The HoneyDew with Ryan Sickler - 374: Charlotte Mckinney | The HoneyDew with Ryan Sickler #374 | Full Episode

Episode Date: February 23, 2026

My HoneyDew this week is comedian Charlotte Mckinney! Keep an eye out for Charlotte in the upcoming Busboys movie, and check her website to see her perform live. Charlotte joins me this week to Highlight the Lowlights of growing up dyslexic, how she used modeling to get her foot into the door of acting and comedy, and her battle with addiction. We dive into what it was like becoming the Carl’s Jr. girl, what it means to be boy crazy, recently getting back into recovery, and the new challenge of navigating dating while sober. 🎟️See me live. All tickets at www.ryansickler.com/tour 🎤Check out my new standup special “Live & Alive” streaming on my YouTube now! youtu.be/PMGWVyM2NJo?si=SrhXjgzR1pe6CyYE 👉 Subscribe for more standup and new episodes of The HoneyDew, The Wayback, and more! youtube.com/@rsickler ✅ Subscribe to my Patreon “The HoneyDew with Y’all”! Get The HoneyDew audio and video a day early, ad-free, for just $5/month! Want more? Upgrade to the $8/month premium tier and get everything above plus The Wayback a day early, ad-free, censor-free, and exclusive bonus content you won’t find anywhere else! patreon.com/RyanSickler 📧What’s your story?? Submit at [e-mail] 👕Get Your Merch👕 www.bonfire.com/store/ryansickler/ 🎧 Listen to my Podcasts 🎧 The HoneyDew - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-honeydew-with-ryan-sickler/id527446250 The Wayback - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-wayback-with-ryan-sickler/id1721601479 Patreon - www.patreon.com/ryansickler 📣 Follow Me📣 ▪ Instagram: www.instagram.com/ryansickler/ ▪ TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ryan.sickler ▪ Facebook: www.facebook.com/RyanSicklerOfficial 🕸️ryansickler.com/ 🍈thehoneydewpodcast.com/ 🦀Subscribe to The CrabFeast Podcast🦀 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crabfeast-with-ryan-sickler-and-jay-larson/id1452403187 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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That's the biz. You know what we do here. We highlight the low lights. I always say that these are the stories behind the storytellers. I am very excited to have this guest here with us. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Charlotte McKinney. Welcome to the Honeydewew, Charlotte McKinley. Thank you for her.

having me, Ryan. Thank you for being here. So exciting. We just met. We did just meet. You have good energy, though. You do too. Thank you very much. Before we get into your story, please right there, promote anything and everything you'd like. I guess just my social, Charlotte McKinney, and I'm in the new Bus Boys movie that's coming out soon. So keep an eye for that. Any dates, any podcasts? Yeah, I just did. I'm working on getting one together, so I can't really talk about that, but I just did Adam Carolla's yesterday if you want to check that out. All right, great. Yeah, there we go.

Yeah, so I did just meet you today. So I want to get to know you quickly. Yeah. Just chatting out there, you were, you said you're from Orlando. Yeah. Now, is that where your whole family's from? Or are they your parents Floridians or are they going to Orlando because it's like a Disney world What's going on?

My dad's from the Bahamas. Okay. And then my mom's from Canada and they met in the Bahamas and somehow ended up in Florida. they have like a used car dealership together hold on they met like on a trip yeah she was like the like slutty tourist and my dad was like yeah my dad was just like in a band and it doesn't get sluggier than it was a bahamas band and your mom's like that's my guy yeah my dad was like usually you know the women would come in in the cruise ship and then you get rid of them in a week but your mother usually usually yeah so that's kind of where

mom was like, you ain't get ready. Yeah, she was stuck. So, uh, wait. So she like, like instant? Like she was like, no, this is it right here. Or did she go back to Canada? She went back to Canada. And then kind of kept going to the Bahamas.

Yeah. So crazy. And so when, so they go, they get married there in the Bahamas? In Florida. Okay. So what, what sends them to Florida? My dad wanted to open up this car dealership. So it goes from a band.

What's your? your mom doing at the time other than just bartending maybe yeah yeah listen that job fits yeah yeah yeah exactly what's your mom's name uh susan all right we love susan right okay all right we love susan yeah we call her the big suzer yeah she's quite the time i get a lot from my mother all right yeah so why a used car dealership going from their back a bartender and a guy in a band are like we're going to go do used cars i don't know that my dad just like loved cars growing up as a kid and um that was just his calling and they've been married for like 40 plus years and work together yeah so you got to love somebody to be married 40 years work with them too you don't get any break no break no it sounds like actual hell no break no break no

nothing no one to bitch to about anything or even run shit by i'm like what do you think of this shit my wife did last yeah exactly no yeah so man okay so yeah so yeah so yeah so yeah so yeah And so was the business successful? Is that like what they... Yeah, I would say so. Yeah. It kept us afloat. So when do they have children and how many do they have and which one are you?

My mom didn't have me until she was like 37. Okay. Yeah. They partied and like got it out of their system and then... Were you her first? Their first? No, I'm the second. So I have an older sister and then me.

How much older? Three and a half. All right. So she still waited until mid-30s to have kids. Yeah. Yeah. They waited. And that's why, like, I'm always like, oh, I don't want kids.

But then I'm like, maybe something can change my. Is your, is your, somebody a bit of the question. Are you guys your dad's only kids? Yes, yes. None of the cruise ladies is pop back up. Not that we know of. There may be a couple of cruise kids. I think y'all should stay to fuck off the 23 of me, you know what I mean?

Like, it's going to be a cruise ship shows up. Exactly. Like, exactly. All these are my dad's kids. Oh, man. So waiting for that day. Okay. Yeah.

So is it just the two of you? Just the two of us, yeah. And what are you guys doing in Orlando? The mom and dad are just doing that business? They're doing that. We're in high school. I dropped out of high school in about when I was in junior year. Why?

