Life Will Be the Death of Me with Chelsea Handler - Flying Southwest with Connie Britton

Episode Date: May 8, 2025

Connie Britton joins Chelsea to talk about Connie’s experience as a single mom, their longtime friendship, Connie’s new Hallmark show The Motherhood, and an open-seating flight with the two of them and Jane Fonda.  Then: A single mom wants to help her best friend have a baby, with or without a man.  A teacher needs help choosing between her passion and making a living.  And a working mom faces guilt about her nanny - but is she taking it too far? * Need some advice from Chelsea? Email us at [e-mail] * Executive Producer Catherine Law Edited & Engineered by Brad Dickert * * * The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the Podcast author, or individuals participating in the Podcast, and do not represent the opinions of iHeartMedia or its employees.  This Podcast should not be used as medical advice, mental health advice, mental health counseling or therapy, or as imparting any health care recommendations at all.  Individuals are advised to seek independent medical, counseling advice and/or therapy from a competent health care professional with respect to any medical condition, mental health issues, health inquiry or matter, including matters discussed on this Podcast. Guests and listeners should not rely on matters discussed in the Podcast and shall not act or shall refrain from acting based on information contained in the Podcast without first seeking independent medical advice.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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See the Jonas Brothers live at RBC Amphitheater September 28th. get tickets now at ticketmaster.ca jonas brothers the burning up tour all over again i survived nine months in captivity and i've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them i'm elizabeth smart and these are the survivor files every week i'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable abducted stalked controlled and nearly silenced. These are stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcasts. On the new podcast, Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle, I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinheiro, and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word solita, trading the pity for possibility. Listen to Solita on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. the podcast hollywood handbook each week we talk to someone in show business and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us everyone has a good time and no one gets mad

at their publicist for letting them do our show we've had a lot of great guests like sarah sherman adam scott danny mcbride ben stiller and a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us listen to hollywood handbook on the iheart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, Catherine. Hi, Chelsea. I'm in my last day of Whistler Canada for the season. This is it. I skied yesterday. We did some spring skiing with all the kids and all the adults. We had such an epic day. It was so much fun. I skied into a tree, which I always do, but it was spring slushy skiing. So even as I was heading towards the tree, I thought this is going to be easy. I'm going to bounce right off. And then Ange Schonecker, who you may know from my book,

was able to rescue me as usual she got my skis off and out of the tree one was in like three feet of snow and behind the tree so I have good pictures and then we went to apres to a new place and then I got a massage it was just like one of those perfect days where I was with like six of my girlfriends hey and then tonight I'm doing my book I'm doing a book event in Whistler at the theater here armchair books is our local bookstore so I wanted to support them and have a book event for I'll Have What She's Having. So I'm going to do that tonight. And then I'm off.

I'm off to Chicago tomorrow. Fabulous, fabulous. And then you go to Europe. You'll be going to Europe. I'm going to Europe, you guys. If you haven't gotten your tickets, I start out in Reykjavik. I think it's May 11th I'm in Reykjavik.

And then I'm in Belfast. I'm coming to 13 countries. So check chelseahandler.com. I am coming to a city near you. I'm very, very excited for my European tour. and we've got one of your buddies in studio today oh yeah this is one of my close friends who is a huge pain in my ass actually i'm a huge pain in her ass um and i take a lot of pride in that she is the creator and host of the motherhood on hallmark whose first two episodes are out now

she also stars in overcompensating on amazon prime all episodes are available may 15th and you would recognize her from a lot of different shows like Friday Night Lights, like Dirty John, like, I don't know, she's in everything. So please welcome Connie Britton. Hi, Connie. We got you muted right now. Okay. Do you want me to unmute? Yeah, no, we want you to stay on mute, Connie. We want you to stay on mute for the interview. How's it going? I have a little story to tell about Connie as we begin this episode of the podcast. Are we starting? Is this it?

Oh, yeah, no, that bitch is on. Yeah, that's on, so we're promoting. You know Connie Britton from a million television series. We'll go over that in your intro while you're not here so that you don't have to listen to that. And also you can say whatever you want. I know, I know. Because I know what you're going to say.

I know how you feel about my television series. Do you, I find it very funny whenever I watch Connie in anything because it's, I know her very well and I go out of my way for Connie all the time. I constantly am showing up at things whenever she asks me to. I can't say the same for Connie with regard to me or my birthday.

You're so full of it. But I'm always doing things for her. But we did have a pretty funny, do you want to talk about Albuquerque? I think that's a pretty funny story to share. That is a pretty funny story to share. I love that story. I want to tell you what happened.

So Jane Fonda wanted us to campaign in Albuquerque before the election. The candidate that we campaigned for did not win the election. I want to be on record saying that she is not the president. But, of course. So we did that. But, of course, when Jane Fonda asks you to do anything, you do it, especially with my history with Jane Fonda. Connie has her own history with Jane Fonda.

Different from yours. Yes. Well, actually, no, because remember that time we went to go visit her when she had her hip? So she had some surgery done and we went to go visit her at her house and you revealed to her that your father said that she was a, remember? What did you say to her? Oh, that's right. And I thought it was such a great story. And she looked at me like, huh? She's like, my father hated you. I said, basically, we were not allowed to say your name in our house growing up because my father worked in nuclear power. And so it was like literally one name, one name that we could not say. We could not watch any movies that Jane Fonda was a part of. It was not to be spoken

because I guess of the China syndrome or something. So like she was perceived as, you know, this like anti-nuclear person in my household. And now, of course, I idolize her. She is like the greatest icon. I can't believe that I get to call her my friend, like whatever. So I thought, great story. Like also, she's just had hip surgery. She's lying horizontal in bed. She just got out of hip surgery. And she's just like, yeah, my family hated you. Whatever pain drugs. Anyway, that was one highlight.

