Juicy Scoop with Heather McDonald - Drea de Matteo on Sopranos, The Mafia, and Hollywood

Episode Date: October 17, 2024

Bravo fans are furious at Real Housewive's Tamra for her latest desperate attempt to save herself. RFK’s alleged sexting affair is not going unaware. P. Diddy’s latest lawsuits are the most heinou...s so far. Then Drea de Matteo best known as Adriana on The Sopranos is here. She shares about her own family’s mafia ties. We get into how she got the part of Adriana and how she found out her character’s fate. Then we get into how her career took a turn away from Hollywood and into OnlyFans. I then explain how RHONJ's Dina Manzo got 7 years in prison to Drea and her reaction is everything. Enjoy!  • Go to https://TheOuai.com and use promo code JUICY for 15% off any product. • Reverse hair loss with @iRestorelaser and get $625 off with the code JUICYSCOOP at https://bit.ly/4e5bFaK #irestorepod • To learn more about therapy with NOCD, go to https://nocd.com and schedule a free 15-minute call with their team. • Go to https://Ro.Co/JUICYSCOOP. Memberships start at just $99 for your first month. Medication costs are separate. Go to https://Ro.Co/safety for black box warning and full safety information. Compounded medication is not required to and does not receive FDA review or approval. Rx only. Stand Up Tickets and info: https://heathermcdonald.net/ Shop Juicy Scoop Merch https://juicyscoopshop.com  Get EXTRA Juicy on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/juicyscoop  Follow Me on Social Media: Instagram: https://www/instagram.com/heathermcdonald  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heathermcdonald  Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherMcDonald Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Recently, I got a glimpse of the back of my head and I was like, girl, your hair looks great. That is because I've been using Whey for quite a while. I love their shampoo and conditioner because they are really made to deliver exactly what is right for my hair type and yours. With Whey, you'll get hydration that won't weigh you down, plus extra benefits that your specific strands need. Think volume and bounce, shine and protection against frizz. Wash your way to healthy hair and get a hair routine that's made just for you by way. Go to theway, T-H-E-O-U-A-I dot com and use promo code JUICY for 15% off any product. That's the way, T-H-E-O-U-A-I.com code JUICY. Hey moms, looking for some lighthearted guidance
Starting point is 00:00:50 on this crazy journey we call parenting? Join me, Sabrina Kohlberg. And me, Andi Mitchell, for Pop Culture Moms. Where each week we talk about what we're watching. And examine our favorite pop culture moms up close to try to pick up some parenting hacks along the way. Come laugh, learn, and grow with us as we look for the best tips. And maybe a few what not to do's from our favorite fictional moms.
Starting point is 00:01:13 From Good Morning America and ABC Audio, Pop Culture Moms, find it wherever you get your podcasts. Heather McDonald has got the juiciest scoop. When you're on the road, when you're on the go, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're on the road, when you're Heather McDonald has got the Juicy Scoop.
Starting point is 00:01:26 When you're on the road, when you're on the go, Juicy Scoop is the show to know. She talks Hollywood tales, her real life Mr. Sang with cereal data and cereal system. You'll be addicted and addicted fast to the number one tabloid real life podcast. Listen in, listen up. Woo woo. Heather McDonald. Juicy Scoop. Hello and welcome to Juicy Scoop.
Starting point is 00:01:54 As always, I have a great show, lots of juicy topics, and a fabulous interview. First, of course, I'm getting ready to pack because I'm going to Minneapolis. I will be there this Friday night at the Fillmore Theater with the hilarious blue-eyed beauty Chris Frangiola. Always so funny. There are some tickets still left. Bring the husband, the friend. It doesn't matter if they don't know who we are.
Starting point is 00:02:17 They will laugh their asses off. It's a safe place to laugh and for some edgy fun comedy that's non-political. Also, Chicago. I will be there then. I'm so excited to be in Chicago. You guys know I love this city. It's one of my favorite places to perform. And I'll be at the Vic Theater with again, Chris,
Starting point is 00:02:38 on this Saturday, October 19th. And then a couple of weeks off. And then I am back in Irvine Improv, which I love. Two shows of standup on Friday and Saturday, November 8th and 9th and then a totally different live Juicy Scoop on Sunday the 10th. Everything is at HeatherRinkDawn.net and of course that's where you also sign up for my Patreon and enjoy it and never leave and it changes your life. Okay, sometimes there's gifts that I don't ask for
Starting point is 00:03:09 that just come into my lap. Yesterday, it was Tuesday morning and I didn't know what I was gonna do with the day. I actually had a little time off. I was gonna cut some clips from the Spencer Pratt Show, figure out which great golden moments there were so many to choose from, do a little Pilates, you know, get some stuff done. And then I wake up to the fact that on Real Housewives of OC, which if you're not watching it, that
Starting point is 00:03:38 is okay, because you're going to enjoy the story like you always do. Tamara Barney Judge, okay, Barney was her first married name. She goes by Tamara Judge. She's been on the show for like 17 years. She's having a tough season because she has just come out guns blazing, very cruel to Shannon Bedore. So right now people don't like Tamara that watch the shows. As you know, we watch Housewives like someone would watch sports. So there's times where they really are excited about their team and they don't like
Starting point is 00:04:10 what the quarterback is doing, or they don't like that they changed managers or owners or coaches or whatever. That's the way people get. So they're watching this show, which is very entertaining this season, and they are not liking how cruel and awful Tamara is being. And now the audience is
Starting point is 00:04:26 quite sophisticated and they understand that people have to come up with things and act crazy or whatnot to keep their job, to have something interesting, so that the people keep bringing them back, meaning the people Annie Cohen Bravo. Tamara is now saying that she has autism and that is why she can't be empathetic to other people because we've seen her be so cruel and insensitive and awful, especially this season, to what Shanna's going through, seeing her ex-boyfriend be in love with another cast member
Starting point is 00:05:00 and dealing with getting a DUI and all of that and being sued on top of it. So people didn't think she was a very good friend to her. So anyway, she has a show with Teddy who used to be on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills isn't anymore. And it was so poorly acted. It's a good thing that Teddy didn't pursue acting,
Starting point is 00:05:22 but clearly they know they're going to talk about this thing and Tamara says, so I had my first therapy appointment and then Teddy goes, you did? Yeah. And I found out some things about myself that are pretty incredible. What Tam? What did you find out? Well, it's pretty clear I'm on the autism spectrum. Something to that effect. And then Teddy goes, Tam, she goes, don't make me cry. Okay, so people that watch the show are like, okay, enough.
Starting point is 00:06:06 But the people that really got upset were the ones who have a loved one in their life, either their own child or someone close to them that does in fact have autism. And one of the things that really came clear is you don't know that you are on the spectrum at all unless you do many evaluations. It can take up to a year of really figuring it out.
Starting point is 00:06:26 And what she said is, yeah, and it's based on my past trauma. It's also not based on past trauma. So, hey, maybe she, just like a lot of these housewives, go to a doctor and they get free Botox. Maybe she went to a therapist that in exchange for this diagnosis that could be true, maybe not. Maybe she gets that for free too. I don't know. It was a big mistake. The, the Bravo fandom did not like this. They called BS.
Starting point is 00:06:57 I called for prayers for Tamara and for Teddy's bad acting. I felt they both needed our prayers because this was just so ridiculous. So anyway, the audience knows the pattern of what she and other women sometimes in her position have to do to create a storyline. And so I thought, my gosh, if she continues with this story that she in fact is now realizing at 58 years old or whatever she is that she has this,
Starting point is 00:07:26 which doesn't go along with, you know, being able to be on a reality show, have bright lights on you. A lot of people brought that up that like, you know, that this isn't really the traits of it, whatever. The point is, no one believed it, no one accepted it, no one really felt sorry for her, no one was praying for her like I asked them to.
Starting point is 00:07:46 Anyway, she came forward and was like, I shouldn't have spoken so soon. I'll take it privately now. But I still believe there might, she might have thought this was gonna take me to the next season. I'm gonna have a journey. I'm gonna do some charity stuff.
Starting point is 00:08:00 I'm gonna make some sack lunches. I'm going to, whatever. It didn't pan out the way she thought. So there you go. But it was a lot of chatter about that yesterday. And I thought it was pretty interesting. So I did, you know, I did a tweet and I did a little video. Okay. Also, Vicki brought up, Vicki, her co-star said, this is disgusting and shame on her. She's looking for attention and sympathy. It's no different than Brooks. That was one of the famous storylines
Starting point is 00:08:31 of Vicki had a boyfriend named Brooks who lied about having cancer. To this day, she says, I didn't know I was tricked too, but we don't know. But all she wanted was for people to feel sorry for she and Brooks and bring her a casserole. That was Vicki. Well, now Vicki doesn't like Tamra anymore so she's writing this. It's no different than Brooks saying he had cancer for sympathy and lying to me.
