This is the most dramatic podcast ever and iHeartRadio podcast. Chris Harrison Lauren Zema coming to you from the home office in beautiful Austin, Texas. I hope everybody had a great holiday week. You had a good Thanksgiving. You have to spend some time with family or better yet, the people you really love. He's joking, I'm joking. No, it's uh. Laura and I often discussed like do you you know, do you have to spend time with family. We'll get
into that someday. But we spent Thanksgiving. We talked about I went to your hometown and your childhood home in Elgin, Illinois, not Chicago. It's a suburbs, yes, beautiful, and it was beautiful. I loved it. I absolutely had the best time with Donna Zema, your mom, Christina, your sister. Unfortunately, the guys couldn't make it this year. It was me. I was solo with the ladies.
You were, which you know, I think you do well in that environment.
It is where I thrive the most.
Yeah, why do you think that is? Is it all because of the show, because you actually grew up with just a brother. But we've had this discussion before. You like one time we went on a trip to Mexico. Yeah, and my little sister. We invited my little sister and her husband. Her husband wasn't able to come, but we told my sister was like, well, I just want to come. So we ended up doing a trip a few days. You and I and then my sister joined. And you
just do well when it's you and the ladies. What is that about?
I think Number one, I was raised by amazingly strong, beautiful women. True, your mother, my mom, my cousins, and my grandmother and aunts, and so I just I've always had really really strong women present in my life. And so I just you know, keep up or shut up. And then obviously I think the show, the show had to have had some effect over twenty years of being surrounded by thirty women and dealing with all that.
Right, because let's well, here's an easy way to tell. Yeah, picture yourself in a situation like this past week. And what happened was my little brother. I don't know if everybody's heard there is this horrible illness sweeping respiratory dogs. Yes, so my little brother has two dogs. His kennel canceled. He had to stay home in California with his dogs, so he couldn't make Thanksgiving. And then my sister's husband
was with his parents. So in the situation we had this weekend which was you, me, my mom, and my sister. How would you have done like in your twenties Chris Harrison before ever being on the show versus now, Chris Harrison, how would you have vibed in each you know, before or after the show?
Good question. I think I feel I would have feared the same in that I would have done well. I would have been comfortable in this situation. But I think I am with my experience and my age, I am much more comfortable of just letting things happen, letting things roll off.
My family and every guy your age would be like shirle out with all the women in my family.
Yeah, things just don't bother me at all like that in that regard. I don't know if they ever ever would have, but definitely now in my life, I just I love it. I really just relish the opportunity to be with you. We divided and conquered a couple of times early on in our relationship, and sometimes it's just the way we get through it, and we kind of appease both our families, but I obviously I just love it when we're together and it means so much to me.
It meant a lot to me. We didn't fly together to Chicago, but it meant a lot to me just flying into Chicago. Walking through O'Hare Airport, which is of many airports, is maybe the most beautifully dressed.
It's so fascinating. Yeah, shout out to O'Hare Airport, famously filmed in home alone when the family is running trying to catch the plane. They always do the best Christmas decoration.
It's that one American Airlines terminal where they shot that scene, and that's where we arrive because we fly American in there, and so walking through that is it is iconic and whether you know it or not, you know it, and it just it sparks that kind of nostalgia. And so oh here airport's beautiful and the airport was not crazy.
Everybody was awesome, and it was good to go out to your childhood home, which I had never been before, but I had heard so much about it, just to see the origin story of Lauren z Ema.
Did it change the way you thought of me at all? No?
I think it's cemented of why who you are, why the way you are, of just you. You know, when you talk about Midwestern people, I think we have this idea of how giving they are and loving and nurturing and kind of family oriented. And the way you grew up I wouldn't say on a farm, but you guys kind of grew up on some land.
It's hard to explain.
You were kind of isolated with your family, and it's just like it was little, a little little house on the prairie for me.
It is. So I think people don't because I say I'm from Chicago, because if anybody else out there is from the Chicago suburbs. If there's so many Chicago suburbs, and if you say the name of your suburb Lake Forest or Neighborville or whatever, people unfamiliar are like, well where is that? So I just say Chicago and people who live in the city get annoyed at people who live in the suburbs saying.
Don't know it's from Chicago. That's like me, I'm from Dallas. And when people I'm like, oh, where are you from Denton or McKenny, you're not from Dallas, then okay.
Okay, Well so, but I grew up on several acres of land because we're kind of forty minutes to an hour outside the city, and my parents bought the land like back in the eighties and like built our house on it. So yeah, it is kind of isolated. But I think it gave me And it was interesting to talk to you about it because it kind of made me reflect on what I got out of that upbringing.
