The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Unpacking The Mess After Divorce with Meghan King

Episode Date: September 6, 2025

A modern day gladiator, Meghan King is suited up to defend her honor. After allegations and headlines threatened to ruin her reputation (and her career), Meghan is ready to show that divorce has made her a fighter! She breaks down why it’s crucial for women to support women, in addition to the real dark side of fame and how it can make a divorce even messier. Plus, we get her unfiltered reaction to recent comments a former OC housewife made on her possible return to the franchise!  Email us at: [e-mail] or call us at 844-4-I Do Pod (844-443-6763)Follow I Do, Part 2 on Instagram and TikTokSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? Answer, a new podcast called Wisecrack, where a comedian finds himself at the center of a chilling true crime story. Does anyone know what show they've come to see? It's a story. It's about the scariest night of my life. This is Wisecrack, available now.

Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport. The holiday rush, parents hauling luggage, kids gripping their new Christmas toys. Then everything changed. There's been a bombing at the TWA terminal. Just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged. terrorism. Listen to the new season of Law and Order Criminal Justice System on the IHeart

Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, luckily, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend's been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That seems inappropriate.

Maybe find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime podcast and the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, my name is Enya Umanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not a problem. podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear

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We got you when it comes to the latest in music and entertainment with interviews with some of your favorite Latin artists and celebrities. You didn't have to audition? No, I didn't audition. I haven't auditioned in, like, over 25 years. Oh, wow. That's a real G-talk right there.

Oh, yeah. We'll talk about all that's viral and trending, with a little bit of cheesement and a whole lot of laughs. And, of course, the great Vibras you've come to expect. Listen to the new season of Degas Come Again on the I-HeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. It's I Do Part 2, and it's your favorite real-life single gal. Louise, back on with you.

I'm excited today because I've got a guest who's been on the pod before. We love her because she keeps it authentic, honest, and most importantly real. You know her from Real Housewives of O.C. It's Megan King. Hi, Megan. Nice to meet you. Hi Louise. Nice to meet you as well. So let's jump in. I know you have a lot that you want to talk about today. And on this pod, we talk not just about divorces and dating, but also the mess that comes after divorce. I'm divorced, so I got you. From your own experience, what's it like going through the mess and also being in the public eye at the same time? I mean, it's been almost six years for me. So I'm And I've been divorced for quite some years now. But it seems as if when, you know, whenever you just one decides willingly that they're going to be a public figure as I did when I signed up for the real housewives of Orange County, it doesn't go away. It's you sign a deal with the devil and you got to handle it, you know, whatever life throws your way after that. And for me, life through divorce my way and a very public messy one. I was married to another public figure. And it's, it's.

It's now the press and combined with whatever celebrity I may have earned from the housewives has exposed me to the masses, you know, the population as a villain or, you know, however my ex wants to paint me as or anyone who has anything against me. And so, and this isn't just a typical story with me. It's a typical story with most people going through any sort of, you know divorce or high stakes debate conflict conflict yeah exactly it sucks it really does do you actually think that your platform that you've built is being used against you oh yeah i do i think that when i went on the real house as we're into county um i showed my life as we do and people fall in love with me um or they fall there or they learn to hate me through what you see on

TV. So people feel like they know me. And then I extend that to my social media. I carefully cultivated my social media following on Instagram and I showed people the real me. And they do know me. And so they have strong opinions about that. Now, my ex-husband or just anyone in general who's an athlete, they are known for their skill and not their personal lives. And so no one really truly cares about if, you know, Joe Schmo hockey player is getting divorced from beautiful Susie Q because nobody knows Susie Q and nobody really cares about Joe Schmo's personal life. They care about how many goals he's scoring in the Stanley Cup. So unfortunately, in my situation, you have, you know, two people with platforms, but I think my platform is the one where

people, well, I know my platform is the one there people care about my personal life. They like to watch the meth. They like to watch that train wreck. And because I have that, it's like anybody who wants to paint me in any sort of light can push that narrative out to the press. And I'm the one that has to deal with the fallout, not the baseball fans, not the one who put it there. It's me. It's actually really, really painful. I live in Los Angeles. I see all the time in the entertainment world as well. And, you know, there's usually one person, a lot of times it's us, that is kind of like odd man out and pushed out and it's it's very painful i can speak to that do you think that there's any way at this point for you to course correct um the damage now that

