Glee's Glowing Heather Morris

And that's what you really missed with Jenna.

And Kevin An iHeartRadio podcast.

Welcome to you, and that's what you really miss podcast. Today, we have an extra special, special special guest. It's the one and only Heather Morris again and we're grateful that we get her again because she's so great.

And as we've gotten to the end of season four, Heather Morris was pregnant and it's one of those great things where I love watching episodes or scenons of TV shows where you know one of the cast members is pregnant and how they like hide it, shoot it and hide it. Yeah, and all of those things, and we had our very own Heather was the first, but we never really talked to her about that experience and so really fascinating to learn so much. Here is just the best human Heather Morris.

Hi, Hi, Hey, I love you, love you so much, thank you. I'm so excited to be here. I did do my homework only on knowing what kind of song people thought that I loved from the show, because every time I go an interview, you know, we're asked this and I never have an answer, and I'm like, that's the one homework you're going to do everything else.

I stop, stop, just get it out of the way. What songs?

What song did you love from the five hundred songs we did?

Right?

How are you guys? How is everything good?

Good?

Good?

We're busy, but we're good. Jenna's growing a human again. I know that things.

It's so weird to ask to see your bump, but like, I would love to see it. Maybe I.

Can show you. It's pretty big. Yeah.

Well, speaking of pregnancy, Heather, you were pregnant in seasons four with your first baby.

That was the first Glee baby.

Yes, I hope nobody's hearing this for the first time.

Now.

We from my memory, I remember you being very pregnant in the final episode of season four All or Nothing, when you're basically saying goodbye to us, you're gotten into mit and you're going I forgot how emotional that piece was.

But also you were very.

Pregnant doing that number on our you know, regionals on the Risers. But then you reminded me that you were also very pregnant. You were still pregnant like for many episodes before that, including Wanna Be and what was.

The other one you had? Diva?

So take us through that experience of being you were like the first one pregnant on our show for real, and also not being written into it, so you had to hide it.

Yeah, I didn't know for the longest time. I I obviously, like so many other first timers, I was like, there's definitely a chance, but like I had no idea until I knew, do you know what I mean? Like there's questionable nights where like I went out drinking and I was like, you know, like that shouldn't have happened.

Yeah.

I feel like all mothers have that experience where they're like I went to a bachelorette and I didn't realize I was pregnant until I was like sick afterwards, exactly.

I thought it was just a really bad hangover.

I know, Yeah, I actually thought of alcohol was gross to me at that point, so that.

I don't something wrong.

Nobody knew and a while for a long time, and I specifically do have this memory though a Penny, our camera operator, she knew. She like magically knew at one point and I hadn't told anybody. I was probably four months pregnant, and you know how like you can't wait in between meals you have to be like constantly kind of snacking. You can't like have a giant meal and then take a break and then have a giant meal. It's like you get really bad ass like reflex.

Yeah.

So I was still figuring that out. And I remember Penny, the camera operator, like passed me some almonds in the scene. I was doing a scene with cord Sam at the time, and she like handed me a thing of almonds, and I don't know exactly what she said, but she was like, you want to make sure you're eating in between meals.

I was like, pay my god, who else knew?

Megan was there by my side a lot.

Didn't I do a weird if I remember correctly. We were standing by Crafty something like that, and I was like, I just feel like somebody's pregnant. I was going around for like days and I was like, I don't know who it is. I didn't I did not know it was you, But for like a week I had a really strong feeling and I thought maybe it was Naya. I just didn't know who it was and they were standing next to me. No, I had no clue. I had no direction of who it was. But I would

I can't believe I didn't cover it up better. But also, like you know, like four months is like.

I just also, it's not something I would normally say, so I don't think you were also expecting me to be like, exactly, somebody's pregnant.

But also, if you're watching this, we do have an audience, and if you don't know, Kevin is kind of a witch, so like of course you'd think that and say that out.

Now and then I get it right, Yeah, Now, were you able to cover it up with wardrobe or did they have to know?

At some point? I guess your clothes were getting had to be bigger.

Remembering about this, as I recall, I don't remember.

Them knowing until they had to.