I think two major things. One, it made my family very close, Like we didn't have neighbors, so my siblings and I were always hanging out together, and my siblings and I are very close today. And two it gave me, well, it also made me a kind of a weirdo. I'll say three things. I love being a weirdo. We had to read a lot. Again, we did have a lot of people to hang out.
With, wander through the woods, acting.
Using our imaginations. So and then three, I think it gave me like a sense of you know, our family pitches in and helps and does things together. Yeah, I don't come home for the holidays and just sit around and my mom does everything. And part of that was growing up sort of in the woods. I mean, one time my sister and I came home for Christmas and an owl had dropped dead in our front yard and my sister and I had to go shovel that owl
and bring it out to the woods. And so that's just like what my family does and what I wanted to compliment you on. And if anybody's just starting to date someone and maybe you are planning on or did bring them home to your family for the first time this holiday season, It is such a gauge to me on a relationship if you bring someone home and they jump in and start helping, Like, do they just see themselves as a guest, or are they Hey, can I do anything in the kitchen? Can I take the trash out?
Can I? Like? That is such a read on what type of partner person is going to be.
Look for stuff to do, don't wait to be asked, and don't just go sit in front of the television and watch football whatever. Get involved. And to me, that was that's how I've I've honestly connected very well with your mom because we spend a lot of time in the kitchen together. We talk and you know, we just share things. It's not anything specific. And I enjoy also being involved and engaged. It gives me something to do.
And I am so grateful because Lord knows, I can't help my mom in the kitchen.
And then you get involved in your ways, like you know, as I.
Set up the tables, I set up the bar. Thank god, Chris Harrison, the Soux chef is the soux chef my mom always wanted in her family. Let's talk about your pecan pie.
Yeah, so I was in charge of my famous mashed potatoes and I did a tenderloin and that famous that wow, world famous, world famous mashed potato.
Were they ever on the show?
Nobody can know. I've never cooked on the show. I never I would have been I would have been a good date. If I had cooked for them, that would be hilarious. They showed up and I just cooked them dinner and we all hung out. That would actually been a good idea.
I'm going to go on a quick we need a name for when we do this. I'm going to go on a tree branch for a minute, just branch out from the main topic and we'll circle back. What are some things you wanted to do on the show, because I know that it was always you know, you had a lot of bosses. And I've been in that situation too, where you have a fun, creative idea and people just say no, no, no, what did you want to do or film or do as a date? That never happened?
The A number one When the kids were younger, I wanted to show up at a date and drop off my kids.
Why did they never do that?
I pitched this idea for years when the kids were younger, and I'm like, here's what I'm gonna do. I said, We're going to set it up like, oh, we're having a fun, sexy movie night. Nope, ding dong, here's my kids. Guys, I'll be back in a few hours and just leave my kids and you have to babysit them.
Brilliant.
And I would have told my kids because they were olding a and like, yeah, be a holy tare just like raise hell today. But I thought that would have been a great date because that's real life, Like now, you got to take care of kids, and how are you know even if they were super young, because you know, my kids were born while I was doing the show.
Josh was born six weeks before I got hired, but then Taylor was a couple of years later, so they were young enough to where I mean, they could have been diaper changing age, like you have to watch babies.
Such a good idea, and it would have been safe because sometimes if you bring in like outside unknown kids, that can be a little that's a lot on a set.
Or for but no union issues. These are my kids, and I would have sat in the control room and made sure they weren't going to, you know, really harm them too much. And I would have been able to judge a lot by that. Yes, see how they are with the kids.
What was the reason why they never did that, I don't know.
They don't give Probably because he was my idea. They hated if I ever had an idea.
I wish people sometimes okay, I don't want to get it all, get into it, go well. There's just something really psychological that happens in this business. And I don't know if other industries are like it, but it is because when you are like an on camera personality, the higher ups never want you. They don't want to pay you that much. So the part of the way that they keep your salary down is they kind of psychologically make you feel like your ideas aren't good enough or
anybody else could take this job. You're it's not that you're so good at it, And I definitely think that.
Was a one I worked for someone specifically who had the kind of belief that if it wasn't their idea, then it was not a good idea. Yeah, and that was an odd, odd way to work for me.
I remember there were some scenes that you did some bits, like during the pandemic seasons, whenever it was at Lakita. I can't remember who season that like Tasha and Claire's I think, and you were so funny, And even though we were dating at the time, I remember thinking, I know, I'm dating this guy, and I'm a little bit of rose colored glasses on for him. But he's funny, and you never got to do those funny You know.
