Be Free, Be Yourself, and Be Crazy with Will Ferrell

I did Harry Carey at a play reading, doing a play reading. It was emotionally wrought, like like Eugene O'Neal type, like, like, "Damn it, Carol! What happened to us?" Like who's afraid of Virginia Woolworth? I thought we still love this job. You're breaking my heart. Look at me. Don't turn away. I still have feelings for you. This episode is brought to you by Chase Home Linden. Hey little girl. Hi Craig. How are you? I'm really fine. I'm excited. That's good. Now, we will caution our listeners. You do have a bit of a cough and allergy cough. I do. I have an allergy cough, but we're narrowing down. It could be an air conditioning cough, so I either need a scarf or maybe I'll put my hood on. Don't do that. Don't do that. Because you'll get makeup on your hood. Oh, that's right. You got makeup on your head. You got makeup on my head. You're not used to wearing makeup. I'm not used to it. Why don't we give our listeners a little inside baseball on what? On changing when you have makeup on my strategy of using-- You know, I think, again, you think it's a new strategy. But women, we've been doing this our whole lives. But please share as if you've discovered air. So I went home after one of my early tapings in season one and there was makeup all over my shirts and my wife, Kelly, said, hey, what happened here? And I was like, oh, I was changing my shirt and got makeup on it. She was like, oh, let me give you a little hint. Use a shower cap, put it over your head and face, take your shirt off, put it back on. Wow. Craig, tell us more. It worked. Really? Yes. I never thought of that. Unless you're in show business or something, how would you know that? Being a woman? Or a woman. But a guy. A guy. You have to know. Yeah, I know. But that's what I'm saying. See, when men discover something, they talk about it like, I just figured this out. Oh, yeah. So yeah. Thank you. Thanks, Paul, and how Craig discovered how to deal with makeup. Craig Robinson, thank you for sharing my pleasure, my pleasure. Well, we've got a fun, fun conversation happening. One of my favorite comedians, one of my favorite people on TV, I will talk about this. But my favorite movie on the planet of all time, the only movie that I watch again and again and again. This man was in, we'll talk about it when he comes on, but I don't, I don't think I've ever told him. Oh, okay. All right. Because I know what it is. But why don't you introduce our guest, Will Ferrell? All right. Will Ferrell is an acclaimed actor, writer and producer behind some of films, most iconic comedies. And a seven year Saturday Night Live stand out, widely regarded as one of the show's greatest cast members. He is also the co-founder of Gloria Sanchez Productions. This summer, he will start in the first scripted comedy series, The Hawk for Netflix, which you and I both watch the first two episodes, and we're cracking up in, in which he plays a fictional golf legend, which this will be interesting, because I'm not a golfer as you know. Okay. Let's get him out of here. So you're also going to get a little brother and sister dynamic where there's always just a little edge of arguing underneath and just a little edge of my big brother. And by the way, Craig, I didn't know about the shower cap. Thank you. Thank you. It worked. Why would he know, Craig? Do you know why he would know? Because he's a show business. Exactly. Well, no, because my mother would give us a shower cap every Christmas, a new shower cap for the reason you just described it. It's like honey. So she was way ahead of the curve. She was. Yeah. She raised you to be an independent man, knowing about shower cap. We haven't met, but we were in the same place together. Okay. White house parties, right? And I want to see if you remember this because I think that you were doing this on purpose, but my wife is like, no, is he? And you were walking around the White House with the straightest of faces, not looking at anyone like this. Uh-oh. And I said, do you remember that? Do you remember doing that? No, I'm trying to, I'm trying to piece it together. I could never forget it because I know it was you when I have a witness to go along with it. And I was like, he's doing some sort of gag or bit, but there's before I knew what bit was because now that I'm in the show business, I know what the term bit means. So I wouldn't have said bit back then, but that's what I meant. And you had the straight face. You were dressed like you had come to a party. Right. Was it like a party? Was it not? It was a party. There was a party. There were hundreds of people that you've been to those parties. Sure, sure, sure. You said not one word to anybody for the time that I saw you. Not one word. And everybody's talking. The music's going, and you had the straight face. And I looked over at my wife and I was like, see, this is why this dude is a funny student or world idea. I was getting credit for being funny without, I didn't know I was just having a chauncy gardener moment. No way. I don't know what you're talking about. Okay. That's fine. I think I was just literally being a visitor to the warehouse. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Sponsor. Fair enough. Fair enough. Checking out wallpaper. This makes it even better. Thank you for being here. Oh my God. My pleasure. Thanks for having me. I love what you've done with it. By the way. Done with the place. It's wonderful. You're in this business, you know, what are you doing, but you know, no, no, set design, you know, atmosphere, atmosphere, it looks like does it feel like we're at home at the kitchen table? You must be sponsored by Plezzi. Oh, good. I just pointed that out. That's one of my dreams. It tells the purchase of Plezzi. It's like, yeah. Yeah, it's a good drink. Okay. Hydration drink. I hope it is. Yeah. It's amazing. It's amazing. But it's good to have you here. I was saying that, and my team didn't realize this. And we were just sitting down getting ready for you to come because I don't know if I said that because they were saying that you left Saturday night live. Yeah. One of the reasons was because you have you, you, you knew this project about Santa Claus and you know, you, you, the idea of was it sort of what was that? I left. I'd been there seven years and you know, you, you always, you know, you have to, you have to leave at some point, unless you're Keenan. He's still there. He doesn't. He's literally the only one who could pull it off and still be there and you'd love seeing him every time. Yeah. Now, sort of, sort of Keenan, you, yeah, you're, you are thinking about a time up like, when's a, when's a good moment to fly the coupe, so to speak? And it just felt like I'd had enough momentum, but it's not like I had a stack of scripts waiting for me. We were developing this one movie about a human who was raised by elves at the North Pole and it was, um, it was an amazing concept, but it needed a lot of work. And so we kind of rewrote the whole thing. And, uh, but that, but it, but it is such an interesting thing to have become what it's become. I know. It's because two weeks of film, I'm sitting in New York in my little tiny trailer, 'cause that was one of my first bigger movies, but it was still a little tiny trailer, uh, looking in the mirror dressed as buddy of the elf and my yellow tights going, what did I, what was that thing? But literally, buddy, this could be the, this could be it. This could be the end. Right here. This is either a home run or a complete strikeout and people would be like, what happened to the guy on, I had no idea that we had like lightning in a bottle, but we, we did. It is my favorite movie of all time. I mean, it really is. I, I don't rewatch movies, but it, it is hilarious every other second of, and it is so sweet and it does, it does all the things. It presses all the buttons and so whenever I want to feel better, you know, literally, and I make other people watch it with me so that I can say, wait, you're, oh, my God, you're angry. Oh, you know, and so it was a, it's a, it's, it is a thing for a reason and, you know, the level of sweetness and all that. How do you, how do you like for a character like buddy? Do you know what, you know, you want to do with him before you put on that Elkostru and those tights? Because we shot we shot we shot buddy discovering New York, all the exterior stuff. First, we shot two weeks in New York and then the rest is all shot in Vancouver. So I had to quickly figure out and the game that we, and we kind of figured out at the script level, but that, okay, so what is the essence of this guy? And I think he has to be the kind of mundane world that we take for granted. He has to think it's the greatest experience ever. And that's when I wrote the, I was