I just felt like if I didn't drop out, I'd still be there. I just really struggled passing any. I'm like severely dyslexic. Oh, you are? Yeah. When do you find that out? I found that out at a pretty young age. It was pretty obvious when, like, I was not reading or writing.

So it definitely took me some time to learn how to read. So you always struggle with grades and everything. Was it more about the, I mean, the testing and the way you're looking at it? Was there any, what was the best way for you to learn? Let me ask you that. As dyslexic, if someone's going to teach you something, what is the best way for you? Is it a hand? If I'm going to say, here's how we start a car.

Is it a hands-on thing? Or do you hear it and visualize it? And even like with my acting, I have to like listen to my lines. I don't read them. I don't even consider that. I have to play all my stuff back to memorize it. So who reads it to you first then? I'll read it and.

And record it? Yeah, I can like, I can read it. And then I can record it and get comfortable with it. And then that's how I memorize it. But like just staring at. So you're always off book. Yeah, I have. I mean, you kind of have to be.

I have no choice. Yeah, that's what I mean. Yeah. Yeah. So even with like now. Like, are you doing that every two seconds? Yeah. No.

Even with stand up, like I kind of do the same thing. I try and just like memorize it enough. But yeah, I think, yeah, I'd just be still be trying to pass like ninth grade and math if I was still there. So what was the hardest subjects for you? All of them. Yeah. All of them.

There was there was not any. I think I was better with writing and math was obviously really tough. So dropping out, that's a significant choice for a junior. I mean, so what were like 17-ish in that area? Yeah, 16, 17. And do you just do it or do you have to like take a GED? Do you have your parents support with this? How does that all go down?

I told my parents, I'm like, look, I'm dropping out because I wanted to pursue modeling. And I was like, I'll get my GED eventually, but just like, I need to get out. I just can't be here anymore. And they were just like, if you get your GED, then that's fine. As long as you get your GED. I never got my GED. You didn't?

I tried taking it failed miserably. So somehow I just like kind of just got away from it. I was just like, fuck this. But it's something I've been like kind of thinking about recently. I was just about to ask. I kind of want to get it because I feel it may just give me the confidence I sort of. I definitely lack confidence because I feel kind of retarded all the time. So it would be nice to have that, like, say, like, you know.

Well, let me ask you this. Is your old high school know who you are, what you've done, considering being dyslexic, would they be willing to give you an honorable? Or would they be willing to give you, fuck honorable. Would they be willing to give you a, whatever? A diploma. A diploma, not just give it to you, but a test. Yeah.

A GED. So it's not a GED. So I'm saying it's an actual diploma from the high school GED sort of test. And would you take it? I try. What's your high school's name? Boone High School. Boone High School in Orlando, Florida.

Home of the what? Braves. Home of the motherfucking Braves, Boone. Let's go. Give this girl shot. God damn it. Whip up a test. 20 questions.

Don't do more than that. Just a quick 20. a girl you know yeah quick 20 give her little social studies little math shit like that exactly yeah you don't need to worry about phys ed or anything like that let's just know the sciences and shit like that yeah let's go all right so that's where i'm at in i yeah so wait you're accomplished all the things in your life do you ever look at it through that filter is not even having graduating high school yeah i i i believe like this the start of my career and what i accomplished then i i definitely look back and I'm like, wow, like, I didn't expect this to happen.

What did you expect to happen? Like, when you dropped out in 11th grade, you were sure what? I just, I have that nuttiness of just knowing things are going to work out. The delusion I think I had really early on. You got to be delusional. I was so delusional. I wish I had an ounce of delusion and the confidence I had back then. Because just being in this business for so long, you know.

get worn out. But yeah, I just kind of was like, oh, no, this is going to work out. And you had said you wanted to pursue modeling. So had you already been modeling? I wanted to use modeling to get to. I'm from Florida. Like I knew no one in Hollywood. So I was like, I can use modeling to then eventually get to acting and comedy in that. And so I didn't, the modeling thing didn't work right away. Everyone was, I was short. It was the time when like curvy models weren't that exciting. So, so yeah. And what are, like, what gigs are you doing?

Are you doing print? Are you doing, like, shitty, like, e-commerce. Okay. Not great stuff for a while. And then that's when I got discovered by, I guess, the denim company. And then that is kind of what helped with the modeling stuff. Okay. So, guess jeans was sort of the pop-off.

Yeah, that was. my pop-off and then through that I did some sort of interview or something and the owner of Carl's Jr. Or the CEO of Carl's Jr. found me through that. Which is where I had known who you were from that. Yeah. Yeah. And I feel like no matter what I do or things I accomplish, I will forever just be known as like the burger girl.

But at what point though also, well, the internet's forever too. But I was going to say at what point do like the fans age out of that where you finally have this new group of fans are like, you did what? Yeah. What age do you think that is? That's what I'm hoping. Is it high schoolers now or no? Because how old's the, how long goes to spot again?

11 years. So anybody, my daughter's age right now actually and prior. Yeah, they wouldn't know. Totally. You got a minute to wait. But they can always go look these days on the internet because you couldn't do that in the 80s and 90s. Now you can't do that. Exactly.

But at the end of the day, like I'm so grateful for the opportunity. I had and, you know, then was starting to do movies and everything I was doing was like comedic roles. So that's where I really kind of was like, oh, fuck, I like comedy. And even with modeling, I always like tried having fun and poking fun at it. But everyone was so serious. And I think that's what I was just like, fuck this whole industry. It was so boring. No one had a sense of humor. I'd go to these shoots and I'd be like, what? And everyone was just like so tight. So tight us. So yeah. Let me ask you this. What opportunity came from the Carl's Jr.

Listen, that surprised you and you would have never thought, wow, I end up getting this because of that? I think just signing with UTA at the time was pretty big for me. And then the opportunities they brought me. They put me on dancing with the stars. You were on dancing with the stars? Are you a good dancer? No. I'm a good dancer to myself.

The car from the waist up. Yeah. Yeah, like I'm not like a one, two, three, chach, cha, cha. How far did you go? I made it like the fucking second episode. I was just like, fuck this. I hated it. Was it a ton of work too?