it's been done um or at the do you come to a point where it's i'm just not even to try to prove myself i know who i am the people of my life that know me authentically and i'm not going to sit here and try to like convince those people otherwise like it's become entertainment for them right it's fodder for them because they're boring and they need to get a life okay yes so where do you sit on it do you feel compelled to try to clean it up or are you just like whatever um i think it's a combination of all of that um yes of course the people who know me are going to know who i am who the real me is and they're going to support me no matter what or they're going to come to me with the tree story and then that's that right all tied up in a nice little bow but that doesn't mean that the court

a public opinion has heard that or believes that. And that is very important for me. I'm a realtor now. I have shifted my life trajectory from being a public figure to really focusing on being a mid-boist mom, single mom, starting a new career in the middle of life. I mean, that's a daunting thing to do. So I'm kind of straddling this world where I'm like, okay, I do need to defend myself a little bit in order to control the narrative, to control. my reputation so that I can continue to get sales. Well, that's what I was going to ask you. I'm a realtor too.

Has it impacted your business or no because of all the sexy real estate shows? And there are a lot of people that like having the celebrity also as part of their representative. People don't want their Sotheby's agent. They're high and me Sotheby's agent to be this, you know, selling sunset girl. No, I live in Country Club, high-end St. Louis, Missouri. I'm in the middle of the country. It's very southern, traditional, and it, on one hand, it's great because we protect one another in our community and our individuals. On the other hand, it's a small, big town. So everybody knows everything and word travels fast. And so if that word is true or not true, it doesn't matter. Everybody's going to know, going to hear about it. And yes, it has affected my business because I have had, quote, unquote, haters, call my brokerage to try to get me fired and tried to get me kicked off of a real estate team I was on. And then yesterday, as an article in Us Weekly came out, I had to meet with my broker to explain the real story. And you know what? Gratefully, and I'm so grateful, my actions have

spoken louder than my words over the last year. Thank God. Because my broker said she wouldn't even open the article. She didn't see me. Yes. And that speaks for itself. So exactly. He empowered you and you had proven yourself to her. Yep, yep, yep. So that feels really good, but that takes time. That takes to build that trust and to show people who you truly are, you can't just tell that takes time. And so this has been a huge lesson in the arena of patience for me,

because I cannot fix the way people think about me. And other than saying something, if they're not going to believe me, I just have to show them over time. And that is a very freaking humbling experience. It is because you have to, so you're living your life authentically and true to who you are, right? At the same time, still obviously posting on social media to create that and continue that. And get clients and show them that you know how to handle their biggest investments. Right, right, which is a big deal and being discreet because we know everybody's finances.

So it's like kind of a big jumble. And it's almost like do you, as you're continuing to curate a bunch of different avenues in your life, do you feel that you worry that certain things can come back to bite me that maybe you didn't think about as much then? Oh my gosh, absolutely. Yes, yes, yes. I think this is a very like time-honored story, right? Everybody kind of has their story, especially if you've been in the public eye. And my days in the public eye started when I was 30 years old. I'm now 40, almost 41. And so, yeah, I did stupid stuff when I was 30 that I wouldn't have done today or maybe I should say in the throes of a contentious divorce that was unfolding in the public eye at the same time I found out that my baby had cerebral palsy and COVID hit. So, yeah, I'm going to, I think that it's suffice to say that one would probably make some decisions that they might not during a time like that.

Do you feel like people give you grace on that or no? I don't know. I think I was in such a tornado at the time. I couldn't see my way out of it. Now, looking back, I think that people, meaning that like the fans who don't or people who don't know me, no, there was no grace. She's crazy.

She's like, oh, look at her spiraling. She's so pathetic or sad. Or drama. She married him for the money or she got this coming. Whatever it is, they want to say. But now I think it's like, They can watch me and I either continue down whatever path that was, which was using the media to really try to vilify my ex-husband at the time because I didn't know which way was up. And I regret doing that.

I think it was messy and tacky. And I'm upset that I made those choices because now my children are going to see that one day or they could if they want to search it. I will be honest with them. I knew at the time that they would see it one day. But I thought, you know, this is true. this is all true, and I'm going to be able to have a strong relationship with my kids where I can explain that to them. Now, even with that clarity, I still regret it. But all I can do is change my approach going forward, but it doesn't really matter if all of it's in the past. It still

comes back to haunt me, and that's just, you know, the bed that I made and now I'm laying in it. But here's the good news as somebody who's been divorced longer than you and who's older than you is you're human. Lots of people go through very messy divorces that people love to tune into. I hear it all the time. So-and-so is with the pickleball coach, this person, whatever.