Why we did that. We were able to do it is because we were in quarantine and the people didn't have that much to do well, and the people that were usually the biggest roadblocks, they weren't willing to come quarantine. They didn't want to be with us. So the producers I really got along with and really loved, and I thought were amazingly creative and really ran the show. We
didn't have to put up with any roadblocks. We were in this bubble, and so we got to actually finally do what we wanted to do, which was half some laughter, make me kind of a comedic moment or two at a time. So that's we were bizarrely more unfettered.
Well, no, that totally makes sense, because those people didn't want to bother to quarantine.
No, no, they weren't. They talked about coming, but they weren't ever going to come.
Back to Thanksgiving. I made a pie, and you are a pie perfectionist.
No, well, yes, but I'm not a baker. I do love to cook. I love to make food. I love to make you dinners and things like that, but I'm not a baker and it is a different skill set, and so I don't bake a lot of cakes and cookies and pies. And in fact, I never made a pecan pie from scratch. By the way, I did not make the crust, so that part was not from scratch, but the rest was. And you guys went somewhere.
Probably Marshalls, probably Marshalls or.
No, you know what, y'all went to Orange Theory. You did a late night Orange Theory Sash I and y'all asked if I wanted to go. I said, no, I'm going to stay and get this pecan pie done because your mom only has one oven and we were kind of trying to share the oven, and so I stayed to make a pie. They were making other pies, and so the oven was set at like three seventy five or something. I needed it three point fifty. It was. It was an away game. You know how you're not
comfortable in someone else's, you know, stadium. So I was in your mom's. I didn't really understand the oven, and I didn't get it down to the right temperature, and I burned my first pie.
It wasn't that burnt. But this is why I say pie perfectionist in the most complimentary way. I knew he like we got back. He's like, I burnt the pie. It really wasn't burnt.
It was well, if you watch Great British Baking Show, it was over baked, yes. Paul would have said overbaked, over baked, yes, And so it was just you know, ten to fifteen degrees hotter than it should have been, which so it didn't spare.
Here's what was so cute. Yeah, I knew you wouldn't be able to let it go. I knew it. I'm like, babe, it's really fine, but I knew. And finally I just said, do you want us to get more stuff? And do you want to rebake this pie? And of course you said yes, you need to put out a good product. It's important.
I want to impress your mom. And I knew the family was coming over. I wanted to produce what I said I was going to produce and so, and I needed to prove to myself that I could do this because I had the process down. I'm like, okay, I got this, the slow pour in and this. I was like, okay, I got the process, and it was just that stupid extra fifteen degreeses. I'm like, damn it, I can do this. And the next one actually turned out really well.
I I the pie was great. Everybody loved it. His tenderloin crushed, the mashed potatoes famous killed all very good. You just men that you didn't make your own dough. I have a serious question, because you know, I don't know what cheats are acceptable in the kitchen at the holidays, stuff like making your own dough or not. I know some people will you know some people just go buy their turkey, yeah or whatever, Like, what are you.
I talk to a woman today who she was telling me how she was making her turkey, and I asked her today post things give us they had to go. She's like, it actually turned out great. I'll never do it again. And I don't disagree with that. I told her, I said, you know, I get that. There's I take joy in the work. I think your mom does too. I don't know if your sister does as much, but she was in there cranking it out with us. But I think there are people that truly get enjoyment from
the days leading up to it. I'm fine if you want to buy the whole thing, buy the whole thing, go to a store, go to whatever, have it catered. I'm fine with that. But I just there are certain things. Here's what I would be okay with. Personally, I'd be okay with, get the proteins, go get a turkey, go get a tenderloin and whatever. I enjoy making the sides. I think that's the fun part.
Oh yeah, I was also going to say, I'm totally like, pick up a pie, you know, from your great local bakery. I mean, obviously, I can't say anything about it because I don't cook any of it. But I actually fall in the category of liking the preparation more because to me, I mean Thanksgiving, the day was great, my cousins were there, we played some card games, We had a great time.
But you get so much more like I love family chaos, and I think some fun family chaos happens when my mom's going to the grocery store twenty times, and did she accidentally forget to pull the turkey out of the freezer And we're cleaning the house, and in those little moments, you know, life happens in the little moments. A lot in those little moments is when we laugh the most and we're kind of tired and we're teasing each other, and those are where I make a lot of memories.
For sure. The two days I spent in the kitchen with your mom were my favorite times with your mom. That was the most intimate where I got to talk and share and both you know, we you were off doing stuff and it was just us. And so to me that if I had lost all that and I just came in and we laid out pre prepared stuff and pre bought stuff, it wouldn't have been the same moment for me. It wouldn't have been the same experience. So I like that. I like getting in the weeds
and diving in and cooking and making our mistakes. And your mom is like me. She cusses and gets mad when she makes a mistake in the kitchen, just like I do. Like we very much.
Sh A lot has happened since I was a kid. We weren't allowed to say the word sucks when we were kids, like that sucks.
