Jackie Tohn

And then in my radio career, I've done thousands of interviews. I've interviewed everybody from actors to musicians, to comics, to chefs, to authors, to mediums and everyone in between. And the trick to a good interview really is figuring out a way that makes the listener feel like they're a part of the conversation. And you can do that in a couple of ways. I mean, one way, you can literally talk to the listener, which is what a radio DJ

does between songs every break. You can have a musician come on and play something that is so touching that the listener feels moved by the piece. You can inter you someone and they can tell such an intimate story about themselves that everyone can relate and you also can do it by energy. And I say that because everyone This is going back to my radio days, but everyone is having a day when they're listening to the radio. Especially when I had my morning show. It was a

hard show to do because everyone felt like crap. Because it's seven in the morning, you're driving to some terrible nine of five that you don't want to do. You got to deal with your crap boss and Karen from accounting, and you're trying to get people to feel good before they have to feel bad. And so you've got to

come with solid energy. And you never know what you're going to get when you do interviews for morning shows, but you try to book things that will be uplifting and positive and fun and funny and energetic and stuff.

I guess all that to be said. I wish I had this person on my show back when I did a morning show, because if you were feeling like crap and hungover and drowsy and just not wanting to go into work, then you heard this interview, I think that your day would turn around early do at least that's how I felt going out of the interview. I was like Oh, I feel so much better. Her energy was bonkers. It was so positive and funny and fun and lighthearted

and inclusive. If you're a good interviewer, you're also a listener, right you know, you're part of the audience. And so I just hope that you guys out there feel the same way that I did, because I absolutely love this interview. Right now, she is hosting a show on Netflix which is a cooking show called Best Leftovers Ever, which basically gets a bunch of amazing cooks in and they give them leftovers from the refrigerator and they say, Okay, now

you have to go make something special. And it's an awesome show and it's perfect for right now because well, we are all stuck at home. We really can't go out, so we've got leftover post Mates and we're just like, what do we do? I don't know. She's also on a little show called Glow on Netflix, which if you guys haven't watched Glow, I don't. That's a you problem because it's phenomenal. But she's been around forever. It's on American Idol, was on All That, Do you guys remember that?

Back the day. It's also on the show with the boys. Have you guys seen done a lot. She's an amazing actress, obviously, She's a phenomenal host, an incredible singer, a fantastic stand up five to a player. She can do it all. And I'm telling you, guys, this is one interview you are not going to want to miss. When we come back, we're gonna have Jackie Tone on the show. Let's stick around, roll it. This is a Wells cast with Wells Adams and I Heart Radio podcast. Can you hear me? We

are here. I should put headphones in. Maybe I should have prepared for this moment a little better. No, you're doing great. Whatever feels right to you. Ask before we continue that you agree to send me the dog with the ears you want him? You want the real one? Or do you want the picture that's your dog? Yeah, he's downstairs sleeping right now. He will look up this interview at some point and start howling. Don't worry, okay, because so will my dog, and so will my boyfriend's dog.

And if the mailman comes, it's game my dog, Glenn. He's sleeping on four blankets right now, So if anybody else wanted a blanket, they can go. Yeah, well, that's my dog, Carl. I do appreciate that both of us have very personified dog names. You better watch it. Your dog's name is Carl. Yeah, he's Carl the Bloodhound. You can follow him on Instagram if you want. I'm one of those people. We don't need to get into why I did it, but it happened, so Glenn Son, obviously

we should have an Instagram. And now I've had him so long. The fact that he's like starting now, well, he's like, it feels like a weird call. So then I'm like, well, I feel like I really missed the boat on that one. Glen. You don't have an Instagram and here we are. There's a sweet story too. I'm not like one of those like crazy narcissistic dog owners

that just pedals their dog for maybe I am. I don't know, but I went on a reality show where they took your phone away from you, and I was freaking out about my I've been there with the no phone, no computer, no contact with the outside world, and used to lie to everybody and tell them you're off the grid, and everyone's like, bitch, you live in l A. We know you're on the reality show. Just up, But anyway, go on Carl, Carl. I was like, I'm gonna start

an Instagram account. My sisters going to take care of my dog while I'm gone. To my sister, I was like, every three days, I need you to post a picture of Carl so I know he's okay. And then I would tell a producer, Hey, go check my dog's Instagram profile, just so I know he's okay. And that's why I had it, and then it turned into a different thing. Um, I just want him to know on you to know that his ears are the right size. Yeah, yeah, exactly.