But cut to this last year. It was 2024, so last year. We went to Albuquerque. And Jane was like, okay, we both said we're in. We're like, fun trip. Jane told us she was taking a Southwest flight. And Connie and I, I was like, does that mean we have to take a Southwest flight? Can we meet you there?

I was like, so can we just, can we, is there, okay. So forget about the private plane. There isn't one. That's okay. No problem. It's a political event. So, of course, I'm not expecting that. But I don't know. I thought maybe something else would happen other than Southwest, perhaps another airline. And then I say, OK, we're flying out of Burbank, I think. I'm trying to find the picture. Yes. Burbank. Do you have the picture to put up? I don't know how high tech you are. Probably not. We're not that high tech, but I do have the picture.

I'll use it when I post this episode. Anyway, we took a picture of us. So we go to Burbank and Jane has an assistant with her. Connie and I are braving the Burbank airport, braving Southwest Airlines. And I'm like, how is this going to work? And every single person, I'm annoyed that I'm going to have to deal with,

you know, like this. I'm like, we're just going to Southwest and Burbank and this is going to be like a shit show. And every person that you can imagine, of course, is recognizing Jane Fonda. Nobody gives a shit that I'm there, which was a beautiful reprieve. But everyone would come up to her and say, can I get a picture with you? Can I get a picture with you? And then so I was there managing Jane Fonda.

I'm like, well, you can't keep saying yes to every single person. We'll be here all day. But she had no, there was, it's like, it's when Jane Fonda, imagine her walking through the terminal of Southwest in Burbank. I mean, obviously, anyone who sees her is like, what the fuck is she doing there? Then we take the Southwest. By the way, she is also, like, could care less. She doesn't give a shit about anything, really.

She's just like, now I'm going to sit down on the side seats of the wall next to the Starbucks at Burbank Airport. That's where we're going to sit until our flight takes off. And then someone was like, because she was sitting down, so people were crouching to get pictures with her. And then some guy asked her, he goes, would you mind standing up? And she was about to get up. And I was like, don't get up, Jane. Like, just let him take. why are you listening to him and she's like you're right why am i listening right she's 80 years old

yeah she's 80 is she 80 is she 80 is she 82 80 she's a lot older than 80 right okay yeah i think she's 82 um she's unbelievable the internet says she's 87 that's right she's 87 i knew she was like way older but then i didn't want to say i felt like it's so hard to believe that she's 87 yeah it is really hard to believe she's vibrant so she's vibrant she makes 100 phone calls a day for her climate pack, which I just made a donation to this very morning. FYI, if you want to donate

for climate change, which you should, her pack works harder than anything I've ever seen. Also, I'm speaking on a Zoom for that. Oh, later today, actually. Okay, see, she keeps asking you to do things.

I think she stopped asking me to do things after this trip. After the Albuquerque trip. So then we get to Albuquerque and we find out we're staying at the hotel, the Hilton Yard. What was it called?

The Airport Hilton. Airport Hilton. The Airport Hilton. Once again, And Connie and I were texting on the side going, is this really going to happen? Are we staying? And I'm like, God, I don't think we can move hotels if Jane is staying at the airport Hilton. Like, we have to.

And I was only coming for Albuquerque. Connie went on to another city the next day. I stayed. By the way, you kind of just like brushed off the rest of the Southwest trip. Like, you, me, and Jane Fonda, like, at least we completed the row of our Southwest. It's like, I, of course, had the middle seat. But yeah, like the three of us in the row of our Southwest flight to Albuquerque. And then we get to Albuquerque.

We go for lunch first. I order a frozen margarita, obviously. And Jane's like, oh, I've never thought to have a frozen margarita in the daytime. So Connie orders one. Jane orders one. I think I order my second one. And Jane's like, I can't have two frozen margaritas. And I was like, well, I can.

And then right before we're about to campaign, right? So then we go to one campaign event, which was great for all the people who were working the campaign. And then we had some downtime. I, at that point, I think I pulled an edible out of my purse and was grabbing that. And Jane goes, is that an edible, Chelsea? And I'm like, yeah, we're campaigning. Like, I have to remain alert.

So then we went to the second event, which was great. You know, Jane, it's just so nice to see how people respond to her. It's very inspiring. but also how amazing she is at speaking about this subject. Like, she is the most educated on it. Like, she just knows how to talk about it. Like, if you want facts, you talk to Jane. It's, like, kind of incredible to listen to her, too.

Yeah, and she makes 100 phone calls a day to raise money for that climate PAC and is always protesting. She was doing fire drill Fridays for years while Biden was in the White House, And she's constantly going to places where they're going to drill and protesting. I mean, she's indefatigable. So she, so then she-

A very big word. Yeah, for you too. She, although Connie went to Dartmouth, so- Oh, I just, in case you forgot. And speaks Mandarin, by the way. Okay. And was roommates with Kirsten Gillibrand. I don't think everyone knows that.

So I'd like to get that out there. But then at the end of the night, so Connie sends me a link while we're on our way to Albuquerque, probably sitting in the Southwest seats. She sends me a link to a hotel that she found that's like 30 minutes outside of where we're supposed to stay at the airport hotel. And she's like, what about this? Well, first I was like, could we switch and stay at this nice hotel? Well, exactly. And I was like, I just don't think we can do that because we can't ditch Jane.

Like, we have to stay at the airport hotel, too. Right. No. Of course we couldn't ditch Jane. No, of course. And we didn't. And so then after, we were done early, like 9. And Connie's like, well, let's just at least go get a drink at this hotel that she found that was like 30 minutes out of the way.

So we're driving. And at this point, we've picked up a couple of other people, some of Jane's Climate Pack people. They're in the car with us. And then there was a couple of people meeting us there. And so we get to this really cool place, this like hotel outside or I think in Albuquerque, but off the beaten track. And Jane's like, it's really far. I'm really tired. How long is this going to take?

