The Three Questions with Andy Richter - Kristen Johnston

Episode Date: August 18, 2026

Actress Kristen Johnston joins Andy Richter to discuss their guest appearances on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with David Letterman, finding success in her twenties with 3rd Rock from the Sun, sobriety, how one day of work on the Sex and the City set became a meme forever, and returning to multi-cam with the show Leanne on Netflix. Do you want to talk to Andy and his comedian friends live on SiriusXM’s Conan O’Brien Radio? Tell us your favorite dinner party story (about anything!) or ask a question - leave a voicemail at 855-266-2604 or fill out our Google Form at BIT.LY/CALLANDYRICHTER. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the three questions. I'm your host, Andy Richter. And today I'm talking to Kristen Johnson. She's an Emmy-winning actress and New York Times best-selling author. Ooh, la-la. And you know her from Third Rock from the Sun, Mom, the Righteous Gemstones, and more. You can also see her in season two of Leanne on Netflix this summer. Here's my conversation with the wonderful Kristen Johnson. No, that whole thing of like, you know, five-minute TV interviews. Yeah. It's like there's a reason that it's going away. Yeah. Because it just was. No, it's true. You know?

It's true. And when you have to do those junkets and they like, they've literally, they don't know who you are. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, no. Those are, I mean, I haven't had to do one of those in a long time. And they were the, that was where.

Oh, no. Where you're like, oh, this is why this is a grind. Actors are bitchy. Yeah. Because you go and you say this. It's true. It's also why you get paid because I could do acting for free. I mean, I've done it and would do it again.

Yeah. But the other bullshit. Yeah. Not this stuff. I actually enjoy this stuff. Yeah. But like the big junkets where it's just one after the other, after the other after the other. Yeah.

Yeah. And I've always, I've always felt too, like there's a reason why people, you know, and being on a talk show for all those years, there's a reason why people with real gravitas, stop doing them. Yeah. Because they're not that fun. No, right. And I was never convinced that they did anything.

Like in terms of like the promotion of things, you know. I think they do. You do? I do. Yeah. I think with books. There's real impact with books. Yeah, yeah.

But I'm not necessarily sure that like. I think it refreshes people's mind. I mean, I don't know if the content makes any impact. Yeah. But the actual visual of, oh, why is she taught? What's she talking about? Yeah, yeah. Oh, her show or whatever.

What was your first big talk show appearance? Oh, okay. My first big one, I was on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Yeah. And I was terrified. Yeah. I mean, you know, I'm from Wisconsin. He's scary.

He's scary. Very large head, like a Mardi Gras head. Okay. So I followed Hugh Grant. Yes. Coming on the air. Was that the night? That was the episode.

Oh, my God. Yeah, yeah. After the prostitute issue. Yes. His big issue. And I went on after it. Yeah. So that was crazy. That blew my mind.

Wow. That's a tough act to follow. Although you can't. It was kind of great. Yeah, yeah. It's the, there's no pressure. No, no. You're just, you're just, yeah, floating.

I was, you know, I was petrified. Yeah. But they had, you know how you'd have to do those pre-interviews? and it's basically hours. I mean, it's a lot. It's a lot. Yeah. And they had me, they had this bit because I used to work at the Macy's seller, selling dancing Christmas trees.

You know, the chipmunk. Sure, sure, sure. Okay, so I just stand there in heels. I'm like 24. Yeah. And I'm trying to sell these dancing. Was that just seasonal work or were you down there? Yes, it was seasonal.

And anyway, so they wanted me to talk about that. And then he was going to do this bit where he presents me with the Chipmunks Christmas album. I don't know any better. I'm like, yeah, that'll work. Sounds great. And she was like, and then you take it from him. And, you know, then it'll be a gift. And I was like, okay, that's fine.

And he does it and hands it shows me it and then just holds it. And I'm like, should I take it? And he's like, no. Like, I was like, what is happening? Was he just being a dick or was he think he's being funny? I don't know. He might have been. I was way too like young and kind of green.

Right, right. I would have rolled with it now. Yes, yes. But at the time, I mean, I don't know if his intention was dickish, but the result was. Right. It ended up being kind of dickish. Yeah. Yeah, I once, I don't know if it was my first time on there, but I called him Dave.

I felt so bad. I felt so bad. I had just, because I had just moved to L.A. Oh, that sucks. And I had all these, I had my, my driveway was just piled high with flattened boxes, you know, like, and I don't, I didn't, I was like, I don't know what to do with them. And I'm just telling a story of like, because I called a junk man. Yeah. Like, come get them.

Wait. And hold on. Well, all right. I know I'm going down the wrong tangent, but what? Yeah. Why did you have boxes? Because I moved. Oh, it was moving boxes.

Yeah, I had just moved to Los Angeles. Well, because my pop dolls weren't selling. I know. I was like, what? I had a cosmetic line there for a minute. No, it was just moving boxes. We had moved our entire life from New York to L.A. Yeah, yeah.

And when we're done, you know, I mean, what do you do with them? So he said something about junk. Because I said, junk man. I called a junk man. He's like, hey, what are you calling a junk man? And I said, and I said, he goes, where do you find a junk man? And I said, it's called the yellow pages, Dave. Oh. Oh. And then, and right when I said it. Oh. And they didn't bleep this. I went, I said, it's called the yellow pages, Dave. Fuck. And I was like, I am so, and I mean, I, you know, I, I, I mean, at that point, too, there, well, yeah, There was, there was no animosity or anything.

I mean. Okay, well, that's good. Yeah. But I mean, but it was, but there was, you know, there was like among my peers, and I'm sure you too. Like when that whole Dave Jay thing happened, I was not on Jay's side. Yeah, yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah.

So. Yeah. And I think he's well, you know, was well aware of that and stuff. So, yeah, that was embarrassing. Yeah. Oh, boy. But then that was also the same one. this show when I realized after my interview and he was interviewing the next person whom I don't remember who it was.

But that there was someone, you know, I'm looking to my left at him and over my shoulder is someone with cue cards with questions. Oh. Like I was just like, you can't even just look down at the card. God have, like, so I hear you went on vacation, you know. Just, oh. Yeah. It's not a great conversationalist, which is weird considering his career.

But anyway, we don't need to trash it. No, we don't. We don't. I mean, I'm not trashing him, but I mean, just. No, I get what you're saying. But I mean, that was just, it's when you. You don't feel like, you never felt like he was rooting for you. No.

Or that he was like invested in this endeavor. Yeah. It just, he's a very odd man. Yeah. You know, and I think he likes telling jokes. And everything else is he. your vegetables. Yes, exactly. And so it's like, I'm a big plate of carrots to him, you know. Right, right. So it was. The weirdest thing, though, was doing Letterman that everyone was terrified of.

Yes. And he, I felt, I mean, I went on there a bunch of times because he was just the nicest to me and fun. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He's a weird of two. Oh, yeah. You know. But I'm just saying in, you know, in regards to his chosen career. Yeah. He's really good at it. Yes. And was fun to talk to. Yeah. So. My first time on there, we had just taken over his time slot. Okay. And we had moved into the ninth floor, and they were like up on 12 or something. And there was a day at which they vacated, like say it was like on a, you know, like they vacated on a Wednesday. Yeah.

