Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist - Best of 2021: Kate Hudson

Episode Date: December 23, 2021

Willie looks back on his memorable interviews of the year. Kate Hudson was just 21 years old when she won a Golden Globe for her role in Almost Famous. In the two decades since, she has starred in a run of romantic comedies, launched a successful athleisure brand and raised three children ranging in age from toddler to teenager. In this “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with Hudson for a conversation about her life and career, and what quarantine was like with those three kids. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey guys, Willie Geist here with another special edition of the Sunday Sit Down podcast, where I'm bringing you my favorite conversations of 2021. And for this one, I'm going all the way back to January of this year with the great Kate Hudson. Just truly one of my favorite people to talk to, talented, charming, funny, all of the things. We chatted for about 15 minutes before the interview actually started. Our producers yelling in my ear to actually get the interview started. It's that kind of a thing when you're around. around Kate Hudson. Kate was actually one of the last people I spoke to in person before the pandemic hit in March of 2020. My sister Libby and I were guests on Kate's podcast, sibling revelry,

which she hosts with her brother, Oliver. So in this interview, Kate and I kind of talk about all of her projects, including that podcast, her movie that was out at the time called Music. She's got an Apple TV series, Truth Be Told with Octavia Spencer. She's got the athleisure wear line, Fabletics. She's got it all. Also, life in quarantine with her three kids ranging in age from two to 17. Just a great conversation, truly one of my favorites of 2021, with Kate Hudson right now on the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Kate, it's great to see you. Thanks for doing this. Yeah, it's good to see you too. For people who are just tuning in, which is everyone, we've just conducted a three-hour, one-on-one interview, and now we're doing the actual interview. So welcome to the actual interview.

Speaking of which, you and I were just talking, it was, believe it or not, less than a year ago that my sister Libby and I did the podcast with you and Oliver, Siddling Revely. And that was February 26th. I just looked. And it feels like how many lifetimes ago at this point? It feels like a million lifetimes. And then it also is kind of crazy because now that I'm looking at you, of course, it feels like yesterday. Yeah. But like from when I saw you and to where we are now, I mean, the whole world has.

shifted. Yeah. I mean, late February, we were two weeks out from the world changing and you guys were so generous. We came over to your hotel and we sat with you and Danny and hung out for a couple hours. It was so fun. I love it. I love doing the podcast. I get to meet so many interesting people. And then we get to talk about the one thing that I think is like the most fun, which is family dynamic. Definitely the most interesting, I think. Well, other than politics. But I guess there's family politics. Always. You've had Kardashians, McConaughey's, and then Geis. So thank you for coming down a notch on the line for us. So what of these, since I saw you last, I mean, you've got a household that ranges from a two-year-old to a 17-year-old and one in between.

What have these months been like for you in the house? Really? This is the question. I think everyone wants to just, you know, I want to be like, yeah, it's so great. and everybody were figuring it out. But the reality is that there are days that are great and there's days that I have to remind myself to be grateful. I mean, there's days I have to remind myself like,

okay, this is temporary. I mean, I am a gypsy. I chose to be an actor and a traveler. I like to get on airplanes and disappear for a week, you know, and see the world go to like crazy places. And, you know, I've never thought in a million years that I'd spend a year in one place. And when you have so many kids and, you know,

sometimes you have those moments where you're hiding in your bathroom going, please, please get me out of there. And that's so I, so I'm not going to lie. I've had those moments. That being said, again, I'm grateful that for, you know, that, you know, we've, we've, so far so good. Everybody's been healthy. And my parents have stayed safe and healthy.

and and it's been crazy. I mean, you know, it's one of those things, too, where you, you know, I don't want to become numb to how many people we're losing. And like, I don't know about you, but even me personally, I mean, I just have a friend who lost their mother. I have a friend who lost their brother to COVID. And it's kind of shocking how many people were losing. So, you know, I, in those moments that feel like the kind of your house is caving in on you, I just remind myself, there's a lot of people out there who have lost their loved ones and we just got to stay in for a bit. There's no question. I mean, at some point it becomes a big number on the corner of the screen on the news.