They move on to their own step. At the end of the day, they're focused on themselves, another story. That's right. And you're right, because you will have the relationship with your children

or you say, guys, it's painful getting divorced. And I hope that never happens to you. And we're all doing the best we can, but I love you with my entire heart and I'm here. And they'll be fine. are resilient period. Right. And I just want to be authentic for them and say when I screw up. But yes,

and I think we all kind of embrace those short sales or short news cycles and hope that, you know, everything blows over and always does. It just takes a couple days. But when stuff hits mainstream media like us weekly and it just gets out of the blogs into the mainstream, that's when it starts to bother me because you're not just dealing with the people in their basements with their hand down their pants, type it on Reddit all day long. These are professionals who are going to browse through headlines and they're going to see that Us Weekly headlines. So that's when it really kind of starts to hit a little closer to home. I totally understand. Do you have people close to you that you feel support you that have gone through similar situations? Like if somebody else has walked your path,

it feels like a safer kind of space that you feel supported where, you know, instead of somebody who doesn't get it and you're like, you just don't get it. Like, do you feel like you've seen other people in these very similar toxic kind of situations? I mean, I think my, own personal situation is so highly unique because of my exposure on the housewives being married to a professional athlete and then the other you know minutia that comes with the rest of my story but um i think that fame and that's kind of the platform that i'm speaking to right now i think that fame money um influence um good looks i think that there's currency to all of those things as well And so because of that and the perception of, you know, that like fame is this elite person or money makes someone elite or whatever it is, how we perceive, you know, this currency that someone has a lot of, it's like we want to watch what it looks like to take them down.

And so, yeah, I might not have the like direct comparison to me, but I do have friends who have, you know, a lot of money. money that people are trying to get to or take them down or create rumors about them or friends who, you know, are in politics or whatever. And so I think that we need to think about this issue, not even just, you know, being a celebrity, but it's like sticking it to the proverbial man. And I represent as a celebrity some sort of proverbial man that people like to see fall on their, on their knees. And because it kind of helps our simple tins feel better about themselves. But it's like the person who's driving and there's a car accident, everybody slows down to look. I mean, it's like, it's sad, but people want, people are envious. People are unhappy inherently

right now, right? And people want to see beautiful, rich, successful people that were at the top of their game fall, right? And it also kind of normalizes their own experiences too. So it's like super, super painful. I also think, Louise, that this is kind of like the modern, version of gladiators, like back in the Roman times, where it's just all these spectators gather around to watch a bloodbath. It's not about what's fair or how they got there in the first place. It's not even that they even, you don't even know if they want to be there. I think there are mostly, like, bad guys that were just, like, plucked out for people's entertainment. But I'm one of those gladiators right now. I'm just in a different arena. And I never

asked to be that gladiator. Somebody pulled me in there. And now I'm a spectacle. And it does not matter how I get out of it because it's not the truth that matters. It's the narrative that matters. And that's what the court of opinion will decide. And you're going to continue to negate that narrative by people like your broker who supported you and didn't, you know, read the article and subscribe to it. You're going to do great work with your clients. And you're going to build your people around you that you can trust that know you. And then you're just going to care. That's all you can do. I mean, it's difficult to not get angry in the in the meantime, you know, when you're building up that trust. Like once again,

back to the virtue of patience. It's been a huge challenge, but that's all that it is. And I told my kids that, you know, because as my children, my horse sweet children are products of this very contentious divorce between their parents, sometimes they'll hear different things from different sides. And they'll say, well, basically somebody's lying. And I'll say to my children, listen, I'm telling you the truth, but there is no way that you can know that unless until time happens. so you're going to so I'm going to help you with this and I'm going to say all right this is what I said now let's wait till it happens blah blah you know and so I'm trying to teach them like that trust is built up over the time which is a sad lesson for seven and eight year old kids because they should

always trust their parents do they go back and forth evenly to both houses no it's not no it's not even no it's not even okay god yeah well I guess let's talk about what happens when you're in a contentious divorce and then there's new partners because that brings a whole other kind of animal to it. I never knew what it would be, what it was like without a new partner because I think it was like, I think we'd been maybe split up like two months, maybe less. I think it might have been less. It was, okay, we split up the end of October 2019.

And before 2020 hit, he was living with his current life. So it's over, it's overlap. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's overlap. It's overlap, which makes it really hard then for the ex-wife and the new woman to be on the same page, right? I don't have a relationship with his new wife. So that, I don't know. I mean, I think it would be better for the kids if we did, but it could be worse, I suppose. Well, the problem is that the kids are still young, right?

So if there was the ability where everybody could be some sort of, you know, modern family that can, you know, do holidays together and trips and, you know, sit at parent-teacher conference. which is great. Do you feel that you don't have to answer this? Like, who's the puppeteer in that relationship? Like, who's perpetuating the drama that exists now between, like, you and her that's making it this way? I don't think there is drama between us. I don't talk to her.