Thursday morning, we could go up and raid their offices for furniture, lamps, desks, just various, office sundries and we like people showed up early and we're like running up there and we you know and like I was in his office and and at the time I smoked and you could still smoke in that building oh it was those days you could walk down the hall smoking cigarette on an airplane that's how I'm me too me too um it's true yeah it's crazy and I I was on the point like with the notion that like there's a smoking section on the airplane Like there's any different. Yeah, yeah.

Like you won't leave smelling like an ashtray if you're sitting three rows away. I can't even believe that. It's unbelievable. Yeah, and now being a non-smoker, I'm like, the entire world must have smelled like cigarettes. Oh, yeah. Because now when somebody smokes, I can smell it from half a block away immediately. And kind of are attracted to it a little bit. Unless some, it's, you know what?

It's sometimes, yes, sometimes no. Sometimes I smell it and I'm like, oh, yeah. Yeah. That's sex right there is what that is. And then I smell it again. like, ew. Yeah, no. Mostly, it's mostly gross.

It is. But sometimes, like, if someone's lit up a fresh one, you get that first smell, that's good. That's good. But the after effects are bad. It's nasty. And you don't notice it until you quit smoking. No, you don't. I thought I got away with it.

No, I wasn't smoking. Right. What are you talking about? Yeah, yeah. But anyway, so I had, I found in his office a big glass ashtray that he used to have for cigars. Right. And so I snake that immediately. And I also, I also took his Gillette Atra razor handle that was in his bathroom because I needed one. It was that simple. It was like, oh, hey, I actually, that's been on my list of things to get at, Dwayne Reed. I'm just going to, and so for years,

I used Letterman's razor handle. Oh, my God. And then my ex-wife for a present, sealed it in Lusite. I still have it somewhere. Really? Oh, that's a good one. I have Dave's. But my first time on his show, I did a bit with the ashtray. I did photos of like, oh, this ash tree's really lived a life. And it was like me eating cereal out of it.

Yeah, yeah. And because it was sit on the window still because I'd smoke out the window. And the joke that it fell down and like lodged in a guy's head. And so we had graphics made up. So it was just this photo bit that I did. Right. And, you know, it was like predicated on here. I brought back your ashtray and I brought it in a paper bag and gave it to them.

And then at the end of the interview, I was like, I wanted the ashtray back. And you just kept it. Oh, really? I was like, you know, and I said like, you probably don't want that. He's like, no, no. It's okay. Shit, now I got to get an ashtray in addition to it, Atra razor handle. Oh.

But it was, and that's when it was fun. Towards the end, I wasn't a guest, but like I went with Conan once when he was a guest towards the end and it just felt weird there. My last show there also felt a little straight. Which was a shame because that place is, that place means something to me. I mean, people talk about Johnny Carson and like, okay, Johnny Carson, but I don't feel like Johnny was mine. Yeah. There was also just a huge chunk of time where he was like kind of the most incendiary, like,

funny, like, edgy. And fucked with things. And he did. And man, he messed with some people. If you went on there and he didn't like you. Yeah. But also like fucked with the corporate overlord. Yes. Like people didn't do that back now. I know. I know. And he's not

like a socialist or anything. He's just a crabby guy that like is annoyed by suits telling him what's funny. And that's like, who can't relate to that? Well, they've always been bitching about CBS. All those guys. So, and, you know, now it's even...

Yes, yes. No, now it's... You can even do less. Yeah, now it's newsmax, practically. Yeah. So you're Midwestern, too. You must have watched him in college. Oh, yes.

Oh, my God. Because you're from Milwaukee, right? I'm from Milwaukee. And how you weren't born there, but she ended up there. Well, I was born in Washington, D.C., and then they moved right after I... Oh, they did. Yeah, my mom's family's all from Washington. And we moved to Wisconsin because my dad wanted to run for state senator.

Oh, I see. And his family's from. I see, I see. So I did grow up there. And your dad was a state senator for a long time, right? So I'm, I have a similar thing where I grew up in Republican politics. Yep. Because my grandfather, like, was in the governor's cabinet for, he, he was a nice guy that liked people. Yeah. It would sold insurance. Yeah. Yeah. Sold real estate kind of, you know, lived on the farm that his father had, you know. Right. And but like when we would go visit him in downtown Yorkville, Illinois, like my grandmother would stop by his office. More often than not,

men were just playing cards and drinking whiskey in the middle of the afternoon in his office. But he got involved with politics. And like I say, ran a campaign for a guy that became governor in the 50s and early 60s. And he said, asked my, like, what job do you want? My grandpa just liked to hunt and fish so he became the director of conservation, which is in charge of hunting and fishing. Yeah. And so that's what. And I grew up, I grew up thinking that it's so nice of state road crews to come pave your driveway. Like, isn't that nice that they do that for you?

Not realizing, oh, it's graph. Yeah. This is, that's why our driveway got like a fresh coat of blacktop because it was a big farm driveway, you know. Got a fresh coat of blacktop like every other year. Can't you tell my loves it grow? My dad was obsessed with, maybe a little in love with Ronald Reagan. Oh, yeah.

So that's my house growing up. Oh, wow. It was like he had a picture with him. Yeah, yeah. It was blown up. Wow. Yeah. And how, I mean, when you start to be a rebellious teen, how is...

Uh-huh. Well, that's pretty much what happened. Is that what happened? Is that what happened? It turned me into a Democrat. But no, my dad, you know, it was a different Republican party then. Yeah. You know, I, 100%.

I mean, they were still. still racist and shitty. But it was evil. Yeah. The evangelical thing hadn't happened yet. And the gun thing. The gun thing hadn't happened yet. Yes.

My grandpa, like I say, he was a hunter and a fisherman and a member of the NRA, but it was about safety. It wasn't about like take your goddamn AK-47 to the grocery store. Exactly. And maybe a couple more. Yeah. And a handgun and a Glock and whatever. Yeah. No, my dad wasn't into guns or any of that stuff.

But he was just very old. Republican Ollie North guy. Yeah. Did he, as it became kind of different, did he start to? He died before all of that happened, like right around as it started. Yeah. How old was he, how old were you when he died? How old I was in 2015, I'm terrible at math.

Okay. Probably 40s. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. And he died. I don't, because I don't know, I can't answer whether he would have, gone down there. I'm going to guess he probably would have. Probably just because the way they...

Well, and Fox and all that stuff. It's like what do they call that as sunk cost? Is that what? It's something like that, you know? You know, it's like I devoted my life to this. Like, because you've already had so much money poured into this thing. You can't pull out. Exactly. Yeah. And this is so much time and energy. And that's, you know.

But I think he's more of like maybe a Thomas Massey kind of Republican. Not necessarily. But I don't know. I don't know what would have happened. Yeah. See, my grandpa was in the, at the convention that nominated Eisenhower. Okay. And we had pictures of it.

Yeah. And then he, and he, my grandmother used to tell stories about when they went, they got to, I don't know if it was the inauguration or, but it was some other thing. And just the two of them, my grandpa and my grandma were in a car with Vice President Richard Nixon. and she would tell the story completely like bought that because he was telling stories about they're all out to get me. He said I was on a stage the other day and a light fell not five feet from me. Yeah. And like it's just fun in retrospect.

She goes, they were always out to get him. I was like, Grandma, he's fucking crazy. That's like, yeah, yeah, no, he's their guy. Yeah, yeah. And Nixon for her, that was the same thing with her. Nixon, she could never get off Nixon. What do you mean? She believed in him.