It was so fucking hard. Yeah. It was non-stop. And if you're not a dancer, I can imagine. And I mean that type of dancer where you, again, memorizing these steps and all this shit too. It's a lot. Yeah.

And I'm at this time, I'm like partying. I'm like having fun. I'm like, I don't want to go sit in a fucking dance studio hungover all day. I hated it. So, yeah. So talk to me about the partying and stuff. Is that, were you already sort of partying in high school and stuff too? Yeah.

You were. So when does that start? Is your older sister a little ahead of you and maybe gets into it a bit? It started for me growing up going to the Bahamas. There was no drinking age. You need your dad's. My dad's were my, so we grew. up every summer and winter all the time we grew up going to Bahamas and there's no you have a pair

of tits you get a drink there's no they don't card you idea yeah so i start i started and i'm sorry i'm going to interrupt for a second so your dad's from there so are you does he have family there are you also hanging out with cousins yeah exactly all right my whole family yeah okay they're all still there um so i just grew up there and i think that's when it was like yeah it was like yeah it was fine and then it just took a pretty big term when I got into high school and like partying and drinking and it just kind of has been my whole life of sobriety no not sobriety being fucked up has been my whole battling I mean my parents sent me to like a in high school really yeah wait why what's going on in high school where they are saying I'm getting caught with alcohol nonstop where

in school? I would hide booze in my locker. How? Where are you putting it? Water bottle. Just vodka then? Yeah, straight vodka. That's it.

So you know what's so funny. It's so funny, God. I, you know, doing stand-up now and I'll go back to Baltimore and do a show and a lot of people from high school still come out. They're all so great. One of the girls was telling me, she goes, you know the whole time I sat next to you in math. Like I had alcohol on my perfume bottle. I said, what? She goes, yeah, I said, no.

I was like, in ninth grade, she's like, yeah, I used to. I go like this real quick. I was like, no, oh. Stop. Yeah, she had drinks. So I was like, oh. Clever a little bitch. Yeah, but also I'm like, oh, you're an alcoholic.

Yeah, yeah. And you're an alcoholic. Yeah. And you're an alcoholic in ninth grade. In ninth grade, yeah. So wait, what's the first thing you drank and you were like, I love this? Or what was it? What's the first time you got fucked up?

First time I got fucked up was in the Bahamas. maybe I was like 13. Rum, is it vodka? Yeah, I think it was, maybe it started with like champagne and like something not too heavy. And then I started with the hard liquor. And I just, I suffered with severe anxiety as a kid. So that for me was just like, oh my God, I can like relax and it comfort like it gave me.

And so, yeah. And so back to I interrupted, you were getting caught with alcohol and your parents decided to put you in AA. How many times are getting caught before? Oh, I'm getting caught. I'm just getting caught left in a way. All the time? All the time.

With what? What do you give me? Just boot. Like, they, my parents would, like, go to, like, the handle of vodka would all just be water because I would just take it. It was just, it never stopped. I'd have parties if my parents. You would. Left for an hour.

Like, I just. They weren't even going out of town. And I would be like, guys, like, it's a rager over here. Right. You know. We got 45. My mother's to pound it down. Yes.

Like, I was just a nutcase. And I think, I don't know, I just really. And so that kind of has always just stayed with me. And even when I had this success early on, I was partying. I didn't know the anxiety that strut. Like, I just didn't really know. Like, I looked back in it now and I was like, God, I could have had such a different career if I was very present. You think?

Yes and no. I think it could have helped tremendously. So AA in high school, how long are you there? And what's that like? Oh, I'm in and out. Oh, yeah. Is it something you could leave? Like, you sneaking out or are you like, is it, you know, is it local?

Yeah, I think I told my parents. Yeah, I think I told my parents. I was like, the guys are creepy. I don't want to be there. So I just. That's all I'd hear that as a dad. Yeah. Get it.

Get out of. Yeah. They were like, never go back there. So it's like, I won't. You can play me like that, dude. Yeah. Yeah. And I, I, for.

I. Meanwhile, while it's an all-girls. Yeah, we'll do it another way. No, they're sneaking in. She said they're sneaking in. They're sneaking in. Yeah, that wouldn't worry.

Me too. We'll do some in-house. We'll do some of the house. Yeah. Okay, so you're just getting away with it and you're still partying and fucking up you. Now you're dropping out of high school. Yeah. I mean, what's your sister?

Like, is she the opposite? She's the trophy, like, sister, still to this day, like, the ying and the ying. Like, do you notice? And are you guys close? Yes. Okay. Yeah, we are. We've had our differences for sure, but like are your kids like one's a little crazy and one's more like type A?

Well, they're so different because they're so far apart. He's a boy. He's 22 and she's an 11 year old girl. Oh, that's a very different. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But I have a twin brother and we were very alike.

I mean, fraternal twin and I have a younger brother who's about almost four years. And we're all, we're all very similar and different. You know what I mean? Yeah. But I wouldn't say. anybody was the golden one. Our youngest was like, you know, he was like liked the most. Yeah.

Yeah. I wouldn't put loved on anything. Yeah. I love that. Okay. That's funny. So are they like kicking you out or are they still loving you? Are they what like, wow.

No, they're still very supportive. I guess like the grounding and that it just never like my parents, my parents love me almost too much. They weren't, they should have been a little harder on me maybe. Good to hear. So they were just, they were as supportive as they could be. But also now I'm putting myself in parent shoes. Like we've got a girl who hasn't graduated, a daughter, excuse me, who hasn't graduated high school.

We also know she has problems with alcohol and she's going to Los Angeles. Yeah. How do they even let you go? Do they support that? I start in Miami. Yeah. I mean, that's terrifying. Terrifying.

Like when I even say this outline, I'm like, Jesus. How old are you when you're going to? going to Miami by yourself. I think by then I'm, I'm 18. Oh, God help me. All right.

Which Miami is worse than LA. So, so that was. With all that temptation and stuff, you're already having problems. Yeah. You know, that's party city.