Starting point is 00:08:52 She needs psychological help and needs to stop making a mockery of being on the spectrum or having autism. So Gretchen, a former castmate, has spoken, everyone spoke. Like I said, she made a statement, she'll probably be quiet, there'll be a new story next week. But here's the thing, you know, I think there might be a place where it's unfortunate that I think, okay, hear me out, all right? For the sake of everyone's mental health and life of being a real housewife, if we're going to go forward with these women, I think there should be like a maximum amount of years
Starting point is 00:09:35 like they do, like you can only be two terms as a president. I think there should be a maximum amount for a housewife. Then they know, I'm in year six, I only have two years left, no matter what. I need to get my things in line. If I'm going to get divorced, I want to do it around year four or five so I can find somebody else and on a second wedding. I don't know. Plan it out knowing that there's an end to it. The audience knows there's an end to it. They say goodbye. They have like a little farewell party. And we know no matter how juicy your life is, it's got to end on year eight. And then they can go with their other business, make up with their children who hated them because they
Starting point is 00:10:17 were doing embarrassing things on camera. And there's time to save their situation for the future. But they get addicted to the fame and they don't wanna leave. And because there isn't like this set thing in the constitution of Bravo, it can go on forever. And then we have desperate people saying that they have a diagnosis that puts them on the spectrum of being, you know, it's just not true.
Starting point is 00:10:44 The only spectrum she's on is the asshole spectrum, which can be a serious thing. So, like I said, pray for her. Okay, this about the RFK junior situation with the cheating. I thought this was so interesting. So I had mentioned before that I was pretty confident that it was the journalist's ex-fiance
Starting point is 00:11:08 who blew the whistle. That appears to be true. There's these court papers that New York Post and other people are reporting. I don't know what the court papers are. I don't know who this guy is suing. That was confusing. But what was interesting is her ex-fiance is 51. She's only 31, kind of a big age gap.
Starting point is 00:11:27 Then Keith Oberman said he dated her when he was 51 and she was 21. And it was pretty serious and they even had got a dog together. I'm like, what is with this chick and older guys? Because then she goes from like dating a guy who's 30 years older, then she gets engaged to a guy who's 20 years older than her. Then she starts this sexting thing with 70-year-old Robert F. Kennedy when she's 31 and he's whatever 70. But according to her ex-fiance, who's pissed, he said she begged for him to take her back. And she said he's the one that like found out because he went through my stuff.
Starting point is 00:12:05 He's saying, no, I didn't find out about the affair by going through your stuff. She told me because I broke up with her and then she begged for me to take her back. And she said she was, you know, so distraught by this weird sexting relationship with him because he said that he wanted to impregnate her and wanted to possess her and all this stuff. And so she was begging for him to come back. It all got revealed to the paper that she worked for. And here we are. And so Keith Oberman from MSNBC said, oh, Ben there done that, like answered to a tweet.
Starting point is 00:12:40 And then they realized, oh, he dated her too. Very interesting. So I wonder where this girl's gonna land. She gonna land like on Dancing with the Stars or the villain or what? But, or she gonna, you know, get her own podcast. I'm sure that'll happen. Who knows? But it doesn't really seem to matter.
Starting point is 00:13:03 He's, you know, we're not really hearing about him right now. So I guess he may still stay married to his wife. Some people feel differently about sexting, cheating, and it's just embarrassing all around. Okay, some awful updates on Diddy, and I'm sorry, but I mean, I'm covering it, so I've got to cover the updates. Bow Wow did an interview, and he made the unfortunate mistake of saying, you know, there's been no good parties since Diddy's arrest. Like nobody's going out, no one's partying. But the way it sounded, TMZ of course caught it and was like, come on.
Starting point is 00:13:41 But he was saying, yeah, we used to go to all these, like no one wants to have fun anymore. Now there's all these new lawsuits and six of them are from men. And the stories are just crazy. The stories behind the lawsuits that are being represented by lawyers. And I'm assuming they have some serious evidence in order to take on these cases. But the more you read about these lawsuits and these allegations, it is like he really was this sexual assaulting mafioso who who ordered people around him to participate. And it's just awful. So this one, this person, this guy said, he was working at a Macy's in the Echo clothing department. And P Diddy was so angry that Echo clothing
Starting point is 00:14:41 was near the Sean John display at Macy's, that he took this guy into the stockroom and sexually assaulted him. And like, the guy threatened his life, threatened it, and then went out to the rest of the Macy's and was like to the people, oh, let me give you some free Sean John clothes after assaulting him.
Starting point is 00:15:05 And then when that worker tried to tell Macy's whatever, they had just closed a big deal with Sean John, allegedly, and fired him. He had an apartment that he was living in that Macy's was paying for, which sounds kind of weird, but I don't know how high up he was in the company. He had to leave that place. And like many of the people was just too frightened and felt like no one was hearing him when this happened and therefore has waited till now to speak. So that is very bizarre. The other case is so awful. This girl, I listened to the whole complaint read on a different news source, but I don't really want to get into it.
Starting point is 00:15:51 But this girl met this friend of Diddy's, they FaceTimed Diddy's, and she said, like, I think you had something to do with Tupac's murder. He said, you're going to pay for that. Well, a month later, that same guy that she met, who I guess maybe she was interested in or thought he was a friend, he's like, hey, come to my house. Let's watch a movie. She comes over there. And as they're about to watch a movie, Diddy shows up with like three other people. And one of them, I think being a woman that's named in some of these cases. And they assault her, they assault her with the baby oil, which obviously had something that made her body like lifeless,
Starting point is 00:16:35 where she couldn't kind of control herself, assaulted her every which way and with objects, numerous people. It's absolutely horrible, her account. And she says, I'm gonna call the police. They say, he says to her, don't call the police. I'll just pay you. Just, you know, first of all, just say you're a sex worker and I'll pay you, just let me pay you. According to this, they even, he even called his mother
Starting point is 00:17:01 and gave the phone to her and the mother was like, you're not going to ruin my son's life. Why don't you just take the money? She did tell the police they didn't do anything. The case is insane. Anyway, it's just absolutely incredible. The amount of lawsuits that are coming forward every day, there's something new. So just get ready. Everyone's like, we want to know who the other A-listers are. We still don't know.
Starting point is 00:17:26 Even in these lawsuits, no other A-listers or anybody of a recognizable name is being named. So we don't know. Will we ever know? I don't know. All right, you guys, now for my interview. Recently, I got a glimpse of the back of my head. And I was like, girl, your hair looks great.
Starting point is 00:17:43 And so is everybody else saying that, that is because I've been using Whey for quite a while. I love their shampoo and conditioner because they are really made to deliver exactly what is right for my hair type and yours. With Whey, you'll get hydration that won't weigh you down, plus extra benefits that your specific strands need. Think volume and bounce, shine,
Starting point is 00:18:05 and protection against frizz. I absolutely love it. My hair oftentimes get very dry. I use a lot of products. And what I really love is their detox shampoo. And then I follow it up with Waze Conditioning Hair Mask. Oh my gosh, this is great for fine to medium and thick hair types,
Starting point is 00:18:23 but it instantly restores hydration, fights frizz and strengthens strands, which is what my locs really require. Fine hair shampoo and conditioner is also great. It gives your locs a luxurious lift. Also, do you have curls? I bet they're craving moisture. Well, hydrate thick strands
Starting point is 00:18:40 with Whey's thick hair shampoo and conditioner. Wash your whey to healthy hair and get a hair routine that's made just for you by Wei. Go to thewei, T-H-E-O-U-A-I.com and use promo code JUICY for 15% off any product. That's thewei, T-H-E-O-U-A-I.com, code JUICY. This is the time of year when the air gets colder, the shadows grow longer, and the cases get even darker. I'm Savannah Breimer, and this is Killer Instinct, your
Starting point is 00:19:13 weekly deep dive into true crime's most chilling mysteries. All month long, we're going to be embracing this season with some of the most unsettling cases and unsolved mysteries that keep you up at night. If you think you can handle the fear, join me every week for an October you won't forget. Not only are you going to be getting weekly episodes, but you will also get back to back episodes the four days leading up to Halloween as a part of our Halloween series.
Starting point is 00:19:40 So grab your headphones, turn down the lights, and get ready for the darkest stories you'll hear this season on Killer Instinct. Hello and welcome to Juicy Scoop. I'm very excited to talk to first time meeting you, guest, actress, star. Most, for me, you're best known. This is Dreya Mateo, but she's to me best known
Starting point is 00:20:04 for The Sopranos, the character of Adriana, but also you were in Sons of Anarchy. You've been in tons of other shows. Joey. Oh, God. Joey. So many different things. And welcome to Juicy Scoop. I'm excited to get your Juicy Life story. I'm happy to be here. Thanks for having me. The Pinsky's wanted me to meet you really bad. Oh, that's so... The Pinskes. Well, yeah, Dr. Drew Pinsky and Susan, I love them.
Starting point is 00:20:34 And okay, because I didn't know how this came about. I just didn't know if like you were just... No, they were trying to get me to go on a boat with you. Oh, he invited you on the boat that we just went recently. We went on the boat with them recently, yes. They're like, you're going to love Heather. I want you to meet her. I want you to come and hang out with us.
Starting point is 00:20:52 I was like, but I have to go on a boat again this week, somewhere else. I don't like going on boats. You know what we- Was it fun? It was really fun. And you know, we, my husband became a captain over COVID and we like had a boat for like a year where we were kind of like running it.
Starting point is 00:21:08 We always were like, oh, we had like, it was like a lease for a year. So we'd have these days and then we invited people and like soon I realized, okay, out of my group of like, there's just these few people that are always down. And then there's other people that you, I realized I shouldn't be offended. Some people just don't want to be on a boat. They don't want to be trapped. They don't care how nice it is. It's just not their vibe. And then other people like me, I will always say yes. So it's just like kind of an interesting thing. Are you a boat person or not? I'm a puker.