She thought he was railroaded. She thought that it was, you know, that I mean, I don't, I was young, so I didn't never, like, really question her. But she forever was like, he never did anything wrong. He was a great president and all this stuff. Yeah, yeah. Do you find, because I was just in Kansas City doing, do you know, that big slick charity thing that they do?

There's, it's like Jason Sadega's Paul Ruz. Dave Kekner, Rob Wrigel, Eric Stone Street, and Heidi. Yeah, and Heidi Gardner. It's for a children's hospital. I have a big, you know, big weekend of fundraising. And I was down there with that. And my wife's from, speaking of Richard Nixon, she's from Whittier. And so she was like, is that where Nixon was from?

Yeah, he was born in Whittier. He grew up in Whittier. Because it's a big Quaker town. Oh, that's right. He was a Quaker. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And, but my wife, was like talking about, she's just like, people really like, they're not, they're not looking over

your shoulder while they're talking to you for someone else. And they're just so nice and approachable. I was like Midwest. That's Midwest. That's Midwest. I can always tell a Midwestern when I knew them out here. Yeah. Yeah. They're just like grounded. Yeah. Usually. And funny and, you know, self-deprecate. Yeah. And that's what I miss. And I don't even, I'm not one to general, you know, like I kind of bristled about, about most generalizations, but I really do feel like it's hard to be as full of shit. Yes. You can still be full of shit, but you're going to be a little less full of shit if you're from the Midwest. I agree.

I can always tell them and I always like them. Yeah. I really do. Yeah, me too. There's been an only couple maybe in my whole life. I've been like, oh, what the hell happened to you? But most of them are rooted. Do you ever have any fantasies of like living back in Milwaukee?

Not in that area specifically. do want to move to a farm somewhere, but probably on the East Coast somewhere. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I'm, I do. But I love going back there. My mom still lives there. Yeah. And yeah, my family's still there. I, I, I, I, I, I go back now and I, um, I really like it. Yeah, I really. Do you want to move there, do you think? I don't know. I mean, it's, my wife is cold when it's 82 degrees. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. So I do not think that's a feasible thing. Once you get used to L.A. I know. It's hard going back. I know. Oh, listen. Yeah. I go, I remember. When I first moved out here, I was like, I, you know, basically, and kind of like,

these pussies, like they don't know what real weather's like. I meant, you know, winter's good. And then I don't know, I was out here a few years. And then I went back and there was a huge blizzard in February. And I was just like, what the fuck is going on? This is not pretty. I know. There's no Christmas.

This is bullshit. Although I have to say the cold in L.A. is weirdly cold. Yeah. Like, the winters in L.A. can get freezing. Yeah, yeah. Or maybe we're just babies now. Probably both.

Probably babies and also, I think you're just acclimated and you expect. It's like when you walk into your house, you know within a few degrees what it should be. Right. And so L.A. is just like you step out and it's like, wait a minute. It's not 78. That's true. You know, it's 69. That's freezing.

It's like that desert cold. Yeah, yeah. Like when it's 40 degrees here, I mean, it's pretty cold. Yeah, yeah. And you're like, I have to get a parka. Yeah. You know. It's not the wet cold.

That's where it's. Yes. Wet cold, ocean cold. Uh-huh. Oh, so hard. Awful. Awful. We're old.

We are. So growing up, did you, I mean, did you have show biz ambitions? I mean, because your dad's kind of in show business. Well, yeah, a little bit. You know what I mean? It's talking. But yes. And it was, you know, press stuff.

Right. But, um. I, yeah, ever since I was a kid, man, I think I saw Oliver Twist or something, you know, on stage at the Milwaukee rep. Yeah. And I was like, oh, yeah, that's what I wanted to. Wow. And so I did, you know, community theater all growing up and dinner theater and stuff like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Loved it. And then I went to NYU. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And your folks, they were supportive. That's great about it. And I only realized later how rare that is. Yeah.

No, they were so into it. That's nice. They thought my mom's like, my mom's come to New York when I've been in plays and see like she saw every single uh showing we did of something in the park like much ado about nothing she came every single yeah yeah so cute yeah that is great yeah did i mean did your dad ever like you they're gonna turn you into a liberal no he knew he knew he knew already it was happening i think i just always kind of had that you know you know M.O. of like, you know, kind of being funky, weirdo, but also, you know, really being upset at,

like, injustices and stuff. So I think he knew it was, and he was cool. He never tried to talk me out of it. And you guys never fought over it or anything? No, I mean, I think it probably caused, I think it's just we didn't relate to each other very much. I mean, you know, but he tried. Yeah. He really tried. And he never punished me for it or anything. Was he, did he do anything? I mean, did he have an outside job? Or was he just a State Senator for you. Just a state senator as far as I can remember. Yeah.

Yeah. That's something. Yeah. That's a, that's, yeah. I mean, because that is like, that's a kind of show business. It is. You know. It is, especially in Milwaukee.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Do you think there was like patronage things? Like, did he get people jobs and stuff? My mom, I grew up very, very comfortable.

I so I think there was utilization of that funding, shall we say. Yes. Let's just say it that way. So you ended up at NYU. I mean, that must have, was that, why? Because I wanted to move to New York. Yeah, I wanted to be a theater actress. I didn't care about L.A. or movies as much.

Yeah. It's always been theater for me. Really? Still to this day. I mean, I prefer that over everything else. Yeah. But I, you know, now I understand film and I love it. Yeah.

And TV, but I love, I just love theater. Yeah. I went to film school. I'm like, I'm in the opposite. In Chicago. Okay. Columbia College in Chicago. And I, and I just never, I mean, I appreciate a live audience, but.

Yeah, it just didn't. And plays. It didn't get to your heart. Yeah. You do. You have to have it. Yeah. I don't, I don't, you know, I think.

I was fine. I go, sometimes I go to the theater and, I mean, I've heard, I can't, I can't remember somebody was just saying this yet. Oh, it was Zoe de Chanel. I just heard. her saying like acting is the most embarrassing thing a person can do and i have had like i saw i saw i saw alfred malina in that play about mark rothko i forget what it's called red is it red or art or something like it's just a one word yeah but like he's really acting up a storm and i just

doesn't do it four rows away and i feel embarrassed for him wow because i'm not in it I'm not like I'm not you're not sucked in I'm not like into the world yet and it's nothing against him. Yeah. Yeah. But I just, I don't know. I'm still. It doesn't have that magic for you. Yeah.

I'm not transported like I would be with the movie. Yeah. And it just makes me. Oh, wow. I feel like. Well, I will say this bad. There's nothing worse. Yeah.

Not Alfred Molina. But there's nothing worse than that. Yeah, yeah. Like I mean, I get actually physically angry. Yeah. Yeah. Like I just want to kill. them all. It's just, and I don't feel that way about a movie. Right, right, right, right. But yeah,

the guy get passionately angry. I think also when I was, I lived in New York for a long time and I did just one after the other place for like 10 years. Yeah. Yeah. And I just got, I got, I just, I couldn't do it. It was too much. It was too much. I just, it blew it for me. And I needed, but now I'm getting ready again. Do you, I mean, was it, were you like in a just kind of like a toxic environment? No, no, it just became a grind. I see. And you never. want that to happen if possible because doing eight shows a week is brutal. Yeah, yeah. So, and then I think I just kind of got over it for a minute and just needed a break.