But as you say, it's hundreds of thousands of people touched by it, whether it's their lives or somebody getting sick or their jobs. It's you do have to, you do have to be grateful, even in those moments when you, you're in the bathroom, which I'm a lot of people, will be happy to hear that even Kate Hudson, like the rest of us, is having the screaming bathroom moments. I am, yeah, I mean, we're very, I mean, look, we're adaptable creatures. So as, as things, you know, we do adapt to this idea of so much loss. And I think sometimes you have to kind of remind yourself that this isn't something we should be necessarily, you know, adapting so easily to that we should be taking a much more stronger

look at it and going like, okay, we've, you know, be safe. You know, I know it's hard. I know it's so hard because we're all exhausted by this process. But, you know, we're almost there. We're almost, you know, with the vaccine and everything, we'll get through it. Yeah, we will. And you've, it's a strange time to have milestones, have a baby turned two and probably start running around the house and then have a son turned 17 years old when he probably

wants to be out driving around, hanging out with his friends doing stuff. I know, party. What about girls? Yes. Oh, my God. He must be going crazy. I mean, you know, I think about the old time. I'm like a 17-year-old boy.

He needs to be like, you know, poor rider. But we have a great sense of humor in this house, and we're very open about these things. So, you know, rider, writer, he'll, he'll be, I just wonder if, like, his 1920s is just going to be, like, wild, you know? Kids that are teens right now, they're sort of like cooped up. Yes. You know.

they're going to get out of the house. And when things open up, it's going to get weird. I know. We were talking before. I have a 13-year-old daughter. And this is those moments, eighth grade, right? When there starts to be some interest in boys and all those things. And it's just, it can't happen.

And it's you worry about development, but maybe you're right. Maybe it's just delayed. They're just going to. I think, I think, too, we're in really lucky areas. Like, for me, I wish Ryder was in middle school during COVID because, honestly, middle school is the worst for any kid. I mean, you know, it's like right when your hormones are raging, they try to figure out who they are, where they belong, and everybody's so mean. And, you know, it's like the hardest, I think middle school is the hardest time socially for kids. And then they

start to be more sure of themselves and get more, you know, confident with who they are as they get older in their high school years. So you're, I think she's lucky, you know, a little Zoom middle school sounds great. Yeah, right. A lot of that pressure is off for sure through the computer screen. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We'll see. High school next year. I think you're right. It's going to be you know. Oh, they're going to have so much fun. They're never going to want to come home. You may regret wanting to send him out into the world. Right. You might not come back. So you guys are still doing the podcast, which, as I said, people love. Yeah.

You're your brother. I love it. And you came out of the box this year with an episode about family. You were talking about how important family is and talking about wanting to reconnect with your step siblings. Right. Where did that come from for you? Honestly, just the top of my head in that moment is where it came from. You know, I was, we're actually interviewing this.

author on Friday, he wrote a book about reconciliation and families and estrangement. And he said something really interesting in the book, which is talking about your personal story is always difficult because there's so many people involved. Yeah. And it's not just your story. And so you want to be mindful that you're never overstepping someone else's, you know, especially when they're, when you want, you know, any kind of connection. So when I said that, I didn't realize that there would have been the pickup that it had, but I mean, I just wasn't thinking. But at the same time, it's a really interesting subject because I think that estrangement is unfortunately quite common. And it's also, there's a lot of shame that is held from a lot of people, whether it be from the parent or the child or the sibling.

And it's good things to talk about. I think it's more common than not. and, you know, people feel weird talking about the fact that they were either abandoned or neglected and sort of reflects poorly on them. But with that comes a story and those stories are important to everybody and to healing and to finding a place where you feel, you know, good about the connection and no, no regrets, right? Yeah. I also think that it's, you know, when we talk about family dynamic, the more I talk to different people and speak to experts about it who've, like, researched it endlessly. I find one of the things is, is that we have, you know, we always feel pressure to fit into some sort of societal norm. And with that means that, you know, you know, we are told that family is supposed to be blood is thick.