We were in the car longer than we expected. It was about a 30-minute drive. And Jane is kind of getting a little antsy, like, oh, God, is this worth it? It's already nine o'clock. This was not on the schedule. At all. The Hilton Airport was the next and final stop. And Connie and I were like, Jane, you can go to bed.

Like, Connie and I will just go. It's no big deal. And she's like, I'll come with you. I'll come with you. So we get there. It's like a 30-minute drive. We get there. We, you know, we're kind of like worried.

Like, I don't want to, we don't want to annoy her. I don't want to annoy her. I don't want to keep her out later than she wants to be out. I don't want to be responsible for her drinking. or anything, you know, that's related to me. I get in trouble for everyone's bad behavior, you know? It's true. So I, so then we have drinks.

It ends up being a lovely night. We order some snacks, I think. We had a couple of drinks. There was like six or seven of us by this time. And as we're walking out the door, Jane says, oh, I'm actually so glad we came here. Thank you, Chelsea, for picking this place out. And I go, you're welcome.

The whole time. Like, I'm getting blamed as she's getting more and more tired, more and more stressed. Like, why are we going to this place? And then she, and then I get credited with the win. And I love the way that- And then, by the way, you take off the next morning and I go on to the next location. Yeah, where did you guys go from there? Well, wait, that was Albuquerque. So then we went to San- San Tropez? No, is there, like, wait, San Jose? Is that right?

San Antonio? No. New Mexico. New Mexico. In New Mexico. I don't know. Like, the big town in Mexico. The place, El Paso.

No. Oh, okay. Let's stop. Please, can you cut this part? Okay. Okay. She's from Dartmouth, everyone. She went to Dartmouth.

I can't remember anything. Just so you know, and she speaks Mandarin, but she doesn't know where San Antonio is. Thank you. Santa Fe. You know what? You should have been able to think of that, too. Santa Fe. Thank you, Catherine.

No problem. Okay, so back to Connie. When I see Connie on television, I send her a screen grab. When I saw her playing Dirty John, the woman that got duped by this lunatic loser, he wasn't even that much of a lunatic. That's how kind of slow on the uptake this woman was. He was, too, a lunatic. Yeah, I mean, I guess so.

I mean, compared to the guys you date, but yes, he was a lunatic. i take screen grabs of connie's faces and i just send them to her saying like how can anyone take your acting seriously you know and i forget what was the last you're in everything so it's impossible to avoid connie britain you guys if you're watching you've seen her in everything in fact i started watching that new series on netflix and you were in it and i was so excited and then and then you die in it but then you come back and flashbacks yeah i forget what that no that was a series no the life list the life list is a movie oh I thought it was a series okay so then I did watch it I thought I only watched the first episode that was the whole that was the whole

it's because it's a movie technically you did watch the first episode okay but now Connie has a new series it's called the motherhood and she's been talking about this for about two years because She adopted a son about how many years ago? Did you adopt your son? 14. 14 years ago. Okay. So pretty recent.

So she adopted her son 14 years ago as a single parent. And she is very passionate and has always been very passionate. I can attest to this, to the plight of single mothers and to the plight of what it takes for a mother to raise a child, not only in this world, just as a job. It is a job, a full-time job. Yes. One that I have chosen not to participate in. So talk to us about your series, Connie, because I watch... By the way, you've been hearing me talk about this for longer than two years because I've been working on this for so long because the whole idea came to me while I was

in Nashville because basically I adopted Yobi and then immediately moved to Nashville to do the show Nashville. And I was like a brand new mother. I had no support system. I didn't know anybody in Nashville I started working 18 hour days it was so crazy and I had this new baby I'm like I what do I do with it like I don't know I don't know how and it was quite traumatizing and so anyway I figured it out I started I created like an amazing support system there like was they people how did you figure it out though it took a long time and by the way I don't I don't mean to say that like oh yeah so I figured it out because I figured no but what the main thing that saved my life basically was that I slowly started to create a community and that started actually

with I think you've met these guys with me like Nathan Folliwell who's the drummer in the Kings of Leon and his wife Jessie Balin were the only people in Nashville that I knew and they had I'd met them because they had come to the set of Friday Night Lights Nathan had brought Jessie as like a surprise to visit the set of Friday Night Lights and we had had like some crazy night with them and so I remembered I'm like wait I think those guys live in Nashville so I called them up and so because thanks to them like I started like I had like a little bit like of it was like somebody to hold on to and then they kind of introduced me to their community and then crazy I think you know this story but after one year on the show the house next door

of theirs went on the market and I bought it so I was able to live next door to them which also and then they had kids and so Yobi and their kids like we're kind of growing up together and anyway but what I realized is it's all about community and also in Nashville I had another friend who was working on the show in costumes she was a single mom of four kids and she was working these crazy 18 hour days without a break and she like didn't have like at least I could afford a nanny which I I needed I I would not have been able to do it without that but like I recognize like so many single moms don't have the resources that I have and you still have to do it and so they're out working three jobs at a time or all these long hours and one day she calls me and she's like I

forgot to give Jed lunch money and I'm I happen to be off that day so I swing by the local middle school and drop off like Raina James who's the character that I'm playing in Nashville like just drops off like five five dollars in the front office for like her kid Jed and like at that moment I was like I wish I'd love to start an organization or something where single moms could just get you could volunteer to like go grocery shopping or just hang out with the kids for two hours just to like give single moms a break you know what I mean anyway so that's kind of where it all started, the whole idea of it. And it kind of emerged into I got together with these guys at Scout who created Queer Eye. And they love the idea because nobody's also really done anything

like this sort of talking about single moms, which I think is another issue because there are so many single moms in the world, not just the United States, but in the world. Anybody that you talk to, if they're not a single mom or weren't raised by a single mom, they have somebody in their life who they know and they're close to that's a single parent and so it's like as a culture we don't really we kind of just push single parents away like that's not a thing and there's no support for you know certainly I mean at this point but like there's no governmental like any kind of anything in place in terms of giving support to single parents and I just was like I want to change the narrative about that and like create respect for these people who are doing this

heroic thing which is being single parents and doing it by themselves and also help to create a community for single parents so that they can not feel alone in it because I also what I found like shooting the show is it's one of the big things is it's so hard especially for women to ask for help and so they think that they're supposed to do it all by themselves And it's so isolating and challenging and kind of impossible. Like, you can't do it by yourself. And so the whole point of the show is, like, create community and— Well, first you gather a bunch of single mothers who are all, you know, who are going through it, right?