Did doing the same thing over and over and over, did that, is that part of it? Yeah, it makes you crazy. Yeah, because that was, that was whenever I've done a play, that's coming from improv. Yeah. I'm like, oh, wait, oh, shit. Yeah, it's every day. The idea is that we get it to be a certain way and then you do that. Do that over and over and if you decide, you know what I'm going to do it a little different

to like, you get in trouble. Yeah. I got yelled at by a director once for doing that. But I mean, you know, in his defense, I was like... Doing it crazy. I was so bored. Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, picking different props up and saying different stuff.

I just, I kind of went crazy. But yeah, yeah, I think, you know, after a while you get back, I'm getting sucked back in again. I can feel it. Oh, really? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Now, do you, I mean, do you just tell an agent like, hey, rustle me up some plays?

Yeah. or see if anybody still wants me, which they do have a short memory there. Oh, my God, they have a short memory. They have a short memory everywhere. Everywhere. Yeah, yeah. So, but, you know, the thing about theater acting in plays is it is absolutely terrifying,

like nightmare-inducing terror until you get it, and then it's boredom. So the challenge is how to keep it interesting. And sometimes you make the wrong choices. It's interesting. Or you don't alert your co-stars. Right, right. But yeah. Can't you tell my loves to grow?

Did you have to have other jobs during that time, or did you keep yourself busy? No, I had thankfully had done well. Yeah, you sold you, the Macy's basement. Yes. No, no, no, that was very early on. But no, once I, this big block of time, I did a ton of theater. That was after Third Rocking out. So I had a little of that money to cushion it.

I see, I see. And do you have a favorite place? that you did? Yeah, I mean, I mentioned it earlier. I think much ado. Yeah, yeah. That was in the park. And that's in the park.

Jimmy Smiths. And it was a great cast. Yeah. And it was beautiful. And all the music was this Italian. It was just stunning. The costumes were gorgeous. Yeah, yeah.

That was a magical production. Yeah. I saw, I think it was a midsummer night's dream in the park. And it is pretty. It's pretty fun. It's pretty neat that they're doing it in the park. Yeah, yeah. And it's free.

I'm not a big Shakespeare thing. Yeah, yeah. I, you know. I do like acting in it because he really does. There's just no extra. Every word means something. Yeah, yeah. So the scenes, once you get them, which is hard.

Yeah. But once you get them, they're really fun to try to make accessible to people. Yeah. Like, I'm going to say this basically a pile of gorgeous gobbledygook. Yeah. And I'm going to try to say it in such a way that people actually understand what I'm saying. Right, right. And that's fun.

When you're learning the lines, are there somewhere? Because, I mean, there's some Shakespeare. I just am like, I don't know what he's saying. Yeah, you've got to do a lot of research and really figure it out. And the directors of the, like, this is what the point of this is? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, there's a lot of that stuff because you're saying, again, stuff that really has no meaning to modern ears. So the great actors have to take that and make it exciting and mean something.

And that's the only way to do that is, like, schmachting. Right, right, right. So that's the challenge of it. And when did, were you in the middle of Broadway stuff when, when Third Rock happened? No, I was, I was, I was in New York. No, I was doing off Broadway, off off Broadway. I was doing, I had my theater company, the Atlantic Theater company. So I was doing plays and stuff, just not the big plays.

Right. It was fun. And then I got Third Rock and moved out to L.A. And there you go. And how was that transition into being, you know? It was hard. Yeah. And also because you're, I mean, I was young.

Because you're, I mean, it is, and that, because that was a multi-camera show, right? You were in front of an audience. Yes. Now, that part was fun and great. The actual show itself was fantastic. Yeah. It's the adjustment of your whole life changing, just that stuff that everybody goes through if you're lucky enough to experience it. Yeah.

But it's, it doesn't magically solve anything, unfortunately. It just creates new problems. And you're in a new town without a support structure. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was a lot. It was hot. Well, I mean, that show hit pretty fast, too, didn't it? It was big and overnight, and it was crazy for a minute there.

Really was. And do you remember the first time you, like, went out in public and felt all the eyes on you? I do remember going to a grocery store one day. The show aired in the next morning. It was a totally different world. It really felt like a different world. Yeah, yeah. And we, I think it's my Midwesternism.

I was quite uncomfortable with it. Yeah, I did not like it. Yeah, yeah. It felt very invasive initially. And it felt malevolent initially, and it's not. No, it's not. But at first it felt scary or like people meant me harm. Yeah.

Yeah. Well, you don't, I had to, like, early on during late night with Conan O'Brien, I went home for the holidays, and my mother went to Best Buy to buy something. And I just walked, browsed around the store with her. and I didn't notice, and I didn't notice that this was going on. Yeah. And as we're walking out, she said, did you notice everyone was looking at you? There was a group of boys that were following you around the store.

Then they were all looking at you. Everyone was, and I said, Mom, think about that statement. Yeah. I went into the store and everyone was looking at me. It's weird. I know why they're looking at me. Like, I can process that, but I can't get over the basic animal reaction. Yes.

Of what? It's scary. Yeah, yeah. What are I doing? Yes. It's weird. There are some actors I've met who actually love it. They love it.

Like John Litton O'Brien. He loves it. He loves it. Yeah, yeah. It thinks it's the coolest thing ever. And I have to say I've evolved more towards that later. It's like, now I get it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But at first, it was. I mean, I was like, can I put this back in the, bottle. I know this is not what I want. Yeah. But it was too late. Yeah. I also think too, like I just, I was in it.

So many things I look back on my attitude about stuff. And I just, I think, well, it's probably too that like I was in just a different head space. Yeah. And I, you know, like, because now selfies all day. Yeah, yeah. Totally. Unless I'm with my family or something or in a hurry, you know. Yeah.

But now I'm like, sure. Yeah. Okay, it's all nice and it's all, you know, but I, but I think it's just because I'm just a happier, more content person. Also, I think, you know, you do get used to it. Yeah. It doesn't become, it's not scary anymore. Right, right.

It was. You know, I remember sitting in a restaurant with my agent, like right after, I was, think I was doing press for Third Rock. And this guy was like, staring at me. Yeah. And it really felt like, uh, he's going to kill me. Yeah. Like, it just had a very dark feeling to it. But now I just think it's funny.

And you married that guy. And now he's my husband. So, I mean, the fame, I mean, was it, did you have a hard time coping with it? Yeah. Or was it something that was like you had, because, I mean, you've had struggles with addiction. And you have a whole. I wrote an entire book about it. And you have it, you have a nonprofit slam.

Yeah. That unfortunately, no, that is no longer in existence. But we did work on that for a long time. We really tried to bring a sober high school to New York City, which didn't work, unfortunately. Oh, wow. Yeah. Kids are like, nope. Yeah.

No, it's, you know, the education office, the governor, the mayor at the time, they were like not into it. I think it's because the insurance would be so crazy. Oh, I see. And it is, you know, a scary thing. But sober high schools do work where they've been implemented. Yeah, yeah. But we just couldn't get it going in New York. But anyway, yes.

So I do that. You know, once you kind of deal with all that, you get recovery and you, you know, everything becomes simpler. Yeah. Yeah. Did recovery happen during? No, after. Okay. After Third Rock.

Yeah. Yeah. Long time after. Really? Yeah. Most of my, you know, terrible years of addiction were right after Third Rock. I see. Not because of that.