My boyfriend has a corgy chow and you even imagine when I'm telling you right now, he's like a holiday ham with quarter inch legs. And every time he walks by, my name is Barren. Every time he walks by me, I said, Bear, those are the right length, flag, bro, those are the right legs. Because you've got to tell him because they're not nothing right, Yeah, no, they're not. You gotta pump some mare in those tires, you know. Right, that's a perfect body, dude, those are the right As

he walks by, those are the right length flegs. Brother, Like I always try and let him know. So. Hi, I'm Jackie. Hey Jackie, I'm Well's nice to meet. Do you want to do you want to do this thing? Wait a minute, that was gold. Don't worry, we're going to use it. I'm ready to do this thing. Is your mouth pad of pizza? What's going on right here? No? It's Seinfeld? Oh my god, even better. My eyes are read so good. Hold on, let me move this life party.

Let's go, okay, quick break. When we come back, we are actually gonna start this show, I think. All right. Back on the Wells Cast. Very excited to have one of the stars from Glow on the show. She also has a new cooking show, which means that she's basically got the coolest job ever. Welcome on the Wells Cast, Jackie Tone, how are you hi? Everybody mostly high Wells. I'm good man. I do have the coolest job ever. And I dreamed of it for ever, and I waited

a good long time. I saw that you went on an Armchair Expert recently, so I just want to say, hey, thanks for slumming it down here with the kind of the shittier podcast, not even first of all, such you're maybe and such different audiences, and I think that's why I'm so uh. I love doing this and I do like all my friends who are comics and have their fun,

super tiny, weird podcast. But we've been friends forever, and you know, I like, I like chatting with everybody, and I just want everybody to watch Best Leftovers Ever because that ship is fun. I don't know if anyone told you, but I went on Worst Cooks in America Celebrity Edition, which I think the celebrity edition part was I don't know a loose definition. But Jackie, I need you to know going into this interview, your boy won that ship. Okay, so I don't know if you need people. And here's

the question. Yeah, there's Glen Routing art show. Here's the problem. Does that mean you're the worst cook or the like you won as the actual worst or you were the best person there of the people who were just terrible. So everyone was bad to begin with and I made the biggest strides and got amazing. Because it's confusing when it's called worst cook, then you're like, all right, well the person that just puts dogshit on a plane and

the winner, because that's definitely the worst. In the first episode, I may try to make pasta and it was so terrible that it stuck to the plate and the host of the show took it and put it upside down over her head and it didn't fall on her head. And then the enda had a cooker three course meal in a restaurant, and I would beat Johnny Bananas from the challenge. Anyways, listen, I just want you to know that, like, I get it. I know what you think. The term

celebrity was loose on you. I think, whoever, Johnny Bananas is probably even happier to be there than you were. So I say that all the time when people are like, when I'm referenced as a celebrity ever, I'm like, I'm hilarious, Like I feel like the jokes on the person who said it's every time. Yeah, I feel that. Tell me about best leftovers ever? Because I feel like this is a perfect time for a show like this, Not that anything is perfect for COVID pandemic times, but this one,

especially because we're all sucking stuck. I feel like there's a show that kind of teaches you how to like make the best of what you got in the house you couldn't have. I mean I literally don't even need to expound because you've just you've just explained it perfectly.

But that is exactly what it is. And even even for me, I hold this show and I judge it, and I've taken so many tips that I learned on the show, Like I'll just open my fridge and out have an idea what to make, and I'll look at peanut butter and be like, oh, you know what, I feel like I learned how to make a fun Asian peanut sauce with that I look at peanut butter before.

I mean, I all I eat like a toddler, So all I ever really ate in the past was like a hot If I'm hungry for dinner and I need something, it's like I will have gold visions of vanilla ice cream, Like I'm not above it, but it really has elevated, so um, I'll play the show. It's just like it sounds. We have different levels of chefs come on three per episode and compete for the ten thousand dollar cash roll. I know you guys are just listening, but I'm winking

because it is cash and a casserole dish. In round one, they have fridges behind them where we say likely guys, um, you had date like date night last night. So you have in the fridge some filet mignon and chocolate covered strawberries and a salad, right, and you need to take those ingredients and turn them into a flavor bomb brunch and just completely unrecognizable. And then of course the person that uses the most leftovers they don't necessarily win, but

we that counts. And then for round two, my fridge comes out, and it's sort of Pee Wee's Playhouse vibes, where like, my fridge is a character on the show, and sometimes she shout and we have to like chant to get her, get her hotzpun fridge fridge. Finally, her little shy ask comes out. I opened the fridge and in there are take out leftovers that are you know, quote unquote mine. So they'll be like three different Chinese food dishes, three different Italian dishes. Each episode a different

ethnicity of food. And in round two, the cooks need to take whatever Chinese food they were randomly given and turn it into high end cuisine of a totally different ethnicity. If you can't take Chinese and keep it that way, And we had people turning Italian food into curry and dinner food into Italian. I mean, it was it's nuts what these people did. So are they all well known chefs?