I mean, take us through it. Well, so on the show itself, like, we—yes, we—basically there are six episodes. Each episode, we have a single mom who, you know, of course, every person has their own set of circumstances. And we have three women who are our experts. And I call them the neighbor ladies named after the women that when I was growing up, like I grew up in Virginia on a cul-de-sac and like every day at five o'clock, the neighbor ladies from around the cul-de-sac would come over to my mom to our house and like they'd

all have like their glass of wine or their cocktail and like have like whatever cheese and crackers and just like talk about their days and like that was their support system and so I grew up watching that and that made me realize like oh like my mother is even my mother wasn't even a single mom but I'm like you can't do this but like they rely on each other to get through the day raising their kids and so anyway so I we called the three mom experts on the show the neighbor ladies one of them is um sort of a style but it's it's kind of a self-love style person and then one is a parenting coach and then one is a diy home renovation person they're all amazing all three of them and so each week we have a new single mom and then our three neighbor

ladies will kind of go in and create magic for them and help them help to guide them so that they can have sustainable things that can help them as they continue to raise their child and do their jobs and do all the things that they're doing in the world. And then ultimately we're creating a community with all of these moms. That's the goal. And that's, yes, a very beautiful thing. What's your friend's name again? The woman who, Yobi's best friend, they don't go to the same school. Oh, Tammy. Tammy, yeah. I would like to know who her community is, who her neighborhood ladies are. Well, you know, that's a really interesting point because, first of all, I'm hoping, because next, we're already starting to talk about season two of the show. It's on

Hallmark, everybody. You can watch The Motherhood on Hallmark, and the first two episodes are out now. But we shot the first season in Kansas City, which was awesome, by the way. Have you ever been to Kansas City? Of course I've been to Kansas City. I'm a comedian. I go to all the cities that you'll never want to ever see the inside of. Not that Kansas City is one of them. I really liked Kansas City. Kansas City is cool. That whole area, that Midwest area.

Kansas City is very cool. Yes, I agree. Yeah, I really liked it a lot. And we had a beautiful time there. But next season, because I live in L.A., Yobi's starting high school next year. So I'm like, it would be so much better if we shot. I'd be able to be in the show more if we shot shoot in L.A.

So we're looking at that. And if we do, then Tammy will be one of the moms next year. Oh, yay! Our friend Tammy. I know. I'm I'm like, because she's definitely one of the people that also kind of inspired this, you know, totally. Right. And so I know it'd be so amazing. I know. And I'm always inviting Tammy to come to one of my Vegas shows. And she's like, girl, you don't understand what I would do to make that happen.

She's like, I want to come to Vegas. She's like, do you understand? I can never leave my child for one night unless I have a like a foolproof plan for him to spend the night. And I was just like, oh, God, the last time I flew somewhere to meet Connie was for her. I went early to South by Southwest for her birthday. We went we had a nice dinner. I don't know what was in the water on the plane ride I got. I took there, but something was in it. It was this this guy had this brand deal, this brand.

It's called Love Water. And they said it was just water. But I'm convinced there was something else in there. And when I got to that dinner, I was ready to go. and guess what hot I was hot and hot coming in hot I came in hot and that night ended at around 2 30 in the morning and the next morning I had panels at South by Southwest not one not two five separate panels that started at 9 30 a.m. and I got in at 3 30 a.m. so I looked like somebody punched me in the face I didn't recover from that night for two days because of the water weird the

weird water stuff no because of everything that happened after the water we drank and then we went back to her friend's house and then people were smoking cigarettes it just got it was just one of those it was first of all i don't regret it for a second because it was a really fucking fun night and i'm glad that i was there but uh of course that's austin that's austin but it took me a couple days to really get my head back on straight after this after the first day of five panels because there were so many fun things going on at south by southwest my assistant was there and he's like, okay, so do you want to go to this dinner with this person and this person?

I go, dinner? Are you fucking kidding me? I have to go to bed at 5 p.m. today because of last night. As if it was somehow his fault. Your assistant is so sweet. I know, I know. Wait, remind me his name again. McKinley.

That's a private joke. That is a private joke, and we know that it's not McKinley. Okay, anyway. Okay. Okay. We're going to take a break and we're going to be right back with Connie Britton, the world's best actress. If you'd like advice from Chelsea, write into us at DearChelseaPodcast at gmail.com. We'd love to hear your questions for any juicy story you'd like advice on. But this week, we're specifically looking for questions about family issues. If you have an issue with a family member or you need advice about a specific relationship issue,

please write in at DearChelseaPodcast at gmail.com. there's no shortcut for saving time but saving money is simple just combine your car and home insurance with bel-air direct and save get a quote at bel-air direct.com when i was 14 years old i was kidnapped and held captive for nine months i survived and i've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them i'm elizabeth smart And these are the survivor files. I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying, shut up, don't say anything. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable.