Starting point is 00:21:38 You're what? I'm a puker. I'll puke. I'll puke on the boat. I don't want to. And then I feel like I'm ruining everybody's good time. I love it though. I love being in the water. I mean I'll be in a kayak all day or a rowboat. Then I have to work. Right. Okay. So I wanted to get a little bit about your background because I know from doing a little research on you, you are in the process of writing research on you, you are in the process of writing like a memoir about your life. And your background is very interesting. Like your grandma, was it your grandmother? And you do have a mafia background? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:22:15 Mafia? I didn't know that much about it while I was doing The Sopranos. But yeah, see that how my voice just starts to crack. The gods are saying, shut up, don't talk about it. But yes, I always knew about my grandfather, Joe Babes. And what's his story? Well, I thought his name was because he was a womanizer, but if you Google it, it says he shot a baby by accident. I'm like, what the?
Starting point is 00:22:42 Because he was in the mob and he had to do that hit? I guess he was doing a hit and I mean, maybe he wasn't a good shot. I don't know if I don't know the story. So what year was this that your grandfather was actively doing mob work? In the 50s. Yeah. And so was he with your grandmother at the time? Yeah. And this is on your mom's side or your dad's side? On my mom's side. My dad's dad was also a main guy.
Starting point is 00:23:07 And this is all happening in New York? Yep. Bronx and Harlem. And you're like, yeah. Because you know, I really didn't know much about the mafia or what. Me neither. Until like the Sopranos. Me neither. And I just was fascinated.
Starting point is 00:23:29 I remember, oh, here's a juicy story that happened to my mother. She was a realtor and she, her client, I guess I could say this now because she's dead, but it was, oh my God, my dad and her did real estate together. My dad was so mad at her, but she was selling the house to this guy who was dating Victoria Gotti. And my mom was like, this is so juicy, you know, because the Gotti. And I guess she like just said it at an open house or something like to one of her real estate friends like, oh, you know, he's seeing his Victoria Gotti. And the guy called and he's like, I got back to him. And he's like, I can't believe that you would say that. And they
Starting point is 00:24:18 lost the listing. And I just remember being like, oh, my God, now here I am. This is my career, just gossiping, doing juicy scoop. But yeah, so I was like, what does that even mean? I'm like, I don't, I remember I was like, what is the mafia? Like I did not get what it was. And so it's like, okay, so you, when did you find that out? I mean, I knew about my, I knew about my, of my grandfather's, I did.
Starting point is 00:24:43 I didn't know about some of my dad's the rest of my dad's family. But and I knew that my mom's family was very connected in Queens when we were growing up. But we had like we had car service, not car car services. Jesus. We had. Am I allowed to curse? Yes. Yes. God, I can relax now. OK, I'm trying to be all proper. We always had Cadillacs parked in the driveway, tons of them. My dad, he had no money, even though my dad's father was in the mafia, he was not a big money-making guy.
Starting point is 00:25:15 He was more like a consulieri. People would come to him for advice. He had a pizza parlor, but they were poor. They were really, really poor. So when my dad started making money, he just kept buying Cadillacs for everybody. Poor dad. Yeah. So he had a fleet of Cadillacs.
Starting point is 00:25:32 Okay. So wait, so your mom, whose dad was in the mafia, she then finds her husband, who's your dad. Yes. And was he already in the mafia or did he get- His father was like this. They called him the Dunny. So were they part of the same mafia family? No, my dad's from the Bronx.
Starting point is 00:25:52 So was that a problem that they were part that she came from this mafia family and married into a different mafia deal? No, but I think they thought my dad would become a maid guy because he was all I didn't know this when my dad was alive. What does a maid guy mean? A maid guy is, you get your button. It means you're part of one of the five families and all of the- And why are there only five?
Starting point is 00:26:16 Was it a six family ever trying to break in? I feel like this is like frats. I don't know anything about it. I can only compare it to fraternity life. I'm not an expert. I mean- Like different fraternities and like they don't, and do the families ever get along? No, they're at war with each other.
Starting point is 00:26:33 They're always at war, all five of them. They all offered my dad a button except the Gambino's because they said my dad was too wild. Whatever the fuck that means because I didn't know this while he was alive. I only found this out years after he was dead. I didn't know. And like, what is it really? Like, I know they dress up and they go to church
Starting point is 00:26:57 and they have baptisms and they can be charming and they go to funerals and they can be charming. But if you're gonna join, you know that A, you might be murdered or you might be asked to murder someone. Is that everybody in it or can you be like, I just want to be the paperwork person or I just want to be the person that sets up the dinner reservations at the Italian place and maybe finds a couple new people to shake down, but I don't want to be the killer. You have to agree that you'll do whatever, right?
Starting point is 00:27:26 Yeah. I mean, the blood oath, they take a blood oath. The omerta means you're never going to speak. Again, I'm not an expert, but- Well, it sounds like you kind of are. I mean, you played one on TV. I mean, you played one and you came from one. I think you're pretty out there. I didn't know anything about it when I was in my family. So when you're growing up at like eight, what did you think your family did for a living? Well, no, my dad was a furniture manufacturer
Starting point is 00:27:54 and my mom was a playwright. And that's the truth. So your dad had another income and another job. My dad was not in the mafia. Oh, your dad was a playwright. They offered him to be in the mafia. Oh, they offered and he said no. My mother said, you do this and I'm fucking out of here. I already grew up with a father like this.
Starting point is 00:28:11 I will not marry because her dad was a cheater. He was a wife beater. He was all of these things. So she was like, I'm not, she wouldn't even be a mom, my mother. And when we were born, she was like, I am going to be a playwright and I am going to school and I am not cooking and I am going to school and I am not cooking and I am not cleaning and I'm not raising my children.
Starting point is 00:28:29 I'm gonna hire somebody when there's enough money and that's how that went down. So. What do you mean she's not gonna raise her children? She just couldn't deal with being my grandmother. She didn't wanna be my grandmother because my grandmother was so, I mean, the story is long and involved, which is why we're
Starting point is 00:28:46 writing the book. Yeah, you definitely should. But it's, um. It could be like a movie too. And it's great. It's a great story. And it's all about all these really strong women that made mistakes. My mom made mistakes.
Starting point is 00:28:57 She was great, but she definitely made mistakes. I was raised by my nanny. And she made mistakes too. We all made mistakes. And so your mom's mom, is that the one that, is it your mom's mom, your grandmother that also was part of the helping girls get abortions? No, that was my great grandmother.
Starting point is 00:29:19 Your great grandmother. 1950s Harlem. Well, when she was young and hurt, when she was about 15, she cut her hair into a flapper's hairdo. And her parents were like, you're fucking crazy. You're going to Bellevue. You need a lobotomy. You're a whore. You're a putah. You got to go. That's it. Because you didn't know you weren't supposed to do that. Cut your hair short. Yeah, like that was so rebellious. Yeah, like the times we're living in now. So, oh my God. But they said either you go to Bellevue and get mental help
Starting point is 00:29:49 or you get married. And they married her off at 15 years old. She had my grandmother by the time she was 16 or, she was 15, I think, actually, when she had my grandmother. And she was at the museum one day. She comes home from being out all day with my grandmother, baby grandmother and the baby, she's a mother and she's a baby with my baby grandmother. And the husband punches her out or slaps her for being out and not having her dinner ready.
Starting point is 00:30:18 This other 15-year-old husband, you know what I mean? And she stabs him. And she's like, I mean, she didn't kill him. She stabbed him. And she said, you will give me a divorce, otherwise I'll go outside and tell everybody in this neighborhood, all the Italian men, that your wife stabbed you. So everyone's going to know you're a pussy. So he divorced her and then she took her baby and she went to her mother's house and her mother was fucking the neighbor.
Starting point is 00:30:51 She was like, so she just starts blackmailing everyone. The mother was still married to her dad. Yes. She's fucking the neighbor. She goes, okay, you are going to watch this child that you guys made me have and I am going to Bellevue, but I'm not going to Get a lobotomy. I'm going to become a midwife and That was that so my grandmother was raised by her mother my great-grandmother went off and became a midwife and
Starting point is 00:31:21 Then she came back and started delivering babies and that was her life. And then eventually she started giving abortions because there were a lot of young girls that were taking care of it themselves. They didn't know. Nobody really knew what it was. So it was, you know, that's how that started. And then my grandfather, the mafia guy, he was coming up and they brought heroin here to America. From where? Where did heroin come from originally? I guess he was back in those days. It must have been Esk- was it Escobar or who were the big dealers? I can't remember. I'm probably going to get this wrong. So I'll just stop on that.
Starting point is 00:32:02 Yeah. But he started supplying the morphine for my grandmother's abortions for the clinic in the brownstone on Pleasant Avenue in New York City. And that's how he met my grandmother. The whole story is crazy. So then my grandmother has my mother. And so I have my grandmother's name is here. My nanny's name is here. I was raised by my grandmother, my nanny and my mother. And I would always say to my mom, I never understood why my mom was so distant doing her own thing. But once I started to understand who all these people were in my house, I was like, wow, this is a really dynamic situation. Like everybody's fucked up.