And by the way, your mom did not you thought she said one thing. And she really doesn't cuss. She's like, you know, like gosh, darn or whatever.
That's your she started cussing. Yeah, she's growing up and she started cussing.
I don't know, but I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving and I did. I loved oh And by the way, a shout out to Mariano's. I think that was the grocery story I went to, isn't it? Yes, good memories Jewel Osco. Had never been to a Jewel Losco. They were great, such.
A great wa to get in touch with the place you're visiting.
Go to the local grocer totally. And also you guys. Was it the Beef Shock beef Shack?
His first Chicago beef.
So I I got there and I said, you know, they're like, what do you want? I said, well, I want Italian beef.
You know, there's like a sandwich, that's what it is.
And so we went to a place called Beef Shack and it was fantastic. I this is what a gluttonis, Chicago pig. I wanted to be because I'm a foodie. I just love trying everything. So I got the beef sandwich there and I got a hot dog, a Chicago dog that was you know, has the pickles, the relish, the green, the super green. No, but it was very good. And I had to get a pizza before I left, and I went to lou mal Natti's right Loom and I posted about this. I'd tell you what, that really
strikes a very personal emotional cord. I've never had so many Chicagoans reach out to me and be like that is the best. That is what I dreamed, and I order it and they will ship it to you. But we had a great because we were at the second oldest Lou mel Naughties that opened in nineteen seventy one, Illinois.
Yes, I think people are very passionate about the food. They grew up on the local spots. I mean, some of those local spots become franchises or chains. But it's always interesting to see what lives up to the hype, because sometimes you know, like I remember, I told you about Portillo's and about Portillo's chocolate cake and how great it was, and then you tried it and it did live up.
It changed my life. The Portillo's chocolate cake changed my life. It's the greatest chocolate cake I've ever had. And if you ever have a chance Portillo's, by the way, congratulations. They are spreading around the country. I saw one in Scottsdale, Arizona, and a couple other c They're moving iois but it's it is a Chicago, Illinois thing. Oh one more, shout out, what's the name of your favorite Greek restaurant? Y'all finally took me to here.
We love Greek Isles. It's in Lombard. It's also in downtown Chicago, and it is.
Old school Greek. And it was Lauren and her mom and her sister. They've been telling me about this place for forever. And they always go and I've always wanted to visit. So we went to Greek Isle's as well, and that was great. Yes, it was wonderful.
So I did I just realized, I didn't tell you what. I'm taking a turn Tree Branch. That's where we had my dad's celebration of life.
Oh really kind of wake yes, yeah, so that place is I didn't know that.
I just realized I didn't tell you that. Yeah, that's where we had it. So that's how important that restaurants us.
But now I'm really glad I went. Yeah.
You know what, though, I just realized that's a really beautiful thing about it is we don't have sadness when we're there though.
Yeah. No, it was definitely a joyful celebration.
No, we kind of did an early birthday dinner for me, and we've had a lot of family celebrations there over the years. And as I think about it, that's really pretty beautiful that one place can be all those things, you know, it's it can be a place of reflection and tears but joy and Yeah.
And my favorite thing about the Zema ladies. When we go to restaurants, I really don't order. I just sit there they order. We also went to an Italian place that was really good and I just sit. I know the food's going to come my way and the zema don't get in the way. Just And we also went to the local Orange Theory twice. Yes, I went with your mom, your sister and yourself. There was all four of us. We lined up on the treadmills. Treadmill one through four.
Shout out to Misty, she's missed the instructor in Bartlett, Illinois.
Bartlett, Illinois that we went to the Bartlet Orange Theory twice.
But what again? Is great? And I guess I don't. I love that you're listening everything and getting everyone shout out. But what it makes me think is when you visit someone's family, jump in, do what they do? Like a big red flag to me is not only does someone not pitch in and help, but if you go to somebody's house, do you make it about you? If you go out to dinner with somebody and their people and they like to order and share, are you the well? No,
I just like to get my own thing. Like when you're on somebody else's turf, jump in, live life the way they lived. Experience that you're kind of seeing their family culture, their vibe. Maybe you don't have to do it forever, but you did a really great job of doing that the first time. And it's not something I asked you to do, it's just who you are.
Well. I loved it, and it was great to see a little piece of your history in your origin story. And it was great to go to Elgin, Illinois in Chicago. Let's get to the headline.
Let's jump in with something that happened over Thanksgiving weekend. You were very excited about it. Dolly Partons. Was it a halftime performance at the Dallas Cowboys game but started some controversy. I would never think that Dolly Parton would come a controversy. Everybody loves her. But she wore a Dallas cheer cheerleaders uniform at seventy seven years old. Yes, and some people took issue with.