So it was a season one of the show, and so we're pretty confident that, you know, next season what the people do is going to be even crazier and the chefs will be even crazier. But we got I guess our cast our cooks. They were incredible. I don't think any of them are like world renowned, you know, Bobby Flame vibes. It's not the Iron Chef leftovers, but it is all these people can cook like that. The bit isn't that like they're making gross food. The bit

is that they are killing it. Bear, let's that dude curious with this teeny tenny legs. Bear, that's exactly how long your legs should be. You're killing the game well as even supports you. So what is your role on the show, because I assume not to assume, but I assume you're not Julia Child's thank you for seeing my true heart so early in this interview, I burned toast.

So I'm not trying to sit here and pretend when these guys are making this incredible food that I know what I'm talking about, but my mouth works, so I can still tell you what it tastes like. And it's sort of like the Lehman's I come in with that Layman angles. We've got Rosemary Shrager, who is rightnown world renowned chef cookbook author. Um. I mean this guy, David so is an incredible strontour culinary influencer. He cooks as well, but he doesn't fancy himself like a chef. And so

those two guys are really giving the critiques. As far as you know, it could be brighter. It could be using a lot of food words where I'm just shoving my face and being like this is very good. Or why is this the consistency of boogers, you know things, high end, high end, high end critiques. You're like every man, You're the blue color. You're the Bruce Springsteen of this show. Don't please with the high compliment. I'm the I'm the boss whatever. That's incredible. Yeah, even if you said I

was little Stevie, I would have been flattered. But I'm also I mean, if I'm Bruce, I'm Bruce, Like, I don't have no more questions. Wait, were you on sopranos. Yes, and I played Little Stevie's daughter. I know, dude, I've been acting since I was nine. Like, there's a lot of little pieces to put together in this journey. I do want to get to all of that. But I

want to put a bow on this show. It's on Netflix, by the way, and everyone, obviously you need to go watch you purely because you need ideas for what the hell to do on day seven thousand nine three of us quarantine with all the food in the refrigerator. But my question is this, because like you've done everything, you're like so multi talented and multi facetage. Did you come up with this idea? Was it was like this idea

for this show? Like your brain shall no. Actually, so, the brief version of this crazy story is that the Magical Elves, who are sort of the best in class for reality producers, I mean, uh, for competition shows. Um, no disrespect to the batch obviously from the links. Uh, these guys made Top Chef and Project Runway and nailed it and they know what they're doing. And so I just took a meeting with them. They were looking they

had this idea. It was already at Netflix, and they had and they wanted I believe female, but that part I'm not sure about. I think they wanted like a female comic who was Netflix talent so they could keep it in the family and sort of have the people stay in the platform and hop from show to show. And I took a meeting with them, and the whole thing was like, it's kind of funny. Uh, are you an actor as well? No, it's just a radio host

before all of this. Well, all right, well I'm your manager, Okay, whatever inside we'll talk about. Like, but there's this thing, um, and I think I've been doing this so long that I get when when something really goes well in a meeting, really goes well, I tamp it immediately. Like when I leave, I'm like, cool, it's over. That never happened. I'm never going to think about it again, because in the beginning part of my career, I can't tell you how many times I went on an audition in the room, I

just have chills thinking about this. In the room, they were like, hey, Jackie, don't don't don't cut your hair, like you know, giving you these little sort of and then as I was leaving, maybe like Jackie and I

turned around. They'd be like, come back in. The producers want to see one more thing, and you'd come back in and you're like the other girls in the waiting room were like, oh ship that girls of call back, like you just know it's yours and then it's not and it's just and that happened ninety nine times out of And so I'm in this meeting and like, I'm telling this ridiculous story about how the paparazzi caught me leaving Craigs with six bags of leftovers, looking like a

freaking My bangs were greasy. I looked like an absolute shit storm when people could still go to restaurants, And it was the first time I ever got paparazzi. So part of it was like, oh my god, I made it, and the other part was like I look like a garbage fire, and am I why do I have so many bags? And it was so embarrassing. So I pull up the Getty images in the meeting of me taking out all these leftovers. One of the Netflix executives on her chair like you do leftovers from Craigs? What is

