competing in some of the world's most notorious racing events, starting at the Indy 500. Join me as I travel from racetrack to racetrack in my quest to continue a memorable career in racing. I'm also going to bring you inside stories with legends of sports, new faces from the next generation of auto racing,

and conversations with the people who've supported me throughout my career. We'll be getting into everything from karting to NASCAR, even Formula One. Whether you dream about being a pro athlete or an astronaut, we're talking about what it takes to make it. Listen to Throttle Therapy with Katherine Legg, an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

2025 is bound to be a fascinating year. It's gonna be filled with money challenges and opportunities. I'm Joel. Ooh, and I am Matt. And we're the hosts of How To Money. We wanna be with you every step of the way in your financial journey this year,

offering the information and insights you need to thrive financially. Yeah, whether you find yourself up to your eyeballs in student loan debt, or you've got a sky highhigh credit card balance because you went a little overboard with the holiday spending or maybe you're looking to optimize your retirement accounts so you can retire early. Well, How to Money will help you to change your relationship with money so you can stress less and

grow your net worth. That's right. How to Money comes out three times a week Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for money advice without the judgment and jargon. Listen to how to money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Snakes, zombies, public speaking. The list of fears is endless, but the real danger is in your hand when you're behind the wheel. Distracted driving is what's really scary and even deadly. Eyes forward, don't drive distracted. Brought to you by NHTSA and the ad council.

What a great guest, dude. I love him. He's the nicest man ever. He really is such a sweetheart. Not only that, he's, you know, he's such a good actor too. We didn't even get into the West Wing. We didn't get into Sports Night. Like he's, he's such a good actor too. We didn't even get into the West Wing. We didn't get into Sports Night. Like he's got- He's done over a hundred episodes of TV I read. Yeah, he's got a lot of experience in this industry.

But when you're with him on set, he's just like, there's no ego, he's just warm. He's like, oh, I got a funny idea. What if I do in one take this? And you're like, that's great, do that. And he's so grateful to be there. Do that. And he's so, he's so grateful to be there. He's just, he couldn't, he's one of the, one of the nicest actors I've ever worked with.

Yeah, man. Unlike the diva Donald Faison. You wish you could say that about me, bro. I don't know why you take that as a, as a diss, man. I think you're a great actor. I just think that your directing style is, there are very few people who can direct the way you direct, man. And I've worked with a lot of directors and you are one of my favorites by far.

Thank you. Thank you. Well, I do. And you get that, and you get this acknowledgement from other actors too, like Ted says this stuff, Harrison Ford has said this stuff and he's worked with a lot of actors too. I mean, directors also.

Harrison Ford hasn't worked with very good directors. I'm the first great director. Okay. Okay. No, it means a lot to me. Thank you. I love directing. I feel like of all the skillsets that I've developed

over all the years I've been doing this and my first audition was like at 13, and I love photography and I love music and I love actors and I love set design. And so I feel like all the things I love in the world come together in one job and that's directing. So it's great to hear that, that people like me doing it because it brings me so much joy.

It's very hard and challenging, but I do feel like I'm in the right spot when I'm doing it, you know? That's why I say you should direct Marvel, you should direct Star Wars, you should direct things like that because it would bring a different take, a fresh take, but you're so good because you could still stay in the realm of what it is. Well, shut up.

Well, fortunately, Kathleen Kennedy listens to the podcast, and so I'll have a job in the moment. So is Dave Poloni. Yes, they will be calling. All right, everybody. We love you. That's our show. We appreciate you.

Always have a beautiful week. Five, six, seven, eight. Gather round to hear our spuds rewatch our show with Zach and Donno. Here at LifeKit, NPR's self-help podcast, we love the idea of helping you make meaningful lifestyle changes. Our policy is to never be too punishing on yourself or too grand in your goals, which is why we've got shows on how to make little nudges to your behavior and create habits that stick. Listen to the life kit podcast on I heart radio. John Stewart is back at the daily show and he's bringing his signature wit and

insight straight to your ears with the daily show years edition podcast dive into John's unique take on the biggest topics in politics, entertainment, sports and more. Joined by the sharp voices of the show's correspondents and contributors. And with extended interviews and exclusive weekly headline roundups, this podcast gives you content you won't find anywhere else. Ready to laugh and stay informed? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Ready to laugh and stay informed? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Arturo Castro, and I've been lucky enough to do stuff like Broad City, and Narcos, and Roadhouse. And now I'm starting a podcast because honestly guys, I don't feel the space is crowded enough. Get Ready for Greatest Escapes, a new comedy podcast about the wildest true escape stories in history.

Each week, I'll be sitting down with some of the most hilarious actors and writers and comedians, people like Ed Helms, Diane Guerrero, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I love storytelling and I love you, so I can't wait. Listen and subscribe to Greatest Escapes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

You are cordially invited to the hottest party in professional sports. I'm Tisha Olin, former golf professional and the host of Welcome to the Party, your newest obsession about the wonderful world that is women's golf. Featuring interviews with top players on tour, tips to help improve your swing,

and the craziest stories to come out of your friendly neighborhood country club. Welcome to the Party with Tisha Allen is an iHeart Women's Sports Production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to Welcome to the Party, that's P-A-R-T-E-E on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.