It a couple of First of all, the Dallas Cowboys playing on Thanksgiving is a tradition. They always play on Thanksgiving days, kind of like the Detroit Lions, although Detroit always loses unfortunately, and the Cowboys always win. They didn't play each other, but that game is a tradition. Watching it on Thanksgiving as a family tradition of mine, and I was very thankful that you guys didn't mind that I had the game on at the Zema house. So
we watched the Cowboy game and two things. Number one, Jack Harlowe performed at a prior game earlier that day and had a disastrous performance. It was unbelievably panned, critically destroyed. It was really weird. Nobody's really sure if he was sabotaged by his manager. What happened. It was terrible. So then it's always a big tradition with the Salvation Army that the Cowboys have a Salvation Army halftime show on Thanksgiving Day. It kind of kicks off their Giving and
it's a big deal who the performer is. This year was the legend the icon Dolly parton. Everybody was pretty excited about that. Just in general, it's Texas, It's Dolly. Things are bigger in Texas, if you know what I mean. And Dolly comes out and she is in the most iconic uniform, maybe next to the Cowboys themselves. The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, as we say, and as they say, often imitated, never equalled. Well, I think they were imitated and equalled
by Dolly Parton because guys, she crushed it. And I don't know why anybody thinks that's controversial. I don't know why anybody has a problem with it, because she is a legend, and the thing, the legend of Dolly has always been a woman who forged her own path, the woman who broke through every glass ceiling, who created this industry on her own, a female artist and a very male driven world, especially when she broke in. I mean think of her as kind of the Barbara Walters of
country music. She was doing this at a time when it was really not all that welcomed and admired, and she did it. And so for her to come out and what break another mold, you got a problem with it. She is a badass, legendary icon, and she just once again proved why she is a legend.
I agree with everything you just said. I mean, some people were saying, you know, and I hate when media does this, when it's like grab one tweet and you know, act like that's the I think overall people didn't have an issue with it, you know, I guess I saw it was like the one tweet was like act your age I mean, please, I think.
What's acting seventy seven? Do you want to walk out and over?
What that mentality says to me is like a judgment on women. I mean, so what if that was a So if that's a woman in it's ages, and if that's a woman who's twenty five wearing that, then it's okay.
Yeah you think she's hotter? Is that better for right?
I mean, Dolly Carden's beautiful. She looks great, like you said, I mean, she has always beaten march to the beat of her own drum, and.
That's what makes her great.
And she's changed the world by doing that. So thank you for changing the world in many ways, Dolly.
And you know, definitely paved you know, paved the path for whether it's Kelly Clarkson or know any all the women that came through in the nineties, you name it that like, she is the one who paved that path. And she was on the show. Dolly was on Bachelor I think it was Emily Maynard season. She was on. I think we went to Dolly World. Good guest, Yeah, and yeah it was a good guest. She was awesome.
She's just salt of the earth, beautiful woman. Love her, and I'm glad that she really blew it up on Thanksgiving Day for my beloved Dallas Cowboys who won and made it just that much sweeter, made the pie taste that much better on Thanksgiving.
Here's a comparison I would give if a seventy five year old I don't know actor sports announcer say that, How.
About Mick Jagger, he's one hundred and eight.
Okay, if he came out in a Dallas Cowboys football uniform because they were performing, would anyone have said, Mick actor age? Oh no, they think it was.
Funny about So when Creed came out years ago and they were in Dallas Cowboy uniforms.
I didn't remember.
I don't remember the inspirational Creed moment.
Wow Creed.
By the way. A little media note, Forty one point four million people watched the Dallas Cowboys versus the Washington Commander's football game. Obviously a captive audience. That is why Jerry always makes sure the Dallas Cowboys play on Thanksgiving Day. But when you think TV is dead, when you think things have gone by the wayside, forty one million people. That was the third largest viewing audience of a regular season football game in the history of the NFL. That's pretty crazy, all right.
Another headline Catherine McPhee and David Foster talking about the way that they discipline their two year old son. So they are acknowledging and saying that they have very different parenting styles. In fact, Catherine says, quote, his era of parenting is different. Now I'm giving their ages here because that's what they're talking about. Katherin mcpheas thirty nine. Her husband, David Foster is seventy four.
You could be a Dallas cowboy cheerleader outfit to be perfect, right, He's right in that age group.
So they have their two year old son, and I guess David is kind of wanting to discipline and Catherine doesn't think that they're really ready to be in that disciplinary place yet. And she said his era of parenting is different. So the questionnaire is, you know, how do you handle that as a couple, How do you handle it if you have such different parenting styles In this case, it's about the way you were raised, your era that you came up in.