wrong with your like raw screaming. The vibe is amazing, and I'm like this is everything, this is my dream, and then my brain instantly goes to like, calm down, this isn't yours yet. Even if it is yours, it's not yours. Everything could go up. It's like it's kind of I don't know, not to get to a psychological but it's kind of sad because you can't let yourself exist in that joy place for too long because it's so much further to fall when you find out it

actually isn't yours. So you have to bring yourself back down to this middle ground of like, okay, breathe it out. I did my best. That was a fun experience. Anything can happen. And then I left and as I was leaving, sort of calming myself down, the head of the Magical Elves comes out of the Netflix building and he's like, uh, yeah, we're gonna make it with you. Netflix wants to do it. We want to do it. It's gonna be you. And it was like why I started to cry like a

little plus dude, it was a long time coming. I waited. I waited for an executive to follow me out of a building and tell me it was me for the better party of five years. So it's pretty cool. That's awesome. I want to know what, because I've been to Craig's. I want to know what you brought? Was the chicken? Like what did you bring home from? Yeah? Okay, So what happened was I went for like a Glow season two or three celebratory dinner with my agent and the gods.

Is getting to be such a Hollywood douchey story. So suddody. It was with my agent at this very fancy restaurant. But what's funny is I'm such a low red bitch. I don't know what Craig's was not a clue. With due respect to Craigs, which is now truly one of my favorite restaurants, It's not a fancy name, sounds like a Jewish guy from New York, like Craig Rosenthal. I was like, well, going to Craig's, Like, I don't know what that even is? Like, okay, So we go to Craig's.

I meet him there, and on my way in, I noticed all the paparads here there. They obviously don't care about my homeless looking twelve year old boy ass. So I'm going in like, okay, I don't what is this place. J Lo and a Rod are at one table. All of Maroon five is at another table, and I'm like,

what where am I brings over the food? Um? My agent gets some fish I got I think the chicken palm where it's ridiculously good, And I think the waiter just has to at that point, at the end of the meal come over and say, like, you guys when I know, take anything home. My agent says no so fast, like my hair blows back like he's like, no, we're good, We're good. And I was like, oh, you're not taking You're not taking your Oh I'll take both. I'll take both of these, like this is no joke. Then we

got dessert. I also took that, and then I was leaving with three I literally think the waiter had to like go in the back and be like do we have to go boxes? Like is that something we offer here? And then I leave with three craigs bags, sweaty bangs, and a camo shirt and the pop paras like Jackie Jackie, and I'm like, they're obviously talking about a different Jackie because duh. And I turned around and they are flashing, flashing, flashing like crazy, and I'm holding all the leftovers bags.

So my mouth in the pictures is like, oh god, what like I'm making crazy mouth shapes. I've been learned to l after that that once they got you, they got you, so you just stand there and smile. But yeah, that was what we took from Craigs. I believe, the telapia and the chicken farm and some cheesecake, three different bags. Well, hey, you know what it got you, this reality show. So it worked out. Yes, that's great. And so to answer your question from before, I'm the host and I'm a judge,

one of three judges got it. What's the one thing someone has taken from leftovers and turned into something else that like I stuck with you that you're just like, Holy, that was amazing. I can't believe this happened. There was one woman who had some sort of Italian her name was John. I don't know why I remember this. She had some sort of Italian veal dish like it was maybe a veil parmegian. It was sauced, it was covered, it had a pasta on the side, and she turned

it into two types of curry. So she took the veal she covered in in all sorts of Indian spices, she added chickpeas. She turned it into a curry, so she made like a plated sort of soupy curry like where you used to and then also put some of it inside a fried pecora. And she also made the acora shell, the pastry that a p acora comes in. She made that and then took this veal let's call it, you know, deal parmesan, and turned it into two different Indian curries and it was there was no universe that

this was ever Italian food. And it was delicious before she made the little rice. I mean, it was nuts. What these people do on this show is is crazy. Best Leftovers ever is available right now on Netflix. Also on Netflix a show called Glow, which of course you play Melrose on. Last I saw from Glow was they were shutting down production because of COVID, which is happening everywhere in Hollywood. Is the thought to like eventually come

back when the world comes back to normal. You know, we still have our fingers crossed, but they're like kind of on the crossing, but just from being tired, not because we don't want it. Does that make sense? Like we're still I'm like, oh, that's I'm sort of getting a cramp in both of my pointers from from crossing my fingers so hard for so long. It doesn't look like they're going to make the fourth season. I mean

the show. The renewal of the show has been reversed, so it's ostensibly been canceled, but we're still hoping for a movie. I don't I don't know. Um, well, basically what happened was just like you said, but we we got put on hold. We made two and a half episodes. It's not like at the end of season three they were like, cool, you'll come back, and then like COVID happened and we didn't. We were well into making season four.