It was, and I kind of had this moment when I was living in Miami. I was like, okay, I can live here. I can like become a total drug addict or I can like move to L.A.

and like try this. You become a total drug. Yeah, and still become a total drug. So I picked LA. Yeah, good choice. So yeah. And how old are you when you move here?

20. Okay. So about a year in Miami or so and then you come out here. Yes. Exactly. And then you start working and start working. And like when I have work, it's when I don't have work is when I don't do well. So like I was busy.

So I was staying, you know. Focus. Focused and things like that. But you mentioned being more present. So what do you mean by that? that? I think I was always just like get the job done to go out party. Yeah. So like instead of like really focusing on these opportunities that I had that were so awesome, I was just like, but you're not. So here's what I want to ask to because I learned a lot about alcoholics and

addicts and stuff sitting here. Are you going and partying with the staff and the crew so that you're also networking while you're partying? Are you going home and like drinking by yourself or do your own spot where it's just. No, it's more of like, like, are you trying to. Guys I'm seeing at the time or the like friend group. I got it. Yeah, I got it. Guys played a big part of it too.

So you think that looking back, you could have still probably drank and hung out, but if you just did it with these people that you're working with and finding out more about this PA, worked on this thing. Exactly. Exactly. It was more. I was boy crazy. That's my biggest.

problems. The boy craziness still to this day. Why? I don't know. I have a great father. This also is terrifying to hear. God damn it. I can do all the right things.

You can still be God. And we still just have daddy issues for no reason. Oh, fuck. You know? It's true. Not to scare you. This episode after me, you're going to be like, oh, my God. Let me call my daughter.

When I pick her up. today later for after school for cheer pride this is what not to do so but here's the thing like i sit in a little ago well your dad's a uh a bahamian man and a band and i'm like i'm a fucking comedian like yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah okay so boys early on like when do you know your boy crazy uh high school i was boy crazy um and then yeah i i i had i i had had like a first boyfriend when I moved here. Who were your first like celebrity crushes? Like give me date ranges here.

Like who or boy bands or whatever it is? Who's like the bad who's on the wall? The bad boy. Like who? Who's a bad boy? You're younger than me. So who back then's like a bad boy? I don't know.

I don't think like I'm like, oh, I've slept with that person. So I can't even say. Yeah, okay. But yeah, bad boys. Okay. So you like bad boys. I got it. All right.

And then you have a boyfriend when you come out here or you meet someone out here? I met an actor. Okay. Who kind of found a photo of me and was like, how do I get in contact with this girl? And that that relationship was very just toxic and dark. Yeah. And did not help me with where I was in my career at all. Okay.

Yeah. So at what point do you say to yourself? all right, this drinking thing, it is starting to become a problem. 45 days ago. This is all very new. Six weeks ago. Six weeks ago. Not even.

Not even Ryan. All right. So we're in it right now. We're in it. No, I've dabbled with sorriety. I've gone a year before. I've done a full year without drinking. Well, wait, let me pause you first.

Because I don't even mean that. I don't mean that. I mean, when, at what age are you, where you say to yourself, all right, this is a problem. I don't mean like we need to fix it now. I just mean we're like, okay, this is something I'm battling and going to continue to battle. Like when do you know? Is that young too? Do you know like, this isn't a phase?

I think I've always known. Yeah. And then more recent, like just really knowing. Yeah. Why? Why 45 days ago? You don't have to say that you don't want to. say and you also don't say anything it could be used to get you in court or anything.

No, no. I, when I would, it wasn't, for me, it's not so much drinking. It was, it was, it was drug use. It was getting, getting drunk to, to get drugs was always my thing. So you're just getting drunk to get drugs. Yeah. Why don't you just get past the drunk part though? My, well, I didn't really get into drugs. Well, in Miami. I guess, yeah, I've always kind of done them, but I don't know, the drinking kind of just turned a switch of, like, Like, let's keep this going. Going as much as we can. And so to keep it going, I'm guessing, is, well, what Miami's know.

Yeah. Cocaine. Okay. So let's talk about that too. Yeah. Because this is a different era of cocaine. Yeah. This is poison cocaine everywhere else.

Totally. And I think that's what recently I was like doing this like pink cocaine recently. It was like this new. It was pink, you said? Yeah, recently there's this new drug on the market called Tusi. and I was doing the fucking names the shit too C it's called

and it's pink and it's pink and I started doing that it's like a new and I found out that like now with these it's all fat you can die of course you're gonna die so I was just like this is gotta stop

this is gotta stop of course so that that's what scared me is like what you're saying and this time we're in now whether it's pink whether it's white whether whatever the fuck it is you can't trust it. And like even him...

You're talking about the people who are giving it to you? All of it. White, black, yellow, pink, purple, whatever. You can't trust them. Or the drugs. Listen, it's a different world. Like, I know this sounds like old manship, but, you know, the 80s, they were just cutting it with, like, bullshit, like, laxative.

Yeah. Like, just bullshit to make the Coke go further for the dollar. Now they're poisoning people. And I say this all the time. I feel bad because I've had... I've been affected by it. I've had a friend who's young daughter, who's like 22 and got this much. And it was the end of her life.

And those are the stories that just break, like, just, it's horrible. And so, you know, I had to educate. So my daughter, he came to visit us. This was probably when she was like five or six maybe. And he was crying when I saw him. You know, it's not. And I'm like, how are you doing? And so she asked me, like, why is he crying?

I was like, you know what? I'm going to fucking tell you the truth. It's on the back of buses everywhere now. You know what I mean? I'm going to tell you the truth. His daughter got a drug that was poisoned. And that's the other part. It's like, oh, they say these people overdose.

You didn't overdose. Overdosing is taking so much that your body shuts down. You were poisoned. If you take that much, that's not an overdose. That's poison than you die. So now I keep hearing everybody, too, is like, well, we test. it or I trust my dealer. We test it. Like, I don't want to fucking test. I'm not a chemist. I know. I'm not a chemist. We don't know. It's no. My guy is my guy. My guy.