I think until they kind of had to, right, Like, I know, I had the conversation with Dante personally, and he was going through something similar at the time as well, and so he was really excited and intrigued about the prospect of me having a baby, and I was really excited and supportive of that, and so my memory is about but I think timeline wise, like, I think by four or five months was when I kind of had to like start telling people, yeah, because costumes were getting uncomfortable.

Like the Cheerio your Cheerios curb, it's high waisted. There's no world in which that fit. After four to five months, right.

Yeah, No, yeah, I think it was by five months when I had to like start unzipping.

I remember the unzipping in between it would just be folded over, Yes, yes.

Yeah, we'd have to unzip and fold over and like breathe.

God.

Now did you ask them?

Uh, like obviously when you have the baby, they're like did they offer you time or do you did you say like I want out or like.

What was that?

Like?

Yeah, they did approach me with is this something you want? Written in the show we are happy to write this in the show.

Oh if not, you know, yeah, do you want to make an exit?

And I me being who I am, and I'm like really private about certain things, Like I was like, I don't want I just don't want this to be a part of the storyline. I just also didn't really feel like it fit Brittana totally me, Like the Britney storyline or whatever they were going to do with Brittana, like, none of that fit to me. Yeah, and so I just didn't see it making sense. They already had the pregnant storyline with Quinn. So yeah, they came to me

And was it like did you think that was it for you? Like done done? Or were they like, you can come back when you're ready.

Do you remember?

Yes? They yeah, they said you can come back when you're ready.

Oh that's nice, that's fine.

Yeah, yeah, I know. The whole experience I felt like was super great. There wasn't like a a time to when you need to be back.

And that's great.

That's actually really good, Like that's kind of unheard of.

Yeah, because I also feel like, you know, some of the other things where there we were young, a lot of personalities people wanted to get out for certain things. Having a child is like a real thing. It's not the same as like asking for an out to do a movie and people would get you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's it's very good to hear that when it came to like a really life changing and important thing, that you were allowed the space and time to decide what route you wanted to take.

Absolutely, I feel like that's so important and so special that they did that for me. Yeah, And I think had they all not been kind of going through their own same thing, Like I know, Ryan had just had two kids previously, Brad had children already, but like, I think they were empathetic to that. Yeah, for sure, it's super lucky that they let me do that.

None of us really knew what that looked like because had done it yet.

So I was just a young chicken. Is such a young spring chicken.

It's funny.

You can kind of see the bump in some scenes like towards the end of four that we're watching and we're like, maybe it's just because we know that you are pregnant, like when we're rewatching it.

Now, when did you guys find out when I made an announcement?

Oh god, I think it was circling. I think the rumor was circling for a little bit, okay, prior to you announcing, but nothing was confirmed, right.

I think we probably amongst ourselves, like the innermost circle, we probably all hurt, like maybe started to figure it out. But it's one of those things like we're not going to go blow out of your.

Spot, Like, give me Heather, can we talk about it?

She'll tell us when she's ready.

Yeah, you guys are such good friends.

And then but what's gonna happen? Well, the schedule is if you're in peak form, is already crazy. Yeah, and you're also your work ethic and we've talked about this on this podcast before. It was like far and away superior to most of ours, Like you came in like that dancer life. The schedule is absolutely insane, right, and I think you are used to putting up with a lot mentally physically, and so was there a point where it did feel like, Okay, I'm growing a human and

Well, there's something to be said about like the age that I was at. I don't think I was emotionally mature at that point to know like, Okay, Heather, it's time. Because I got pregnant pretty young, and I was a surprise, Like Taylor and I were not sitting there planning to at babies. So I wasn't going like when's my ovulating schedule? And then like what are the steps I need to take during my pregnancy? It was all like, oh, okay,

Yeah.

Oh so there's that. And then I was texting Jenna about I had a during the Diva episode when we were doing the Diva song.

Yeah.

God, I don't even know if anybody found out. Maybe you did found out about this, but I actually locked myself in my trailer and I had a full mental breakdown. I was like bawling in my big pink dress, like falling. I was like I can't do like the full thing.

And yeah, yeah, people didn't know then because you also the last person that you would ever expect to do that.

Exactly full example of hormones, Like I don't break down and cry ever, right, And I remember Megan, she had to have known at that point.

Yeah, everybody, she doesn't need to be told, she just knows.

Yeah, She's like the most intuitive person, so she had to have known because she was like soothing me.