I don't know. Like, I don't think there is any. There's nothing there. There's no relationship. It's like, it's basically like, I see a picture and she's a ghost, you know, to me kind of idea. I like the role that she plays because she provides consistency for my children. She sounds like she's calm for the most part as far as like what my children say to me.

And they like her. So I don't have any problem with her. Like any issues that she would have with me are secondary information. They're not, you know, she hasn't derived her opinions about me directly from my relationship, our relationship. they're all third-party opinions that she's taken. Pillow talk. Yeah, yeah, pillow talk. So I don't, but I don't know her and I don't try to know her.

It's, she's whatever to me, except that my kids like her. So that's fine. And she's not going. So what I appreciate from you, Megan, is you actually seem super neutral on it, right? Which is really the best kind of place to be. So maybe do you think that there could be a world or what would it take? for the situation between the two of you to be more comfortable, I guess. Between my ex and myself?

Yeah, and even that, like, after a contentious divorce, like, is it time? Is it, what do you think can eventually bring people back to, you know, kind of a calm place where you just say, like, you're a dad, I'm the mom, these are, look, here's the thing with divorce people. You can get remarried, he can be remarried, those three kids belong to the two of you. Yeah. My name is Ed. Everyone say, hello Ed.

I'm from a very rural background myself. My dad is a farmer, and my mom is a cousin. So, like, it's not like... What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but that really was my reality nine years ago. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one.

expected to hear. Well, 22nd of July 2015, a 23-year-old man had killed his family. And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer

walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage. Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport.

The holiday rush, parents hauling luggage, kids gripping their new Christmas toys. Then, at 6.33 p.m., everything changed. There's been a bombing at the TWA terminal. Apparently, the explosion actually. impelled metal, glass. The injured were being loaded into ambulances, just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged, and it was here to stay. Terrorism.

Law and Order Criminal Justice System is back. In Season 2, we're turning our focus to a threat that hides in plain sight. That's harder to predict and even harder to stop. Listen to the new season of Law and Order, Criminal Justice. Criminal Justice System on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Wait a minute, Sam, maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit.

Well, Dakota, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend has been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her. gone. Now hold up, isn't that against school policy? That sounds totally inappropriate. Well, according to this person, this is her boyfriend's former professor, and

they're the same age. And it's even more likely that they're cheating. He insists there's nothing between them. I mean, do you believe him? Well, he's certainly trying to get this person to believe him because he now wants them both to meet. So, do we find out if this person's boyfriend really cheated with his professor or not? To hear the explosive finale,

listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. My name is Enya Umanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD...

Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psycho babble. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. I'm Janica Lopez, and in the new season of the Overcover podcast, I'm taking you on an exciting journey of self-reflection. Am I ready to enter this new part of my life? Like, am I ready to be in a

relationship? Am I ready to have kids and to really just devote myself and my time? I wanted to be successful on my own, not just because of who my mom is. Like, I felt like I needed to be better or work twice as hard as she did. Join me for conversations about healing and growth. Life is freaking hard. And growth doesn't happen. in comfort. It happened in motion, even when you're hurting. All from one of my favorite spaces, the kitchen. Honestly, these are going to come out so freaking amazing. Be a part of my new chapter and listen to the new season of the Overcomfit podcast as part of the MyCultura podcast network on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Okay. Do you think, you seem like a girl's girl to me in the conversation of talking to you, right? So it's important for women to support women, period. Okay? Yeah. Right. So it seems that a lot of times this is just not the case. I personally experienced this with people, with my own friends, and it's like a heartbreak. Yes. Why do you think it's important for women to support women? Like, what would that? create i think that i think that like basically our culture has groomed us to think that the way that women communicate is negative or catty or bad because women are emotional and they talk about what's going on more small talk than you know broad talk like men would stereotypically be classified as i don't think there's anything wrong with that i think that water cooler conversation is some of the most important conversations in order to keep our communities safe and

like families, you know, up to date and knowledgeable. So having said that, fast forward, you know, past your water cooler days and here we are today and we are trying, we try to say like, you know, gossip is bad. Let's reframe that. Like if we can reframe gossip as being good as being women helping one another, then we could be so much more powerful as a sex. And I think that, you know, as women, we are more emotional, but we're also much more peaceful. And I think we just want to love everyone more. So we feel more attached to any sort of, you know, emotionally charged situation. So it can divide us in a lot of ways. But generally speaking, I think we're all talking about the same thing. And we're all the, generally the underdog in the situation.