And I was hearing myself say these things and I was like, well, my guy would never. I'm like, who what the fuck do? I don't know this guy. Who's your guy and get it from? And who did they get it from? Exactly. It could be 10 people before it gets to our guy. Yeah. Fuck your guy. Yeah. Yeah. You know, so I think that's when I really realized, I'm like, I'm like, can't be doing this shit. Can I ask you and you don't have to answer specifically or anything? Did you have you lost anyone? Did something scare you like that?

Have you ever had to be? Have you ever had to have the fucking Narcan shot? No. No, Narcan. No, none of that. No, I lost people in high school. From fentanyl? Not from fentanyl, but like opioids were really big.

There was someone we lost in high school, but that never really scared me because I wasn't doing pills. But I think now it's just hearing these stories, even if it's not someone close to me. It's hearing these awful stories about it. But no, I had a time recently where I overdid it. And I didn't overdose, but it was a very close call. And I just go, I just looked at myself the next year. I'm like, get it together.

Good. You had that moment. Fucking wake up. That could have turned really bad. You had a little, like, it's just too fucking risky. And I did it a year and then I would get 50 days and then just get bored and I'm about to hit 50 days again and I get bored. And I like, but I just need to remind myself like it gets better. It will be okay.

And just to continue to. Are you just a weed guy? Yeah. That's all. Do you drink? Not anymore. Yeah. Well, I mean, I'll do shrooms every now and then to.

Have to. Every now and that. Nice reset for that. You need the mine. Yes. But weed is my go-to. I used to drink. Like when we started doing stand-up early on, I would drink.

I never been a, I mean, a drink in high school and shit too. But it's never like really, I don't know the degrees with anyone, honestly. Yeah. I would see like person after person get a DUI. Another DUI, another DUI, another DUI. And at the time I was seeing someone, she got a DUI. And I'm watching what they do you. I'm like, wait.

So it's $10,000. And it's not like that gets wiped off your shit. It's $10,000 plus a DUI, the last, I think, I don't know, seven, eight years if you drive clean. Also, the, I didn't know you had to go do AA meetings. I didn't know any of that. And you had to get them signed. You couldn't cheat. Yeah.

Then no license for a year. So it's the, and Uber wasn't around then. So it's taxis or buses and shit. Like the or deal of that. Yeah. And I was like. So I started considerably cutting back then, excuse me, and then after I had these health issues and they made me go on blood thinners, they were like, you can smoke, but you shouldn't drink anymore. And I was like, easy.

Great. So. Yeah. But I'm also, how old are you if you don't mind me asking? 32. I'm 20 years ahead of you. Yeah. So.

And I find, earlier you can do it, the better it's going to be for you, you know. And then, I mean, even when I was sober, I would still, like, I smoked weed every day for like five years. And quitting weed was harder than quitting anything. Is that right? That is the hardest drug to quit. Do you smoke every day? Yeah. Oh, good fucking luck if you ever try and quit.

I've quit a few times. You have? What are your thoughts on that? I'll tell you, I quit one time when my daughter's mom and I split and I was like, oh, she's taking me to court. So I quit for a few months. So I would make sure my pee test or whatever. Yeah, yeah, of course.

The only thing I noticed, I wasn't more agitated. It took a few days to get past the, just the habitual, you know, I like to. I love the ceremony. Yes. That's, that's, yes. It took me more. That was harder to get past. Like, oh, right now I'd be grabbing this and stuff.

After that, no problem. But what I did experience was anxiety fucking dreams every night for like a month. And then they finally went away. But it would be dumb shit. But you get dreams back. Yes. When you don't smoke. Well, hold on.

Wear my keys. Or I'm here to do Charlotte's podcast and it says to go to 2222. And I see 2-2-1. I see 2-2-2-3. Where is it? Where is it? Dumb shit like that. And so, yes, Dr. Drew said, well, you'll start dreaming again.

You're not hitting your REM state, blah, blah, blah. Well, I'm here to debunk that because I will. I got a CPAP machine maybe a year or so ago. And I don't use the Darth Vader mask. It's got a little nasal pillows. and immediately started dreaming again. But good dreams? Yeah.

Okay. Wonderful, creative dream. Nice dreams. It wasn't that I wasn't dreaming because I didn't get to, or excuse me, it wasn't that I wasn't getting to REM because of the weed. It was because I was having sleep apnea and choking in my sleep and never getting a deep sleep. It had nothing to do with the weed.

For me. For you. I'm not saying that he's wrong about that in general. Yeah. For me, I started dreaming again, regardless of whether I smoked weed or not. when I, like, really started sleeping well. Got it. Yes.

I noticed my dreams just coming back. You do? Yeah. Are they anxiety dreams, though? Are they good dreams? It's a mix. It just depends what mood I'm in before I go to bed, I guess. That was the withdrawal for me.

Yeah, was the dream. It was. And a little bit of the, like you say, the ritual, but that was a few days. The dreams last like a month. It's crazy. I go to bed and I'm like, we got a flat tire. Like, it was all these bullshit. You wake up and you're hot.

Yeah, everything's starting off disorderly. Like, oh. So rough. Yeah. So you've been in and out of sobriety or fighting it and stuff? Yeah. And your longest stretch is 50 days? A year.

A year. I made a year. Yeah, I did a year. That was four years ago, maybe. And so what happens? It's truly boredom that trips you up? Yeah, if I'm not working. Or you've gone through something when you trip up?

My last recent kind of when I started getting back into it pretty heavily was just like a bad breakup. That'll get you. That was my next question is also how much do guys play in, not that they're forcing it on you in any way or whatever, but their lifestyles as well. The biggest. You're like, I can't. If I'm around that, I'm going to partake. Yes. All the guys you date.

Have you ever dated a? I dated a sober guy for seven years. And then when that ended, I started dating. Wait, his sobriety ended or you guys ended? Why? He cheated on me. Oh, it didn't have anything to do with you doing. Maybe.