like, you know, those, those just bodega type coffee shop places that say like world's best shop of coffee, he literally thinks that's the truth. So that when we burst in like, congratulations, you did it. And then, you know, all the staff looking at me like, what? But, you know, you know, don't, don't eat candy when you go and him discovering the gum and like, I can't resist it. And just like, yeah, not knowing that a, that a taxi cab, the yellow ones won't stop. So just like the wonderment, the knife, and I was like, oh, just, I'm gonna, I'm gonna lock into that. And just, he's just gonna be, it's gonna be wondrous to him. And, and, and then I just built upon that. But it was like, it was like hurry up and figure this guy out. Is it life or death? Yes. Yes. Moving into a new place is always a big moment. And thanks to Chase home lending with branches and home lending advisors right in your community, they can help you feel supported all the way home. You know, the home really becomes the foundation for family traditions, milestones and lasting memories. And Mish, what are some of your favorite family traditions that we used to do? You remember when dad used to make peppered steak? Yeah, that would be the one time he cooked. And once a year, and he would make apple pie. So, you know, and mom wouldn't touch pie. Right. But dad made the apple pie. He made apple pie. And, but he would make the peppered steak once a year. And he make apple pie once a year. He made apple pie a few times a year. But the fact that dad would cook that would that became a special milestone. I loved our New Year's Eve tradition where our mom would instead of having a full dinner, we would stay up until midnight. She would make all these little amazing orders. You know, those little cheese puffs on Ritz crackers and, you know, smoked oysters and fondue. I mean, she would be trying out all of these Betty Crocker little appetizer recipes on us. And it got so popular that our aunts and uncles who were young at the time, stop going out for New Year's Eve and came over with us. Yeah, man. And it just reminds me of a few more traditions. You remember pumpkin carving every year, we carve pumpkins and every Easter, we decorated eggs and hit them. Yes. Or mom would. Mom would hide them. So if you're ready to start your own journey, chase home lending is here to help you build a future, create lasting memories and feel connected to your community all the way home. Visit chase.com/IMO to take your first step. Remember FDIC equal housing opportunity. So the real will thorough right here like the guy that, you know, is not a character, you know, is just a man trying to walk around the White House, looking at stuff without people thinking he's doing a bit of poor guy. You don't have to laugh at her. You don't. You don't have to laugh my mind. You don't have to. You know, I knew I was going to like you when I was doing the research and I found out what a terrific athlete you were. Yes. I had no idea. Are you hearing that? You didn't know I was going to say that. Terrific athlete. Terrific athlete. Three sport athlete. Four. What is that? What's that? Soccer. Oh, wow. You can ask people. What's the fourth football? You play. Oh, you were kicker. Kicker. Kicker. That's right. That's right. I mean, I know that's why we forgot about it. Yeah, but you were captain of the basketball team. I was as the six man. Oh, now you know, that's a lot. That's real leadership. Yes, that's a lot. Okay, tell us more. Yeah. Usually your captain is your best player and rarely is your best player, the six man. Although the sixth man gets to take more shots than the stars. Guess how much I average my senior year? How much? My point. Point average. 13. 1.25. No way. Yes. That makes it even better. I only average like two points a game. So what was your role? I figured out I was I was defense. I was rebounding. Okay. I usually guarded their, their better post player. Okay. And I was just unselfish, unselfish player. I could set a mean screen. Uh-huh. How much did the locker room help your comedy? Well, I think all of high school was formed. I mean, whether was the locker room, whether it was the classroom, whether I was benefited from a really funny group of friends. Uh-huh. I used, I was, I described myself as a conscientious class clown because my, my mom's in education. So I like respected the teachers, but I would like, I'd goof around to a point. If I got to I'd be like, you got it. No problem. I'll shut it down. Keep, keep talking. No, I'm enjoying the lecture. Yeah. No, aren't we? So I would like, I would know how to tip toe up to the line to where the administration, the vice, we would work out bits during the school assembly where I could make fun of the vice principal. And he was like, Hey, let's do that thing. And you make fun of me and I'll give you a look. And so we would, we would do, we would do sketches. Yeah. I do, we do morning radio announcements that were, so it was already like the beginnings of, you know, this is really fun. But I, I didn't dare dream yet because I grew up and entertained. My dad was, was a, was a musician and I saw how up and down that was. He just wasn't any musician. He, no, yeah. He played with the righteous brothers and toured around, but he had a, he had a lot of like piano bars and, and, you know, cocktail lounges where he'd have a gig for six months. And then, is that got to find a new gig? I'm like, why? What happened? Like, nothing. Yeah. They're, they're done. And I'm like, I just remember thinking, oh, I'm going to get a real job. Yeah. I don't know what that is. But I'm going to carry a briefcase. And I'm going to work in an office. Did you, did you feel it? Did it feel, um, unstable in the household because of your dad's sort of up and down in and out? A little bit. I mean, my voice, my, my folks divorced at a pretty early age. I mean, they did a, they did a really good job of kind of co-parenting. But yeah, there were, you know, they tried to make my brother and I feel as kind of middle class as we could. But there were, there were like, if I knew I need a new basketball shoes, we were going to take all Saturday to comparison shop. Yeah. Yeah. To where I was like, I think I can go another month, even though it was a whole, my dad would take us to like nine different places. And I thought it was such a drag. I look back on it now. And I was like, no, he's teaching us the value. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, really wise in a way. But a bomber when you're 15. Yeah. 40. Yeah. But, uh, but yeah. So I saw, I, yeah, I saw how, oh, this is very much living hand to mouth. Yeah. And while my mom was putting herself through school, graduate school. And, um, uh, so yeah, I saw, I saw that that was like, I want more stability. So, so, and I thought I was going to be like a sportscaster. I love sports. So I thought the merge, the merge of two things would be, I'd be talking head on ESPN. So, um, your, your dinner table that you were growing up in, what did that feel like? Was there funny there were, did you save the funny for school or was your mother also? She's very funny. Were you getting on her nerves to probably both. She's funny in her own way. My dad, obviously, being an entertainer, he had a, my, my mom and dad came from the small, the same small town. Where was it? They, they know each other since the second grade. And, Rhono Crapids, North Carolina. So he, she would tell, so he was always the prankster growing up in school and that sort of thing. So dad was, and my mom had this really slice and so humor and this and that. So, so yeah, I think there was always us, my brother and I, I put in our little shows in the living room and trying to be funny and being funny amongst our friends. And, uh, I think that's like your first comedy crowd is, or your friends. And then you kind of advance into going to be. parties walking around a room, not looking at anyone. No, no, I'll never leave that out. No, but we would go to, we would go to high school parties and mess with other, like we didn't go to really party. We would just start taking stuff out of the freezer of some ones and microwaving meat and like, okay, no, we're, oh, no, the kid who was throwing up, I was like, what are you doing? Well, someone told us to start emptying the freezer, just random, crazy stuff. Like, why? Someone told us to defrost all the meat in your freezer. I'm sorry. Were we not supposed to? Oh, my God. And then we would just create havoc, and then we go to another part, like we just threw the weirdest dumbest stuff. And we, many were in your little, like, four, five. Yeah. Yeah. And then we were like, that was pretty fine. That one, that works. Let's do that. But not other people who didn't know us aren't really laughing. We're just like amusing