Oh, it wasn't because they didn't really factor into it. No, it was disposable income. Yeah. Time. Yeah. Yeah. And time on your hands. And time on my hands.

Yeah, yeah. And my big thing, and I think I've thankfully gotten over this, but I used to be terrified of boredom. You know, I just, I can't be bored. Everything's stimulation. I have to be doing something scary and exciting. And now, like, there's nothing better to me than being bored. Yeah, yeah.

I just think it's the greatest thing. Yeah, yeah. Sitting on my couch with my dogs reading books. I'm so happy. How is like, how are relationships, both, you know, friendly and romantic and whatever? different for you from one to the other. There's no comparison. You know, there's, there's shallow and keep everybody happy so that no one looks at me

too hard. Yeah. And then there's, now we have to actually have real relationships with fights and honesty. Was that a component of the addiction, you think? They're like a fear of that or? Probably. I mean, again, like I am, I'm, I'm, for a long time was a stimulation junkie and that kind of paid itself out in all sorts of ways,

including romantic relationships, friendships, you know, drama. I liked a couple toxic people, I'm not gonna lie. And so that kind of stuff, and that's all gone for me now. That gets so exhausting. It's exhausting. I used to love being, when I was younger,

I used to love being around crazy people and wash them bounce off each other. Ooh, they're mad at me. Bouncing off of me. Yes. And then I just, I reached a point, I think too, it was like having children, Yes. As my ex-sister-in-law once, she said, when you have a child, you find out who the real baby is.

Yeah. Like, you're not the baby anymore. And you just get so bored with, with people's drama. Yeah. Not drama, but unnecessary drama. That's it. Yeah. That's it. Yes, when it's unnecessary and when it starts sucking you in, so you're constantly kind of trying to help that person. Yeah. Because those, you know, toxic people, and I'm sure I've been. there at some points. But toxic people are so, you know, they're so good at capturing you. Yeah, and getting you sucked in. Yeah. And now when I kind of feel that vibe off someone, bye, bye, bye. Yeah, I can't. Yeah. Well, you, I mean, you were, I skipped over. I forgot to say, because I love this, that you were foreign exchange student twice. So you're Wisconsin girl, but with the eye on the world, you know, and having real experiences. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

No, I mean, I think when I was young, I was so brave in that regard. I really was. I, like, you know, moved to New York by myself when I was 17 under the umbrella of NYU, of course. But that was a big deal. And then going by myself to Stockholm first, which was awesome. And then Collie Columbia, which at that time, it was the 80s. You know, it was pretty much the cocaine capital of the universe. And so, you know, stuff that now I would be like, do I have all my shots?

and I don't know if I can go. And, you know, and back then I was like, let's do it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Were you doing mostly comedy in New York? Yeah. Yeah, no, but New York has a little more open-minded towards stuff.

Yeah. So I think I always had a little bit of a comedic tweak to it. But, yeah, that, yeah, mostly it was comedy. Yeah. That's my favorite. Are you? And you're okay with that. I love it.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I love it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I don't, I was just talking to somebody about how. the sets of dramas. No, I've done a couple, like, where my brother died every night in the show for the AIDS.

I was like, get me back to the funny. Oh, my God. Because it's hard because you really go there every night. Of course, you kind of have to. Jesse Buckley, take it. Enjoy your career. I don't care. Enjoy it, you know.

She does listen. She does listen to every episode. Yeah, yeah. I love her, by the way, and she's really good at comedy. Yeah, no. I'm just saying the dark darkness, yeah. I don't want to go there anymore. Not really.

No, I can imagine, like, I did an indie movie where I was the killer. Really? Yeah. That is such good casting, though. I don't know of anything. Because you were the person we would least suspect. That was the idea. That's smart.

And it was really fun and it's a good movie and I don't know, I don't know what's going to ever happen with it. Yeah. But there was like. a, you know, like a torture scene. Yeah. You know, and... I don't want to watch that, let alone actor.

Yeah, and I mean, I was... This is a bummer. This is a real bummer, you know, because I was excited to be the murderer. Yeah, me too. I would love the idea of that. But that way, I was like, oh, shit. Yeah.

There's a real person in there. Yeah, that you have to kind of... And I'm at it. I mean, I didn't have to, you know, like, do it. But it was just the... You carry it around with you. Yeah. You can't help it.

You do. And I, it was like a couple of days of like feeling shitty. Yeah. And you can rationalize like, it wasn't me. I did that, you know. Yeah. It's play acting. Yeah, yeah.

The other performer knows and doesn't hold a grudge. And it's like, but it's just, ugh. Yeah, that's hard. That's hard to do for sure. Yeah. But especially, yeah, serious like torturer. That would be no. Yeah.

I'm sorry. Right, right. That would be bad. That would be hard. Yeah. Was there. And is there any kind of. art of you because I mean you've had you've done like so many things since um since third rock

but but I don't think anything that was as big as third no you know no and it does that does that does that was there a time when that you know that that that kind of a similar success it no did you that I don't care I do not care yeah yeah I actually I prefer being number two three four seven eight I'm with you I am with you yeah and I do I don't know need that. I experienced it. And I'm glad I did. I'm grateful to it. But I don't need that ever again. Yeah, yeah. You know, it's, I'm not part of why I ever accept roles. Yeah. Yeah. But you know, the different things like doing sex in the city, I did one day on that. Yes. And it's follow. It's a meme. It's a meme. I wanted to ask about that. Yeah. But I mean, what I'm saying is one day of

work or eight years of work. And one day is the one that everybody thinks of remembers. Yeah. Yeah. You know, loves. And so it's, you can never tell. Yeah, yeah. You can just never tell. Yeah. And also, too, like, knowing you a little bit, you know, from us both being in the on TV in the 90s club and going to the meetings. But I mean, that character is like, it's just, it's like I kind of, whenever I've seen that, that I'm like, oh, that's kind of you. You know, like, come on everybody. Let's have some fun, you know. Yes, I think it was me back in the day. I mean, I'm not, you know, No, I know what you mean. Yeah, yeah.

Look, I play a good blousey gal. Yeah. That's all I'll say. Yeah. Because there are definitely similarities. But yeah, I mean, I think you have to do that always whenever you play roles. You're like, how can I connect to this to make it look like it's a real person? Yeah.

And so that, in that era, I was partying a lot and a mess, kind of. Yeah. Yeah. And I was like, well, great. I'll just roll out of bed and do it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, yeah, it was not a stretch by imagination. Do you have a, any,

Like, is there any kind of coping mechanism that you have for like when you, because you say yes to things and then you get into them and you're like, oh, oh, no, I don't like this. Yeah. You know, whether it's just like this is not going to be any good or the directors. Yeah. An idiot or whatever. Is there any, do you just kind of grin and bear it and push through? This is what I, I've talked to a couple of friends about this. Here's the thing.

This business is great. Yeah. For one minute, which is the minute you find out you get the part. Yeah. Getting the part sucks. Yeah. Doing the part usually sucks. I mean, there are a few very great exceptions.

Yeah. One of which, thankfully, is the show I'm in currently. Yeah. But it is very, it's just a lot of grind. Yeah. But that one moment, you're chasing that high for the rest of your life. Yeah, yeah. I'm just someone going, they want you.

Of getting it. Getting it. Yeah, yeah. It's still so fun to me. Yeah. But, yeah, the other stuff's hard. Yeah. And now they have to, they have you put yourself on tape.