Starting point is 00:32:48 Do you have any siblings? I have two older brothers. Are you guys close? And they're a lot older. We were. We are not now. Now that everyone's gone. My mom just passed this summer and my dad passed like 13 years ago. Yeah. I'm an orphan now. I'm an orphan and I have no family except for my children. I love my children. I can kind of relate to some of that for sure. Okay, so then when did you realize like I'm a performer,
Starting point is 00:33:20 I wanna act and what was your path? I mean, both my parents wanted to act, and my dad's family said, you're too ugly to act, he was gorgeous. I don't know why they said that. And then my mom, they said, only putanas act, only the whores act. So, again with the whores, and now look who the whore is,
Starting point is 00:33:42 right here, I'm the fucking whore all around. That's really interesting too because this is probably why Dr. Drew was like we should meet there are a lot of similarities you know. Oh yeah? Yeah definitely not. We should hold hands. Yes definitely not. I did a whole thing about you know being being estranged from adult siblings like as and how people give that a lot of pressure, oh, but this is your sibling and you should be. And I kind of did this thing of like giving people permission, you don't have to, you know, do what's right for you and break the cycle.
Starting point is 00:34:16 So like I understand that even though people are like, blood is thicker than water. It's like... I love them. Yeah. I do. It just doesn't work. Sometimes it just doesn't work. I also feel like they don't have a real interest either. I do have interest in being close to everybody. But I feel like they really don't and I'm not
Starting point is 00:34:33 gonna work hard for something. And they've also just been sort of, you know. And then the fact that both of your parents kind of wanted to be performers too. Like, my dad, when he said when he was coming back, he was in World War II, but when he was coming back on the boat from Japan to San Diego, he said they only had like one movie that they kept playing over and over on the boat to get back. And so he'd memorized all the lines and they would just act it out. But then, you know, went and got, used the GI Bill, got into football, what became a businessman after, you know, played football in college, got a business, whatever.
Starting point is 00:35:11 But always had like a really great, could do impressions and be funny. And then my mom got a scholarship to Catholic University to act. And her dad was like, you're not gonna be an actress if you're gonna go to college, do journalism, because you can write too. And it's just kind of funny when sometimes when people are like,
Starting point is 00:35:29 oh, I'm living the life that maybe my mom or dad would have wanted. I think there's a lot of us out there kind of like that when you look back at it. Because obviously, there's Neppo babies, but then there's people that just like if someone has an engineering brain, their kid might have an engineering brain. If your parents were creative and storytellers and actors, even if they didn't pursue it, sometimes you know, then you come out that way too, you know.
Starting point is 00:35:56 I think my parents were, forget about even the fact that I became an actor. I don't think my dad wanted me to act because he thought it was too heartbreaking. And he would say to me every day, please, baby, pick something else that you can do. Like this should only be this should be the last resort of if you can't do anything else, then this can be the thing that you do. Try to do something else. Because he saw my mom being in the industry for years just being a playwright. But my mom never really pursued it in the way that she should have.
Starting point is 00:36:23 I mean, she was with William Morris for years, but she never even published a play, which I thought was weird, because her plays were, she was kind of a big deal underground in the theater world, but she never really took it all the way. So now I'm gonna publish all of her plays for her, and tell her story with this book.
Starting point is 00:36:41 But, because it's her story, it's more her story. I mean, it's my story, but it's her. She starts it off with that crazy before. But I think what they were more obsessed with was the Sopranos. I think they couldn't believe that I would. I never really pursued acting, by the way. I was in film school.
Starting point is 00:36:58 I wanted to, I was the anti-theater. I hated growing up in the theater because of my mom. I hated watching people play house. I was like, motherfuckers, I'm supposed to play house. I am the little kid. Why are you people acting like I am the mom and I am the dad? And I wanted to play house.
Starting point is 00:37:14 So I hated sitting there watching these adults rehearse all day, even though it was Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghoff and all these people. I was like, I don't care who they are. I'm a baby. So I went to film school. I went to NYU film school to get away from the whole theater thing.
Starting point is 00:37:30 And it was like the fuck you. And you go right out of high school there. Yeah, I went straight into NYU. And I fucked up because I was a fuck up. How'd you fuck up? Well, first of all, I worked through school, which I probably shouldn't have done because I didn't need to. We had money and my parents were taking care of me. But I just,
Starting point is 00:37:50 I think, loved the life of bartending until five o'clock in the morning and coming home with $2,000 in cash, you know, and like half baked. And it just was, that was my dorm room experience. It wasn't like other kids. I was a working, I felt like a working man. Okay. And I fucked up. I just took that more seriously than my actual education and I wasn't making my movies on time.
Starting point is 00:38:17 And then I fell into the wrong stuff being in the clubs every night. Okay. Yeah. So you didn't finish. I got kicked night. Okay. Yeah. So you didn't finish. I got kicked out. Okay. I got let go of the school.
Starting point is 00:38:29 Then they let me, I came and I begged back in and they let me stay in as long as I kept a 4.0. Uh-huh. So I managed to do that for a minute. Really? Wow. For a minute. Uh-huh. And that's when I started taking the acting classes.
Starting point is 00:38:42 I was like, how am I gonna maintain this 4.0? I'm gonna do something really fucking easy. And I started taking the acting classes. I was like, how am I gonna maintain this for, oh, I'm gonna do something really fucking easy. And I started taking acting for directors. And I secretly was like, I think I might wanna do this. And all my friends are like, why are you in the film department? You should just be acting. And I was like, no,
Starting point is 00:38:59 because I felt like it was so indulgent to act and even to say I want to act. People would ask me even what I did for a living. It's like conceited to say I wanna act. Yeah. I was always super shy. Yes. Like I'm only not shy in the last three years of my life. Okay, cool. I swear to God.
Starting point is 00:39:18 I was so crazy shy. So I was like, I felt very conceited. Like, oh, you think you're an actress? No, I'm a bartender. I'm a bartender. You know. Welcome to Monet Talks with me, your girl Monet Exchange. A weekly podcast where the only thing a haunt of them,
Starting point is 00:39:33 the tea, is our topics, darling. Every single Thursday, we'll be bringing you candid interviews, fun segments, and games, featuring a dazzling array of guests, including fellow queens, other celebrities, pop culture icons, friends, and maybe even an ex-boyfriend. Or four. Ha ha ha ha.
Starting point is 00:39:53 You want to hear something horrible? Tell me. I was outed. Outed? Say their name. I think I found sobriety through my fans. That's beautiful, bitch. I love those little whores.
Starting point is 00:40:04 I'm normally not this nasty. I bring it out of everyone. Ha ha ha ha. To watch the podcast in-studio, see exclusive content, and get a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes, head over to youtube.com slash at Monet Exchange Official and tell all your friends you can listen to Monet Talks completely free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere else you get your podcasts. Period. to The Bald and the Beautiful podcast. Listen as we cover topics as varied as proper bidet usage, celebrity impression tutorials, and a television show I recently watched that I'll base my entire personality on for six weeks.
Starting point is 00:40:52 As well as creative pest control, tasty limeade recipes, and fun sex act trend. We also chat about boobs and movies and wigs and stuff, which is obviously the public service part of the podcast. So get ready for screaming, cackling, and some occasional educational moments as two massively unqualified queens talk about what it's like to be the epitome of fabulous.
Starting point is 00:41:12 Go subscribe to The Bald and the Beautiful with Trixie Mattel and Katya Zomolchkova on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening right now. I'm Louis, AKA the baddest perra. And I'm Yoatsi. And we're siblings. We might not be the most intelligent.
Starting point is 00:41:31 Or the smartest. Or inteligentes. You just said that. Oh yeah. But at least we're pretty. You may have seen our viral challenge videos, Mexican food mukbangs, and family vlogs. But did you know we're also the hosts of the podcast Pretty Not Smart? On our show, we expose all the cheesemeat in our lives, from our wildest dating stories
Starting point is 00:41:53 to childhood feuds to our scary ghost stories. But don't worry, it's not all drama all the time. We discuss financial hardship, the importance of taking care of your mental health, and our experiences dealing with complicated family relationships. Because we're siblings, we know each other better than anyone, which means we also know how to beef with each other like it's nobody's business. Who doesn't love listening in on a little sibling conflict? We've also had some amazing guests join the show, like YouTubers Adam Ray and Laura Mellado,
Starting point is 00:42:24 and so many more. At the end of the day, I'm happy to be the pretty one and Yoati the smart one. No, it's definitely the other way around. And who told you that lie? Ask the audience. So if you want to hear the juicy perspectives of two pretty siblings, tune into Pretty Not Smart.
Starting point is 00:42:40 Available wherever you get your podcasts. Smart. Available wherever you get your podcasts. So, okay, so you got through the school by taking the acting classes. And then how did you start booking stuff, like real booking stuff and getting money? No, I had a friend who's a writer in the business and she just introduced me to managers here and there. She would always put me in her little films that she'd be making and stuff with her husband. But she introduced me to a manager. The manager had me on for a minute sending me out to things. I wasn't really an actor, but she told me that I had a terrible voice so that I would never be able to act because my voice was so fucked up.
Starting point is 00:43:30 Because I used to be a heavy smoker. And she asked me to go take voice classes. So I said, okay, that's normal because people take voice classes and acting. It's like a normal thing to do. And she's like, no, no, no, no, no, not voice, Jerry, like, like opera classes, like singing opera classes, you got to be fucking kidding me. She goes, yes, I think that you should take opera singing classes so that you can really break through your voice and all of this raspiness. And I thought you're fucking crazy. I was like, so if I
Starting point is 00:44:03 don't do this, are we still good? And she was like, no, we're not. So she let me go. And I was so fucking crazy. But then like two weeks later, I booked The Sopranos. So how did you get the audition for The Sopranos? Your manager just put you up for the role? No, an agent.