ourselves. Yeah. And yeah, just indulging that, that part of your brain. Well, how were you with the girls being so obnoxious? That worked for me. I was a late bloomer. No one wants a funny guy. Really? Yeah. That comes later. That comes later. Yeah. But back to team sports. Yeah. There was something about, like, and I think that's why I loved when I started kind of exploring comedy, and it started with a little bit of standup. And then I found the groundlings out here in LA, which is a big sketch comedy theater that tons of people would come out of. I loved the form of sketch. I loved the team. And that's what I loved about SNL. That's what I love about moviemaking. That's what I love about all the stuff is that you're you're working on a team. And I told, I would, I told the writers my first year on the show because I'd seen some of the cast members get offended if their part was too small. And I would pull that right. I'm going, I don't care if I have one line. If you need me to deliver a pizza on a sketch. Yeah. Because I'll try to make it funny. Yeah. And and give me that one line. Give me if it's off camera. I need someone just yelling something. Mm-hmm. Off figure it out. Like just and there and and that, you know, ingratiating yourself in that way. And it was like usually a bonus. Just walk into a scene and say one stupid thing and then walk out. I'd either at least make my fellow cast members laugh. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But but that team thing, you know, what at what point were you like, okay, I'm going to give this a try. It was, I was taking classes at the groundlings. I was working my way up through. So they have a school that you do all this training. And then they start putting you in. They have like their, their minor league team, which is the Sunday show. Okay. And then you have the main company, which is Friday and Saturday nights two shows four shows a week. And I was, I was really enjoying I was kind of, I was like, God, this just feels right. So I went to lunch with my dad. I was like, Dad, I really want to give this a shot. Mm-hmm. What do you think? And he, excuse me, to this day, he gave me the best showbiz advice ever. He was like, if it was based on talent, I wouldn't, I wouldn't worry about you. You're, he's like, I've seen, he's like, I'm going to tell you, you've got talent. But there's so much luck. Yeah. And give it a shot. But don't get discouraged. If you get down the road and you're like, this is just too hard. You didn't fail. Yeah. You tried and just you're capable to just pivot and do something else and walk. And so even though that's not like a raw raw speech, it took the pressure off. Oh, God. Yeah. And I thought, well, I'm not going to make it anyway. Let's just have fun. Yeah. And it just allowed me to be loose. And there still was, there still was luck. But, you know, what was the first lucky break for you? The first kind of lucky break was I had a week out here in L.A. where I, but I had grown my hair out for some, I was doing like a one acting like pearl, like the pearl, like the bull. Yeah. During semi-pro. And Craig saw that it was like, is that his real hair? Is he wearing a wig? That's a real, yeah. That's, I like that. It would be easy. That's where it goes. I can't go. Look like a bit again. Right. Yeah. Right. So I had that linked hair for this, this play I was doing. Okay. And I went on, I got three different parts on sitcoms in one week. I booked a living single, a book, a race, under fire. And I booked the George Went Show, which was after he left, a left cheer as he tried to do the show. And I might have booked another one. Anyway, it was like, bam, bam, bam. They were all one long. Yeah. And this is before us. And now, and I got my sad card, or I got my after paid for everything. I had a little bit of money left over. Look very little. And it was like so cool and validating. And then six weeks later, we were getting, we got the word that SNL was going to go through a real change. Who was on at the time? That was the year before I got there was the last year for Sandler and Farley and Phil Harley and David Harley and Mike Myers. And that whole entire crew, they were only keeping Tim Meadows, Molly Shannon, Norm McDonnell, David Spade. And that they were going to do a nation wide search for a brand new cast and groundlings was on the list. And so did you know they were when they were there scouting you? We knew they were in the audience the night they came. And it was a really great everyone got to pick like their favorite sketch. And then because I was willing to write with everyone, well, they encouraged that encourage everyone to write with it. I was in three other sketches that were other people's favorite. So I had like four sketches. And yeah, myself, Sheri O'Terry, Jennifer Coolidge, and Chris Katan were all flown out to New York for that first round of auditions. And then what are the auditions like when you got very fabulous, very like like it was like pick a character of your choice, a political impersonation if you do one, a celebrity impersonation if you do it, do one five to eight minutes long. Or if you don't do any that, be funny. That was it. Wow. On in the SNL studio, on the spot where the host delivers the monologue. That's crazy. With the camera. And like one spotlight. And a disinterested guy holding like a boom bike like. Would that feel like were you nervous? Were you just over the moon nervous? Are you kidding me? Yeah. I literally was standing. So then you stand out, you're standing outside the stage doors by the page desk. And you're waiting. I'm hearing the audition in front of me. But I'm looking on the walls of all the posts of that year and past cast members and everything. And I literally remember, I remember thinking you could just run right now. Remember what your dad said? You could just get right in that elevator and go right back and say, yeah. And then as they were the door flew up and they're like too late. Well, next. And then you just have to step up there. And it was like, do you remember what you did? Yeah, I did. I did this character that made it on the first show. This guy's yelling at his kids to get off the shed. Which is so weird to talk about. Yeah, I'm it's like a dad at a barbecue. We're just talking about school and golf and this and that. And then he's like, hey, buddy, do me a favor and get off the shed. But we don't see what the shed is. It's just like a gardening shed. Or then back to the conversation, anyway, yeah. Hey, what did I say? Get off the shed. Anyway, so yeah, I took my car and get off the shed. It was just a game of like the person and then going back and then the the people around me like getting so nervous. That was one thing that I did. Then I did Harry Carey at a play reading, doing a play reading of like, which was a sketch I'd written at the ground during the baseball strike. That Harry Carey was unemployed. So now he was doing a play. But it was a it was a it was a emotionally wrought like like Eugene O'Neill type, like, like, damn it, Carol. What happened to us? Like, who's afraid of Virginia Woolworth? I thought we still love the show that you're breaking my heart. Look at me. Don't turn away. So I did that. I don't understand. It's dark. No one's laughing. Oh, man. Lauren's in the back of the room. You know, let's check her out. Like certain. No feedback. No feedback. And then I did, I think I did like Ted Kennedy doing stand up comedy. I don't know. What's going on? What did that sound like? It was. Well, what did I do like? I don't remember the jokes at all, but what I would do Ted Kennedy like this. And what did the check and say as it crossed the road? No, I don't know. I was like, I'm doing that. Yeah. And that was, that was it. But and then you left. And then you had no idea how long did it take for them to get back to you? We kind of heard after the fact like the groundlings had done really well. Okay. So there was a little bit of and then flew back to LA. But once again, at that time, I was doing, I'd got great advice. I was doing a class, which was a cold reading class, which is, you just show up and they're just like, they hand you script. This guy Ian Tucker, I think his last name, great teacher. And it was just, it was such a cool class because you had to get out of your head. And you just were like, uh, do you play Sam? You play Barbara? Go. And you just had to like be in the moment. And so after class one day, I'm like, Ian, guess what? I got an SNL edition. He went, you did what? Uh-oh. Oh, no. Good. He kind of was a little too. He's like, whoa. And I go, I go, because he had worked with Lisa Kudrow and from friend and he had worked with a couple of, I'm like, do you have, do you have it? He's like, wow. Okay. Just, you know what? Once again, he took