And by the way, no indictment on their age difference whatever, But basically what we're talking about is the way I raise my kids in the way my parents because he is the same age as my parents.
Well he has like fully grown adult children, so he's already done the parenting thing once through its n.
But this is a it's a generation gap. It is a difference in how generations raise kids. He I mean, so seventy four, So that's back what in the fifties, you know, when he was born, and so he was raising kids in the sixties and seventies, maybe the eighties, and so that was a very very different time in the world. And so I get it.
He actually has two daughters in their fifties.
So his daughters are older than me.
Well, he has daughters in their fifties, their forties, and a daughter in her thirties.
I will say he's done it. He's been there, actually parented through a lot of aeras. He has been through a lot of areas, he's been through the trenches. So I you know, look, it's hard to deny when it has worked before. But I'm sure I'm curious what the big differences are. If it's like I spank, he very well may have spanked his kids, you know, back in the seventies and eighties and nineties, that's well, spank their kids.
And I think that's kind of frowned upon now, and so maybe that is her thing, or maybe the way he talks and he's tough love and a little more stern in my way or the highway, whereas I'm guessing maybe she's a more reasonable. You know, there are those parents who are like, we don't ever say no to our kids. We encourage, we, you know, talk to them, and so I'm guessing those are the usually the one.
Of the comments she says in this article is like, she's not someone who wants to say that's bad, Like, don't do that, that's bad. You know. I do think parentings evolved in a lot of good ways over the years too, you know, with new research and what works with kids and what doesn't. And I mean, look, we
all have childhood trauma where our parents raised us. So to me, what's important because whether it's an age gap or where you're from, a lot of people are going to have had different upbringings and that's going to create different parenting styles. A friend of mine, who is so insane with her husband, told me this simple thing. She said, We talked a lot about how we wanted to parent before we became parents, And I thought, I don't know if that's something a lot of people do.
No, I think you're like, well, we're parents, now let's start parenting.
You're right now, Well, I think you fall in love and you talk about are we going to get married? Or we do we work together?
But when you're great conversation to have.
Yeah, do you have the conversation Maybe you say do we want to have kids? But do you say how do you want to raise your kids? Well?
You know, it's interesting Like obviously you and I had the conversation about not having kids. But a conversation I would have loved to have had with you is, Babe, if we had a baby, how would you discipline them? If we had a little boy and he did something, how would you discipline him? Cause I don't know that about you. It's very It's a great conversation to have, like if you should know is your husband going to spank your kids? Do you believe in that? Is that
how you were raised? I changed throughout my parenting. I just kind of evolved quickly because what you know is how you were raised. I wanted to be my dad. I wanted to emulate my dad. I think he was a great father, and so I started. I was very my way or the highway. I was very old school, probably like David Foster, because my dad's about that age, in his seventies, mid seventies, and so I was tougher. It was really tough love, and I was very strict.
I remain pretty strict. I think my kids joke about it. They joked about it at our wedding, but and I'm proud of that. I think there are very strong lines you need to set that. I feel like that was my job as a parent. Make boundaries, hold those boundaries. Their job is to push those boundaries. And the more you give, the more they're going to take. And that's that's their job.
So would you parent differently today if you suddenly had a kid tomorrow? Would you parent differently than you did with Josh and Taylor? Have you changed or evolved at all? Or I mean, you made two pretty great kids.
But I thought about having kids again and how that would be, And here's how what I think I would change. And I don't think I know. Here's what I would be different at what I care about. I for sure would have better perspective on things I care about, like youth sports, things that do not matter, you know, you think, like for all the parents out there, I can tell you right now your kids not going to the pros.
Now for point one percent of you that are listening, maybe he is, Maybe little Johnny, little Susie's going.
You mean about like winning and being good because I was going to say, I think youth sports and I'm not a sports advocate, but teaches you how to be a team player are important.
The biggest proponent of youth sports. It is invaluable to get your kids involved in youth sports, even when they're not good and they're not going to be pro whatever, just learning that team aspect and like you said, winning
and losing, and that is invaluable for sure. But I'm just the you know, I see these parents and I grew up around the living vicariously through your kids, and you know, getting them a batting coach and a pitching coach at age eight, you know, and it it's just it's so it's so much, and you see these kids
actually breaking down physically. Like I was talking to a friend of mine about his kids are already getting surgeries and having issues and things that just normally we didn't have his kids because we played a season, right, it was football season. Play you go to basketball, you play basketball. You go to soccer, you play soccer, you go to try You.
Just now it's travel leagues and clubs.
Right, you better choose your sport by the age of eight.
You better commit if you Okay, so you wouldn't be so into youth sports.