than water. You know, family is supposed to be everything. And if you have a dysfunctional family, therefore your life will be dysfunctional and your love life will be complicated and all these things. It's sort of what you're fed. And I believe we can change the stigma attached to that and that your blood, blood doesn't always have to be thicker than water. Like you can create your own family. You can create boundaries for yourself that are maybe in your best interest. And it's important for people to talk about that too if they can't reconnect or if it's too challenging that it's okay. And I love talking about these things. It forms who we are immediately and we sometimes need a little bit of talk and humor to move us into places where we can heal some of the wounds that have

affected us from our families. It's funny you say this just came off the top of your head, but having done your podcast and sat in the room with you, you really think through these things. And you're a great thinker and a talker and you're reading a book about it because you're interested in it. You go that far with it, which is really cool to watch. And I think from the outside, people look at your family

and they're like, you have this great relationship with your mom and Kurt. It seems that way through the years. And you guys are all so close. So do you feel like this other piece is something that's been gnawing at you? Or is this a new revelation? No, it's a 41-year-old. old issue. I mean, I, I, I'm, I'm, it's just, it's a part of what my life has been, you know, it's never been, it's always been an, you know, like I said, press is always really intrigued by

negative, something that might seem negative. And they're also intrigued by people who, you know, I think like, how do, how do people stay so positive? Like I was, I, I interviewed Amanda Clutes. I don't know if you know Amanda Coole. And she lost her husband to COVID. And she's been inspiring to so many people. She's, I was just like watching her. I was just watching her. And I was so inspired by her.

And like, you know, people love and are drawn to people who can turn something that feels so terrible into something beautiful. And, and I think that there's just certain people who have. that little optimism spark and that positivity thing. And I really believe that I was born with that. I don't know why. But it doesn't mean that I don't have struggle or there's not trauma or there's not things that I have had to work through. It just means that for some reason my brain allows me to process it in a way that could be in what I see as my best interest or what I see is like the life I want to be living, right?

I'm choosing to live a happy life versus a life where I constantly carry abandonment or neglect with me. And, you know, you can't, it doesn't, like, those things don't discriminate against anything. It doesn't matter where you come from, how what your, what your, you know, socioeconomic background is. You know, our trauma is trauma.

However you, you know, experience it from a, young age. And, you know, what I'm, what I'm loving about the time we're living in now is that people feel comfortable being more transparent about it. And people are accepting that, you know, we all have our stories and we all have these little ways that we can learn how to deal with them. And I have this platform. And I think that that's something that is important to talk about. why, you know, I have this, like you said, I have a great family. I have a beautiful mother. I have a stepfather who stepped in and played a huge, huge part in sharing what it is to have a dependable father figure in our life. But it doesn't take away from the fact that we, we didn't know our dad.

And that he, you know, that he had his own struggles and that, you know, it created a sort of a long, sort of 41-year-old distance for me and Ollie. And I think as I've sort of gone through that process, especially with this podcast, I kind of look at my dad and I'm like, you know, the love is never, ever gone anywhere. It's always been there no matter what the complications have been. And healing is a personal, it's just personal. Like you have to go through it however you need to go through it. And I think people sometimes just need to hear that they're not alone in that.

Definitely. That's such a beautiful way to put it. And also coming from someone like... Also a very long-winded way to put it. No. Are you kidding? We've got... What am I saying?

No. What am I babbling? No, it was amazing because I think people like you said, they look at you from the outside. You're like, Goldie Hans, your mom, Kurt Russell's your stepdad, movie star when she was 20. She's got everything. No. whoever you are, you've got all this stuff. And for you to sort of crack that open and talk about it, gives people permission to say, oh, I've got this stuff too. And okay, if she's talking about it,

I'm going to talk about it. Also, I think everybody's story is different, right? And, and like, I feel, I do feel a responsibility to always, I mean, I think part of the reason why you don't talk about things like that is because it's like, who am I to talk about this? I'm so lucky. I've been, I was born into a family. I recognize my privilege. I don't, there's no, you know, so you kind of like, hide anything like that. You don't really want to get into it. It feels like who cares, right? Like who cares what my trauma had been in my life?

And then you get older and you're like, well, these are really actually interesting things to talk about. And our mental health, again, is something that we've, for so many years, people don't talk about it. They don't talk about it because we're, for some reason, supposed to hide things that are challenging and traumatic. And I think it's comforting sometimes for people to hear that, you know, everybody has a bit of that.

Yeah. Some more than others, you know. You feel less alone. I could talk about this all day, but I do want to talk about some of the things you're working on right now. Hey. First, the Apple TV series that you're doing with Octavia Spencer. Yes.