the pressure off. He's like, you're just throwing darts at the dart board here. Treat it if you can as a trip to New York. Yeah. The great time. Yeah. If nothing happens and it, you know, you can at least come back and maybe have a meeting with an agent say, hey, I got to audition for us and I like, it's still a cool thing. Yeah. I was like, okay. Let's just treat it that way. So, um, then they, so they, they did call back all the grant. We had to do a second audition in which he sat down with Lauren Michaels first. Yeah. You came up for two days and then he had me change everything. I had to rewrite my audition the night before. Well, what did, how do you get that feedback? You sat with, he's like, what are you, what are you thinking about doing tomorrow? Yeah. And, and you, I had always heard in callbacks for network tea, like just do the thing you've been doing. Yeah. Because that's where I brought you there and just keep, don't try to change anything. And so he said, what, what are you thinking about for tomorrow? I'm like, well, I'm, I'm thinking I'm going to do this and I was like, no, I wouldn't, I wouldn't do that. No, no, no. The only thing is like, okay, do the get off the shed thing again. In hindsight, what he was, he was doing a favor because he knew the executives in Burbank were watching. And he wanted me to just show. You range. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. So there I was sweating it and out out in my tiny New York, you know, hotel room, trying to figure out what I was going to do. And then that's when I did on this audition tape, there's, you can look it up. I'm a guy who plays with cat toys. I don't know if you've ever seen this. I will look it up as soon as we leave with cat toys. I did that. I was like, I mean, you think of the stuff on the fly. Well, no, it was another sketch I'd done at the grill. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Okay. I got you. Okay. So I just tried a couple other different things. And then I then I really had no idea, but then a couple weeks went by and then I heard they were going to come see us at the show. And then what was it like, anyway, we took about six weeks, what was, what was he like that first meeting? Were you just scared out of your bed? Lauren was very, yes, in fact, he thinks the story is so funny now, but I'd read a story how Adam Salar had done some crazy bit and had a five minute meeting and was hired on the spot. And I thought, well, that's, be free, be yourself and just be, be crazy and you'll get, so my, my version of crazy just was, I bought a whole bunch of fake money from a novelty store and I was going to, I had a briefcase and I was going to let him talk and I was just going to start piling money on his desk because like, Lauren, we can keep talking till the cows come home, but we know what really talks, money, and I'm going to stack this money up on the desk. And it was bad care for my guys, toy money, I'm like, and no one's going to know, you can take it or leave it. It's up to you. And then I was going to pack up my thing and walk out and that was going to be my meeting. I walk in there with my briefcase and the atmosphere is like, not that, no, so you didn't even get to do it. I, the, what comedian walks in with the briefcase? And I'm like, okay, so don't do that, okay, throw up my entire addition, okay, and I'm leaving going, it thinks I'm an, I have a brief, I'm like, what? What weirdo walks in with a leather briefcase? Yeah. It's not like I sketch it or even Steve Higgins, who was hired as the new, who's still there today? Lauren was like, Steve, do you have anything you want to ask? He was like, nice briefcase, I'm like, yeah, thanks. You have no idea. When I finally, Lauren wanted me to meet with me again. And they were very vague as to why it was the meeting where he told me I got it. Okay. So then I was, I was in my apartment and I was like, damn it, I'm bringing the briefcase back. I'm going to show him, I'm going to stack them, I'm going to do it, I'm, this time I'm doing it. I walk, I walk in, the assistant goes, you can leave your briefcase, so I'm like, okay. So we sit down, he has to meet, you know, Lauren can be obtuse at times and I didn't even know I had the job. And he's like, so have you ever lived in New York? I go, no, no, no, no, thanks for small talk. Yeah, it'd be fun, though, like he's like, well, we're bringing Sherry. So you won't be alone. I'm like, what do you mean? I won't be alone. What? Yeah, what? He's like, I think, you know, since you guys know each other, so Sherry was at the growling too and we'd work together there to, I'm like, what do you mean? So I won't be alone. Oh, this is the meeting. This is the meeting. And then, and then I got self-conscious that I didn't leap up out of my chair. Yeah. So he's like, so anyway, and I'm like, oh, and I still have like, thank you so much. And I'm like, I was like, well, I'm going to shake your hand and he goes, do what you have to do. And then I leave and I'm like, I'm like, oh, my God, I got to call, you know, I got to call my folks. I got to, I got to find a pay phone. You're right, really? Yeah. That's the thing that doesn't exist anymore. I found one on Melrose, I like, I grabbed my briefcase and then now everyone in the office is like, going, couldn't wait to go when they have to keep it a secret. Yeah. And I go, hold on, I've been trying to give this fake money to him twice. Will you just give it to him and say, this is what I was trying to do. I was going to stack all this fake money. He got it. He thought it was so funny that I tried twice and so he still did it later. Do you have a favorite character? I mean, I know everybody has theirs of yours, but of all the many characters you played is their one that, you know, it's like, they're all like my children, but you, everyone has a favorite. That's true. Do I have a, I'm lucky enough to, to, when people come up and bring up various things, it's, it's so fun to hear what their kind of favorite movie is. And I'm lucky enough to have, you know, I've worked on enough of these movies that for whatever reasons have, you know, landed, hit the zeitgeist in the right way. The one, I mean, Saladaganites was so much fun. That's where John and I first got to worked at and then we got to do stepbrothers. So those characters are near and dear to my heart. And then the, probably the silly, I tend to land on the square of Ron Burgundy and anchor man, only because that was super hard to get made. It was, we, we had so many rejections because people were like, I don't get why this will be funny. And we're like, just trust, yeah, it's just buffoonish guys and, and it's not so much, it's a little bit satirical. It's more stricter than we ever thought, but, and now it's just really what the news is like, but, but that was such a struggle and we finally got to make it and it felt like we were playing with the house's money. And we're just like, we never thought we'd get to make this. So let's make it as crazy as we can and so that one's, Ron Burgundy is pretty great, yeah. I've lived in quite a few major cities over the years, and I've always loved how much each one changed whenever a big event came to town. All of a sudden, Chicago would be filled with music lovers or film aficionados or, of course, people dying to see the Cubs win. And in those moments, it can suddenly be quite difficult for visitors to find a place to stay, which is where Airbnb comes in, offering travelers an option with a bit more local charm. So if you've got some travel coming up during a big happening like a music festival or a big sporting event, consider listing your place on Airbnb. It's an excellent way to be part of your city's experience. You're helping someone enjoy the weekend, the game, the whole vibe of your neighborhood, all while making a little extra income. Some cash you could put towards your next big trip. I know when I've traveled, I've always appreciated those little details, the personal moments that helped make me feel connected with somewhere new. It's what makes a trip memorable. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at Airbnb.com/host. One thing that happens every summer is I end up spending a very long time in the supermarket picking out my produce. We get tomatoes that taste this way once a year and I want to do this right. And that whole process is exactly why I appreciate using shipped. The shoppers with shipped really pay attention to the details. I can text directly with my shopper and make sure I'm getting exactly what I want, no matter how specific. With shipped, you can get the main courses, the seasonings, and even an extra bag of charcoal shop same day. You can also order from lots of different stores, including Safeway, Albertsons, Michaels, Target, and Petsmark. With an annual membership, you can place as many shipped orders as you want and you'll always pay $0 in delivery fees on orders over $35. Also right now, you can get up to 30% off barbecue essentials, travel needs, and more during shipped summer of savings event now through July 4th. Get a $49 annual membership with the promo code podcast at ship.com/offer. I really admire people who start their own businesses and I've even thought about it myself. Maybe a use sports gear market. Kelly already is deep in on the online reselling game. She would go crazy for that. And I already know exactly where I'd start Shopify. What I like about Shopify is that you don't have to be a tech expert or have some giant company behind you. Shopify gives you all the tools to build your store, manage your customers, and grow your business without feeling overwhelmed. And these days, it's not enough to just have a website. People are shopping everywhere on social media, on YouTube, through apps and platforms you and I probably never heard of. Shopify helps get your products in front of customers wherever they already are. You probably use Shopify without even knowing it every single day. Every time you see that purple shop pay button that check out, you know that's another business supported by Shopify. Build your store, own your audience, and create something that lasts. Start now at Shopify.com/IMO. When did you meet Viv? Where in your journey did she show up? You were in an acting program down in Orange County here in California, and so when I graduated from college, I immediately moved back home at a lot going on, a lot of prospects. I moved back home because I thought, okay, am I going to try the sports casting thing? But the comedy thing, you know, so I'm trying to, I'm working at like a local cable news station. I'm also doing some stand-up comedy, and my mom says, that's okay, let's just treat this as your graduate school. You have your gap year. Yeah, your gap year. And she gives me a gift of a scene study class. It's the first acting class. And there's a great theater down in Orange County called South Coast Repertory Theater. It's a Tony Award winning. And we had grown up there going to see plays. My mom would be a docent from, you know, she'd take us. We were like 10 years old and watching check-off going, I don't know what's going on, but it looks like it's good. And they had a summer conservatory program, and I thought, oh, what a, I should audition for this. And anyway, that's where I meet Vivica. So she was in the same program. And we were both, she was like, she thought I was some rowdy, frat guy, because she kind of were. Because I kind of was. Yeah. But I think the only thing that evidence that was I wore my hat backwards one day, she was like, I know your type. Really? And then I thought she was some aerodite stuck up actress girl. So you did, you saw her. I saw her. She stood right away. And I think she auditioned after I did, because I think we were, I was like, who is this girl in the whole way going, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, she was practicing. She's doing vocals. I was like, what? Who does that? La, la, la. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Look. Who's that chick? And then I had my hat on backwards. But I was like, if I think that was you, that she's like, yeah, I think I, I think I used to do that. And she was a, yeah, she was an art history major and a theater minor and soccer player out at Pomona. And so yeah, we, we met there, we were just, but we were, we had dated a little bit and then we were friends for five years and then we kind of double back. So what? Wait, wait, wait. You dated and then became friends. Yeah. What did you do wrong? You were wrong. You were. You were. You were. You were. How did you get friends on? How did it? It was Viv. Viv was like, we, we really liked each other. She was like, she was the more matured. She was like, what are we going to do? Where's this going? And we were, we were just both kind of the one that got away for each other for a while there. We had the same circles of friends and so we'd see each other all the time. And then and we always had this connection like, like where if someone thought I was weird, she was like, that was really funny, by the way, I saw that and we just, we, we just kind of were like, yeah, I don't know how it just became, it became a friendship to the point where I like, I had a, I had a steady girlfriend. She would tell me about her dates. She was like, wow. She's like, let me ask your opinions, is it bad if a guy pulls out a coupon on a first date? I'm like, probably not good. I don't know. I mean, I don't want to, I don't want to cast judgment, but maybe not. Yeah, maybe, maybe, maybe keeps, keeps looking. So when did you guys get make it when I start I live? No, no, I'm just going, but it kind of coincided a little bit, but I was, on my first year of the show and I came back to L.A. during one of our breaks. We, I called her up. She was like, I remember this is how, this is how I knew I really still really liked her. It was the Lakers Houston playoff game and it begins with basketball. It does. And Die Hard Laker fan saw Magic and Bird play in their first game together. That's how Die Hard. I am up in the rafters at the forum in eighth grade. Okay. Congratulations. Congratulations. Congratulations. Do I get, do I get the pleasure for that? No, you're right. Okay. We'll give you a kiss. You do. There's three of us in the room. Five of us in the room. We can appreciate. Okay. I stopped listening. So it starts the basketball. Vivica calls me. He's like, hey, do you want to go for a walk and run in Canyon and, and I was just going to go walk the dog. And I was like, yep, I'm like, wait a minute. I'm blowing off watching the Laker game to go. So we go for this really fun walk. We're laughing. We're talking the whole time. She's like, hey, what are you doing? Do you want to stop by my place and have a beer? I was like, okay. She, I hope she's okay with me telling this anyway. Too late, honey. Sorry. It's us, Vivica. Yeah. And we'll just keep it between us. She, she gives me a beer and she, and she drank her beer in two sips. Yeah. She's like, do you want another one? Who's the frat boy now? No kidding. And so she drinks it and she's like, you want another one? I go, I mean, finish the first one. And I go, "Sure." So I'm like, double-chisted. And she's really nervous. - Oh, see how? - And I can't figure out what's going on. Once again, I'm telling you, we're just friends. Like, I'm lost, I blew it with her. And so she sits down, she's like, "So." I mean, I just want to tell you, I still really like you. And I said, "What?" I go, "And of course, I can't play it cool." I go, "You're not good." I just told my uncle, if there was anyone I would marry, it's you. And then she goes, "Did you really say that?" - I swear to God, "Yes." - You said that. - You turned into BuddyDL. - I turned into BuddyDL. And then she was like, "Okay." And then we didn't know what to do. And then she drove me home. And I thought, I thought it was like, game on. And I went in to give her a kiss and she gave me the cheek. And then I was like, and then it was yeah. And then we were in this weird kind of thing of like we had both. - It was out there, it was out there. - But we were friends and then she's guy. By the way, I'm still kind of, by the way, I'm also dating somewhere right now. I mean, we need a minute. - What are you doing to me? - Hold on. (laughing) I was like, "Okay, well, take back what I said." Then I got, and then we saw each other when the season's over. She's like, "By the way, I'm not, I broke up with that guy just so you know." I'm like, "Oh, okay, well, good for you." - Yeah, bring it. So. (laughing) And then. Anyway, it's been a whole summer of-- - Yeah, of that. - Of just like-- - Yeah. - Hang out, going to get coffee. - That's cool. - Did she move to New York eventually? - And then by the end of that summer, we're like, I think we're date, right? We're like, and then, but she was still working out here. And the SNL schedule is so conducive. There's so many breaks. I could go back and forth. So she'd come visit. And we, you know, we still, I was still the SNL when we were married. And we still, we just knew we'd end up back here. - Got it. Did that settle you down? Did you feel, you know, did that help you in your career? Feeling like I got my person, you know, my right or die, she gets me. I'm not doing this thing alone. Or was it, you know, was it harder? Because now you-- - No. - She was, she's kind of just a very unique person in the thing, in the thing that she was always, 'cause you'd work on something. And someone would be on the phone, you know? And it's like, that's my girlfriend asked me how much later, how much longer we're gonna shoot. And, and Fifth would never, she'd be like, I get it. - Yeah. - It's a movie. And she just had this easiness about her. I think because she tried acting a little bit. And she, but she had this understanding of like, and we'd always have this open discussion of like, if I was gonna take on a project, I was like, I may be here for three months. She's like, don't worry, we'll come visit. - Yeah. - And, but we also made a plan that I always would take the summer off for the most part. So, we just, we would bank the time when we could. - Yeah. - And, and she was just like, no, this is what it takes, you know? And so, I lucked out. - Yeah. - You sure did. - How long were you all married before you had kids? Your first kid, four years? - Okay. - Yeah. - Magnus was born in 2004. - Yeah. - So you still had set in I live then? - No, I lived in, no, I just left, okay. - I left in 2002. - Okay. - Ooh, so big, big risk moving, big jump in their baby. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Way to go, way to double down on it all. How did that be? - Left, left the set of kicking and screaming. - Mm-hmm. - I don't know if you guys remember that movie. (audience laughs) - Left the set when I heard that it was in labor and the crew was like, yes, way to go, Will. - Uh-huh. - They thought it was so cool. Even though it was worked out ahead of time. - Uh-huh. (laughs) - And, yeah, we just built in a little break and Magnus was born, yeah. - Yeah. - How was it being a dad? How did that change you? - Not good. - I did not like it. I was like, uh-oh. - It's like he's messing up everything. - No, it was, it's been amazing. Like every step of the way, yeah. - So she's surrounded by four big stinky men. - Yep. - Poor thing. - Yeah. - Does she have girlfriends that help ease the, no. (laughs) - Sisters, anything to break up that testosterone? - Uh-uh. - She, yeah, she, I mean, once again, she's kind of on face. She's actually like, I don't know when our youngest son was born and the, one of the nurses at the hospital was like, you gotta go for the girl and I was like, no, we're good. That's three. That's three, we're good. And she's like, whom I can. I'm not, I'm just not gonna have girls. And she's like, I don't know if I might, I don't know if I'd be a good girl mom, yeah. - I always thought I was gonna have three boys. - Yeah. - You know, where does that come from? - Right, right, where does that come from? - Exactly. You know, my two girls are amazing. And I was not going for the boy, you know. It was just like, I had two healthy girls and Barack was in politics. So I said, that's your third child right there. - Right. - Right. So, but yeah, I don't, we kind of just, I mean, there's obviously a transition, but I don't remember it. I mean, now it's so long ago, but. - Not that long ago. - We kind of just took it off, yeah. But having a, a new baby around, we just kind of, it was a new thing we were doing. Even though Viv, Viv was never the type who's like, she's like, I wanted to have kids, but she was not obsessed with it. And so when it finally happened, and she is the biggest dog person in the world, and I remember when it was getting really close to her due date, and she collapsed on the floor one day. Very hormonal and feeling everything and feeling that, and I'm like, what is it? What, are you okay? She's like, what, if I love the dogs more than the baby? (laughing) - And I, I was like, in my head, I'm like, - Is that a thing? - Is that a thing? - And then, but I was like, then we'll just work it out. - I'm like, I'm like, I doubt that's gonna happen, but we'll work it out and share enough. When we came home with Maggie, she's like, dog stayed downstairs. - Great, yeah. - And it was all that changed it all to go, yeah, yeah. Oh, that's great, yeah. - What kind of dad are you? - Strict disciplinarian. - We don't believe that. (laughing) - I wouldn't say I'm strict, but yeah, I've had to learn, I've gotten more frustrated than you would think, though in a way, where I've lost my temper. - Get off this shit! - That's become real sometimes. And I've learned to, once again, now the boys are 16, 19, and 22, so it's, there's not as much of that. But yeah, growing up, I was surprised at where it'd be like, I tried to use all the parenting techniques and then it just turned into, because I, that's all. - Yes, mm-hmm. - And so I'd turn into that guy, and they'd look at me like, "Who are you? You're crazy." And so I'm like, "Uh-oh, that's, that's not good." But are they funny, like-- - No, I was, I was like, I was, I think I was, I never pushed, like anything about, or we never talked about my work, and if they, if I happen to have a billboard of a movie, they'd be like, "Oh, there's Papa." Oh, yeah, oh yeah, yeah, that's gonna come out soon. - Yeah, we just kept it like, how old were they when they could figure out what was really going on though? When they started school, like, first grade, second grade, kindergarten, they started realizing, "Oh, okay, other kids know who you are." And, and, but then I would, I would try to always like, "Hmm, I just try to find fun ways to defuse the tension." So, there'd be like a big argument, and then I would just leave for a little while, and just come out my underwear, nothing about my underwear, I'd go, "Guys, we got to be serious." - Oh, okay, great. - Look, look at me, listen to me, and they would, they try not to, they just start laughing, and I was always trying to like, just change up, change up, change up. - I want you for that. - And then I would always have to do this thing, if they got in a fight, they'd be like, "Okay, you guys don't get to do this." Whatever you want to do, whatever the thing we've just worked out, hands in the middle, Hermano Sampress, which is brothers always. They're like, "What?" - What? - Just say it, maybe like, Hermano Sampress. Nope, you gotta say it like you mean it. You gotta say it, right? Hermano Sampress, nope, I'm sorry. I'm throwing the Xbox on the pool. I want to hear, and then they'd be laughing again, and, Yeah, 'cause my mom would do things like that with my brother and I. Make us run around the car 10 times on a car trip, and by the time we were down, we were laughing. Yeah. So I would try to do those sorts of things. So people don't realize when you have boys, they're going to fight, but it's not a real fight. Right. It's like you don't have to worry about them killing each other. Right. Yeah. But they fight. Yeah. Yeah. We've been lucky that our, and we got three big guys and they've never had the full, 'cause my brother and I had had some full, like throwing punches, and the guys, it's been one punch. Yeah. And they're like, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Nobody fights anymore. Right. Right. We told our boys that if you guys can fight, but when you're done, you have to kiss and make up on the mouth. Okay. I like that. And it ended everything. How about that? Who thought of that? Kelly. Okay. That's so good. I was like, we should get that. Really? Yes. Like, well done. Well done. Well done. Viv was always good because she learned, she like had, of course, read all the books, and then she was just like, okay, so Magnus, what do you want? What would you, what upset you about what Matthias just did? Hold on. Let me see. Okay, Matthias. What would you like to see from that? And like, do this conflict negotiation and which worked great at first. And then as I got older, like, do we have to do this again? Let's see right through it. Like, I know. You're going to ask me what I, my problem I have, and I'm going to say that I don't want to do that. Yeah. Did they follow in your footsteps as a three sport athlete? Not, you know, sports are so different now, it's also specialized. Yeah, it is. It's a shame. Right? Magnus is a big soccer player, Matthias is basketball and volleyball, and Axel's basketball and volleyball. So. College players, are they playing in, no, no, Magnus is, Magnus is, is singing now. Wow. Yeah, he's got, he's got music out there. Magnus Ferrell. Where'd he go? He's got music out. He's got, yeah. What's his genre? Can I play you a little something? Please. Right? Yes. Okay. Sorry. Proud dad. I love it. Yes. Proud. But like, this is a, this is a little five year old, you met in the map room. Oh, yeah. Yeah. When they brought Wuppie Cushion. Yeah. The boys brought Wuppie Cushion away. Oh. Nice. But this is, they were ready for prime time. They were ready for prime time. And this is that kid. So. Wow. He's got a groove. Cool. Okay. Breathy. Right? Oh, my God. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Wow. Okay. Breathy. Right? Oh, my God. Yeah. Pointy. Okay. Yeah. Mm. Right? Okay. Mad. Good. Good. Good. Okay. More handsome than me and I'm pretty handsome. Yeah. Sure. But this one, hold on. Okay. Good. Good. This. This next one is the Craig. Come on. This is for you, Craig. In your Airbnb. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Mind yourself. Mind yourself. Mind yourself. Is that out? That's out right now. A sleep talking. A sleep talking. Yeah. Did he write? He's on Republic Records label. Wow. He's got an amazing groove. And he, his buddy Gabe, they met in seventh grade jazz band at Harvard, West Lake. They were the competing piano players. Yeah. Magnus was very hated Gabe. Uh-huh. In fact, wrote his college entrance paper on how he hated the guy who eventually became his best friend. Oh, that's cool. And they, they, they left USC Music School sophomore year to go and they're both making stuff like this. Wow. So that's good. That's good. Okay. Very soulful. Yeah. Very. Right. Yeah. Yeah. It's throwback kind of R&B. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And it's right up. You know, it's, it's what's happening. And he's got a, he's got a good voice. That falsetto. It's right. Yeah. I mean, so yeah, you can sing too. I can not, not like that. But yeah, sure. So where does the music come? That's your, your father, did your mom sing? Does, uh, Vivica, I mean. Viv's a really good singer. Oh, wow. It was in fans in college and did like, was Rizzo in Greece. Okay. Yeah. All right. And, uh, so she's really musical. The boys all grew up playing piano. And, uh, um, so yeah, in terms of following my, so, and then Matthias is doing some acting stuff. And Axel's playing ball for right now. But he can sing too. Anyway. So we'll see, you know, but we're just happy. They are because there's so much like tea, like mental, like, like, like, it's so tough out there. Yeah. And they're finding stuff they're just passionate about. It's just like, go. Yeah. Friends, relationships, career goals, big life anxieties, we get into all of it on this show. It's become a kind of therapy for me. But just to be clear, I am a firm believer in actual therapy as well. Therapy isn't only for moments of crisis. It's for anyone who wants more support, clarity, or tools for navigating whatever life throws at them. Growth therapy can connect you with thousands of licensed therapists across the US, offering both virtual and in-person sessions, including nights and weekends. You can search for what matters to you, like insurance, specialty, identity, or availability. And get started in as little as two days. One thing I really like is that there are no subscriptions or long-term commitments. You simply pay per session, making it easier to find care that fits your life. If there's something in your life you'd like to change, growth therapy can help you start. The therapist you want takes your insurance on grow. Grow accepts over 125 insurance plans. This sessions average $21 with insurance, and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. Visit growtherapy.com/IMO today to get started. That's growtherapy.com/IMO. Growtherapy.com/IMO. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan. I don't know a ton about interior design, but I've picked up a few tricks along the way. For our house, Kelly and I love keeping things simple, with little pops of character and color here and there. And when we do feel like we could freshen things up, we always turn to wafer first. We nab this really nice jute rug and ivory from their Martha Stewart collection. And for about a week I was making constant big Lebowski references to how it tied the room together. But I stand by it. That's exactly what was happening. With wafer, I always know I'm going to get amazing bang for my buck. Their furniture, decor, and home essentials really last. And wafer rewards members get 5% back every day, helping you get even more value from your wafer purchases. Join wafer rewards today and get 5% back on every purchase and start saving on your next home upgrade. Head to wafer.com to shop all things home. That's w-a-y-f-a-i-r.com. Wafer every style every home. This back to school season spend less on your kids with Amazon. You know, one thing nobody prepares you for when you have kids is how quickly they go through school supplies. I cannot imagine when I was growing up going through backpacks as quickly as my kids do nowadays. But somehow once a year it's back to the store we go or to two stores or three. Not to mention how fast it all just manages to disappear. The school year isn't half over and somehow we're out of pencils, erasers, notebooks, and 30 other things. That's why I really appreciate Amazon during the back to school season. Whether you're shopping for school supplies, backpacks, lunch gear, clothes, or all those last-minute items that I know you don't want to be running around for, Amazon has it all. You can compare brands instantly and read reviews knowing that what you buy will actually last. Basically, Amazon makes it easy to get what you need and get back to your life. So remember, with Amazon's low back to school prices, just spend less on your kids. kids, because every dollar you don't spend on them is a dollar you haven't spent on them. Let's talk about the walk, the walk. Oh, yeah. Right. The walk. That comes around on Netflix. Yes. You got to see a couple episodes. Okay. Yeah. It's very funny. Very funny. Very funny. Yes. Let's play a, kind of a down and out golfer, Lonnie, the hawk hawkins, who's still, he's down in the minor leagues of golf, the corn fairy tour, which is a real thing. Yes. Hanging onto his dream of winning the fourth major and he's a jerk. He's a jerk. Yeah. Very selfish. He's very narcissistic. I wasn't ready for the first episode though I was looking forward. I don't want to spoil anything, but man, you hit it hard. At the beginning, it's very, yes, it's, yeah, it's, it's kind of an old school comedy where we don't really hold any punches and there's no, no, there's, there's not a big message. Not buddy Niel. It's not, no, it's not buddy. This guy, but as you watch the series, he, he does have a heart. Yeah. Yeah. But he's competing because in the first episode, this dude is a colossal jerk. It's, oh, man, he, he, um, just when you think, yeah, he's, he's, he's a, he's kind of a broken flawed guy, um, yeah, a bit of a, a bit of a scallywag. Does everyone know that word? Oh, yeah. Okay. Well, the older people, yeah, we were like, yes, of course. But it's a really funny, Molly Shannon plays my wife, whose, everyone thinks it's ex-wife, but I refuse to sign the divorce papers. Yes. Jimmy Tattro is my son. Is that so? He's good. He's great. He's really nice. And he's the next prodigy engulf, which I'm very proud of, but compete against at the same time. I want to take credit for his success. And kind of the polar opposites, you don't eat well. You don't train. Your cat is crazy. And he's like the Uber, you know, he's training and eating the right stuff and living just a totally different life. And, but yeah, it was, it was, it was just a super fun cast, super fun comedy where we kind of, um, explore golf in a, make some comments about golf that haven't been made. And, uh, and the PGA was very cool and was on board and we're like, yeah, poke fun at us. We're good. We're good with that. So. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I was telling our, our colleagues that. And thank you, by the way, because you are one of a handful of actors that I can watch whatever you do. You are still that one life. If you've got one line, I'm in good company. Yes. Well done. Yeah. I brought a lot of joy to a lot of people and, uh, I just, we're just grateful to have you here. Yeah. We, um, usually do, uh, listener question. Okay. This is in my opinion. So we try to offer some advice to people who write in all of us, all of us shipping. Yeah. We all shipping. Okay. We all shipping. Okay. You think this is a good time for our listener question. Lena. Lena from Lena, who is in her late thirties from the state of Washington. So supposed to Washington DC, some Washington state Seattle. Yeah. Come on. Let me guess. Olympia. Some water unknown. Unknown. Unknown. Okay. Perfect. Anyway. Um, I got more. That's pretty good. I know. I am the parent of four amazing children, a new baby, a three-year-old, a five-year-old, and an eight-year-old. They are my whole world. However, to be frank, my three-year-old is a total shit, the sturber. He's super, super smart, really energetic and is incredibly sweet. But he can also use all of his charm and strength to kind of bully his older siblings into doing things his way. He's a great kid, but I think just so high energy and advanced that he gets bored very easily. He's a little force of nature and we're tired. I've literally had family tell me, I think lovingly that this kid is either going to discover the cure for cancer or be a serial killer. I have two questions. One, how do