Starting point is 00:44:21 I had like a small agent. Actually it's the same agency I ended up going back to now, even though I'm not acting anymore. But I was like, fine, you guys want to represent me? Take it. Take it. Take all this, all this nothing of acting that I all of this, all of the me saying, absolutely not. But yeah, they got me some small audition for one line in a TV show. Had I been auditioning for that show as a series regular, I never would have gotten it.
Starting point is 00:44:50 It would have gone to someone of the moment. Was it already out? Because I can't remember when did you come on? Were you in the first season? Yeah. Oh, so it was not even out yet. So you had no idea of what this would become. No, but I will say this.
Starting point is 00:45:03 The minute I got my hands on that script and I read it, I called my mother immediately and I go, holy shit. I know that I have no interest in television shows, but you have to read this, mom. It is the most beautifully written show I've ever seen in my life. And she read it and she was like, yeah, wow, this is beyond. I was like, it's so great. It'll never get made. And I had one line.
Starting point is 00:45:26 It was the hostess in the restaurant. And then they ended up making Adriana a hostess when they brought me in for the series. But they would have, that part would have gone to like Marissa Tomei or Mira Sorvino, all the girls that were used to playing that type of role. If they knew that it was a series regular. Someone at that level wouldn't have done the one line hostess.
Starting point is 00:45:48 They wouldn't have done a TV show. That's where the line comes. There are no small parts, only small actors. Yes, it's true. But I loved it so much. So when they called and they said, look, David thinks that you're not really Italian-like, but you are Italian, so he likes you. Would you be willing to just play the snobby hostess
Starting point is 00:46:08 at the Connecticut, like a Connecticut vibe, the restaurant kind of thing. And I was like, I'll do anything just to be a part of that script. I loved it. And I did it, and I couldn't even get my line out because I was with Lorraine Bracco. No one knew who Jim was yet.
Starting point is 00:46:23 I was with Lorraine, and she's Cameron. Some good was yet. I was with Lorraine and she's Karen. I'm good fellas, Karen. All I could think about when I saw her face was her putting the gun in her panties. I was like, oh my God, all I see is your gun in your panties right there, you're so sexy. So yeah, I couldn't say my line. I was like, I can't believe they'll even audition me later
Starting point is 00:46:41 for another role. Because you felt like you fucked up that. I don't think they remembered that I was the same person. Okay, so you come back and do you realize then the arc of your part yet? Or you don't know where this is going? Still a day player. So they call me back to be in, to audition for the series.
Starting point is 00:47:00 I was in Queens at my grandmother's house and she's cooking us chicken parmesan. I remember getting a phone call that they wanted me to come in and I was like, yeah, no, this is too last minute. I can't come in right now. Are you people crazy? I was like, and aside from which I'm in Queens. They were like, well, that's funny.
Starting point is 00:47:18 So are we. I was like, fuck. My mother looks at me, she goes, what's it for? And I go, it's that show that I did the pilot for, The Sopranos. She goes, we're going. She goes, ma, make her a chicken cutlet Parmesan hero, wrap it up, make one for Al. She goes in the safe, she gets my nameplate and diamonds
Starting point is 00:47:39 from my confirmation, which is Andrea. So Adriana. And I put it on and she goes, what are your lines? And I said, it's just ow. She goes, you are going to say ow in like 15 syllables, just like Sylvana, the neighbor, my best friend next door. And that was it. I said ow. What were you saying ow to? I don't even fucking know. Maybe Christopher was grabbing my arm. I'm like ow. What were you saying, ow too? I don't even fucking know. Maybe Christopher was grabbing my arm. I'm like, ow!
Starting point is 00:48:07 Or some shit. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, so then you become his girlfriend, Christopher's girlfriend. Just the day player. $500 checks, sitting on a toilet in the honey wagon on sets.
Starting point is 00:48:20 The honey wagon is all bathrooms. It's like 15 bathrooms in a row and every toilet has a cushion on it. So you have somewhere to sit. Oh. That's a dressing room. Oh, got it. Before they give you like a double banger
Starting point is 00:48:35 or a star trailer. Got it. Yeah. Double banger. And okay, so then when you then realize, okay, now, cause how many seasons were you the girlfriend where we knew you to be his girlfriend? The whole time.
Starting point is 00:48:50 So the whole show. So you, because you were sorry for those of you that haven't watched it, cover your ears. So many new fans, by the way. The character, okay, the spoiler. So your character does die. And I said, I said, spoiler, but your character dies and gets killed. And I just remember that scene and I loved Sunday Nights, HBO Sunday Nights and watching it. And it was so good. So it went on for seven seasons, right? I think it did. It was, yeah, it was like the fake seven because they didn't want to pay a full seven. So they said six and a half. Yeah, there was a weird thing back then
Starting point is 00:49:34 where like deals were made with cable where it was seven seasons guarantee. And if you're going to go past that, they make it whatever. It was a big thing. But so just I want to talk about this for a minute. As an actress, I want to ask you this. So when did you find out that this was your character's fate? How do you how do you find out? Did he sit you down or they just give you the script and you read it like everybody else? They actually for all the men on the show,, because it's only been men that have had those
Starting point is 00:50:08 big moments. They bring him into David Chase's office and he tells them and then they all go out for a big dinner. Before they're going to be, before their character gets knocked off. Oh my God, that's so funny. It was different. How did they do it? I approached him episode five. I think it was episode five. I have the neck brace in that scene after the accident. Maybe we were faking a hospital in a house somewhere for a set. I can't quite remember. But anyhow, David was on set and I thought, oh, he's here. Let me just ask him. I said, things don't seem so great for my character right now.
Starting point is 00:50:46 Like all I'm doing is talking to the FBI. I'm shitting my pants nonstop because I have IBS. I'm like, and I wanna direct to this film in the hiatus because I wanted to get back directing. It was one of my mother's students' movies that she wrote. And I could tell he didn't like that. Everyone always said, don't ever ask David for, don't ever mention that you wanna do anything else.
Starting point is 00:51:12 Aside from what we're doing. And I was like, yeah, but it's not acting. I don't wanna act. I wanted to go direct and do what he does. And it's just a short time. Sometimes they don't like that either though. You know, I found out, but I think that he had plans anyway. So he sat me down and on a curb.
Starting point is 00:51:31 We sat on the street on a curb and I had my neck brace on and I know that the scene I had to do. So your neck brace was for the character. Yes, because I had just been in the accident with Jim, with Tony Soprano. And I don't really remember a lot of scenes, but he sat me down and he said, so we're going to do it like this.
Starting point is 00:51:48 We're shooting it two ways. You're going to die and you're going to live. And no one's going to know what happens until it airs because of the confidentiality breach on set and because of all the gossip and because of how, I mean, it was the first show where if something got leaked, it was monumental. Like, it was a really big deal. And the audience didn't want the leaks.
Starting point is 00:52:16 Even though some people were like, I wanna know what's gonna happen. People really didn't want to know, especially that, cause people loved her so much and she was innocent. So it was even more, it was worse because she was innocent. It wasn't just like one of these guys that you know murdered so many people, you know. So that was all I knew.
Starting point is 00:52:36 And then I started getting offers to do other shows and lots of things. And I'm like, how does anyone know? Like no one is supposed to know anything here. And I took a job once I knew. And then that got out into the world. And then I had to go through damage control because he was furious with me because he thought by you taking a job got people talking, oh, she must be dying soon because she's talking to the feds on the show. It didn't, I wish I could find, I had to go on talk show to mitigate it.
Starting point is 00:53:10 And I don't know whose show I picked to do to just say, no, I'm not dying on the show. But that happened, but that's how I found out. So I never had a dinner, but that would have been awkward because I'm not one of the guys on the show. I was a young girl. So I never had a dinner. That would have been awkward because I'm not one of the guys on the show. You know, I was a young girl. So I never had the dinner. But the last, I remember they brought balloons and champagne and it felt like every day was my last day though because every time, because then they were reshoot. So there was like, they were having a goodbye this day and then a goodbye the next day. And I was like, I'm fucking outta here already, guys.
Starting point is 00:53:45 And people always ask me about the death scene and I'm like, I was already gone by then in my head. You know, I know what it is. I think what's so compelling when you watch it, like I can see it in my head. And what I thought about was, so again, spoiler, okay. So you were with one of the other guys. He says he's taking you to the hospital or something to see somebody. Yeah. Christopher, he's saying that Christopher
Starting point is 00:54:13 tried to commit suicide, but this is a another, this little piece of trivia for you, for people that are diehard soprano fans. There was a scene written in the episode where Tony, where Christopher goes to Tony Soprano and tells him that I was a rat. They go in the basement of Tony Soprano's house in the laundry room where there's no wires or microphones, whatever. And he confesses to him. So then Tony Soprano calls Adriana and says, yo, he just committed suit because Tony's like, I'll take care of it. So you know, you know when Christopher tells Tony and Tony says, I'll take care of it and Tony calls Adriana, that means she's dead. So the drive to the forest is meaningless at that point.