Tell me about that. It's amazing. I mean, first of all. Well, if someone said you'll only work with Octavia Spencer for the rest of your life, I'd be like, please, please, can you please make sure that that's really what is going to happen? Anybody who's worked with Octavia knows exactly what I'm talking about. She is the absolute best. We, I feel like I've known her my whole life. We actually had a moment on set the other day where she was like, I don't know you my whole life. I'm like, me too. What is it? You know, I mean, it's like so, stuff. And so it couldn't be better. And it's definitely bizarre working during COVID. But at the same time, it's really nice to be working. So, you know, it kind of brought a little bit of like, oh, yeah, this is what I do. The other thing is that I realized really quickly, I haven't been working. You know, I've been working on my

businesses and I work on other things all the time and I stay at home. But I haven't been doing, you know, a lot of what I love the most, which is performing or creating characters and, you know, being on a set. I mean, I think some people kind of grow out of it, like they experience it and then they kind of get tired of it. I'm not one of those. I feel like I grew up on a set, wanted to continue working on sets, and now every time I'm just don't ever not want to be on a set. It's just where I'm happiest. And so it's really nice to be working. with, you know, with this, with back on, back in the circus, I like to call it. A little circus. And not a bad partner in the circus with Octavia.

Are you guys, how crazy are the protocols? I've heard different, talk to different actors who have different levels of how tight they are. Yeah. Some movies are more loose than other. It really depends on the, I mean, there's, there's the basic protocol that you have to meet for, I think, the unions. But then there's certain, like for us, we've got X amount of people. We have quite a big crew.

It's a bigger production. So we're very strict. I mean, we get tested every day. We get rapid tested. We, you know, I mean, it's really in depth. I know more about COVID and more about the transmission and how to work in COVID now from all of the protocol meetings. We work with this amazing infectious disease professor out of Boston.

His name's Aaron, and he has been so informative. We just, and then look, I was looking at us the other day with all of our, you know, on and we had our, you know, the mask and everybody's got their shields and the thing and the whatever. And I look, I'm like, God, we are, we're nuts. like we're we're shooting a show in the middle of a pandemic and so happy to be at work. And you realize like, yeah, I mean, actors, like, we got a lot of, like, you know what I mean?

Like, we're pretty like, we like to get in the middle of things. Like, we want to get in it, you know? And you realize, like, this is how much we love what we do, that we're going to come continue to do it throughout this and hopefully bring people seeing as they, that they'll love to watch and, you know, that they'll stay at home more. Yeah. Well, but they need this stuff.

They're looking forward to content. You know, we've run through every possible show we can run through after a year of Netflix and Apple TV. So that, you're shooting that now. That's down the road. Something that you shot long before the pandemic is this film music, which I just watched. And it's just like a fascinating piece of art and piece of work. Don't you think?

It's so different than anything I've seen. How do you describe it? Yeah, how do you describe this to people? Because it's unlike anything I've seen. I mean, to me, it's, I, you know, we call it a musical experience. It's a musical. And it's very, I think it's a piece of art. I mean, that's what Cia's intention was.

Her intention was to make a movie about love, about finding love, about feeling worthy of love. a movie about, you know, so many different aspects of her own life and things that she's experienced and then make a piece of art. I mean, she's a visual artist and an audible artist. And so she, and for me as an actor, I mean, that's like I live for things that are that original. That's exciting for me. We very rarely get opportunities to do that. You know, most of the time, I was saying the other day, you know, when you're trying, trying to create characters. You're like, what if I had short hair or maybe if I went like black hair and they're like, no, it should be long and blonde. And I'm like, yeah, but that's my hair.

And they're like, yeah, that's, that's right. And you're like, oh, okay, I get it. So you got it. They want Kate Hudson. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Whereas as an actor, you're like, no, I'm, I want, I want to play a part, right? So when someone says, hey, will you shave your head? I mean, for me, that's like, Yeah, I mean, for sure. There's just no question. By the way, Kate, for people watching and listening, yes, we're talking about Sia, the music superstar. See ya, yes, the pomp. Yeah, the pomp.

And, who directs this film and wrote, I think, 10 songs or basically an album of music for the movie. What was it like to work with her as a director? Amazing. I think it started with the music, right? So for me, it was like, I love to sing. I have always been a singer, but I've never had opportunities to sing music like what Sia writes. So the second I realized that Sia was making a musical and I was going to be able to maybe sing her songs, it was like, please God, I want to play this part, you know, because her songs are so powerful.