I knew if he woke up, without a doubt, he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed, and I just started screaming. They are abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. But these aren't stories about what's taken from them. They're stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your For You page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. This is Prose Society, the weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for thought

daughters, pop culture obsessives, and anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. I'm Eli Rallo, and every week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and the conversations everyone can't stop having. I'm gonna have to look up this story. I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. From best-selling authors and your favorite book talk creators to the latest pop culture moments nothing is off the table it's like if you can hide some real messages inside compelling characters then that is a trojan horse whether you're looking for literary deep dives smart pop culture conversations or a community of readers who love to think a little too much you're in the right place listen to pro society on the iheart

radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts see you between the pages hey this is Chase Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast Hollywood Handbook on the Big Money Players Network. Our show is extremely accessible to first-time listeners. Each week, we talk to someone in show business, a.k.a. the biz, and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us. Everyone has a good time, and no one gets mad at their publicist

for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman. Not that great. Actually, can you help me shape this? How about we flip it on its head? How about we flip the script? What if the surprise woman, who actually you think is the straight man, is actually the one who's acting weird? Adam Scott.

This entire time, you've been expecting Adam Sandler to come to visit the show. I would never set expectations for something like that to happen. If the universe allows for something like that to happen, I'm open to it. I'm always going to accept. You know, Danny McBride, fine. Yeah, it's all this fragile masculinity exuding. I could smell it walking down the hallway, to be honest with you. I was like, is that weed?

Nope, it's fragile masculinity. Ben Stiller, no. Because a lot of times, out of context, people don't get it or even know what a circle is. You know what I mean? Like, they're like, oh, what's a circle? Everyone's so dumb except for you. And fake.

Right, fake and also not interested or just like, oh, I've got my life. I don't care about your life. And a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Oh, and by the way, Will Ferrell told us personally he loves the show and he wants to be a guest on every episode, but he's just so busy. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We're back with Connie Britton.

Hey, Connie, I have an acting question for you. Do you ever have a, have you ever had, because you've been in everything, I mean, just to name a few, as you named, you were in Friday Night Lights, you were in Nashville, you were in White Lotus. Your favorite, Dirty John. Dirty John, yes. That's just to name a few. Her resume is endless. Do you ever have a crisis of confidence when you're acting or have you had one about your performance? I, of course, I always have a crisis of confidence.

Like, isn't that part of being an artiste? I guess so. I just feel like you always feel, I mean, I've never seen that side of you. Even though I joke about you being bad at acting, I know you're not. And I know you're very talented. And I wonder if someone who's as established and as experienced, like the hours of experience that you have accrued, does that erode? That is legit. That 10,000 hours thing, one of the things that I've noticed in my 50s that's amazing is that 10,000 hours thing.

Like, I feel much more like I can access whatever that thing is that I need to be able to do a scene and create a character. It's like I have much more immediate connection to that. Whereas when I was younger, I think I would, you know, I kind of have to really like it was more cerebral and I'd have to really like dig down and that kind of thing. And now I think that, you know, it's that after 10,000 hours, it becomes a little bit more immediate. And so that but that doesn't necessarily take away from every time I start a character. It's funny. I actually literally this just this last week finished shooting. we're doing a sequel to the brothers mcmullen oh the family mcmullen the brothers mcmullen was my big break movie that happened in 1995 and that movie is like like it takes place on long island

and it's like pretty thick like long island accent and you know i did the part 30 years ago so it's always a thing like oh what is i don't i guess i know what this character is i don't know But every time I first step foot on set and the camera starts to roll, I'm kind of like, what am I going to sound like as this character? I don't know. It's super nerve wracking. Yeah, accents are probably intimidating. I can imagine. Yeah, but it's also just even a leap of faith.

Even if it's not with an accent, it's just kind of like, I don't really know. I'm just figuring it out as I go kind of thing. You have to jump off a cliff a little bit every time. How was it meeting Robert De Niro on set? I mean, I'm sure you've met him before, but was that intimidating? You mean your passion and your lover passion, Robert De Niro? My baby daddy. Your baby daddy.

It was amazing. Are you kidding? It was like the best. I mean, he's just, he's so nice. He's a really nice guy. He's got such an incredible work ethic. Also a guy in his 80s. And he just works his ass off.

and so and he's just kind of a normal guy and he would just talk to me like how are you learning all these lines uh you know these lines are you know what I mean and it was interesting for me because it was a little bit like it was his first time doing television which you know I've been doing for a long time oh and so it was almost like he was kind of looking to me like oh yeah how do you do this kind of thing I'm like me what he's so demure but yeah he I it was very exciting meeting De Niro. Okay, so we're going to move to callers. Connie, try and give some advice. We need, okay, put on your sage. Callers? Callers. We have live people. It's called Dear Chelsea. It's like Dear Abby, but with me. Oh, God. Guys. So our first question comes from Laura. She says, Dear

Chelsea, I'd love some advice on this. One of my best friends since high school is 39 and so ready to meet someone and start a family. She's beautiful, a doctor. She even designed and built her own house. All she needs is to meet a decent man, and she's ready to go. She wants a family so bad, she's also frozen her eggs, so she has a backup plan, but she really doesn't want to resort to it. She feels the clock is ticking. I don't understand why she can't find someone. She's such a catch. She's kind. She's active. She skis a lot in Canada, too. She's been on the apps for literally years, and men are either intimidated by her or they're, quote, just not ready to think about a family. I constantly put it out to people I know, too.

oh, hey, if you know any single guys, and it's just not working. To throw a bit of a wrench in her search, she met a guy online a year ago who lives across the country who she keeps holding out hope for. He's the same cultural background as her, which I feel she sees as an added fairy tale-esque bonus. But he keeps disappointing her, not making an effort in communication or plans to see her unless it conveniently just happens. Example, randomly being in the same city in Europe one day and meeting up. She's been very straight up with him about what she wants, and it's frustrating that he keeps stringing her along but not committing.