Well, no, no, no, I just I wouldn't. It's not that I wouldn't be into the youth sports. It's like I think I would just have better perspective of what's important and that goes with schooling as well of like not being so neurotic about certain things at school, certain things in sports, certain things and you know what, I would draw Instead of drawing every line in every boundary, I would pick my battles a little bit better, have a little easier going. Aspect of parenting.
If you were going to become a parent tomorrow, would you like do any new education on parenting? Would you read some new books or just say nope, I got this.
I would love to tell you I would do research. But the honest answer, if I'm totally being honest, I would just do it. I mean, here's what I would really want to know, because the best part is is every generation has the best gadgets in the world. I mean, whether it's car seats, strollers, the baby diaper, disappearing things, and you know, like the things that they invent are phenomenal.
Oh yeah, you could have some new the diaper genies, new tech on yourself.
Oh yeah, for sure time around. Maybe they have robots now that change diapers.
I don't know. Now everybody has the cameras they watch their kids in the cribs like you can.
Yeah, I had the WALKI I had the walkie talkie thing, you know, so the two way the one way walkie talkie where you could hear the kids crying at night or whatever. Because we you know, they didn't sleep with us. We got them into their crib, into their room as soon as we could. We weren't the sleep between us type of parents. But you know, I would I think I could jump right back into it. But I would
have a lot more patients. I would know what to get worried about, and I think I would have a better idea of what where to pick my battles.
By the way, what an advantage of being an older parent for sure. I mean, I remember when we had doctor Sterling on the Gynecologist for that episode, and she's such a big advocate of they're not being a stigma about becoming an older parent. She talked about that, She's like, people think about all the negatives of being an older parent. A huge positive is just that you're a calmer person. You have more perspective on life, and so that's you can.
Part so much wisdom to your kid. Yess, you really can.
And I thought about that too. I have well, we have friends who have you know, got back in the pool and they've had kids again, and they do say that they're like, it's it's just so much more relaxing this time around, but you know, early on it's tougher because I think, you know, God gives you this finite amount of patience and time where you don't need sleep and you don't you know, you can put up with those ungodly hours and getting spit up and puked on.
And we should have Catherine and David on to discuss like age gap relationships.
I think would be great.
I'm looking to that.
Yeah, I think it'd be fantastic and again, Obviously you and I have a fairly large age gap. It's not nearly the size of theirs. But I have no problem with that. I mean, they've been together for a very long time, clearly love each other. They've been together for.
A while, a couple of years.
Yeah, yeah, so I mean it's they seem to have a strong, loving relationship. I would love to talk to him about that.
One more headline or should I say headlines plural? It's hard to even keep track of it all, but Harry and Meghan the Royals. There is a new book coming out, end Game, by a royal reporter, one of the more famous ones, all about how essentially Harry and William's relationship is over allegedly about Harry not being close with his father anymore, about the way the family imploded, bringing up some old stuff too. And the reason I bring up all these headlines is why do I still feel so
passionate about it? I do still get fired up about all this.
I want to not care, and I can say I don't care, but it, you know what, And now I just feel sorry for the whole thing.
For who. I don't know. That's part of it.
Is, like I feel sorry for Harry. But I'm also annoyed at Harry because he brought a lot of this on himself. But then he also had a tragic childhood and I know he was born in a palace and all that stuff, but if you really look at his life and boil it down and cliff and like bullet points, you're like, damn. And so you know, I'm mad at both of them. I'm disappointed in both of them. If I could speak as a father, it's I can't imagine. I not even gonna they can't imagine. I know it's
not what their mom would have wanted. And I know how close you are to your sister, and I know what my brother means to me. What a waste of the one person in your life that's just like they've always got your back.
I know. I saw something the other day that was like, your parents leave you too soon, You leave your kids too soon, the people who are with you your whole life, or your siblings. And look, on the one hand, I'm not here to advocate. Some people have toxic family members and sometimes you got to cut them out of your life. I'm not a family as family person, and at the holidays of your dealing with that. I think you don't have to engage if your family is a toxic person.
It's so messy at this point, and I'm going to say, I think the Royal family's mess and drama is bigger than most reality show stuff at this point, Like there's so much toxicity, and I think maybe the reason we still care, I still kind of I do click on the headlines and read about it and feel passionate is one we can all relate. Like that's what I was just talking about, is everybody has toxic family members, has had family issues. But two, you know, we really grew
up with these people. I mean, I grew up knowing who William and Harry were. I grew up. They've the Royals have been in my life like longer than presidents have because they've always been the Royals. They don't have a term. So it's just wild the point that it's at. And I do think I think Harry and Meghan are not done in any way. I feel like reading the Tea Leaves, there's a headline that allegedly they're looking at homes in la Meghan just did a variety red carpet.