I was a nightmare. But, I mean, besides that. No, I, I, the drugs and the dot and the drinking always have to do with a guy. If I'm out with a guy, I like a guy. I have really bad intimacy issues. So like coping with like just being intimate. with someone I always kind of have always drank. What do you mean?

Just like the communication and talking one-on-one to someone? Yeah. And you feel like... It's intense. Like I can't, like I've never, recently, I went on my first date sober. And I was like, whoa, this is so weird. Say that again? My first day.

Ever? Charlotte McKinney. I've always had a drink on a first date. I see what you mean. Not wasted. Not hammer. Not. Hammer.

You just mean no alcohol. Yeah, none. Dry. Dry. as fuck. Oh, okay. What was that like for you? What was that like?

I mean, it's hard. I mean, that pork, does that guy know that too? Like, we want to test. He's about the hit too. And I kept touching my hands. I was just like, this is great. This water doesn't have any alcohol in it. I'm losing my mind.

How did it go, though? It was fine. I mean, it's also tough because you're, you're judging and living and experience you have and trying to also figure out if you don't, is this a new guy? Yeah. First date? No, no, no. Okay.

Okay. Okay. But yeah, just that in general, even right now I'm like talking about and stand up like just always having like sex drunk and now sober and like how awkward and weird and like you're relearning how to like do stuff as a normal person. Do stuff. Normal person. I don't know how it works.

I'm like, how does this fucking work? How do y'all do this? How do y'all do this? Does anybody have notes? Can someone help them? I'm on chat, GVT. I'm like, how do I initiate sex now? Like, it's like so...

What are you talking about? I just don't know how to do it. Listen, you're a woman and just say yeah. And a guy is like, okay, that's the easiest part. That's the easiest part. You could also ask men how they have to do it because we're the ones that have to figure out that. Yeah, I guess you're right.

You're good. You're good. All of it is just. You can walk in and be like, hey, I would like to have sex with you and your guy's going to be like, okay, that's how you initiated. It's easy. I guess I just don't know how to. I don't know.

It's just been a, it's been a challenging time. But I'm getting through it and it's funny. And I'm enjoying finding the humor in it and in all that. All right. I'm going to ask you a few questions. Let's start with this on. What's so far? And well, you've done it for a year before, too.

What's your favorite part about? sobriety then like being so my favorite part in what keeps me going day by day is the mental clarity okay I was so even with the weed my moods were just I couldn't keep a stable I suffer with depression okay but um I think just staying like not being hung over and just staying like solid okay what do you miss the most about it the fun yeah the chaotic like like fun excitement. I don't have that right now. So like if I want to like drink,

I go to an open mic like. I mean, that's not fun. It's dangerous. Exactly. But it's not fun. Exactly. Living on the edge of.

Okay. Other than sex, what did you used to do that maybe have you tried it sober? Not sex. I mean, other than sex I'm saying, what else would you do? You say fun and chaos are like.

Just going out, socializing. And you just feel like 10 feet tall. bulletproof when you're yeah and you don't you would never be that same Charlotte out yeah even now like my friends asked me to like a dinner the other night and I was just like I don't trust myself like I was like well that's growth yeah that's responsible yeah so I like can't because I knew that that was a group of friends who partied really hard and I was just like thank you but I can't okay be there right now yeah so it's it's and you don't have any temptations around the home you're

more of an outside party I'm an outside You don't keep a little... I do mushrooms. But no little, in case of emergency, break glasses around the house, stuff in a shoe or anything like that. I have a little Molly save. I knew it. Because that's my favorite. Is it really?

My number one. That's your number one. That's a party drug. So what are you doing when you go out? Are you dancing? I'm dancing. You're a dancer. You go to those kind of clubs?

What are the hides and all those or whatever? Maybe just like concerts or house parties. or after hours. When's last time we went to a house party? 45 days ago? Yeah. I don't know. Yeah.

Who's still throwing house parties? Creeps. Right? I guess. I don't know. I thought maybe you had a circle of friends who are simply. It's just dudes, you're saying. And you're trusting enough to go to these house parties?

What are house parties like these days? We're going to do your way back and talk about house parties back in a day. House parties these days? Yeah. For these guys. What is the house party? I guess it's like after. hours at someone's house and everyone's just high as fuck and like you don't even you're not even

having real conversations and is this the place where you're doing pink cocaine pink cocaine molly cocaine and you're just like talking to and are they in the hills are they nice houses yeah yeah are these like sketch they're nice okay i've had my fair share of sketchy houses in florida but these are no a little more elevated okay yeah all right and do you tend to see people you know there like cross paths Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I've been going out in this town for a very long time. Is it still a lot of the same faces and shit? It is. But even recently, there was this guy who you'd always see out and then recently OD'd on, like. He did. Yeah. So it's the, it definitely, like you're seeing how it catches up with people.

Well, also, if that guy's been out forever and you've seen him a bunch, that's how close it also is to you. That's one. I mean, it's a touching a personal way from you. That terrifies me. It's so scary. And I think that is what scared, like, just got it, me done with it. It's just too risky. Too old for, I'm 32. Like, I want to, I want to get my career back. I want to work. I want to be, like, I can't be around this shit.

No, because it will kill you. It will. They're not trying to fucking, they don't care. Yeah, you kind of, and what I've noticed, and I'm sure you've seen this in comedy, it's like, you kind of hit a point in your 30s and 40s. you're like you can either continue partying and live this lifestyle or you get sober. There's kind of, I mean, obviously not like sober, sober. Like you kind of can't continue to do it at a point.

Like even even if you can, your body's going to get out at some point. These people don't look good. You don't get to health the fucking aspects of it. And 32, you're so young. Imagine 20 more years of that to your body. It's going to wreck it. It's going to wreck your body. Yeah.

If you don't die first, young is shit. Exactly. It's crazy out there right now. It's, I mean, and this sounds so dumb, but it's not safe to do drugs anymore. No. It's really not. It's really not even safe to do drugs anymore. At all.