It's completely written. The actors are ready to go. All the costumes were bought and paid for, all the sets were built. I mean, we were already living in the world and doing the show. Like at a certain point you I don't wonder, like, wouldn't it just be easier at this point to just point the cameras at us and finish. But with COVID, at this point you need a COVID officer on set, you need medics, you need

to test the cast every day. I guess the rules now are that the days need to be shorter, and we used to work thirteen fourteen hours a day, so if we're spreading those days out, our episodes are going to take two and a half three weeks instead of six days. So I think it just became not really feasible time wise and financially and everything, and they just called it. I hope that doesn't last because I love that show, Thank you. I love that for like a

lot of different reasons. I mean, one for what it stands for, just in like this weird Hollywood world that we work in, just a show that's just all women kicking ass but also being funny and being amazing actresses. And then I'm a radio guy, so love Mark Merry. Like it just brought in a lot of things for me,

and so I really hope it continues on. If not, it's served a purpose I guess for me, which that's all that really matters, guys, as long as I'm happy that it was like a really important part of like amazing media to consume. Was Melrose, Like your character on that is so funny, and you're a comic. I know that you weren't, Like this is I want to play this person I or I assume I assume you went an audition for something, but when you read the character

where you like, oh my god, this is a dream role. Okay, So I lived through that and I'm gonna listen back to it at night and maybe cry. Um well because just hearing about people loving Glow the way I love Glow, especially men, that can sort of go like because we we never felt like we were a show for women. You know, there's I mean, especially since it's a bunch of hot women wrestling and leotard's like, yo, bros, watch

the show. But beyond that, like narratively speaking, and the story telling, the importance socially of the stories we're telling, and the representation on the show, and women of different ages and colors and body types just being who they are and being celebrated for being who they are. And you know, I've never seen a show before other than I would say Orange is the New Black, which is by Jingi Cohen as well, like that just has that

many opportunities for women. I mean, I've been doing this forever, and most of the shows I ever tried out for for before Glow were there was room for like one girl role that was like maybe kind of funny, but all the funny lines went to the dudes. So there was like one quirky girl on the show and you had to like fight for that part among all the funny girls in the whole city. And now here's this

show just celebrating all these clowns. But to answer your question, we um when I tried out for Glow, I tried out for Ruth a bunch of times. I tried out for I think I read the Sheila sides and Jenny the Jenny sides. She just was real cheered literally, and Melrose was sort of just like a party girl, like she was sort of like Madonna meets Paris Hilton, like sort of just very party. But I just brought my

own flavor to it. And they changed her character her name to from Melanie Rose to Melanie Rosen because your girl brought the Jewey and they were like, well, I guess we're not gonna be able to deny how Jewish this is checking out and speaking of representation, like I can't tell you how many Jewish women I've heard from that are like, dude, I've never seen anything like this on television. I've never seen this sort of representation and how my character in season three got to talk about

inherited trauma through being the kid of Holocaust survivors. I myself, I am the grandchild of Holocaust survivors, and the truth of our lives morphed into the truth of the show. So it wasn't like I read the breakdown and I was like, oh my god, body edgy, body mouth Jewish girl from New York, like she became that after I after I got cast, because they were and I think that happened with a lot of us, because they saw who we were and they strengthened the show by infusing

who we were into our characters in a powerful way. Then, because that character has so much depth and texture and I love her so much, and I just assume that, like, of course they gave the stand up comics slash actor slash musician like this role like that that makes sense to me, And now finding out that it's really more of you than her is really cool and very impressive.

Last thing before we get to like kind of my portion of the show, This was a character I assumed that you couldn't put so much of your spin on because originally they were just such a powerhouse, badass woman in comedy, but you got to be Gilda Radner. Sadly enough, I think a lot of my audience might not know what National Lampoons is and might not know like the genesis that is Saturday Night Live and like all those

old Chevy Chase movies and stuff. But like Gilda Radner was like one of the great SNL, the first cast member, just so iconic, and you get to play her in that movie. I just just real quickly like what was that like? As a comment, getting to be Gilda, Well, I have loved her forever. There was never she informed my comedy. She informed what I wanted to do with my life. Gilda Radner and Bette Midler and Joan Rivers.