Mmm wow, Yeah, I remember those big numbers like Diva like the costumes alone, and it's a long day and we're crawling on a catwalk and like you we had mentioned wanna be of like costumes and kicking and dancing, and like, well, there's.

Little things that you're not thinking about. It's like the smoke, Like, because they want ambiance in a scene, there's smoke going on, and so I'm like, is this okay? Excuse me? Do you think we could get less smoke?

Yeah? Yeah, yeah yeah.

And then you know, like years before that, I'm watching other actors being like it's too much smoke. I don't like it, and I'm like, oh, they're making a big deal out of anything, but that you're in it, and you're like, oh wow, okay, right.

No. I know when I was doing Drag Race and I was pregnant and nobody knew except for Kevin on set, but I had to tell the makeup and hair obviously because it's drag makeup, like not to use like alcohol these stuff. Because it was my first pregnancy, I didn't know if that stuff was going to affect you know, the baby or me, and so I had to ask them to like adjust like the wig gl and the makeup and the removal and all bad stuff, and it was just like people thought I was and I was like, yeah,

You're like, I don't want to absorb that. I don't want my body to observe that.

I will say, having witnessed both of you and work environments pregnant for the first time, neither of you could ever be accused of being a diva because there's obviously like a big difference between somebody just being difficult and the approach of like you said, can we just get less smoke?

Right?

But you have like real health concerns and they might have real health concerns, and it's like the way you ask those things. Also you have history with these people. It makes a huge difference. And the two of you, the way you handle those situations is such a lesson for the rest of people like me who are watching being like I have no idea how I would handle that situation, like I don't know how they're.

Doing this, and oh you would be fine.

But you both like to set I think, especially like Heather, you were the first one, like Jenna, saw you in a work environment be pregnant for the first time, and then like and other people got pregnant, and so you sort of had to carve that out because there was no example for us to see that, right, right, And so it's crazy learn by doing it. And I think luckily, like as a team, you were the first one to

Yeah, oh for sure, Yeah, oh for sure. And also like we're polite society or raising a polite society.

Yeah, and like our cruise, our family.

Yeah yeah, I would never be somebody to raise a hard flag.

No loudly, no, that would never.

I would never put that only let's say yeah, yeah, yeah for sure. So we just watched the season finale All or Nothing, and I love this storyline of you

Right?

Because watching it, I felt all of that. Those are the things I was thinking, Yeah, doing that, like, what was that like? Yeah?

In it?

Well, I I don't know, Jenna, you've ever gone to an audition or been to an audition where you like just got your period and it's an emotional audition and you're like, I'm gonna fucking nail this, Like yeah, I'm already an emotional wreck. It's not hard to get here, Like it's so easy to get here. Yeah, So I

Yeah.

So I think that beautiful mix of everything like kind of intertwined was why I was able to perform the way I performed and not feel like it was a performative piece. That it just felt like an extension of me, which is always what you wanted as an actor, you know, Like, but we had had four years of connection at that point, so like my storylines were all connected, which was great.

Yeah, And Brittany was like crazy but or like just so out there sometimes, but yet this was so grounded, this part of Brittany that we saw in this episode also while like losing it but and then also pregnant. I just kept watching you in this scene, being like, she's so pregnant and she's so hormonal, and we're all crying and we're saying goodbye to her, and I'm like, I don't know how she controlled herself, because if I cry right now, it's it's uncontrolled.

Yeah, that's true. That's true. It's pretty uncontrollable.

Yeah. Yeah, it was so beautiful. And the way you it's like a masterclass in the real grounded drama of it. And then you're saying all these hilarious lines in the middle of it, going through each character, so like you have like which are not the easiest things to memorize, and you have like these separate things for each character, and you're also weaving in the emotional.

Yeah, I was like, this is wild, like how is she doing all this? But can I also say, like, you guys are such wonderful scene partners as a group, You guys were always present. You never like screwed up takes for anybody. So it's not like you're on the other side like texting you were never You guys were never those scene partners. I'm saying as a whole, like in the Glee room or privately, like if we had

I mean, yeah, you're also I think so proud of you for like by that point you could see like that they didn't even try to feel like that episode that much hide that you were pregnant. Like the first shot of you at McKinley is like a white shirt, so you could fully see all of you and like, yeah, she's just pregnant in this she's whatever, like she's she gave this speech, she's performed, like there was regionals, everything happened, and it was just the moment of like damn, she's powerful.