Starting point is 00:54:57 But I didn't like that that scene was in there because I thought that it should be a buildup. So I begged some of the writers and I think even a few of the actors stood with me on it to have that scene eliminated from the show. And they did. They aired it without Christopher confessing. The next scene was... Yeah, because it was like a surprise when you're watching it as a viewer because he pulls over and there's a moment then when your character like knows. And I just think what's crazy about that is I don't think in any movie that I've ever seen where you think what that must be like, there's a dark, for somebody that knows whether they've been kidnapped and this is the moment they're going to be killed or, you know, it's somebody they know or they're
Starting point is 00:55:51 in the mafia or it's their husband and they just know like this is the moment. Like this is, oh my God, this is probably going to happen to me. And so as an actress, like, how do you, do you get to that place or did you almost, I mean, where is it that you, or did you not really get to that place? You just did it. I was, I have a tendency to take care of everybody all the time, even on set,
Starting point is 00:56:19 even if I need focus on myself. Stevie was really upset that he- The person who had to kill you. Yeah, Stevie Vansant. He had to pull me out of the car by my hair, I think, or my jacket. He had called me a cunt. He didn't want to do any of these things.
Starting point is 00:56:35 And I'm like, motherfucker, I got a dinner to be at. Like we got things to do. You're fine. You can do it. Have fun with it. Call me a cunt. Pull me out of that fucking car by my hair. Let's do this thing.
Starting point is 00:56:48 It was a very quick scene to shoot because they don't show my face. That was a request of David's, did not want to see me get killed. I don't know if he ever, people thought it was an intentional cliffhanger. I don't think it was. I think he really just didn't want to see her get killed.
Starting point is 00:57:05 But that scene for me was not, that was not the worst. It was hard to sort of calibrate how to show that I am because I knew that they took, I didn't know that they were taking that scene out. So because I didn't know that scene was coming out, I was already upset in the car. Had I known that scene wasn't gonna be in there, I might've looked a little less upset in the beginning
Starting point is 00:57:32 because I don't know where I'm going. Yeah, I don't know how I prepared for that, but the scene where he chokes me, where I confess to him, that was the scene for me. That scene crushed me. Every scene crushed me. That whole fucking season crushed me, because at that time...
Starting point is 00:57:53 Oh, that's when Christopher chokes you, your fiance. I took it all so, like, you know, I was a young actor and it was my first big job, so there were no shortcuts for me. Everything had to be real. There was no faking of anything happening. And then when did you know, when was your first life-changing kind of moment
Starting point is 00:58:13 where you're like, oh, I'm famous. I'm walking and people are calling out your name and you realize what a big hit this is. The show was big. Yeah. It was big. I remember when we'd go to the airport, they would have to escort us with, you know, with the caddies through the airport mixed because if we were in a group together,
Starting point is 00:58:32 it was a little too chaotic and crazy. People were like, holy shit. Yeah, it's all of them. ear. But I think for me, the real moment was when my name was in the crossword puzzle and look, the New York Times crossword puzzle for my parents, because it was a big deal, because they did the puzzle every day. But at the same time, they'd be excited. And I feel like, guys, can I tell you something though and just remind you, the reason why I'm in it is because it's not an easy answer. Okay? It's not because, oh my God, she's famous. It's because the people might not know who it is. Try it again.
Starting point is 00:59:13 So did your parents, did they stay married throughout your life? Yeah. Oh, that's so nice. Yeah, they were together. They fucking almost killed each other when I was young, but that passed. My dad still thought he was maybe gonna be in the mafia
Starting point is 00:59:25 when we were young. So he was still acting like one of those guys from time to time. So she was like, what the fuck? You can't be like my father. And they adored each other. So absolutely. And they were the funniest motherfuckers on the planet.
Starting point is 00:59:41 So that's why they love the Sopranos because David Chase's writing is just like my mom's writing. My that's why they love the Sopranos because David Chase's writing is just like my mom's writing. My mom's an incredible writer. I'm not just saying it because she's my mom. Obviously I know good writing because I knew the Sopranos was fantastic early on. But watching her teach writing actually is how I learned how to act. Didn't really take any heavy, heavy acting classes, but hearing her break a script down for her students and hearing her talk about how everything has to stay active, how you have to have an objective, like all of the way she did that made it very
Starting point is 01:00:15 easy to understand how to become an actor. And one of the things when I was like researching stuff, there was questions, like as I asked one question, then another one came up and was, it was, did Adriana and Tony Soprano ever have sex? Oh, you mean like, like did they? Yeah. Cause they never show it, but there's like, I guess there's elements that kind of made the audience wonder if there was ever a moment.
Starting point is 01:00:40 Yeah, I don't think so. Yeah. I think Adriana, I think everything, she led with her heart nonstop. And I think that, I mean, she probably maybe could have, I mean, I mean, I was down with, I was down with the whole scenario if that's what Adriana wanted to do. Yeah. He was so sexy. He was so sexy. Oh my God. He was so sexy. I remember that other scene where he had, he was having the affair with the girl at
Starting point is 01:01:12 the Mercedes dealership or whatever. And then she like called the house to tell Carmela. Oh, Annabella. Yeah. Annabella, she was. And the way when then he came in there and threw her on the bed and was like, don't you ever call my fucking wife. I just remember remember where I was when I saw that scene. It was just so good.
Starting point is 01:01:28 So sexy. Well, okay, so you do all that, and then you go on Sons of Anarchy, and now you keep saying, I'm done with acting, I'm hearing you in these other interviews, I'm done with acting, and I get why you think it's over for you and you're happy for it to be over. And I kind of think people don't realize when someone does move on from it and do other
Starting point is 01:01:52 things they're like, how can that be? Because it seems like everybody that has a desire is like, how could you ever turn down something? So, if the right thing came along, are you really going to be done, done? Or is it just you don't want to be in the trailer, you don't want to have to answer to anybody. Why do you say that you think you're really done with acting? I mean, I think I was done after Sopranos, to be honest with you.
Starting point is 01:02:17 I really, I felt like I got there, I did it. I did what resonated for me without even knowing that it did. I thought if anything, I didn't wanna play in Italian. I didn't wanna be stereotyped. I didn't wanna be on television. I wanted to be a film star. When you're a kid, if you're gonna do this,
Starting point is 01:02:35 you wanna not be, they wanted to change my name. They didn't want me to be Italian because I'd be stereotyped. It was a whole big thing back in those days. Look at what happened now in this whole mess of Hollywood. But back then it was a real big thing for Italians. So, and the accent and that people just assumed you were stupid if you were Italian kind of in a way,
Starting point is 01:02:56 which is so crazy because there's so many Italian actors out there. But so I never really felt like it was what I wanted to do anymore. I wanted to be with my with my ex at the time. I was happy to just follow him. I realized I was more like Adriana than I knew. I would lead with love all the time and my heart and where my heart wanted to be.
Starting point is 01:03:17 And it wasn't in a fucking makeup trailer. And yeah, sure, it was great to get a top spot reservation in a restaurant. Like these were cool things that came with with the celebrity part of it. But the rest of it, I never really cared about it. And I took care of my nanny for many years, the lady that raised me. And there was just a lot like she would get sick a lot. And I couldn't show up to Sundance sometimes or I couldn't promote a film or I didn't want to go to a festival,
Starting point is 01:03:46 whatever it was, it was just, people were abhorrent. I didn't like the way people functioned in the industry and how callous they were, and how it just didn't matter. Like humanity didn't matter even back then. And look at it now. I mean, really look at the way, I mean, for me, I had to stop over the mandates.
Starting point is 01:04:08 I mean, and that was, and it wasn't like people say, oh, you were canceled. I'm like, no, I wasn't really canceled. I pulled myself out because I knew I'm a crazy fucking hippie and I just wasn't ready to do anything. And then when they were like, you must do this or you'll never work again. And I was like,
Starting point is 01:04:30 wait a minute, now I really need to understand what all of this means. And once I started, listen, they should have just given me a script and said, show up and act instead of giving me this other script, which was go research this instead. Because once I started researching what was happening during that time, where I realized, fuck, I can't go back to this industry right now. And you didn't think, you know, did anybody say, okay, we get your position, get a fake card? They did. Okay. They did and my daughter, I got everybody fake cards
Starting point is 01:05:02 and I felt really bad using it. I couldn't, I felt bad sitting in a restaurant. I got it to take them to see Hamilton when it came to LA. And I remember being there in the audience and thinking, and I was crying. I actually, I was tearing up. I was like, this is me, this is Adriana, here I am. Haven't changed. I remember feeling like,
Starting point is 01:05:27 what if I'm hurting somebody? Like, what if? Like, what if I don't have the answers? And what if I am, I shouldn't be here with all of these people? And I thought, I was just so like consumed with confusion at that time of, anyhow, I was starting to lose money. Like I only go job to job. I never was a career actor, no interest in it. Like I said, I wanted to be with my family. Then I became a single mom. So, God, try to work me for my kids. And how are you with the father of your kids? Good. Good. It took a long time. It took a long time. And how old are your kids now?
Starting point is 01:06:04 Lead with your heart. Lead with your heart. Not with this thing, you know. 16 and 13. But my daughter was like, please don't use the card for work. She goes, you have a big mouth. You'll end up saying the wrong thing. But I, more than anything, you taught us to be a certain way and you taught us and I have no liar tattoos on my body and all kinds of things. So she's like, I don't want you to lie. And I was like, I won't then. And I won't. And I was like, but you might have to come out of school because of the mandates of the schools. That was happening at the same time. And she's like, it's fine. We'll figure it all out. So we were leaving LA. We were moving out of LA over the public schools and all that
Starting point is 01:06:43 stuff with the mandates. So that was how that happened. But then I got, listen, my house almost went into foreclosure and when I tried to sell it, it flooded and it was, and the old lady was dying and I'm holding her hand. You mean the nanny, the nanny that raised you. Yeah. I was literally holding her hand here and auditioning for something here. I'm not used to auditioning either, like it was new for me. Auditioning on tape? Auditioning at all.