Do you do that ever? Self tapes. Fucking hate it. Oh, no. It's horrible. I fucking hate it. You know why, though? It's not acting at all.

It's not even pretending to act. It is some horrible, lonely reconstruction of what you hope you could maybe do in an audition. Yes. You know? Oh, yeah. It's just horrible. I would drive across the L.A. metro area to have a blaze. Yeah.

To have a blazee. in turn, read the lines for me and push record on a tape. Because doing it myself just, I hate it so bad. And then it, you know, taps into your whole like, I'm terrible. Every take is terrible. Because then you have to judge your own acting. It's horrible. And you, and I suck doing them.

You have, me too. And you have to, you have to engage another human being to help you do it. Yes. Oh. And that's the word that poor Sean has helped me with many. You have, oh man, maybe I should come down here for myself taking. No, I actually told, I finally told them I'm like, I can't do it anymore. Yeah, yeah.

I'm so terrible at that. If they want to Zoom with me, love it. Yeah, yeah. I'll come in an audition. I'm not being, you know, too fancy. Right. But I can't, just because I don't think I'm any good at it. Right.

I'm terrible at it. Yeah, yeah. So. The one that kills me and I, and maybe I'm being a baby about it, maybe I'm being like a bin on TV baby about it. But it's when they go like, I forget the phrase, but like head to toe shot. Oh, oh, slate yourself. Yeah, slate yourself head to toe is a stand.

It's the worst thing ever. I don't do that. I don't, no, no, no. Yeah. And I've done that a few times. And now I'm just like. It's horrible. Well, because it's like, A, like, I don't want you looking at my body.

A. And B, I'm not a piece of me. And B, also, too, it's like, if you want to see my head to toe, there's lots of evidence out there. Exactly. There's a lot of source material. If you want to see my acting, there's lots of evidence out there. Yes. Yes, yes.

I know, I know. It's ridiculous. But I do get it. Here's the thing. How does me going on tape in my living room, you know, with some friend who doesn't want to be there doing it with me? How does that help you? Like, isn't it a collaborative effort?

Don't you want to know as a director? Yeah. Oh, this person gets how to take a note. Right. Right. Exactly. And she seems like she'd be fun to work with or whatever. And also, you can have a take on what you think you should do, and it just isn't what they want.

It's not what they want. And so you go there and you do your thing the first time and they go, that's not what we want. What we want is this. And you go, oh, okay. And then you adjust and give them what they want. I know. But otherwise, you're just shooting in the dark and hoping. Yeah, no one tells you anything.

Yeah, yeah. You know, they want a Midwestern person. Oh, thank you. Yeah, yeah. That's helpful. No, I know. But yeah, no, it's not. That's the whole thing about like embracing boredom.

It's also just like embracing stuff that doesn't feel good anymore. Yeah. It just doesn't. So I'm like, no. If I don't know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just I don't do it. I'm not being not.

The power of no. I'm sure there's probably a book. But man, when you, because you start out doing this stuff and you just want to, well, you know, like I'm speaking for myself, I just wanted to be a good boy. Yeah. I wanted them to know that I'm a hard worker. and that I'm serious. That's so blessed.

And I, you know, and you hired me and I'm very appreciative of that. And I'm going to show you that I'm, you know, you didn't make a mistake. Yeah. And then they fuck you for it. They take advantage of you. Every time I have done something for a showbiz superior. And there's been a few times where they say, I'm not going to forget this. I owe you one.

that I'm still waiting. In fact, they're going to, they actually secretly, I want to punish you. Yes. Because you helped them. Yes. And that's the thing, too, is that you watch being next to Conan and watching Conan try to adapt to network notes, especially in the early days. It's easy to see it when it's somebody else.

And I was like, they're just fucking you more and more and more. Yeah. Because you've let that. Yeah. At a certain point. Yeah. You know, well, it's like, you. People in general, when you set boundaries and they go, oh, okay.

And they're almost kind of like turned on by it. Like they like you better. Exactly. In all these years, we thought being a nice Midwesterner was the key. No. Be a dick. Yeah. Sometimes it's like, no, I'm not going to do that.

Yeah. I'm not going to do that. And they're like, oh, okay. Yeah, yeah. No, it is better, especially when you really mean it. Yeah. I'm like, I'm probably going to lose out a lot of work and I don't care. Yeah, yeah.

No. Yeah. So there you go. It's, yeah. And I mean, and also, too, I also feel, and you're the same, like, we've made a lot of TV. We've made a lot of entertainment stuff. Yeah. So it's, there's a lot of stuff that they want you, where you just like, this is a voice.

Yeah. There's no point to this. This is not going to, this is not helping. Also, we've been doing it so long that now I'm like, no, I'm done. Yeah. Yeah. I don't want to feel bad about myself. Yeah.

You know. I didn't also too. I don't want to volunteer. I do that really great on my own. I don't need your help. Exactly. Does it bother you? Like, you know, we both are talking about putting ourselves on tape.

And, you know, and there's a point at which, and I mean, for me, too, there was a while where I did not audition. Yeah. You know, I mean, I had enough sort of sway. Yeah, yeah. It was like, look, if you want me, just hire me. Yeah, yeah. But those days are gone. Yeah, yeah.

And does that bother you? Because I was always part of the deal is kicking the tires. Yeah. And that's what an audition for me always feels like. I want you to put me through some paces because I don't want you to hire me just because. I also, frankly, I'd like to get a vibe off of you. Yeah. Like, is this, are you smart?

Do you know? Because otherwise, that's a, that's the depths of hell. Yeah. Working with someone who doesn't know what they're doing. See, I've always, I've never had that lovely chunk of time where they just went ahead and offered it. And offered things. Even after third rock, that you're. Because usually it's the agents.

Yeah. Like, because I never, it's not like I ever said, I'm no longer reading for things. Yes. No, I never said that either. The people do that. Yeah, yeah. No, I know. But I don't know.

I think I always, I've always had to tap dance. Yeah. You know, always. Yeah, yeah. So that's just how I'm used to rolling in the business. Yeah, yeah. I think also with the height thing and I don't know, I think there's some reticence sometimes of like, I don't know. Like you're too tall.

Or that they just know exactly the performance I'm going to give. So they want to see. So I kind of respect that. I get that that's part of it. Yeah, yeah. Especially when you do comedy stuff, you can kind of be looked at as, oh, she's only so deep.

Or she'll only do this one thing she does. And I'm like, no, that's not, I can bring something else. I just don't want to be in my own living room with my own self to give myself notes. That I just don't want to do. You're doing Leanne. Yeah.

Second season of that. Yeah. And it's a, now, is that like, is that a multi-cam? Yeah. It's a multi-cam too. Yeah. It seems like Netflix is the place for multi-cans. Well, now.

Yeah. A lot of the studios have kind of started to, which is great, man. I mean, I love it. That's my bread and butter. You like that? I do. Yeah, yeah. I love it.

I mean, it's really hard. Yes. We know a lot of scenes. Yes, yes. It's kind of a grind. But it's also like just the best schedule in the show business, as you know. Oh, my gosh. People don't understand.

They don't understand. And, yeah. So I love it. And I'm working with the same people I worked with on mom. And, of course, Leanne Morgan. Have you met her? I never have. Oh, she's just a delight.