I tell her I was just a sign of the times and it's not her. I also tell her what an inspiration she is, especially if she does decide to be a mother alone and I'm wondering how I can support her. I need Chelsea's wisdom, Laura. First of all, hi, Laura. This is our special guest, Connie Britton today.

You're Laura. Yeah. Like Laura from The Letter. Well, she's Laura from The Letter, but she's talking about her friend in The Letter. Is it your friend, Laura? Just my friend. Just your friend.

No, it really is. When I talked to Laura, she had, like, babies in tow. Oh, okay, okay. Well, you know, it could have been one of those things where it's like, oh, I have a friend. This is just fucking... Honestly, I'm sorry about her. I'm sorry. Listen, Laura.

Let's just be real. I think you should encourage your friend to go ahead and not be holding out for any fucking man to have her babies. if she is passionate about becoming a mother and she has her eggs frozen and she has her shit together and her life together fucking go for it she could be waiting another 10 years before she finds the right guy Connie didn't meet her right guy until you were what 50 Connie how long have you guys been together yeah no 52 52 52 I can actually speak to this too Laura even though I thought maybe you were the friend i because frankly this was i adopted my son as a single mom because i kept thinking oh i'm gonna meet the guy i'm gonna meet the guy i'm gonna meet the guy

yeah and i knew i wanted to adopt just as your friend knows that she wants to have babies and she froze her eggs and so i finally was like what am i waiting for and i did it and i'm just so glad that i did i i will say how old were you connie when you did it you did it 14 years ago 44 okay Yeah. Yeah. Great. So that's encouraging. Yeah. So so but I will say, you know, and she can watch my show that's coming out on Monday, The Motherhood, because it's all about single moms. So it's it's helpful because the thing is, you you kind of need to know what you're in for when you are going to be a single mom. But honestly, it's so amazing. If she chooses to do that, it's so amazing to be able to do that and not feel like, because otherwise it screws up your thinking if you're sort of at the mercy of the idea of like, I want to meet a guy so I can have a baby. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, totally. And I've actually just become a single mom too. So I'm, I'm really trying to... Did you kill your husband? But yeah, I have two kids. That's a personal question, Chelsea. I have two kids. So I'm trying to really show her that, you know, it's awesome alone.

So yeah, thank you so much. Do you guys live near each other, you and your friend? yeah we live we're going to the sauna tonight so we live like 10 minutes from each other that's great you're each other's community you're each other's because that's what we're talking about Connie's new show is all about this it's on a hallmark and it's called motherhood and it's all about this it's about actually forming a community with your friends who also are single parents so that you guys can help each other parent together you know and be there for when the other person isn't and having your kids spend time together like this is exactly what we're talking about so Please don't ever put anything on hold in the hopes that you're going to meet the right guy.

You never know when that person is coming. Awesome. I love it. Thank you. Okay, great. Thanks for calling. Thank you so much. Bye, Laura.

Bye. Thanks, Laura. What a perfect question. Wow, that was really quick. We might even make it to four questions. We'll see. So our next caller is Stephanie. She says, Dear Chelsea, I'm a high school teacher at a school in an underprivileged

area in Connecticut. Yes, they exist here. We're situated around the richest towns in the state. I worked in my school for my entire career, 11 years. I just finished my last ever degree, which will allow me to be a school administrator. My dilemma right now is between loving my job and wanting to be financially stable. My job is literally my calling. I love my students.

I love my coworkers. And most days, I truly just love going to work and doing this job despite everything. However, we're paid like garbage. After school hours, I nanny for a family and tutor the other days of the week for more income. Plus, I nanny part-time in the summer when I'm off work. With my new degree, I could move into an administrative position in one of the richer towns next year and make way more money, but I'm afraid that I won't find as much joy in the

business end of running a school as I do in my current role. I need your advice. Do what I love or work for a paycheck to afford a comfortable life. Stephanie. Hi, Stephanie. Hi. Hi, Stephanie. Hi. This is Connie Britton, our special guest today. I know. I'm blown away.

She was a teacher too in one of her lives. In one of my lives, in one of my acting lives. I mean, that's, I feel conflicted. I read this thing the other day from Bill Gates. There was a big tech conference, a big climate conference at a big tech conference last week in San Francisco. And Bill Gates came out and said that in 10 years, all nursing jobs and all teaching jobs will be done by AI.

And if he said that, then I think that's probably going to be true. So I would normally say stick with your passion, but I feel like you're already on your you've gotten you had to get a degree right an extra degree to become an administrator you've worked for this it's going to be more financially secure for you I feel like that's your move I kind of agree with that but can I just ask one thing which is as you're thinking about it could you make a list of the specific things and you kind of did in your in your letter but like the specific things that you love about this specific job. Because then what you could do is as you look to something that's more lucrative for you

and like creates a better lifestyle for you, you can try to see if you can fill in those things in some way, even if it's not this exact same circumstance, so that you're not completely sacrificing what you love, you know? Right. Yeah, that makes sense. But also don't downplay all the positive impacts you can have as an administrator. Like there are many things you can do to also bring yourself joy. It's not going to be the same as being inside a classroom every day, but you can influence the teachers. You can provide comfort and safety for them. There are a lot of ways that you're going to find yourself experiencing fulfillment and joy in your new job that you're not even yet aware of. So don't think that that's not going to have

any of those aspects moving forward. Yeah. Right. Yeah. I agree with you there. I get worried because I see how people who move into that role kind of ease away from what I love to do in my job day to day. And that's what scares me. It's like, am I, will I be allowed to break the mold and do that? Or do I kind of have to fall into this public school system of, you know, you're in charge, you have to be a little bit less fun. Well, that's the thing. You can be a leader in that circumstance. You can be the one to break through that and like, let it in. That's why it's like making a list is a helpful idea because then it's like, OK, I want to include these things as part of this job, which everybody says, oh, that's not part of this job. It's like