As a kid, these were the women I looked at and I was like, yeah, that that what they're doing is what I want to do. And I played that Gilda Radner VHS tape her best of SNL forever, and I just would run around the house doing like, oh yeah, everybody doing Lisa Ludner and Rosanna Dana and just doing her characters my whole life. And when I was a kid, I um I did a spinoff show, Remember that show

all that. Of course, so they Nickelodeon. I had a development deal there and they signed me to a deal because I was doing all these characters as a kid when I was because I started doing stand up when I was fourteen. So when I was like sixteen, I did this stand up showcase Nickelodeon saw and I did all these characters. They gave me a deal and I had a spinoff show. I've actually never talked about this before.

It's so weird this is coming out right now. It was called and now this all that and know this, it was gonna be this other's like sketch show but more character driven. After all that, we did a pilot, it we aired. Rosie O'Donnell was our celebrity guests and we never made more. Um. But anyway, all that to say, that was my That was all guild I just was looking at her and I was like, I want to do that. So when I got the opportunity, I had nothing going on when I tried out for that Guilder role.

I'm telling when I tell you nothing like I had reps, but like you know, barely and this sort of small nothing was going on. I could barely get auditions, And my understanding is when I tried out for GUILDA, they'd seen everybody else in the city. Like I knew two months prior. Girl friends of mine knew were at UCB OR were like working comics, were like, dude, I try to for guild A red Or. That feels like it's more of like a youth thing. And I was like, oh,

I can't. I don't know. I didn't get the appointment. And finally I got the appointment. I went in and I through. I have chills again. I threw all much shit against the wall that it could have been like, oh my god, this girl is like changing, isn't she carrot top? Like that's okay. We saw four We saw four of Gilda's characters and there's been four costume changes.

Oh god, she's taking out a guitar. Like it could have looked if it was a different casting director other than Alison Jones, who is the greatest, it could have looked. It's hard, you know, like it went. It worked in my favorite, needless to say, because I got the part and uh, they appreciated the lengths that I went. But as an actor, I've tried that hard on auditions in the past and like the feedback was like, yeah, it

was a little much. I feel like, you know, you never know when you put yourself out there to that level, and we have to take care of ourselves as actors. Like I think what you learned from that is like, well, ship, don't put yourself, don't try that hard next time, like be more wrong living sin in office space and go in like you don't give a ship and this wouldn't really make a difference to you anyway. I mean, that feels like the vibe of the people who get the jobs,

and that's never been me. I've always shown up and been like I care so much and then it's like, all right, well to calm down because that's not hot, Like no one's trying to put that energy. But with Gilda, that's what I did. I went in there and I tried my goddamn hardest, and David Wayne watched the tape and he was like, she's Gilda and that was that. Did you try out for SNL? You know? I think I tried out once, but I used to test for Mad TV like every season. I think I tested for

Mad T be like four seasons in a row. Yeah, I was just thinking of this one character I had, which was al Pacino as a sock puppet. He used to just like sort of like ruin all my dates. But he was my own sock puppet on my own hand, so like I had complete autonomy over so I had like autonomy over him. But he would still just like with my ship all the time, and I'd be like, I'll, dude, I'm like on a date and he'd be like, you shouldn't go to some you should And it was just

al Pacino as a sock on my hand. That was one of my hits. Weird I never ended up on TV me. Another one was this character Stacy something, I forget her last name, but she was like super lupy and she was like a porn star. But the clamydia got to her head because I once read an article where clamydia can make you crazy. So she just was like a super bat but she was just like naked all the time and trying to a but she wasn't. Well, it's weird that those didn't make mainstream television. Look who's

laughing now? All right? Well that I feel like they probably still are. I feel like I could talk to you forever about just whatever. But I'm running out of time and I want to do kind of like the part of my show that I think is cool and important, So I we'll do it really really fast. But this is an origin story podcast. I like to find out how people got to this point in their career and

like what steps you took. Okay, we're gonna take a quick break, and when we come back, we're going to find out where the hell Jackie Tone came from and how the hell she got here. Stick around all right, back in the wells. Guest got Jackie Tone on the show. Now get to dive in deep to where you came from. You started early? Where are you from? I am from Oceanside, Long Island. And were you always like a comic? The greatest question ever? And were you always very loud? And