Like wow, thanks guy.

I remember shooting that last the All or Nothing.

I love it.

The icon of pop when we were doing and like in between like rubbing your rubbing your back, Oh of course.

I just am.

I'm like I can't even imagine doing that in heels like that. Maybe my first pregnancy and not my second, but the first one is still so hard and it's so hot.

Were yeah, but I was only I.

Was much earlier in my pregnancy at that point, it was still hard, but you were you were pretty close at that point or you were on your way, like.

You could see the bomp. We could. Your body's the relaxing is there? Your body is like.

I was just trying to exercise my pelvic floor, you know what I mean. I just needed to release that pelvic floor.

He stayed active, you know, that's all they ask for you, that's all you need.

Did it? You did it.

I should have stayed longer, man. You know because my second pregnancy, I was like super active all the way up until I gave birth, and it made me so strong, whereas like my first one, I was like, no, I'm gonna relax and I'm gonna do nothing and I'm going to enjoy this moment, and then birth time I.

Was like hard.

You did a lot with Cordy this season, too, Yeah, I did. It was so nice. What was it like working with him so much? Oh he's so so sweet, He's so cute.

I mean, I love him, like he's just this sweet little muffin with the best heart and the best intention.

You guys are like really good chemistry on screen.

Oh great chemistry. It took me. It took me a long time to warm up to cord.

I understand, I understand.

Yeah, like I didn't grow up with brothers, and I only nderstand it now because I have boys, but like the sweet, dopey love of a boy, Like he just exudes that like dopey, sweet, cute, little, you know, golden Retriever vibes. And at first I was like what yeah, And I think it was season three I really warmed up to Chord and just kind of like let it go and was like he's just existing, Like.

Yeah, he's consistent, you know exactly who he is.

Yeah, And I think you guys got their way sooner than I did, Like I think I held onto it for way too long, and then finally when I was like, okay, he's just chilling.

Like yeah, it was. Life was so much easier, I think because you're also and like you have people coming onto the show you don't know, like are they going to be around a long time? You also have like protect your energy because they're long days, and so I feel like it's understandable to be little reserved and like I don't know this person, like after something, are they actually nice?

Like I don't know, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. And then you know, when we got to the scene work and we got to like the storylines. That was really fun and cute, and they made it simple and we're both aquarians and we both kind of like things are just easy to you know, be simple, and like, I don't know, I just felt like our cover, if that makes any sense, but our conversation, especially on camera, it just felt like two aquarians just floating.

It didn't feel like you guys were almost yeah, like syncd up in that way. It was like when you guys had scenes together, it's like, oh, they're they're a comedic duo. Like send them on tour like this all works. Them on tour, speak the same language, you know.

Yeah, Yeah, it's so great.

I love that.

That was a good.

If the fans hated it, I'm so sorry. It was a good I thought it was a great.

Well any fans who don't love it because of Britanna obviously, but I mean I think it was a really nice break from you guys, you.

Know what I mean. The character like it wasn't some like toxic content relationship. It was a nice thing. Oh and in this last episode where Sam calls Santana by the way to like like get her help, and then we have the second episode of Fondu for two in one episod, which is also a dream. Oh wait, can we talk about something?

Okay? Yeah, I love Tangent.

I think we need to bring back Fondu for two.

It's like a digital short show.

In some capacity, Like I agree, like hut.

Fans bring it up so much.

So, and I think when the show was on, I didn't understand it. I will calm myself out. I didn't really get it. I was like, this is weird, Like, oh, it's so good.

It was like this weird side set. Nobody really visited it, and when you did, it was like so fast because it wasn't a scene. It was just like the one camera because it was on my camera. It felt weird to film. Yeah, you're right, but.

I think you need to bring it back. We need to like talk to Ryan and I said that was like a little talk.

Show because like a YouTube Fondue for two.

Yes, exactly.

I would totally love this. I would do it, and I've wanted to for so long because the fans they text me and send me messages all the time like bring back Fondue for two, and I'm like, oh my god, how do I not get sued?

That's something that could live on its own. It's not a reboot, and it's also just this really delicious thing. Guys.