you're going to do it differently. You know, that's an opportunity. Yeah. I think you should go into it with a whole with a whole bunch of energy about how you were going to make this role special for you and how it's going to work for you. You know, I'm sure there will be some limitations that you maybe you don't foresee, or maybe you do foresee. But there's always ways that you can actually impact and have change in your environment, you know, and especially in a leadership role. So like, look at it like that, like, oh, now I'm going to get to influence and give like my passion for teaching, you're going to be able to infuse that into other teachers that are working, you know, underneath you. And you're going to be able to like kind of

set the tone and set the vibe. And I mean, nothing needs that more now than education. Yeah. Yeah. You have obviously a little bit of a deadline on this because you have to sort of make a decision for this next year pretty soon. But like, if you really feel like, you know, I want to take one more year as a teacher, like, I think that's okay too. And like, I think the extra stuff that you have to do to make ends meet is kind of a

recipe for burnout. So, you know, if it's not the right time now, do some soul searching, see if it is. If it's not, then maybe it's next year or the following year. But you're going to gain so much more time and bandwidth that, like Connie said, you could do some volunteering with a group that, like, fulfills what your job is currently fulfilling. Yeah. I've been thinking a lot about it. I also was thinking about it a lot this weekend because I was so excited. Maybe proposing, like, more of a hybrid administrative role.

Like, if my district, that's something maybe they would be into if I could still teach a few classes a day and then do the leadership components, sit through meetings and everything like that. So I was like, it couldn't hurt. I suppose, to just throw that out there. Absolutely. When the time comes. That's a great way to keep your feet on the ground and in touch with everything that's happening also, you know, like in your administration.

Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Okay, great. Well, this was a very high, upbeat phone call. I'm glad that you called and I'm glad we could help. And good luck with everything. You're doing the Lord's work. Thank you so much.

I know, seriously. That's the most, what you're doing is the most valuable thing we could ever ask. Thank you so much. Thank you. So it was so great to talk to you all. You know what I hope? I hope that with this AI, like everyone's so scared of AI.

And I was reading this article about how everybody was so scared of computers. In 1993, when Al Gore invented the internet, everyone was so scared that the computers were going to take everybody's jobs. Everyone was freaking out. We don't remember this because half of us weren't even born then, but I was. And this article that I read reminded me of that. And that's how people feel about AI. And, you know, AI is going to be used for bad stuff, but it's going to be used for good stuff, too. Think about what we're dealing with with our education department being assaulted in the way that it has been with this administration. Wouldn't it just be the ice cream on the cake for all of us or the brownie for for AI to come in and educate the fucking shit out of all of these kids in America for free without school?

can you imagine how smart everyone's going to be if everything that they are doing just completely backfired? Anyone? Yeah. No. Anyone? Hello? I don't think we're there yet. Well, we're not there yet, but what if that's a silver lining? What if that happens? I like that. I like that point of view. I think if that happened, that would be amazing. I mean, you have to be motivated to learn, but the people who are motivated to learn that want AI tutors and they want these. They're going to be able to learn faster than anybody. I mean, all the information's there. So as much as you have a thirst for it, you're going to get it. I feel like best case scenario, teachers are able to use it as a tool because as our caller just showed, being a teacher

is so much more than just like providing information. It's like you are caring for these children. You're listening to them when they're having an issue. You're watching out for them, seeing if there's an issue at home sort of thing that like AI is never going to do. But if can take some of the burden off of teachers, that's, I think, where the sweet spot would be. I agree. Like, I think if we can be smart about it and not just have it be like, okay, now it's AI and like fire all the teachers. Right. You know what I mean? Like, but instead understand the value of who the teachers are and that they can, that the AI can actually be an assist to them so that maybe we're not burning out our teachers all the time. You know, I mean, we already pay

our teachers total crap. So I don't know if it's going to help that situation, but I don't know. I agree. I think there's something where it could be it could be it could always it could work to our advantage. Yeah. Well, let's take a quick break and we'll come right back with a quickie. Please tag me for the special because I get so many tags about my books, but I'm not getting as many about my special and my special is the newest thing out. So I want to make sure all my ardent fans are watching it and tagging me and I'll repost you. And yes, it's called the feeling. There's no shortcut for saving time, but saving money is simple. Just combine your car and home insurance with Bel Air Direct and save. Get a quote at BelAirDirect.com.

When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months. I survived and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the Survivor Files. I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying, shut up, don't say anything. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable. I knew if he woke up, without a doubt, he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed,

and I just started screaming. They are abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. But these aren't stories about what's taken from them. They're stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your For You page are equally important to your personality, welcome home.

This is Prose Society, the weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for thought daughters, pop culture obsessives, and anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. I'm Eli Rallo, and every week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and the conversations everyone can't stop having. I'm going to have to look up this story. I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. From bestselling authors and your favorite book talk creators to the latest pop culture moments, nothing is off the table it's like if you can hide some real messages inside compelling characters

and that is a trojan horse whether you're looking for literary deep dives smart pop culture conversations or a community of readers who love to think a little too much you're in the right place listen to pro society on the iheart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. See you between the pages. On the new podcast Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinheiro and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word solita, trading the pity for possibility. Every time I tried to be alone,