I happen to have always been this way. Yeah. I remember when I was a little kid. Um, you know, I would go on auditions and sometimes the feedback would be like, oh my god, she was the most exciting

person we've seen in months. And sometimes the feedback and I would behave the exact same way, and sometimes the feedback was like, yeah, she really kind of sucked all the air out of the room, like it just was, you know, it's just this is who I've always been, and it's always been for some people and not for others, and not really until I got older it was Okay, it's it's a hard fill to swallow, but I am who I am. You said you started doing stand up

at what age four? Team? Okay, So I mean, how does someone even do like how do you get into the chuckle hut or the zanies to like do five minutes at fourteen? Well, it's wild Caroline's in the cellar, But I in New York. So what's crazy is um I started acting sort of like dipping, which is so

funny to say, dipping my toe. I was literally a child, but I was started like begging my mom and to take me on auditions when I was like nine, And by the time I was eleven, I had this agent who was incredible, Aggie Gold at Fresh Faces Agency, who worked out of her backhouse in baldin Long Island, one town over. She and my mom knew each other because they were in Lama's together in like the seventies, not with me with my older brother and so on the

fifty nine. So then Aggie and my mom knew each other, and I always wanted to act, so my mom brought me to Aggie and she was like, well, we got it to give her classes to get rid of her long Island accent, and we gotta put her in this and put her in that. And then by the time I was twelve, I got my first job with guest starring on and Nanny and then always, like I said, always loved Gilda. So when I was like fourteen or fifteen,

I was doing it. Was back in the day. So in the nineties there were these development deals were the big thing. So if you could do a stick in front of people who in front of decision makers, That's how Ray Romano Roseanne Signed felt. These were just comics. They were grown ups, of course, but they were comics who executives were seeing and giving these development deals to curating and putting together a show for them, making the pilot.

Oftentimes they didn't get picked up, but of course the ones I mentioned mad about you all these he's went, I was doing Standard. I got it. My first development deal, I think was that Warner Brothers, and I got Nell Scovell, who was like one of the most impressive and inspiring female writers. She was the only female writer on The Simpsons and the only and one of the only female

writers on Letterman. She met me when I was fifteen and wrote me a pilot called Prudy and Judy and I a development deal and it never got picked up. And then I had another development deal at Nickelodeon that's where I had and now this, and then we didn't get picked up. And all of that was mostly because I was out trying to do characters and trying to do stand up and my age and Aggie would just

cold call people. I mean, she was the kind of person who would just like call whoever the powers that be at Nickelodeon and be like, I have someone for you and and I promise you you're gonna love her, and if you don't, you'll never hear from me again, and like beg them to see me. I had no credits. Then they would see me and be like, oh, it's

kind of funny, and then it would work. I think it's just the power to of having someone that's that in your camp is wild, someone who has the balls to just go outside the box and make those calls. I do love the fact that someone was like, we need to get her in acting classes to lose this long Island accent. And then the first show you do is The Man, Because because I'm gonna ask you, based on this podcast, how do you feel like those classes? Like how do you feel do you think I succeeded

getting rid of by a little guy lady act? I mean, it's just And then like with Melrose, I mean, I think, what's funny? And I um, I think I've I've said this out loud before, but like I didn't know I was. I didn't know I was specific, which just has to be like I've prided I pride myself on my self awareness, but I guess that enormous piece of me just managed to get right by me. Like I was like, why can't I just do everything? I didn't know that I

made more sense in a specific place. You did American Idol? What was that experience? Like, tried out for American Isoland like middle late twenties, and I've been acting seventeen years at that point, and it wasn't going. And so by the time I tried out for American Idol, it wasn't a second choice necessarily. It was more like in my very early twenties, I did a movie and Rest in Peace, the homely bred Renfro taught me how to play guitar. That that actor who was in the client, and um,

he was the best. So if we did a movie together and I was I would sing, I would like it was real gruff and I would like just be singing all the blues and he'd be playing the sick Louisiana, dirty old guitar like lap Steeld do Bro and just killing it. And we would sing in the trailer and he was like, you should play guitar. He was like he literally was like Billy Bob Thornton and slave like

his energy. He was like, you should play each o And I was like what I had just sing And he was like no, I'll pick up pick up that guitar and like put my hands where they needed to be and just like made me learn the guitar. And from then on, I this passion was ignited in me, which was already there, but now that I played an instrument, it was fully different. And then a few years later I just on a whim. I think it was. I think it was because the they an they had an