It's really nice to get to sing songs that have that kind of power behind them. And then she sent me some of the songs. And I was like, oh, the music is so great in this movie. And, and, excuse me, just burped. She's a little morning gurp. That's why we love you. That's why we love you. Keeping it real.

The, and then the part, I mean, zoo, I play a sober drug dealer. She is a girl. who's sort of survived, she's of all survival. She has learned to survive through manipulation, through getting people to fall in love with her. And she is really kind of avoids any kind of real close connection and doesn't feel like she deserves really to really understand or know what that is based on how she was raised. and what she knows.

And the story brings her together with her sister who is severely autistic. And what the movie does is it kind of takes, it was sort of, it was based on Cia's friend whose child is severely autistic. And Cia was like, I want to create a world where we can go inside the head of this beautiful child and see them be able to express themselves in ways that they're. can't. And that's what she did. And so all of these numbers are sort of taken from music, which is my sister, from her, from, from like, it's like what she's seeing, basically. And it's just a beautiful, loving story. I'm so happy to be in it. And I can't wait for people to actually see it. It's been really weird because we were supposed to, you know, we were supposed to have it come out a while ago, but then COVID happened.

And then the, you know, the protocol for movies coming out. It's really a, I mean, it's an IMAX movie. So it should be in the theater with the great sort of big sound and things. So, you know, it's been a little bit funny to have it come out now. But I just can't wait for the world to see this movie. I think like you said, it's really refreshing. And there's just nothing like it. No, it's funny you say that because I remember you came in to do an interview on the Today Show.

This must have been three and a half years ago and your head was shaved. And everyone was like, what's going on with Kate Hudson? Is she going through a thing? What is this? And you obviously were shooting this. So there's been some time and space since you got to shot it until it comes out. Yeah, a lot of editing. It would be IMAX would definitely be the way to see it.

Yeah. Well, it's going to come out. It's going to come out on IMAX in selected theaters. in February and then it's going to be kind of like wide on demand and after that. To hear you say that you felt like you'd gotten away from acting a little bit because you are so busy with all your businesses and we'll talk about that in a second. So how do you decide which roles to take? Like what does it take to get you something comes across your desk and you go, okay, yeah, that's worth investing all the time that you know it takes to star in a movie?

For me, that's people. That's the people. I mean, of all the things I've learned from, I mean, the first movie I did, I was 18. And, you know, it doesn't matter like, you know, that your parents have been through it. And everybody says, like, what advice your parents give you? It's like nothing. We don't talk about this kind of stuff. You have to make your own way and your own decisions and stuff like that. At the end of the day, it's all about the filmmaker.

I mean, that's, that's it. It's story. And it's script. It's what you're working with, you know, and that's really hard to come by. Great writing. And it's, it's filmmaker. So as I've been lucky enough to not have to make decisions based on, you know, I think it's hard as an actor because I think everybody's trying to stay relevant in some way.

That's kind of, how do I say relevant? That's the fear, you know? I don't really have that fear because I don't know why. I just don't care enough about that. I just want to do good things. And so I really just want to make interesting movies with interesting filmmakers. There was a time when I cared about commerciality of something, you know. And I don't really feel that way anymore.

I think maybe because it's just like that's on Instagram. You know what I mean? Like Instagram is there your commercial world and everything else is kind of can be real art. I can make art now. And I love it. I mean, I just did this movie. I did that movie with Sia. And then I did this movie with Anna Lili Omnipur called Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon.

And it's like such a cool, weird art movie. and I play this stripper who meets a girl who escaped from an insane asylum in New Orleans and it's just wild and Craig Robinson's in it who's the best and I loved it. It was like, you know, and you're really making, this is why I got into it. I got into acting because I wanted to play weird, fun characters with people who had vision. And that's my passion. And then sometimes I think about what I really want to be doing. Like, for instance, if I want to do something where I really invest the time in, like with Octavia, it is more commercial.

But I'm doing it with Octavia Spencer, who I just love every second of. So working with her, I feel so. So that's really what I want to be doing. I want to be doing things that make me happen, make me feel. feel good and happy. And isn't it nice to be at a point in your life and your career when you feel settled and you're a mom and you've done some great things in your career not to have to strategize at every moment, right?

Should I be doing this movie? Should I do this show? You know what's so weird? My agent used to say to me all the time, like I'm more, like I get more upset. I'm more invested in your career than you are. And I'm like, well, that's good. This is good. You know, I, I don't know what it is.