Yeah. The times have changed, Charlotte McKin. I really have. Can't be doing that. Can't be doing this shit. All right. So where are we putting our energy now then? What do we like to do to take place of old habits?

Do you have, do you knit? No. No. I've just been doing stand-up. Okay. It's just been stand-up in writing and, yeah, I eat more sugar, I notice. I'm, like, eating more. Is it hard for you to be in the stand-up environment with all the temptations out there?

Sometimes, yeah, I mean, who wouldn't want a drink or a shop before going out? That's, you know, but I never really mixed drinking with getting up on stage. I've always made sure to always not be fucked up on stage. Okay. So that's familiar for you. Yeah. All right. But I feel there's a pretty big community in the sober world in comedy. I'm grateful to know some really awesome girls who are sober and all that. So I feel grateful. You got a supportive network of ladies in this shitty business that could trip you up at any second and does to the best of people. Yes. All right. How long have you been doing comedy?

only three years Oh fuck So I'm in a place You're really putting yourself to the test all over Oh What are you doing yourself And like three years in college It's probably the worst thing in the world

Every day I wake up I just want to You know It's self as hard as fuck And then putting sober into it Oh it's hell And I'm in a place right now Where I'm like

I know I suck I want to get better I'm trying to find my voice I'm not suck But like I know I can do better and you're doing shows with these amazing people and you're like, fuck, I just need time under my belt. And so.

Well, good for you for having that attitude about it. Yeah. I'm very realistic with where I am. Yeah. Good for you. So I know, you know, where I stand and how much work I need to put into it and just get better. Keep getting up. What about mom and dad?

Are they in support of this comedy move? They are. I mean, it's, they've always been very supportive. But like, yeah, I think just talking about crazier things now, it maybe scares them a little bit. You dive into your life. Yeah, I don't know. I think deep down they don't love it, you know, like, if there's a... What would they rather you do?

Did they want you to work in the family business where they like come sell these cars? They knew that would never happen. And they knew I just have always loved the entertainment world and all that. So I, they didn't expect me to do anything else. But I think sometimes with comedy, it's a little much to see your daughter talking about. I have verbally said out loud already, do not get into comedy. Don't. Well, there's also no such structure or anything in this business for any of that.

You can say whatever you want. And sometimes the more shock value it is, the more views you. It's a weird. But also in the sense that like with, you know, know, if you want to be a doctor, it's here's the things you need to do. Here's the things you need to do in order to be a doctor, called a doctor. Now, how good you are or bad you are is how much you put into that. Yeah. But there's no set rules of say, okay, you want to be a comedian. You do these four years of this. And now you're, there's none of that. No. And there's also a business where, I don't know, might be a director. And you might remind him of a shitty ex-wife. Yeah. It's like, I don't want to see her every day. And it's got nothing to do. with you or anything and it's just like reminds me of my ex and I don't even want to see her anymore. It's like, oh, awesome, thanks.

Yeah. So I don't know. I feel like, you know, you put, think about putting eight years into comedy. You're a junior in college right now. Yeah. Imagine that. And you're going for a doctorate. Yeah.

A master's, whatever. Imagine that. You're like, I got to do all that to get to that. And then, then I got to really put the work in to be good. at that. I'm just gaining my knowledge right now. It's a fucking wild thing to think about. It's insane.

Yeah. What the fuck's the matter with you? I don't know. You like, you must love it. You must love it. I really do. What is it about do you feel free on that stage? Do you or in the sense of like you're not worrying about.

Yeah. Sobriety and all these other things in your life. Yeah, I get to kind of get out of my life for a little bit. But I think for me, like even being in the entertainment and the acting, or in modeling. I was around such like, not saying comedians are great people, but it just feels like a,

I don't know, a community I like being a part of. Like, I feel so seen and like, like these people when I'm around them. Like, I can have a horrible night and bomb, but like just hanging out

with other comedians. I just, I love it. And I feel we're all kind of like our own weird thing. Yeah. There's, I don't know, I've weirdly found such comfort in it.

in a weird way and people are like, what are you talking about? This is the hardest. I'm like, it's hard, but I don't know. It's just, it's been weirdly welcoming for me. I've had my bad, dark times and I'm not saying it's been easy at all, but I don't know. Can we go back to your Carl's Jr. spot? Yes. As a dad and mom, are they supportive of that?

Very. Okay. Yeah. All right. As crazy as that sounds, they were so excited for me. And because here's the other thing. I want to ask you this now on the East Coast, at least where I'm from up there, it's Hardee's. Hardee's.

Is it Hardee's in Florida? So are you the Carl's Jr. And the Hart, like is there a Hardee's? For real. Yeah. So that part of the U.S. might know you as the Hardee's girl. Yeah. No shit.

Yeah. Yeah. I'll take whatever. Whatever. Yeah. Call me what you want. Yeah. Okay.

So they were like, all right, we're supporting this. They were very supportive. Okay. Yeah. They thought it was really cool. And what's the first? first thing that law got for you after that.

I mean, you say UTA, but I mean, next job, I should say. My first movie was Joe Dirt too. Wait, you went right from Carl's Jr.

to Joe Dirt too. Yeah, no acting experience. But I did good. Yeah, like I loved it. You did like it? Fell in love.

That second being on set. I was like, this is insane. That's also probably a set where you show up and you can be you at the who's playing along and it's not the other serious.

It was Fred Wolf that I got to work with on that. And he was just so fucking great. And I was like, fuck, this is so sick. How do I make this my life? And I think why I got into standup too is with acting, I have so much downtime. And like, you're not work. Like, work is very hard to get. So for me, it's just like having something else to do and structure.

And I get so bored waiting on. Yeah. And also, if you're not all. on a series or something like that, it could be who knows when you're getting it. And then when you do, it goes pretty quickly. Totally. And what's next? Yeah.

You know, like I've shot two things in the last two years. And those aren't even out yet. Is that right? Two years. Yeah, the amount of time things take. And so, yeah, I'm really grateful for it all. I just want to be working more. How often are mom and dad still in Florida?