age limit on American Isold. It was twenty eight and at the time I was twenty eight, and I was like, this is my last chance. I'm old. It's over. Everything is so I was like, all right, I'll try out. I missed the l A audition and I happened to be and so I went to New York and I've tried out in Jersey and it just similar to what I was telling you about leftovers, Like the whole thing was wrapped in a bow, like it just kept being. The first day they met me, I was obviously making

a scene. They put a green sticker on me, and I found out the green sticker later meant the camera should find the people with the green stickers because we're already doing sort of stories with them and all these things, and it just it kept working, and Paula Abduel went on the leno and said I was her favorite, and it was all just like, oh my god. And the next day I got eliminated. So it was like all these dreams were finally realized seventeen eighteen years after I

started in this business. And then sort of not to be too dramatic, but once again it was like all gone and with the reality show. I think you obviously understand like and it's gone instantly like that. It's different than like getting a show canceled, because you still are an actor with reps and have momentum and things going on.

But with reality, like when I got eliminated from American Idol, like they put a little piece of paper under your door, You're not allowed to talk to anybody, see anybody, and usually go home and pretend it never happened, and then they own you for a year. You're not allowed to do live gigs, not even allowed to so much as make a YouTube video. They've changed all those rules now because I think they realize it's better for the show now with the power of social media, that these kids

could be promoting themselves and the show. But when I was on, you had to delete your Twitter, you had to delete my Space, you had to delete everything I had songs on iTunes. I had to like get an attorney to call iTunes to pull everything down. I mean, they wanted everyone to start on an even playing field, even though that was false, and so much so that they wouldn't let me play my guitar. They were like, we're even in the playing field. I was like, but

it's not even I played guitar and they would they wouldn't. Yeah, so's the show is very different now than it was when I was on it. Well, it all worked out for the best. And listen, I've had a bunch of friends go on that show and almost win or being the top couple, and that contract sucks. You just don't want that contract. True, Ultimately, what happened with me that

not winning and getting to where I got. They told me I wasn't allowed to tour, and I was like, you got it, and then instantly went on tour and secret tour, like I didn't have to promote it because like college, the colleges were promoting it themselves and so I didn't have to. I just went and did it. So, Um, you know I broke the rules in that way that they see me now seventy five years later. Um. But yeah, I think I've always I've always tried to just take

whatever opportunities and grind him into whatever little things I could. Jackie, I listen, I've gone over my time with you, so I want to be respectful of the rest of your day. But I literally I thought I could talk to you forever You're so funny and so wonderful. Congratulations on Glow and Best Leftovers and everything else music comedy. If people want to follow you and find out more about you, where do they need to go? Follow me? Everywhere at Jackie Tone Jackie t o h N like John but

with a T at Jackie Tone. I think mostly Instagram is where I where I live and where I post everything and all the news. Ship that's going on. Well, when the world gets back to normal, can we go to Craig's together? I would love Oh my god, double dated at Craig's. Are you joking me? And we'll bring Bear and Coral and Glenn. Oh, I just got way too excited about the prospect. Well you're the ship. This was so delightful. Thank you, buddy, Thank you. Have a

great day. And I'd be safe out there because you know, world's ending. Okay, Alma, get in oy help me all talk to God. She's awesome. That was so much fun. I'm such an energy person. I know that sounds so horoscope crystals astrological signs of me, so just Hollywood, I guess, but I'm not that person. But the more interviews that I do, and I've done so many thousands of interviews at this point. Energy is so contagious. We've talked about it before, like when we had Star Jennings on and

I was like, Matt story was so inspiring. It just completely turned around my day. Not that I was having a bad day, but having a bad year, I guess, but her energy just completely turned me around. And I hope that happens for you guys out there listening, Like when someone's energy can just completely just uplift you. Successful people are successful for a reason, and I can't imagine anyone not wanting to work with someone like that whose energy comes in just bonkers. She's also someone that I

want to be friends with, you know. Anyways, I think that's the takeaway of this episode is your energy is so important when doing anything. Anything you do, even something, you can still turn the energy around, make it funny. I don't know. I loved Jackie Tones interview. That was so much fun. Hey, guys, go go rate and review the show if you can. If you like it five stars, tell me how you feel about things, whatever. It helps

with the algorithm, all that kind of stuff. Follow me at wells Adams Also the the Instagram page for all of our guests and everything is wealth Cast podcast, so go follow that if you could, and yeah, go forth, try to be more like Jackie Tongue. All right, later, guys, subscribe to wealth Cast on I Heart Radio, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you get your podcasts. It's the Internet, Internet