I like I have to there are moments where I'm like oh you know I'm a worker bee so I like doing a lot of things clearly but I don't hold expect like high expectations of myself like the only high expectation of myself is that I'm going to do the best I can do right but other than that like the outcome I like go of the outcome before there is even an outcome because if not then I would be like so miserable because there are so many outcomes that have been. been failures, right? And there's so many outcomes that didn't go exactly the way that I, if I had a strong expectation, then I would be just disappointed all the time because it wouldn't meet it. And, you know, I always find like the only expectations I really have that are really high

in my life is with my kids and with like family stuff. Other than that, it's like I just let it go. Like I do it. I work my ass off and then I walk away and I hope for the best. Well, you also, I mean, you started, you were shot out of a canon with almost famous when you were that young to be nominated for an Academy Award and win the Golden Globe and like here she is. She's the next thing. That must have been wild. Yeah, I thought you were going to say I was shot out of a canon from the beginning and I was. So I think the shot out of the canon came like right from my mom's. Well, that too.

I wouldn't put it that way. But yes. But yeah, no, it was, it was a, I mean, it was definitely a whirlwind. it was almost like, how do I, how do I, you know, it does feel like a tornado. That moment, that year of my life was like, I didn't even, people would ask me all the time, like, how does it feel? How does it feel? And I'd be like, I don't know what I'm feeling. It was, everything was happening so fast in that moment, in that one year. And, and that I, I didn't even have time to digest any of it.

then my life, it was just like, work, work, work. But simultaneously, you know, I was falling in love with the most amazing man and getting married. And my life actually became very much about me and Chris. So it's like my world was happening over here and like my career was happening. But I was, I met a soulmate. And so I had this sort of like grounded, even though it didn't look grounded, it was quite grounded. From the outside, it might not have seemed as grounded as it actually.

was, but I had this like beautiful marriage with this, you know, hilarious, wonderful man. And, and so it did balance that part of my life out quite a bit. But yeah, I mean, shot out of a canon is basically what it was. Is it hard to believe that was 20 years ago? When we did the podcast together, the 20th was coming up at the time. Yeah. And I mean, that does that feel like a long time ago or yesterday? Honestly, it feels like a long time ago. Yeah. I would say that if I, I've done so much in 20 years.

Like I, I sometimes look at my life and I'm like, you know what? I'm on the right track. Like, I want to get to the, look, I hope I live a very long life. That's my goal. I can see myself there. But like, I've lived so full. You know, my 20s, my 30s. I've traveled.

If you look at my passports, you know, it's just, and I like to be in it, you know, I like to enjoy it. So I feel like I've done, you know, I've got multiple dads. I've got kids all over the place. I just feel like I've done a lot, you know. Sometimes when I'm usually, which this year has been very weird, but usually at the end of every year, I go back and I think about all the places that I've been and everything that has happened. And it's like, whoa, I jam a lot into a year. So it feels like a lifetime ago.

It feels like two lifetimes ago. Hey, guys, thanks for listening to the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Stick around to hear more from Kate Hudson right after the break. Welcome back to the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Now more of my conversation with Kate Hudson. Speaking of everything you're doing, your fabletics, athletic, what do we call it? Athleisure.

It's athleisure. Yeah. I mean, we're an active lifestyle brand. Yeah. So you've, so when you're, in between choosing these cool movies that you're doing these days, you're running, you're running an athleteeure company, you've got a vodka company, you've got like supplement powder. I actually have it like perfectly.

This was what I wanted, right? I wanted like the like umbrella of the things that I'm passionate about. You know, my fact. And unfortunately, it was something I really wanted to be a part of my little umbrella, but during COVID, my financiers, you know, struggled when bankrupt. And it was really sad. So all of my amazing people for Happy by Nature had to get furloughed one by one. And it was like terrible, sad moment for everybody. But, you know, what's interesting about that is that, you know, the brand called Happy by Nature is that, you know, the brand called Happy by Nature is, that every person involved had such a great spirit about it. Like, it's going to be okay. And everybody's going to

move on. And there was such positivity around what we had done. And anyway, that was really, that was sad to see that not work out. But, you know, fabletics. And then my in bloom, which is nutrition, something I'm deeply passionate about, vodka, something I'm as deeply passionate about as my, as my nutrition. And those are really my main businesses. And then I have my podcast and my movies and stuff. Why do you think Kate Fabletics has found a place in that big market? What is it about your product and your line that people are drawn to?