Don't even get me started on family court with that. You know what's a good idea, actually. just like there's life coaches or whatever there should be a divorce coach i think there are oh well it's like there's rush you know somebody's going through rush like like a divorce coach should almost be in contentious situations should be mandated by the courts or the lawyers or something i mean they have that our family wizard yeah in terms of are you guys using that for oh gosh oh just got two messages on it louise paper trail is so important. Yeah, well, it doesn't seem like anybody cares, though. Well, they don't.

I mean, it's so true. But a divorce coach would be so good in terms of kind of navigating and what to say. I think language is so important. Like, there are certain, like, trigger words that I think the courts hate hearing, which are alienation, narcissists, you know, they hate those words. But if you can describe the behaviors, that's okay. Yeah, no, it's, it's true. Do you find that it sounds like in your situation because it's contention, or maybe not,

whatever, are your two households, it doesn't sound like you guys are on the same parenting page, right? So there's a lot of kind of re-entry, right? So they come back to your house. There's like major unwinding of kind of an unpacking of that and that house. And then you've got to re-bolster them to you and yours and, probably right or true and then they go back and it's like this like repeat thing of brownhogs day which is so hard to do it's hard for these kids i mean i mean well i mean you have to understand

i was a stepmom before i was a biological mother and so i saw this this you know game being played this this dance if you will um between the houses i had that with my stepkids and the those two households were much more on the same page than mine is and But I wouldn't go to great lengths to say that it was on the same page. But I just think that's like, I think it's easy to say, okay, if we were on the same page, there would be easy reentry. But I don't agree with that. I think the reentry is going to be tough no matter the situation.

Children thrive on routine and switching houses is not routine. This is not how it was meant to be done. And so pointing fingers at our exes is so easy to do, but really it just sucks. Divorce sucks. and the people who get hurt are the kids. Yep. Are you a product of divorce? No.

My parents have been married 50 years in May. Did you grow up in the Midwest? Yep. Born and raised, St. Louis, Missouri. Oldest of four kids. Irish Catholic. My parents are so in love. My dad writes my mom loves notes that I'll find.

My mom was over at my house last night, just hanging out with me and my kids. And my dad just drove by and popped out, kicked the soccer ball with the kids. I'm talking Americana right here. I grew up in a really, great way. I couldn't have written the script better myself and kind of think it fucked me up honestly because I thought that that's what I was going to get and then boy

was I in for a surprise. Well, you know, it's interesting because I'm a product of a tough divorce and I made bad choices. My sister, I mean, just whatever. Relationship choices? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, I can kind of under, I know what my baggage is, right? I know now after this many years of doing it. Like, I understand where it comes from. Super hard to unwind it at 50. Totally. In my 50s.

Well, you have more clarity, though. Yes, but we have default behaviors. It's very hard. I see. Yes. Right. But it's funny because very few people where I live in Los Angeles, most people are divorced.

And I can count on one hand of my big group of friends, two couples that I think are genuinely happy. Okay? and it's interesting to really kind of take stock of whose parents are still married and in love and the environment that they grew up in. And I would say most of the happily married people are the ones that grew up in that environment because that example was healthy and so it continued. It didn't occur to me that there was bad people in the world.

Okay. Because the only thing that occurred to me was that people show up authentically in relationship, especially, you know, a partnership. And when that didn't happen, that was just mind-boggling for me. But I thought I had this great family that could fix him, you know. I saw that his childhood was more challenging than mine. My heart goes out to anyone with those any challenges in childhood. It's not your fault.

And I would never blame him for the way he was raised or how that painted him. But he's a grown-up now. And so if he's not able to under, like, over- overcome. Like you said, even those patterns are hard to overcome. But you're a grown up now. And it's up to you, you know, to decide if you're going to let that shape you or not. Now, I thought that all he needed was, oh, here's a stable family and here's good people. And here's Sunday dinners. No, that's, that's naive. That's his childhood wounds and is in all of his baggage stuff. But, you know, to your point, like, especially when people choose to have children and there's eyes on us at all times if we don't want to continue to perpetuate the cycle right so it's almost like okay so maybe he didn't get off scot free or you didn't get it off scot free or i didn't but like the you know the onus is on us to try to do it differently for them to see it differently right so you know hopefully he'll get there to do that with you i mean i think i'm on my own journey as well you know this is

not what i thought my life would look like as a mother and at all and this is not the type of mother I thought I would be. I think I thought I would be a lot better mom. I have a lot of stress taking up my time and energy, like lawsuit with my ex being a major one. And I can't, like, once again, I can't just point the finger at my ex saying like you drew me in a lawsuit or whatever. I'm still there, you know? Like, I'm still in it as well. And I have to be able to prioritize my values in order to give my kids the best chance. And hopefully I'm not totally fucking them up. Well, I don't think you are because I think what they're seeing is a real vulnerability.