Yeah, yeah. Oh, she's just the best, the greatest. So I'm very lucky. Yeah. I would like this show to go a while if it's got to, I mean, I hope. How many episodes do they do? We did 10 this year. 10, yeah.

See, that's the other thing. Yeah. The episodes used to be. And you get. You used to do 20. is to do 22, and you get paid per episode. But now I'm thinking like, how did I survive that? I mean, that's, yeah, but especially if you've your big part, that's a lot of memory.

Yeah, yeah. And it's a lot. Well, they spaced it out too, you know. What do you mean? They would, I mean, you'd get a week off here. Oh, yeah, yeah, you know what I mean? It's not like, yeah. It's not like the hardest job in sure.

Right, right, right. At all. Yeah. But it is, you know, you're doing a one-act play every week. Yeah. So it's all new every time and it's timing stuff. and rewrites. Yeah.

As you know, they will rewrite it up to the last second. Yeah, and then throw it at you. And throw it at you. Yeah. rewrite half a scene and then give you three minutes

standing in front of people. But that's a... Warm up guys screaming and throwing candy at people. Yes. Oh my God, yes. Yeah. But that's also one of those things

like the muscle of the memorization muscle. Yeah. Man, you get it. You start working it again. You're like, oh, man, this is something that I, you know, you lose the skill.

Oh, it atrophies for sure. Yeah. because I know, yeah. I mean, my acting has been, you know, well, I mean, I was on Conan Island for 11 years. The TBS show was on for 11 years. Yeah, yeah. And I mean, and it's a blessing in that I, you know, I was home from my older kids. Yeah.

It was a wonderful schedule and a wonderful place to work. And I, you know, I'm still with most of the people. Yes. But it, there's nothing else. You know, you can't do much else. Nor do you really want to do much else. Well, they have, like, Leanne's shooting the show. Every weekend she had a show somewhere.

So, like, she just never had down. I couldn't have done it. I mean, I don't know how she does it, man, but she does it. And she doesn't seem frazzled. She just kind of inspired up by it. I think it's hard, you know. It's a lot. It's a lot of traveling.

But she loves it. Yeah. And it's, that part of it's really easy and fun for her. I think the traveling is what is difficult. Yeah, yeah. You know. Do you, are... Are you a performer in comedy who, like, do you make sure the jokes are good?

Like, do you, or do you just kind of, you know, like? Oh, you mean, like, well, let's see what the audience thinks? Well, or even if you just, like, read something and you're like, this is not good, you know. I have the very few instances of that on this show because I've worked with these guys for so long. I'm mom and other stuff. And they get it. So I don't really have a lot of those.

But when I do, you know, thankfully they're receptive. They're open to it. Yes, because they know I'm not like bitching out of the blue or just wanting to have a diva fit. Right, right, right, right. And also you're funny. Like, you know what's funny. And so you have. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah. So it's good. Would you say Leanne? Well, I mean, this is unfair. Is it the most famous or most favorite thing you've done? It's up there. In terms of big projects, that's up there. Yeah.

But I've been so. I really have been lucky. Like, Third Rock was great. Yeah. I loved the show itself. Yeah. Everything else was kind of crazy. But, um, and mom, I was really lucky to get that job.

Yeah. And that really the great women. Were you on that every, uh, I know. I was only like the last three seasons, I think. Yeah, but you were a regular, right? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. I was supposed to come on for one. And then afterwards they were like, you're, we really want to bring her back next year. And I was like, yeah, right. You know, I just like that will happen. Right. And they called. And I was like, wow.

So I really loved doing that job. And it meant a lot to me, you know, recovery-wise and you know what it was about. Sure. So I love that. And that, so, you know, it's hard to separate them, but this is a great gig. Yeah. Yeah. I'm so lucky.

Like, I know I keep saying it, but I am. Well, no, it's good to, it's good to acknowledge that. I mean, driving on, everyday driving on to the Warner Brothers set is the coolest feeling. Yeah. Right? I miss it. Yeah. Is that where you shot Anne Richter saves the universe?

No, that was, that was it. Paramount. That's a great show. Which is a, oh, thank you so much. Thank you. Yeah. We were at Paramon over there and, um, which was another really fun studio. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I don't think I've ever shot anything. Really? Yeah. I don't think you were never on Dr. Phil. No. I avoided that show. I used to, I did, I did some bits on Dr. Like we did. Yeah, yeah. Like we would do a couple of times. I did bits for Conan with Dr. Phil.

Right. You know, and they would just at the end of his, I'd go over there with our guys and our, and at the end of his episode, we would, they'd go, we're going to do a comedy thing for Conan here with Andy. And that was a weird place, man. It's a weird, weird place. I don't want to say anything because I don't know. I don't really know anything about him.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know. No, it was always just, it was to me that, like, he, well, his wife was there at every show. Right. And his son, I think, right? I see you know. I just, I just was aware of his wife being there at every show, which like, there's no fucking way either of my wives would have been like, oh, yeah, I'll go to the show with you every day. What is that? I don't know. That's weird. And he would, like, the show would end. I mean, they would tack this thing on with me, but then he would do the end of his show. And he and his wife would like make like a royal exit, like together. get in a car and drive off. Prom king and queen. Like there was no like hanging out after the show to do a post-mortem. It was just like the king and queen had gotten in their carriage and take it off.

That's weird a little bit that she used to be with him. I think my thing with him that I struggled with was how he treated addicts. I had a little bit of an issue with that. A lot of degrading. I just didn't like that. I for the long, like that kind of sort of pop psychology on TV, I do feel like there is. there is, you know, it was man, and for me, from one particular perspective, and not even, but like, that men saw men on TV talking about their feelings.

And that there was something that I felt like, well, that's something. Yeah. Like, at least people are seeing a therapeutic-ish situation. Right. You know, so, like, I felt like that sort of destigmatizes just having feelings. feelings in a way. But then there was a lot of other bullshit. And that came along with it.

Well, you know, when you get a bad therapist, I don't know how helpful it is at the end of the day. Yes, absolutely. You know. Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. No, but yeah, Warner Brothers, I loved working there. Oh, it's such a great lot. It's such a nice place to be.

I hope it picks up out here. And that's where you are. That's where you are with this one too. Oh, that's great. No, it's great. Because I know Mama's across the street from us when we were there. Oh, really? Yeah, yeah.

Yeah. I think we were probably gone. by the time you finished. Yeah, I don't remember that. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I was just there the last three years. Yeah. And that was, that was, too. I mean, that must have been a night. That's a nice windfall, too, at a time when work had started to get really scarce. No, it was, especially at my age. Yeah. And I had lupus at the time. It's now in remission. But so I'd taken these steroids and blew up, you know, just gained a ton of weight in like five weeks. Yeah, yeah. Like, it was crazy. Is it like water weight, like, implement? Well, it's like steroid weight. Yeah, yeah. But, I mean, it didn't help that I also quit smoking, so I ate a lot. But, I mean, that was probably the biggest part.

And then when I went into remission and stopped taking the meds, I was like, oh, now I have to lose weight. But anyway, what I'm saying is for a woman in her late 40s, early 50s to gain a ton of weight and start looking for an acting gig again, you know, that's a risky proposition. So the fact that this great show came on. And I just, that was fun. Were you suffering with the lupus during COVID? No. Oh. No.