Well, initially what Fabletics really was was that we were on, you know, we were the first to come to the space that we knew. I mean, there was white space in this market. It was athlete leisure. It was starting to become basically what everybody was wearing. Leggings were the new jeans. And we realized that there wasn't a place for it as a lifestyle brand that was affordable to everyone with quality. And based on what my partners were able to do, they were able to bring the quality at a good price because of their model, which we then, through the process of trial and error at times, and have been able to really perfect the model.

And people absolutely love it. And I think the reason why is multiple things. One, the product is amazing. I love it. We do quality, quality, quality, quality first. That's always been our motto and fashion first. We want it to be cute. This is not about being an athlete.

This is about it being a part of your lifestyle. And then the second thing is that you're getting that quality at the price that you're getting it at. And it's just unbeatable. There's nobody who can match that as far as we're concerned. And we make sure that we continue to do that. And then, and then I think it's the fun. You know, we, my whole thing when I started this was like, I, you know, I find myself to be a frustrated athlete. But at the same time, it's like, you know, I want to reach everybody.

I don't want anybody to feel excluded from this. My whole motto for any product that I'm interested in doing is that, like when it comes to wellness, is that, you know, I want to democratize wellness. It shouldn't be exclusive. Like a legging shouldn't be $150 to $250.50. We should be able to provide any woman with the ability to live a healthy lifestyle at an affordable price. And that's kind of what I'm most passionate about. If I can use my platform to give anything out there, it would be that. It would be like, okay, I want to make organic foods more affordable.

we should be not wasting our good foods. We should be talking more about GMO, non-GMO products. These are things that, you know, for me, are going to change, you know, how we live and our health. I mean, we know how unhealthy our country is, and we don't help by making things that are good for you so expensive. So that's kind of my thing with phaedlectics. It's like everybody can do this. Don't put the pressure on yourself. You don't need to be, you know, a serious athlete, you know, to be healthy.

And you can go for a walk and some really cute phaedletics leggings and live a really long, beautiful life. You know? Yeah. It's accessible. That's the thing. And as we were just talking about as the father of a 13-year-old, it's all. it's all they wear, right? Oh, really?

Yeah. Oh, you're right. They don't even wear jeans anymore. It's all at leisure. It's all, yeah, it's street wear. Yeah. You know, joggers are like everything. And I mean, it's all I wear.

You know, I mean, it always was, even though, hold on, let me reframe that because that's not totally true. I love glamour. And I was talking about glamour the other day. Like, what is glamour, right? What is it to be glamour? So I love the fantasy element of glamour. Like I love fantasy. It makes me excited. Like I see a beautiful gown and sequins and dresses. I'm like, oh my God. I love it. That's why I love fashion. But my daily life is fabletics. You know, I, that is so, so, you know, the fact that I leaned

into that and and that became the most successful thing I've done in my life is kind of says a lot about what women are looking for in their life. They want cute, accessible, easy, comfortable, you know, affordable. You're a good spokesperson. I can see why it's doing so well. They have a good face of their brand. I could talk to you all day, but you've been up since 4 a.m. talking to every member of the Today Show. So I I appreciate you. I appreciate taking the time. Congrats on all your success and particularly on the movie. People are really going to like it. It's so great seeing you. I can't wait to come to New York and have like go to dinner. Let's do that. Actually like sit in a, again. Yes. You were one of the last people that I sat with before the before this all. So same with me. Ironically, it was you. And then the following week, it was Octavia Spencer on this show. Your buddy. She was our last.

last in-person interview. So you both hold a special place in my pre-COVID heart. Well, then hopefully when our show comes out, which I think it'll be in fall, maybe we'll come, we'll come find you together. A dinner for three. I like it. I like it. Kate, thanks for the time. Great to see you. All right, Willie. See you later. My thanks again to Kate for another great conversation and for joining me back in those January days of Zoom. Hopefully we get together again very soon. It's time in person. My thanks to all of you for tuning in. If you want to hear more of my favorite conversations of 2021 plus any of my interviews from the year,

be sure to check them out now on the Sunday Sit Down podcast. And don't forget to tune in to Sunday today every weekend on NBC. I'm Willie Geist. Thanks for listening to the Sunday Sit Down podcast.