You know, they'll listen to this. They'll see this. They know who you are. They can look in your eyes. You have kind eyes. They're also around your parents and they're around that unit. So as much as maybe they're feeling that kind of family love, devotion and all of that. So I do think that it takes a village.

And I think you have a village. You're not alone on that. No. It might be purely on one side of the fence because you're not there in conjunction with your ex-husband. But you have a lot of people there loving and supporting to lead by example. And I think that's huge. And that is a system that I put in place that I'm proud of myself that I did for my children. Because I think there's, you know, a lot of different factors that go into created in person and who they turn out to be.

And you hear these miraculous stories of these kids with horrible childhoods who turn out to do great things in life. and they're quote-unquote miraculous stories but I disagree I don't think they're miraculous because the common denominator in all of those success stories are these children were surrounded by community with good positive examples and so when these kids didn't have their buckets filled at home

they could find it within the community that they were surrounded by and I have at least been able to provide that for my children so if I fuck up in all the ways and their dad fucks up in all the ways hopefully their community can carry them through. So at least I got that right. And you know,

Megan, don't underestimate what you're showing them by getting a career, working, being a strong woman. Like I will tell you, my kids have watched it. And as they went to college, they really commented on that.

So you're setting an incredible example to your children. Yeah, I think I am. I hear them talk about it. They're very proud of me. They like to talk about how I'm a realtor. and I've taken them to houses, and they like to talk about how they went to work with Mommy, and they are proud. It's really cool to see. And it's not just the work, but I think it's just something that they like to see that their mom is doing things that are outside just the norm of doing mom stuff. You're doing something for yourself, and you're making a difference. And I think it's a really good example, but just wait until you start taking them to listings of yours that are not within your reach to buy. That happened. My My kids are like, why do we live here?

I'm like, not in mom's wheelhouse. Sorry. Home is the people, not the structure. My ex had, you know, this massive, massive, massive 20,000 square foot home. And I don't. And so my kids would use to say to me, well, why don't we have a bowling now in the basement, mom, but when down there, why don't we have mini golfers slide in a pool? And so I'm used to that, which is my kids are used to that.

But you know what? My daughter and my kids, they feel the energy. And one of my favorite stories, my daughter's friend's parents just got separated and the mom moved from a nice house to a little two bedroom house. And my daughter, Aspen, was picked up from her dad's house or his 20,000 square foot brand new gorgeous mansion and to go to this girl's house. And she said, this mom told me that my daughter Aspen walks in and goes into this little girl's room and says, oh my gosh, this is the coolest room I've ever seen. I wish my room looked like this. And she meant it. She truly did.

And the mom told me that she started to cry. So like it's, that means the world to me. That tells me right there that I'm doing something, okay. I always lived in a smaller house in place than my ex-husband did. And I didn't quite have the access and the perks and the trips and the, I mean, I really, and it was hard for me at times. Like I kind of felt less than. Yeah, I get it.

I said to my kids one day and I said, look, And I've always taught them this. And I actually hear them repeating it. So I know they're absorbing it. So this is a good one for you to remember. Okay. Home is the people. It's not the structure.

That's cute. That's good. And they have learned it. And I, over the years, have felt badly when I can't, you know, take them to Japan and get them, you know, floor seats here. And I feel kind of like I suck. I'm a loser. And they have said to me, Mom, we love you for you. and we're proud of you and it doesn't that it does it and i really believe it i really really

and my kids are in their 20s they do believe it because it's true and i can't do those things for my kids either but i'm proud of what i can do i couldn't take my daughter to portugal to to lisbon to go see taylor swift this year with VIPs but you know what i could do i took her to the um outskirts of st louis and i took her to a taylor swift cover band during the ERA's tour, you know, and she had a blast. And it's like, it's, it's just, I think so much about the effort and curating an experience and the time together that. I think it's the time together.

It's so much more important than anything else, you know. And I can't afford crazy elaborate vacations, but I can't afford to spend money on myself as credit card and get some points and buy tickets for my kids. You know, I'm scrappy. Are you Scraffy? I'm kidding. Are you bombwood? No, I'm both, actually.

Yeah, I do whatever I can. And I get creative with it and scrappy with it. And I'm proud of myself. And I know my kids see the work that I put into it. My name is Ed. Everyone say, hello, Ed. I'm from a very rural background myself. My dad is a farmer.