Starting point is 01:07:11 Oh, okay. I just take jobs that, you know, I took the jobs that would pay me to stay raising my kids for years without having to work in between. I would run out of money though. I wasn't trying to save money, I was just trying to live. You know? Right. But I remember auditioning like this, holding her dying hand and then being like, so do
Starting point is 01:07:29 you guys, do you have any idea? They wanted me to do the part. Do you have any idea when she's going to die? I was like, are you fucking people insane? Because I, they needed me to leave and go on set to do this, this job. And I was like, okay, I'm done. And that was the last job before the vaccine mandates. So had I taken that job, I would have been okay. But then I would have had to leave her while she was dying, which I wouldn't have done. And so I had choices to make
Starting point is 01:07:57 and my choices led me to OnlyFans. Yes, granny porn. My choices led me to a fan page on OnlyFans. Yes, granny porn. My choices led me to a fan page on OnlyFans because I was getting censored on Instagram nonstop anyway. And now I'm 100% censored. Like even if you look me up, it'll say, are you sure you want to follow this page?
Starting point is 01:08:18 They are filled with misinformation and blah, blah, blah. Oh, I see. Okay, yeah. So I, OnlyFans. so I went to OnlyFans and that's how I saved my family. And so you had to keep the house. I kept my house. And-
Starting point is 01:08:36 Now we're gonna try to sell it because we want to. And now where do you wanna go from there? So you're still in LA? We're still here, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I would love to go back to New York, but it's the apocalypse. Yeah. And things, things are going to get worse right now. So I, it was funny because, um, you know, there was a, you know,
Starting point is 01:08:56 you said in a show that sometimes your son, is he the 16 or is he 13? He's a 13 year old. Um, sometimes like edits a video, a photo for you on OnlyFans. And you know, people are like, what? Those are professional photos. Okay. That's not even edited, that picture. Here's another one.
Starting point is 01:09:16 This one's really great. Yeah, that's not really edited either too much. Yeah. No, he didn't, that's new. That's a new one. That's hot. But yeah. That's in New York. That's a new one. That's hot. But yeah. That's in New York.
Starting point is 01:09:25 That's in New York. That's home. But no, he edited a picture of me where I look like a superhero. Yeah. I mean, he's the one who said it on the podcast because it was my friend's podcast, Jamie Lynn and Robert Eyler.
Starting point is 01:09:37 And Robert's like, what do you think of your mom's podcast? OnlyFans? OnlyFans. And he's like, you know, he's such a little tough guy. He's like, I edit some of those pictures. And it's like, you know, he's such a little tough guy. He's like, I edit some of those pictures. And it's just, she makes like videos for, I don't know how to do this shit. I don't know how to do any of it. And they didn't care that I did the OnlyFans page. They were like, feet, do your feet. My OnlyFans page is like...
Starting point is 01:09:57 My son has said that too. Like, you know, and I've had people ask about whatever. My younger son, one time we were driving past Blackac Chyna's house and he goes, Mom, will your career ever get to a place where you have to do only fans? You and me. And I go, I don't think so because I have the podcast and whatever. But also it's just another thing I don't have time to do. But I totally get it. And I think it was so smart because
Starting point is 01:10:25 you always were sexy. And then you do have this fan base that you can, you know, play into the character of the mob wife and all that kind of stuff. And those guys will love it and ask you questions. So it's more than just, you know, being sexy. And I think it was really smart. I've been saying for years, I don't know why Britney Spears doesn't do OnlyFans. Well, now I wonder why none of them do because the photos they put on Instagram are so sexy. You won't see pictures like that of me from before my OnlyFans page.
Starting point is 01:10:56 There might be one where I didn't add for period panties, which is hardly sexy, but it's the only time you see me in my underwear and maybe I put a bikini shot in the 4th of July. But other than that, like, I don't know how to be this girl who's like taking fucking selfies of myself and like standing in a mirror and like, who does that shit?
Starting point is 01:11:16 Well, apparently I do it now, but back in the day, I never did it, but I took a shot. I think it's so funny because my sons helped me with this business too. And I'm like, and we were doing a show in Vegas and I wanted to show a video, like, you know, I stand up a little bit of this, but I do stand up. And I want to share, my son was helping me. He's a senior at ASU.
Starting point is 01:11:38 And the night before I went with my friends, we went to Thunder Down Under. So of course I was pulled up on stage and everything. And I wanted to show the video on stage the next day. So as I'm like filming like the theater before we start, there's my son and he's like talking to the guy, like being like, yeah, this is the video. And I'm like, oh my God, I made him edit the video of this guy like shoving my face and his crotch
Starting point is 01:12:02 and my legs going like this and everything. It was so corny. Even though I didn't know what was happening, obviously this guy is like not getting hard for me. Like who cares? But the fact that I'm like, okay, yeah. And then he's like, okay, I think this part's boring. But then this part where he spreads your legs, like we'll do, you know, speed it up and everything.
Starting point is 01:12:20 And I'm like, yeah, like, you know, it's whatever your business is. But if they get that it's funny, I'm not having them edit a porno, like, you know, it's whatever your business is, but if they get that it's funny, I'm not having them edit a porno, like, you know, whatever. So I thought that was, I totally saw they were seeing child protective services after me. All the comments, all the kids read the comments. I go, guys, you know, mommy doesn't read comments on anything ever. Half of my relationships ended because all the men in my life will read comments. I'm like, don't read the fucking comments. Why would it end?
Starting point is 01:12:51 Because they didn't like to be mentioned in the comments or they didn't like to be famous? Just the insults, like just continuous fucking negative bullshit that people spew all day. It's like, get out from behind your computer and live a life. Go love somebody or something. Do you think that the boyfriends, how would it turn them off that people were saying mean things to you? I don't see how that...
Starting point is 01:13:16 I think that they might say mean things about them from time to time. That's what I think it is. Yeah. They don't care about them saying mean shit about me. When I talk about real housewives and stuff, I'm like, the reason so many Real Housewives end their marriages end is because they think it's all great. Oh, I think camera should have been following me around my whole life. And the husband has a few bucks and his life's come real easy to him. And then all of a sudden they're on TV and the next day the guy's like, I'm famous and everyone's like, you don't have a chin. And the guy's like, what? I'm worth
Starting point is 01:13:51 millions of dollars. And now, oh, you're right. I don't have a chin. And then they're like, you were mean to her when you served her coffee. And then they start fighting and that's what happens. And so on a lower level to be on Real Housewives. Yeah. So I can get Robbie in trouble all day, my grumpy boyfriend. What if someone did ask you to do Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? I think the only way I could do it is if it's like the housewives of the Hollywood Hills, Laurel Canyon, like the hippie housewives. It'd have to be like the fucking filthy hippie housewives.
Starting point is 01:14:21 No, but what's fun is they like different people. But look, I have to tell you, there was a crazy story that happened in the real housewife world. Who's that? She's hot. That's Dina Manzo. And she was an original real housewife of New Jersey. She's gorgeous.
Starting point is 01:14:35 She is gorgeous. Well, let me tell you her story. Is she a bitch? No, she's the nicest. You love her? You love her? I love her. I met her, spit on the shelf.
Starting point is 01:14:42 Oh, wait. Oh, he's going to prison. No, this is what happened. So she... Okay, this is a crazy story. Before the cameras came, she's one of ten. She also has a sister named Caroline Manzo. She has ten sisters that look like that? No, there's boys and girls in their family. There's ten of those?
Starting point is 01:15:02 She's fucking hot. Okay, she's like, I think one of the younger ones. Her older sister is Caroline, okay? Caroline marries this guy named Albie or Albert Manzo. No, Albert Manzo. Her older sister marries Albert. She gets married and gets divorced as a kid and then ends up falling in love with his younger brother.
Starting point is 01:15:26 So now the sisters are both married to Manzos. Okay. And that marriage didn't go well for Dina and the Manzo brother. And they end up getting divorced and she ends up dating somebody else. And then that guy gets attacked in a parking lot, like a crowbar or whatever, brutally attacked. And then this guy suddenly gets a free wedding at the place that the Manzos run. And they found out that the Manzo ex-husband gave somebody in one of those families a free wedding because that guy went and attacked her new man.
Starting point is 01:16:12 So that was his pay. He was a contractor. And so they were able to prove that he was the one, even though he didn't do it, that he ordered that attack. And now he got seven years. Are these guys mafia? According to the older sister, Caroline, no, they've just run the brownstone in New Jersey for years. However, Caroline also wrote a letter, a character letter for this man. Who's this one? She's Caroline or Dina?
Starting point is 01:16:43 Dina. So Dina, her older sister, Caroline, wrote a character letter for her, in fact, brother-in-law, but also like it's double brother-in-law, right? Because they're both married to the brothers. And so that was like really for a guy that like, you know, attacked my husband. Then there was a whole nother story that happened where they both were attacked by someone in their home. She was attacked too, Dina. But that is not, I don't know if they can't figure out if you were responsible for that. That was a whole nother thing. But this one, they were able to prove that her ex-husband Manzo was responsible and now ex-husband Manzo is going to prison for seven years. The sister's ex.