No, no, lupus was like five years before that. I see. Yeah. I mean, how does that happen? I mean, oh my God, I could stop. Out of the blue, I just stopped being able to lift my own head up. Wow. Like I could not lift my head.

Wow. I had to wear neck brace. I was in New York at the time trying to teach acting at NYU. So I'd be like, do your scene again. Wow. Let's talk about that. And then my spine was just gone. Like I really, I could not brush my hair.

Wow. Looking at my arm. I could not. It's an autoimmune thing, isn't it? Yes. And mine is a very rare form of lupus called lupus myelitis, where my immune system started attacking my spinal cord. Oh, wow.

Yeah. So getting even just diagnosed was almost impossible. I went to like. And it took a long time to get diagnosed. They thought it was this and that. And I was even at the Mayo Clinic for. two weeks, like running all sorts of tests. Finally, I saw this brilliant rheumatologist in L.A. called Dr. Wallace. And he immediately knew what it was. And so I went, I had to get chemo

and this platelet replacement called IVIG and all this stuff. But it went away. I mean, after like a year of being on that constant steroids and whatever, it did, I did go into remission. Is there, and is there a medication? Like, is there a regimen? I'm not on anything currently. Nothing, yeah. And you just monitor it. You just kind of, it's self-monitoring.

Yes. Yeah, I mean, you know when it's going to, like, you're like, oh, now I can no longer lift my head again. Right, right. It's pretty unsubtle, you know. But it's the rarest form of lupus, but it's the easiest to treat. Oh, wow. So, yeah, yeah.

So I'm very lucky with that, too. Yeah, well, good for you. Way to kick lupus's ass. I had nothing to do with it, man. All drugs. Is there much, I mean, do you feel like there's, I mean, you know, things left undone? Is there things that like you're like, I always wanted to learn guitar? Yeah, yeah.

You know, are there things in your life that are like that? I mean, I think they're getting more and more fantasy realm. Yeah. But I do, I love the idea of living in a foreign country. Yeah. I would love to do that. Yeah. Hey, listen, it's the time.

It's the time to do it. Although, unfortunately, right now, getting a visa and stuff is very tricky if you're an American. So it is a, it's, you guys, I was spent last year a couple months in Ireland. And so I did look into it to see what it was. And it's the whole, I mean, you got to have Irish ancestry and this and that and whatever. So I just didn't approach it. But I would love to do that. And I really, my big dream for the next chapter of my life is to run an.

animal rescue because that's my big passion and I love them. You have rescue dogs? Yes. And do you foster dogs? I do. Actively. Yeah. Not currently, but yes, I have many times in the past.

Now, are you wanting, because I had an agent who fostered dogs and she was like a magnet for dogs on the street. Yes. It starts happening. It's weird. Yes. Because she would always have like six dogs in her house and be like, I found three of them last week.

I'm like, are you stealing dogs from people's yard? I know. But that does start to happen. It happens more to my best friend, Jackie, because she constantly finds like a kitty cat under a dumpster. Yeah. You know, she just sees them. And she's the kind of person you're on a highway.

She sees a dog. Oh, really? You're like, oh, my God, we're going to die, Jackie. So, because I don't think, like, I don't, like, I can't think of like, when's the last time I saw a stray dog running around Los Angeles? No, but you start to. Yeah. That is weird.

Yeah, because. Something karma. I don't know. Yeah, yeah. You're putting something out into the universe. Yeah. But that's, I would love on the East Coast to someday have a little farm and be able to rescue dogs. Oh, that would be nice.

Yeah. Yeah. Would you have other animals too? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Oh, I love all animals. Me too. I mean, except for maybe flies.

Oh, right. They're going to be there anyway. They invite themselves. Yeah, they don't need to be rescued. Yeah. No, but I do. I love all animals. I'm a little allergic to cats, so I don't have any person, but I do like them.

Yeah. I do too. I'm a little. Yeah, yeah. No, I listen, they're like, they're like the girl at the dance that you want to ask to dance, but you know that she's going to say, fuck you. Exactly. You're out of here.

Exactly. And for some reason, they actually really like me because I think they know I'm allergic. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, that's like a cliche. It is. When I had cats and they were, and somebody is like, I don't like cats. Like, hi. I like you.

You get over here. Well, the second season of Leanne, it's coming later this summer. Yeah, August 27th. August 27, all right. There are all the episodes drop. Nice. All at once. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's how we can binge. On streaming. They drop and binge. They drop and binge watch them. Yeah. Yeah. So I think people are going to love it. It's going to be a really good season, I think.

Excellent. Well, I hope it keeps going forever. And it's just, it's great to have you in here. I mean, we've known each other a long time, you know, from the TV on the 90s club. Yes, you know. But it's great to see you. You started hosting meetings, haven't you? I have.

I'll be over next Wednesday. Yep. No, it was good to talk to you. You. Oh my God. Although he's more 70s, I guess. He's, yeah. Yeah.

80s probably. Yeah. Joni loves chachi. Yeah. Charles in charge. No, there's a whole group. There's, I mean, we can have the whole 70s, I guess. whole friends cast.

Yes, yes. I mean, Drew Carey cast. Right, those guys. Yeah. There was some other that were pretty lasting. Right. In the 90s. Yeah, friends.

They were friends with the giant. Yeah, that was the big one. Yeah. That was fun because I did it around the same. Yeah. That was there. The Brooke Shields one that was on. Suddenly Susan.

Suddenly Susan. That was on for, that's one stayed on for a while. That was a long time. Yeah. Yeah. And so did Veronica's closet. That's it, I think. Yeah.

Then there was the Ryan Reynolds show, the pizza guys in a pizza place or something. Oh, I don't remember that one. Oh, two guys a girl. Yeah, I never watched that one. Yeah. I never watched that one. I never watched that one. I was, yeah.

And Bert Reynolds had a couple? Yes. Evening shade. Yes. Oh, man. We can go down this rabbit hole. I worked as someone that worked on evening shade. Oh, I bet he's got stories.

Oh, he's got stories saying that like you had to get all Bert's stuff by 2 p.m. because that's when things kicked in. Yes. Now, he like me loved a painkiller too. Yes, he sure did. No judgment here, but yes. Yeah. I don't think I could work on that stuff.

I don't, honestly, the painkillers, yeah. Whenever I've had like a surgery and had a painkiller, they gave me, they gave me nightmares. Yeah. You know, some people do not. I know. I have a very different reaction.

Yes, yes. No, I know. Array. Finally. Finally. I'm here. I'm here to start the nightmares. I'm going to star in every one of your nightmares.

Oh, well, Kristen, thank you so much for coming in. Thank you for having, Ann. I appreciate you being here. It was a lot of fun. Everybody watch Leanne. Yeah, you better. All right, bye. Bye.

Bye. Bye. The three questions with Andy Richter is a team Coco production. It is produced by Sean Doherty and engineered by Rich Garcia. Additional engineering support by Eduardo Perez and Joanna Samuel, executive produced by Nick Leow, Adam Sacks, and Jeff Ross, talent booking by Paula Davis, Gina Batista, with assistance from Maddie Ogden,

research by Alyssa Graal. Don't forget to rate and review and subscribe to the three questions with Andy Richter wherever you get your podcasts. And do you have a favorite question you always like to ask people? Let us know in the review section. Can't you tell my loves are growing? Can't you feel it ain't you showing? Oh, you must be a knowing.

This has been a team Coco production.