And my mom is a cousin. So, like, it's not like... What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but that really was my reality nine years ago. I'd just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one expected to hear. The 22nd of July 2015, a 23-year-old man had killed his family.

And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage. Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport. The holiday rush. Parents hauling luggage.

Kids gripping their new Christmas toys. Then, at 6.33 p.m., everything changed. There's been a bombing at the TWA terminal. Apparently, the explosion actually impelled metal, glass. The injured were being loaded into ambulances. Just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged, and it was here to stay. Terrorism.

Law and order, criminal justice system is back. In season two, we're turning our focus to a threat that hides in plain sight. That's harder to predict and even harder to stop. Listen to the new season of Law and Order Criminal Justice System on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Well, wait a minute, Sam, maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, it's back to school week on.

the okay story time podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend has been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now, he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Now hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That sounds totally inappropriate. Well, according to this person, this is her boyfriend's former professor and they're the same age. It's even more likely that they're cheating. He insists there's nothing between them. I mean, do you believe him? Well, he's certainly trying to get this person to believe him because he now wants them both to meet. So do we find out if this person's boyfriend really cheated with his professor or not?

To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hi, my name is Enya Umanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble.

Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. A foot washed up a shoe with some bones in it. They had no idea who it was. Most everything was burned up pretty good from the fire that not a whole lot was salvageable. These are the coldest of cold cases, but everything is about to change.

Every case that is a cold case that has DNA right now in a backlog will be identified in our lifetime. A small lab in Texas is cracking the code on DNA. Using new scientific tools, they're finding clues in evidence so tiny you might just miss it. He never thought he was going to get caught. And I just looked at my computer screen. I was just like, ah, gotcha. On America's Crime Lab, we'll learn about victims and survivors. And you'll meet the team behind the scenes at Othrum.

the Houston Lab that takes on the most hopeless cases to finally solve the unsolvable. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So here's another really good thing. And it's something I started to do. And again, your kids sound old enough to start doing it. A couple of things. First of all, I would sit at the dinner table and I don't think. think i don't know if your kids have phones yet usually kids with divorce do because they have like

ipads but i don't have phone numbers for them okay so you sit at the table without devices okay i got it and you will be shocked at how observant and smart kids are at different ages and start asking open-ended questions things like this if you were to describe mom and dad separately in three words good or bad to people who don't know them, what would you say? Oh, that's cute. You will be shocked by the answer because they get it. Okay, number one. What is your happiest memory to date?

I mean, there's so many questions, and I can send you where I got most of them, but there's an app you can download called H-O-L-S-O-M, and it has all types of categories of open-ended questions, whether it's for kids of this age or relationships or humor. And it makes the conversation at the dinner table more connected, more textured, and more memorable. And it's going to bring you eyes really closer. And it's going to show your depth. And it's going to show you, it's going to allow you to show them who you are, because you're going to answer the same questions.

And it's also going to allow them to feel comfortable to have real conversations with you. And then you're going to eliminate the surface. It's like, how was school today? Good. Did you read your friends? I forgot. Yeah, like, it just makes for a real, it's really good. And then the other thing I always did, too, which was important, was this sounds stupid, but, you know, everywhere we went, whether it was at night after, I made them, my kids were third and fifth grade.

They were young like yours. And I had each kid pick a TV show that they were going to watch with me. And then when they went to dad's house, they couldn't watch it. And then they would come back and it would be our time together. Uh-huh, that's cute. The show. And then the other thing is Rummy Cube. I don't know if you play a game with the kids.

We do. Okay, so Rummy Cube was like, it was easy. It was, you know, you could take it on trips. You could play it at home. And it was just time spent together to build the foundation. Because when they get older, they kind of go out and they're living their lives. I know. Which is what you want.

You want them to launch. We do, I feel like we do the game, Sorry. and Monopoly on repeat, we constantly have a family puzzle out. So everybody has the role, you know, and we all sit there whenever, you know, to do the family puzzle. And our, but our favorite thing to do together as a family is hop on our golf cart. And every Sunday we take the cardboard to the recycling center, which is in our little downtown. Yeah. So like we do, I really tried to do like the absolute most that I can for my children and I love it and we have these traditions together um that they'll always

remember you know but that's my point it doesn't matter we ride our bikes to the farmer's market you know stuff like that it's the time spent and the activity and the memory it's not the you know whipping on a private plane and no whatever like which is cool too by the way which is really cool too they're not going to get from mama no no no honestly what's what's more important is the small things and finding joy and appreciation and value in the small things, period. And you're doing that. And you're also showing them community service, too, which is giving back. Yeah, that's true.