I kept meeting people and they were like, you smiled at us. Not a lot of people smile around here. It's when you're alone that you're most receptive to the world as it is and not the lies you're sold about it. It can be a time where you push your limits, change your mind, or wake up to a new version of yourself. So whether you're a solo travel veteran or you're too nervous to book your first trip. I hope you listen to Solita on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, we're back with the star of The Motherhood, Connie Britton, the executive producer and star of The Motherhood, which is a new series on Hallmark. You can watch the first two episodes now. And this is for anyone, any parent who is at home, who is a single

parent or is friends with someone who is a single parent to gain a better understanding of how important it is to build a community. Okay. Do we have one last caller? Well, this one's just an email, but we do have one last question. So Liz writes, her subject line is, am I abusing my babysitter? Dear Chelsea. Great question. Yeah. I'm a 37-year-old working mom of two kids, ages six and two. I'm fortunate to work four days a week, and I worked really hard to get to this place in my life. I have an incredible babysitter whom my girls adore, whose hours are 7.30 to 5.30 Monday through Friday. And just as a reminder,

she only works at her job four days a week. Since I had my first daughter, I felt conflicted about childcare. A friend once said, I didn't have kids so someone else could raise them, and I felt that way too. I've always had the goal of minimizing the amount of time my kids spend with the babysitter, and I pick them up right at 5.30, which is great on my work days. But I've also been using her on my Fridays off so I can have some strongly desired alone time. This felt like a win for me in terms of prioritizing myself and my sanity. Today, I checked in with her to make sure it's okay for me to continue sending them to her on Fridays. She's a small daycare center and they're the only kids there on Fridays. She shrugged and said sure, but seemed hesitant. She works hard,

so I get it, but it triggered that old part of me that felt like I have to spend every free moment with my kids. As I'm typing this, I also realized that it triggered the part of me that needs to be completely self-sufficient and never ask for or accept help. God forbid I be a burden to anyone else. Don't worry, I'm in therapy. I've come so far, but the situation is so hard for me. Honestly, I don't feel like I need advice. What I need is for someone who doesn't know and love me to tell me it's not just okay, but good and necessary to take time for myself. I know the real work is to find that voice within myself, but I'm fucking busy, so I need some help with this one. Sincerely, Liz. Connie? I mean, this is the whole, this is my show, Liz. Again, please

watch The Motherhood. It's all about how hard it is for us to ask for help and to feel like it's okay. Like all six of the moms in all of our episodes, each one of them spoke about how they feel like they can't justify taking time for themselves. They can't justify buying things for themselves because it always comes down to time with their kid or the kid needs something and that's always going to take the first priority. And that is how you literally destroy your own soul. And a mom with a destroyed soul is not helpful to their child. And so it's like, I think what it begs you to do is, first of all, really ask yourself, like, what do I need here? It's okay for me to need help and I have reasons why I need that and then just have a real conversation with

your babysitter because what you don't want is that that icky like yeah sure but like there's some kind of like tension growing or you know resentment or whatever it's like be real about it and be like this I'm you know this is important time don't apologize this is important time for me I need this time. But if it's a problem for you, let's talk about what works for both of us. But it's OK to stand up for and know that you need your own time because it's going to make you a better mother. Period. End of conversation. Except for whatever you have to say, Chelsea. I'm just going to agree with everything you said, because it's pretty obvious that women need to take care of each other and themselves. So yes, I'm going to let that let that sit

without adding on okay and that is the only time i will do that in our lives connie i want you to know that okay i'm like literally i'm gonna take a little picture screenshot okay well connie britain we finally did it you're on the podcast we did it we're promoting a great project um the show is called the motherhood and uh you can follow connie on instagram if you want to but not a lot happening there so come on we can't all have the most perfect Instagram that you have

so much help making okay I love you Connie I love you honey have fun at your premiere I'm sorry I can't be there but I'll see you next time okay honey I love you bye bye guys bye bye and that concludes another episode of Dear Chelsea

we'll see you next week do-do-do-do-do-do drum roll Catherine please and abroad broad is my European tour so I'm coming to obviously find a husband abroad I need to get the hell out of this fucking country and it's not as easy as you think so I'm coming to Reykjavik I'm coming to Dublin I'm coming to the UK. I'm coming to Brussels, Paris, Belfast in May and June. I'm coming to Oslo, Stockholm, to Copenhagen, Manchester, London, Glasgow, New Zurich, Vienna. I've never, ever been to Vienna, Berlin, Barcelona, and Lisbon.

I'm coming. Abroad is abroad. That sounds like fun. I'm going to go see you abroad. I know. I want to go see me abroad. And there I'll be. There I'll be.

Excellent. Okay, my remaining dates for Vegas. There are remaining dates for this year. Summertime is coming, and I will be in Vegas at the Cosmo doing my residency on July 5th. It will be the next date that I'm there. July 5th, August 30th, and then November 1st and 29th. November 1st and November 29th. I will be in Las Vegas at the Cosmo performing Inside Myself at the Chelsea.

It's called Chelsea at the Chelsea for a reason. Okay? Thank you. Do you want advice from Chelsea? Write into DearChelseaPodcast at gmail.com. Find full video episodes of Dear Chelsea on YouTube by searching at Dear Chelsea Pod. Dear Chelsea is edited and engineered by Brad Dickert, executive producer Catherine Law. And be sure to check out our merch at ChelseaHandler.com.

I survived nine months in captivity and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart and these are the Survivor Files. Every week I'm with survivors who lived through the unthinkable, abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. These are stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. hey this is hayes davenport and sean clements we host the podcast hollywood handbook each week we talk to someone in show business and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us everyone has a good time and no one gets mad at their publicist for letting them do our

show we've had a lot of great guests like sarah sherman adam scott danny mcbride ben stiller and a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us listen to hollywood handbook on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the new podcast, Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle.

I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinheiro and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word solita, trading the pity for possibility. Listen to Solita on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

If your bookshelf and your For You page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. Pro Society is a weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. Each week, we're connecting the dots

between books, the internet, and pop culture with your favorite writers, book talk creators, and plenty of overthought opinions. Yeah, I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. Listen to Pro Society on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.