Starting point is 01:17:23 Yes. This is her man. going to prison for seven years. And the sister's ex. Yes. This is her man. This is her man that she's smiling with. That guy over there is her ex. That's the brother. The ex ordered the hit or beat up, not murder. He's wearing a pinstripe suit.
Starting point is 01:17:39 That's a mafioso thing. Forget about it. But the thing that made it so juicy was the sister thing. Forget about it. But the thing that made it so juicy was the sister thing. And that's why Real Housewives of New Jersey, when it began, was such a big deal. And I think it was either Sopranos was still on or it was right after the Sopranos. And the fact that there was real family involved, sisters and stuff, and then that this really happened. And, and yeah, and then yeah, there's the Manzo grandfather, okay, the dad of these two guys. He was found in someone's trunk. Oh, come on. These guys are fucking mafia. I'm not saying it. I'm just telling you the story.
Starting point is 01:18:19 Who's the guy who owns it? Don't come after me, Manzos. Who's the show? Who's the guy? Who's the guy who owns all the TV shows? Murdoch? No, the guy who owns the freaking brav, the- Andy Cohen? That guy. He's gotta know. I don't think, I mean, I think it's pretty obvious
Starting point is 01:18:37 that there's, you know, something happening here. But, and then I'm like- Just ask the expert. But I'm like, but then also, why would you, this is what always praised me because there's a lot of criminals on Real Housewives shows. Didn't the other one go the Gwadees? Teresa Judice. She did Prison For A Year.
Starting point is 01:18:58 How does she pronounce her name? I say Judice, but then they say Gudechi. There's two ways to say it. We said Gudis, so it's like, we're all fucking this up, left and right. Gudici. And so yeah, she did. Guido, she took us to Guido. Her husband did four years and she went.
Starting point is 01:19:13 What did he do? And did a year. No, she did a year, then he did four years. I only know who they are, because she looks like my neighbor. He did like mortgage fraud and stuff like that. I feel like that had they not been on TV. Like the sanitation department.
Starting point is 01:19:26 No, it really wasn't that big of a crime. I think there was more behind it. Italians are involved. It's just a big crime anyways. Yeah. And so then she, you know, was part of it because she signed the thing. So she had to do a year, then he did four years, then he got- She was in prison for a year? Yeah, then he got deported. She was in jail for a year? She had to do a year, then he did four years, then he got deported. She was in jail for a year? She had to do jail for one year.
Starting point is 01:19:49 How did that work out? Does she have a show after that? She made all these friends. She did yoga. She wrote a book. And then when she got out, she got married to this other guy. No. So she actually was in jail for a year. They didn't abuse her. It's called camp. It is? That's what they would refer to it. Really? When I went away, that's a mafia thing, I guess. When she went away, they don't want to say jail, prison. They let her cut her garlic real thin.
Starting point is 01:20:16 And then they like say camp. They call it camp. She gets a cook in her cell and she cut her garlic real thin. I think it was kind of like a camp thing. I think they had like the bunk beds and stuff. I don't know. And then she just like worked out and there's a photo of her with all the other girls. They like loved her. Did she have cornrows?
Starting point is 01:20:33 Yeah, she let the hair go curly and like she did the things like that. I think then she came out and they held the show for her. They knew that like, and then the famous scene, they film it, she comes home at 5 a.m. So she was still on the show when this happened? They just basically didn't film for a year. They waited for her.
Starting point is 01:20:52 Really? Yeah, and then when she comes back, he's like, how you doing? Like, that's why they're divorced. But when the girls come and hug her, like I still get chills from it, because she's a very dedicated mother to her daughter. I think I might've seen a clip of that.
Starting point is 01:21:13 That was a while ago. It's famous. I don't watch the show, but I remember that, because I remember her face, because she was so Italian. Yeah. And so, yeah, like it's just, and now these other shows, there's criminals in every single franchise now. Well, there's criminals all over
Starting point is 01:21:31 the motherfucking planet right now. Yeah, but I'm like, it's always shocking that someone is so arrogant and so narcissistic that they think they can go on TV while they're doing a completely shady thing and think that they're going to get away with it. It's a huge target on your back when you're on TV. I always imagine with Teresa Giudice and her husband, I'm like, was the DA just getting
Starting point is 01:21:59 in bed and his wife was watching something and he was like, let me go check out these people. Like where did it, like, she still doesn't know how they were targeted, but we'll never know. She used to blame her cast members. She used to blame this one or the other girl. She used to blame other people saying, you know, you put the target on our back. And it made it all so juicy, but-
Starting point is 01:22:23 Juicy. That's where we're at. Okay, getting back to you and then I'll let you go. Okay, so now you have your OnlyFans, you also have your clothing company, which is pretty edgy fun stuff. Mm-hmm, yeah. And you have the jewelry line.
Starting point is 01:22:39 So tell us about those. Yes, also edgy. Yeah, are you wearing some of it? I am. I have a big gun hanging around my neck right now. Don't get scared. Don't clutch your pearls. Just clutch your guns. We're living in dangerous times.
Starting point is 01:22:55 I think that's very cool looking and I think a lot of people will love it. Yeah. Back in the day. What does that retail for? These are gold plated. They're heavy, you know, it's a big thing. I've been wearing it all summer before we launched it
Starting point is 01:23:08 to make sure it didn't do weird shit. Okay. Because a lot of jewelry does weird shit. Okay. And this is perfect, like not one, it's still as gold as gold can be. It's really, really well done. This is like 120 maybe, and then we have nameplates because Adriana and her nameplates were very important.
Starting point is 01:23:29 That's the Tombstone collection, Know Who You Are kind of thing. And then, I mean, you have a little one on. What makes ours a little different is you can put a charm in here. Okay. Around the necklace? Yeah, you can put it and it's sort of, you know, it connects to it. It's not hanging, it's in there. That's unique. Yeah, it's cute.
Starting point is 01:23:48 You can see them on the website, but in that part of the protection collection, these are the protection collection. We have them hanging, we have them that go across and you can put your name on it or you can, it can say Ultra Free, like the name of our company, because you wanna be Ultra Free, because who doesn't wanna to be ultra free?
Starting point is 01:24:05 Yeah. For some reason, ultra free is a the word that gets me banned every day on Instagram these days, because you can't talk about wanting to be that. That's a four letter word. OK. But but yeah, the you know, some people get a little freaked out by the guns. But when I was on the Sopranos, everyone wanted my jewelry. And I wore a revolver, because my ex's name is Shooter. I wore bullets hanging from my ears, which we're going to be doing also,
Starting point is 01:24:34 because I always hang my Italian horn from my hoop. So we're doing that later. But right now, we have the guns and the nameplates. We'll do the pinky rings, too. I see you looking at my pinky ring. You know, because you've got to have the guns and the nameplates. We'll do the pinky rings too. I see you looking at my pinky ring. You know, because you got to have the initial pinky ring. And what did you think about when the whole, when all of a sudden the mob wife aesthetic became a trend like this past year?
Starting point is 01:24:55 It was right as we were going out to launch Ultra Free, which was really funny because I was like, geez, I got to go and talk about this mob wife aesthetic thing. What timing? This was my talk about this mob wife aesthetic thing. What timing. This was my opinion on the mob wife aesthetic. Why would anybody be hyped up on looking like a woman who gets cheat on, beat up, and walks around with two black eyes and you need makeup now? Like the mob wife aesthetic, everyone's doing makeup tutorials. I'm like, make sure you have your black eye on before you start doing your tutorial. I was like, let's change
Starting point is 01:25:28 the name of this to Gangster Goddess. Come on, guys. Yeah. I think there's what I always loved about it is that, you know, even though they're murderers and awful people, there was always like a passion and the gifts like The same reason why people are pretty woman. It's like Like but but he took her shopping like I don't know there's something about that That's like we know it's wrong. We know these women aren't being treated right But then there's this other part of women that love to be catered to taken care of given a box at dinner Yeah of jewelry, and that's a fantasy too.
Starting point is 01:26:07 So it's a fantasy. Of course, I go both ways when it comes to that. Hold the door open, I like being a chick. Like I don't need, but I also am like a half a dude in my own way. But the mob wife aesthetic, I think that the only show that ever showed strong women in that world was The Sopranos.
Starting point is 01:26:24 All the other chicks in that world were never really strong in the other films. Sopranos, those women were ruling. I mean, look at the mom. I mean, she was in control of the whole fucking operation there for a while, because she ran his emotions. Yeah, that was so juicy. It's so great.
Starting point is 01:26:40 Well, tell everybody where they can find your stuff. At ultrafree.co. And if you dare to look me up on Instagram, you have to put my whole entire name into your feed. Dreya D. Mateo, 2Ts. And then also there's the link there for the clothing and the products and stuff, which I think you'll really like. Yeah, ultrafree with two A's.
Starting point is 01:27:04 I can talk to you forever, so we'll have to have you come back. Okay. And I liked explaining Housewives to you and getting your opinion. I want to watch it with you right here. We could do like a watching party. We should do a watch thing. I would love it. Oh my God, the original episodes.
Starting point is 01:27:17 I don't know it. The old stuff is the best. That's the best. I only want to watch Italian stuff. Thank you.

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