Yeah. How often do you go back and visit? Pretty often. I love Florida. I pull a lot of like my like comedy of Florida and just Florida in general is such a, I'm so interested by Florida and Florida people. I think it's wild. People are insane. So I love going there and like just being and getting out of LA and just being around like normal people. I love it. What's it like growing up in Orlando? Is it like Anaheim here? Is it Disney crazy? I grew up like going to the beach. But also is is Disneyland like right over there? No, I wasn't. I wasn't. I wasn't. really near Disney. We never went to, or you're in the neighborhood next to it. No, no.

I didn't do any of that shit. We didn't even really go to Disney. I'm not a Disney person. No. Yeah. Without maybe name and names most fucked up thing that happened to you in showbiz.

Oof. Where do we begin? Where's my long list? What anything you're comfortable with. I'll, because I'll bet. And if you want to name name, you can name motherfucking names too.

I just start a lawsuit on your show. I think for me, it was just being sexualized. I was just put in such a place with my body at the time. And I just was so sexualized by such horrible people. But I learned from it. So how do you protect yourself from that? And can you? Can you?

in this business can you protect yourself from that i don't think you can i think you can try as a woman i think you can try i wish i had more of a female support group when i started um you ever talk to any men that have been sexualized i haven't that could be very interesting have you um i was sexually harassed a job. Okay, no way. I really was. Wow. I've never talked about it. It's the first I'm ever saying it and stuff, but I was. Went to HR and everything. No way. Yeah. I was told if I did what this lady did, I would have been putting handcuffs in front of everyone and led out of the building and I would never work again. And they gave that lady, you ready for this? Two weeks, three weeks later, employee of the month. But of course. Of course. Because that's how it goes.

swear to God. I'm so sorry, Ryan. Don't be. It's all good. But that's the thing with men. I also can defend myself. If you have a man after you, excuse me, and he wants to impose his physical will on you, I mean, unless you know some MMA shit or you're, you know what I mean?

Like he, a girl said it to me recently a couple years ago. Hey, how many men you walk by on the sidewalk and you fear them? I was like, not many. And she's like, how about imagine, imagine everyone. And I was like, I never thought of that from like a lady's point of view where like this man, if he wanted to could muscle me or whatever. Totally. Even if it's not rape me is kill me, grab me, whatever it is. Against my will.

Yeah. And I was like, huh? So I never felt threatened in that way. No, but that's not. And it was all done like on the company email. So it was an easy forward to HR like here you go. Here you go. Here's another one.

Here's another one. Yeah. Insane. But nothing like I'm sure that you've had to deal with in any way. And I don't want to compare it at all. You just ask me if I ever have. No, no, please. I have.

That's crazy. It was wild. It was wild. It was a wild. It was a wild. But that's my point. It can really be, it can happen to anyone. And I think men still deal with it just as much.

Not just as much at all. I can tell you this. I know a bunch of dudes. I don't know one that's ever had that. Ever, ever. And I'm 52 at this point. And that was maybe, I don't know how many years ago now. So, yeah.

No, it's not even close. No, yeah. No. Yeah, I walk out the door and there's something that, yeah. Not really, but. But no, I. A bunch of sweatpan, boners, just waiting out there for the whole world. The whole world.

No, but it's something that has been a big part. And I think, again, why I used drugs and needed this escape so much? Because I just didn't know how to handle such. attention or just what how men were drawn to me. Can I ask you this too? Also, that's in a way I don't want to compare it to, you know, sobriety, but you were always boy crazy, you said. Yeah.

And now here they all come. Yeah. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. It's like not that you're getting what you asked for in a sense of what their behavior, but I mean, here come the boys. So yeah, how do you fucking handle that?

You don't. Because you're just, I mean, I can't even hear that. Here's what I ask for and what I want and here they fucking call. Yeah. Yeah, it's weird. Is that just a fucking nightmare? Yeah. Have you ever been on dating apps or anything?

I had a friend in my last breakup put me on Raya. And I was like, fuck that. Like, take it off. I like, kind of. You'd rather just meet them unnaturally. Yes. if it takes longer and it's harder, I'm just more of like having a natural moment with someone. I don't know.

And I feel like guys who see photos of me and then, like, I don't. They have a preconceived idea or whatever. Yeah. What about without getting too deep into this guy you're seeing now? Is this your first like sober sort of dating relationship, whatever? you're doing there? I guess. Yeah.

I'm trying to keep things cash. Is he sober? No. How fucking hard is that? Yeah. I mean, even like, yeah. Yeah. I don't know.

It is hard. I'm forever single in my head, but I don't know. I'm just, my focus right now is me and staying sober. But I'm saying how hard is it to stay sober around some hours not? It's too hard. Yeah. And that's why, yeah. It's impossible.

I understand. So we shall see. Well, fucking good luck with it. Good luck with it for real. No, truly. All right. You're so fun to talk to. Thank you.

Before we get out of here, advice you're given to 16-year-old Charlotte McKinney. Where do we begin? After all that, I'd say if you're in a bad situation or a relationship or anything like that, get out of it as soon as you can. because you think you have all the time in the world and you don't. And you're like, oh, this is, you know, I've wasted a lot of time with the wrong people.

So I'd say. Stayed too long. Stayed too long. That's my problem. Yeah, I need to take it. I don't know if anyone's ever. I know, right? I need to take my own advice.

That's the advice I think I would give. The advice you'd give to your friend, take it. You take that shit. Yeah, I need to take it. Always. Always. So, yeah. That's great.

Fuck them. not treating you right get the fuck out get the fuck out today now today now good for you all right um one more time promote everything and anything you'd like please uh um nothing i i guess just me charlotte mccini on social keep an eye out i put dates on there and keep an eye out for some movies that are coming bus boys and yeah all right to be continued well thank you very much right thank you so much you're welcome you're welcome thank you for doing it thanks for um and you guys as always, Ryan Sickler on all your social media.

We'll talk to you all next week.