I make sure he ends up going on path one and two, my actual question. How do I parent a kid who demands a lot of time and energy without sucking the whole family and especially the other children into all of these antics, and that's Lena in Washington in her late thirties? Whoa. Whoa. That sounds like a perfect question for you. Four. I'm just thinking about four. You just start there. Yeah. She went for the one you did not. Yeah. You're right. And it's the three-year-old, right? Yes. That's in question. Yes. Yeah. Um, Lena, I think you're screwed. No. No. Yeah. What? I mean, you got to, you got to kind of tie yourself to the mast and whether the storm and let these, you have to, you know, I think you have to let kids be who they're going to be, but at the same time try to set up some boundaries that won't compete with the other, well, it sounds like an infant, but the other two who are conscious of that stuff. And because it sounds like this little guy needs to stretch his, stretch out and do his thing. Um, yeah, I just, I don't know. You just have to try to find a way to manage both sides of it in a way, right? Yeah. Yeah. No, go ahead. I'm still, you know, I'm, I'm still trying to figure out how to help Lena, but you know, it's three is a unique time. So yeah, you know, I think part of what you said, well, there's some weathering the storm. Yeah. You know, it will pass. Yeah. Yeah. Where he is at three developed mentally, he still is, he may still be form, formulating language. He might, you know, he might, he's got a lot of growing up to do. And so you, you got to give him a little grace of just three year old, three year old boys in particular. I didn't have boys. Yeah. And I know that there's a distinct difference between girls and boys. I mean, my girls, you know, girls can sit in color. Yeah. And even when we, when we would have, when we just had two of the boys for whatever reason, we were like, why is it so calm to like what's, and then the third one would come along. And there'd be no rhyme or reason. They just seek chaos. And then smack someone in the head and then it was game on again and we're like, oh, so that's just going to happen. I mean, and he may need a different kind of attention. I mean, if the other two kids, they're older and they probably can be a bit more self-sufficient and the baby is a baby. And you know, this is one thing I learned babies are, you know, you don't, you don't need to put tons of time into the, if you're dividing, it's like, let the baby feed the baby. You know, have the baby around the baby is learning through us, Moses, through all these other kids. And they're going to be okay. Yeah. The older kids, put them in activities, you know, get them focused on some stuff so that maybe you can give the three-year-old the tension that he's craving, you know, so that it's not, you know, don't consider it a suck, right? It may just be that you might need to give him a little extra time if she has that time again. So that's what I'm saying. Try to try to create it where it isn't, doesn't feel like a suck. The baby is good. Or take, take this little guy to the dog park and just let him run around in an enclosed area. But that's, she may need to figure out what motivates him. What motivates him, you know, what is, you know, she doesn't have the time to really focus it on. What is he really asking for, you know, is it time, does he need more attention? Does he need to run more, you know, she might need to solve him and it may take her a minute. And with now she has four, I'm sure she doesn't have the time that she had with the two older kids to see them, and to really be like, this is who you are. And if there's a way to do a little divide and conquering for a minute, you know, I don't know if she has a husband, she has friends or family members that can take the easier kids for a period of time, and it doesn't have to be forever, right? It might just, he may need to be, it's like, it's like the puppy, he may need to have an individual walk, or run, or whatever it is, you know, she's going to have to experiment with some things, you know, but with all kids, I think you can set boundaries, you know, you just have to, you know, and it takes take an extra level of energy with this one, but you got to kind of keep at it. He still has to follow some rules and not be a jerk and be nice and listen. It's just harder with that many kids to stay on the one. It's nicer when they just cooperate, right? Well, she's got one that's like, no, I need, I need to hear it a hundred times. I think now is the time to try to figure him out. And if the other two kids are relatively okay, the older ones, then I would spend some time on this three-year-old just to try to figure out what buttons need to be push for him. So both of you give good advice, but I've got a couple things that I want to. Okay. And thank you. Thank you for that encouragement. I want to, I want to, a couple things I want to tell Lena. First of all, the likelihood of him becoming an axe murderer is pretty small. It is. That is right. Don't let those folks scare you into thinking this guy is going to be a psychopath. But when you. I've got four kids, but I had two older and two younger. So I didn't have this dynamic. But I suspect if we did have this dynamic, this was be how we would attack it. And that advice, my mom would say that, whenever there was a new baby around, babies don't need a whole lot of attention, she would always say, give the attention to the kid who's the next one up, or whatever you have, because they're feeling the addition of that kid. And when you look at these ages, eight, five, three, and newborn, the three-year-old got sandwiched between a short age, like the eight-year-old. Got to have this time. And then the five-year-old has a three-year-older kid to help with sort of socialization. And so probably got treated more like an only shot, like got a lot of initial. So the three-year-old is feeling the brunt of all of this. And what I would say to Lena is start with, when you give the three-year-old choices, make them two choices or three choices, however many you're going to give them, where you don't care which one they pick. So they feel empowered. So they feel empowered and feel like you're treating them like a five-year-old or a older kid. We've always found that that worked when when kids are acting a little bit bratty. We're just looking for a little control. A little control. Okay, like your wife said, all right, what do you need in this situation? Yeah. And as long as it's not candy, we can probably figure it out. And so I just think Lena needs to be just a tad bit more strategic, and don't take the tongue-in-cheek psychopath axe murderer to heart, because it's unlikely to happen. Well, well, thank you. You guys are so much fun. It was so much fun. This was really neat. The Norfolk regular wolf feral is kind of a nice guy. Right? Yeah. I mean, Norfolk had fun and more fun and more fun and more normal than I would have thought. We thought. So now you know, he would just stare at the artwork. But now that we know each other, I'm going to make people, I'm going to make funnier. If I don't know you, I'm like, I don't can't waste anything right now, but now I know you. Oh, I'm going to be so funny. Are you looking for support in your weight management journey? Zepbound to Zepatide may be able to help. Zepbound is a prescription medicine used with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity to help adults with obesity or some adults overweight who also have weight-related medical problems to lose weight and keep it off. Zepbound is approved as a 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12, 5.5 or 15 milligram injection. Zepbound contains to Zepatide and should not be used with other to Zepatide containing products or any GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines. It is not known if Zepbound is safe and effective for use in children. Don't share needles or pins or reuse needles. Don't take if allergic to or if you or someone in your family had medullary thyroid cancer or if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia, symptom type 2. Tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. Stop Zepbound and call your doctor if you had severe stomach pain or a serious allergic reaction. Severe side effects may include inflamed pancreas or gall bladder problems. Tell your doctor if you experience vision changes, depression, or suicidal thoughts before scheduled procedures with anesthesia. If you're nursing, pregnant, plan to be or taking birth control pills. Taking Zepbound with a sulfonolurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting which can cause dehydration and worsen kidney problems. Talk to your doctor, call 1-800-545-5979 or visit Zepbound.lily.com.