It is. And being an active member of the community, we go to the local performing arts center. We're involved in the community center. I do all the things. I'm such a Midwest mom. And like, this is how I was raised and I'm doing the same thing for my kids. But I think my first, so my first, I'm 41, almost 41. I'll at least live to be 80.

So I have, you know, less than half my life. You look 25, okay? Okay, so only 75 more years then. All right. So I have you for a few more minutes. So I'm just going to ask a couple more things. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Housewives fans.

Well, first of all, is there anything else now that you have this floor and this platform that you want to say to address any of the stuff that's kind of recently been out there you know, kind of this is your time to just hit it home one more time, or do you feel like you got out what you wanted to say? What I want to say is just super high level, and it's not in the weeds with me specifically. I'm so over being in the press and the drama that relates to me specifically. I think that I'm here to try to give voice to a bigger message here that celebrity is more accessible than ever with the advent and like proliferation of reality television and so it's easy it's

easier than ever to consume media and to also use media to villainize others and I think that it's just important to be mindful as we scroll through our phones that of the repercussions that can be held on these individuals okay so um housewife fans have been wanting you to come back to the OC franchise they have recently your former cast member vicky who isn't even on the show anymore said no when a fan suggested that you came back so first off how does that comment make you feel um and i don't know do you see you don't live there anymore but would you ever go back if they offered or are you pretty set being back with your family doing real state being around the Midwest values none of that kind of you know flashy glamorama type stuff and like hunkering down is it a different stage of your life or does that calling still kind

of I'm into all of that it's just like I'm on a more adult level if you will um I not miss 30 year old level I told Alex Baskin he's one of the executive producers that I'm open I would be interested in being a friend. I told, oh, and I'm friends with Tracy Tudor. I'm friends with, and she's a real estate agent on TV, million dollar listing. And then so, and I'm friends with Jeff Lewis, who's also in real estate. So I think it would be fun to do real estate in California, but I don't have my license. I mean, it's a pipe dream, you know. It's kind of like playing house in my head. But yeah, I'd go back. You would do a real estate show, but maybe not a housewife back to that whole. I don't know if I want to be

like on for my life as much, but I would like to be a friend that you, they don't really like dig into your life as a friend. I got it. Vicky is, I thought it was funny that she even responded to that because like Vicky doesn't give a fuck about me. I can promise you that.

I don't give a fuck about her. And so it's funny that like it's still this beef is still out there. I think it's kind of cute. It's cute and I think it's also people's way of still kind of being like relevant in the mix, yeah. I mean, look, we're talking about it. We're talking about it. So that's kind of like I would teach my kids, like, even if somebody's talking shit about you, they're talking about you. It means

you matter. Yeah, it's true. Right? If people aren't talking about you, then like, you're irrelevant. It's one million. Well, Megan, thank you so much for the honest conversation. Thanks for having me. I know many of us have gone through divorce. They're going through divorce. Many of my friends are, family members, very relatable. And each time I tell my kids, people we know are getting divorced, they look at me like this. Doesn't everyone get divorced? So I've got a lot to unwind there. So maybe I'm going to ship them to the Midwest. And they'd have a better opportunity. Anyways, if you're going through a difficult divorce and feel like you aren't moving in a positive direction or you need some help, call us or email us. All the info is in the show notes. Follow us on socials and make sure

to rate and review the podcast. I do part two an I Heart Radio podcast where falling in love is the main objective. And let's hope your chapter two and my chapter two are like better and there's moving on. Right into the sunset. Gotcha. All right. Take care. Thanks. Bye-bye. different. What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? Answer, a new podcast called Wisecrack, where a comedian finds himself at the center of a chilling true crime story. Does anyone know what show they've come to see? It's a story. It's about the scariest night of my life. This is Wisecrack, available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport. The holiday rush, parents hauling luggage, kids gripping their new Christmas toys. Then, everything changed. There's been a bombing at the TWA terminal, just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged, terrorism. Listen to the new season of Law and Order Criminal Justice System on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever. you get your podcasts. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious.

Wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, luckily, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend's been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That seems inappropriate. Maybe find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime podcast and the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, my name is Enya Umanzor.

And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes. Yes.

Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. The Super Secret Bestie Club podcast season four is here. And we're locked in. That means more juicy chisement. Terrible love advice. Evil spells to cast on your ex.

No, no, no, no. We're not doing that this season. Oh. Well, this season, we're leveling up. Each episode will feature a special Bestie, and you're not going to want to miss it. My name is Curley. And I'm Maya.

Kidin. hear listen to the super secret bestie club on the iHeart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast this is an iHeart podcast