I have so many ideas for it, like we could we could make books. There's children's books for fond We.

Got to talk about it. We got to talk about it. We got to get Ian and Brad and Ryan on the phone and figure this out.

I'm down.

Also, Sam and Brittany singing to Lord Tummington more than we're it's.

On the couch.

It's it's actually a highlight of the series for me. It's a highlight. I loved Tumington, I love Brittany and Sam, so it's it's a real moment for me with the.

Remember the female cat, sorry to change something to cut you off, but the female cat and Sam had to stuff it in a bag. Yes, do you guys remember this? You may have seen this. But Sam, Sam has to stuff it in the bag. And we did that only a couple of times, because I think it made it on the scene where the cat's like, yeah, soul pissed.

Cats were there for.

Oh, I love and Tummington never wanted to be there, like tell me he would like run out of the room when we defined out for remember Tummington like running. We were like, wait, we need we need Tummington back.

Do you have a favorite for two?

Oh? I really like the Fondue for two that that you and Amber were in and we're kind of like the rumor was it the Rumors episode?

Or it was so funny? Yeah? I think so, yeah, that's right. Guilty Pleasures us one of those.

Yeah, and Amber's talking about the hot cheese and that's a It's a really funny thing to me.

And it was early in Fondue for two. It was one of the earlier ones, so it's like one of your first ones. So it's ridiculous. I feel honored that I got to be in Vondu two.

I feel I know now I'm pissed. You need to ring back so I can be in one.

I'm writing this note down go fund me.

Well, we didn't want to keep you too much longer, but this thanks for coming in to talk about your the pregnancy and season four, and we're just sad to see Brittany go for a short while.

We obviously know Brittany will be back.

But it seems pretty final right now. So it's very strange.

Did fail final When we were doing it right, it felt like coming back.

Did you know, like, did you know when like you would come back. Was there any sort of plan or just whenever?

There was not a pritan wow, crazy, there was not a plan. I know, I got invited back for the Cory episode and I just wasn't quite mentally ready to do that. And I don't, like, I don't have regrets about it, but I always you.

Made the right choice.

I know, I know, and I've listened. I listened to Ryan's interview about how he regrets that decision. Yeah, it just didn't feel right to me, and I'm glad I listened to that intuition. But I was already like in a I was already taking care of a child and that was already emotional and different, and so I just wasn't right.

And we saw you in the like behind the scenes all the time. That was the thing, Like it felt like I had to separate because I was like, oh, Heather, Brittany wasn't back, but Heather was there the whole time, you know, like we saw you all the time.

Yeah. Yeah, So there was no there was no plan. I didn't know when I was coming back, and so I was kind of just like waiting and and I think they were also like waiting on me, which like how lucky am I?

That's yeah, great enough to be in. Well, we love you and grate again.

Well, you guys are so wonderful. I love you so much always.

Thanks for like coming on again like this year, the best for doing this bye. I love her, She's the best. And also having just watched that episode and then seeing her, I feel extra emotional.

I know it was really I wasn't expecting that, and I didn't remember until I watched it.

And I also think having then gone through it ourselves later in terms of leaving the show, because obviously at that point we hadn't done that, it was like, oh shit, we're seeing our friend who didn't know when she'd be back, sort of go through what we were going to go through in a couple of years exactly. It's very very emotional.

Yeah, love her, love her, Thanks Heather, and thanks for coming on social last minute, so last minute we were like literally like, hey, can you come on and talk about your pregnancy?

She just tutes us. She does text us because she said she was prepared to answer what her favorite numbers were, and we never got to it.

Okay, we're going to share them. She's run the world. Wow, that is top.

It was so good are you kidding me? Her performance like around the school, smooth criminal, Smooth Criminal, I think if you hold the audience, that is top.

Yes, and Landside of course, which also I think would have been top.

Yeah. Well, thank you, Himo. We love you so much. And I just think it's remarkable to hear going through that schedule and being pregnant for the first time and how all that was handled and done. It's just remarkable.

She handles it with grace. Yes, she handled it with grace. And that's what you really missed.

Let's get fondue for two on a streaming pufferm Okay, bye, thanks for listening and follow us on Instagram at and that's what you really miss pod. Make sure to write us and leave us five stars. See you next time.