I mean, she just did a red carpet as if she's you know, an actress and Suits. That was my other point. Suits has been like the number one most been show this year by far, which the show she was on.
Yeah.
So if I'm putting the pieces together here, I think Meghan, I think they've tried some other things that haven't worked. Their Spotify deal fell apart. They were slammed for that, their Netflix deal. You know, it was that they didn't create enough content.
Disaster.
It was a disaster for one hundred million dollars they got. So I think at this point they've got to go back to what works and for Megan, Like, I mean, the acting option is there with the recent success of Suits in it coming back.
Yeah, The rumor is they're trying to get out of, not get out of, but move from Montecito and get more into the thick of things down in La. Look, the idea that they want privacy and want to go off. Maybe they want privacy, but they do not want to be private, And they're two very different things. We love our privacy, we don't want to be private. They love the limelight, they love the red carpets, they love being in front of the cameras. They you know, not the
people that may stalk them and the paparazzi. They would like to choose, and I can tell you don't get to choose. That's not a choice you get to make in this world that you've chosen to live in, and moving to la is only going to exacerbate that. It will be interesting to see the next step they take. I agree. I feel like there is a headline imminent of she's going back to suits, she's going back to acting,
they have some other deal, whatever it is. They're just I don't think they loved being in Monacito and being forgotten.
No, I exactly. I mean when I saw Megan on that Variety red carpet, I'm like, okay, yeah, here it is. You know, you're on a red carpet. I don't know how else to say. You're on a red carpet. A red carpet's purpose is purely promotional. I will never forget that part of the Netflix documentary where she got a text message from Beyonce. She like turns staring and she's like, I guess you're just texted me Beyonce, And I thought this is so weird, Like why are you revealing this?
Why are you sharing that? Like, to me, all that says is that you love celebrity and fame because you're like this fame, this super famous person texted me, you know, and that that moment said so much to me.
Yeah. And then the stuff when they were talking about the letters she wrote as a kid, and the tea and the way the way she kind of responded to all that, it was just it. I don't know, it felt weird, felt a little interesting.
I don't know who's right or who's wrong anymore. I think there's a there's a lot of gray area and a lot of people making like I don't think there is a clear who is wrong.
I think, like most things, there's enough ag on everybody's face and enough blame to go around. I'm sure like one thing happened, and then the next thing, and that beget the next thing and so and then it just spirals out of control. What what I really again, take all of it away, whoever side you're on, you know, I know a lot of people are really sour on
Harry and Meghan. These are also just two human beings live in their life and they're trying to take advantage of opportunities and all that, and I don't begrudge him of that, but I just and I don't know how I'm getting involved, but somehow I want to bring these two brothers together. That's the only thing, the only thing I really truly care about in this whole thing is
that two brothers are not talking. And it seems like a book that's about to come out will be a bombshell and it's this guy that writes really does have a lot of tea on the royal family. So there's going to be a lot more juice that comes out and probably really bad stories. And one of them I heard today was about how Harry was ghosted by William and that is what led to him not being able to be there at the Queen's side on her deathbed
to say goodbye. And so a lot of animosity is going to be built up, and it's only going to hurt more by this book coming out. But I just somehow I want to bring these two boys together and just get them in a room and somehow bring them together as brothers, because deep down I know they want that. Deep down, I know if something was really going wrong, they would be there to save their each other's lives. They're brothers and they had that bond and it's still there.
I'm sorry it's Star Wars esque, but it's still there. Well.
What's interesting is part of me wants to say I would love for William and Kate to do an interview. I mean, they've really never at this point. Harry's written a book, he did press tours.
I've heard enough from Harry and Meghan's side.
But I would love for them to do an interview. But I don't think they will because they don't have to, because now the tide has turned so much against Harry and Meghan. I think they've stayed silent and kind of held their heads high through this and that it's ultimately worked for them and.
They and look again, not picking sides. William definitely has the castle and the monarchy and everything behind them. He's got the power of the palace right fully behind him.
What is really all so sort of I don't know what the right word is. Eerie. I mean, Harry is kind of living the life that his mother, I mean, Diana was no longer in the royal family when they got divorced, you know, so now Harry is divorced from the royal family. And it's just interesting that he's wound up there. I've wondered because you know, now the new season of The Crown is out where it's the season where Diana's death happens. I mean, it's a big season,
and I've wondered. I'm not watching it, but I was texting with a friend about it and saying, like, how different would things have been if Diana had had, you know, never died. Yeah, would she still be would she still go to royal functions because her sons were in the family. Would Harry have still left the family? Like would he have just followed his mother's footsteps and left or would he still be in it? I don't know. It's very interesting.
I don't think this happens if Diana's alive.
I don't know. I think their relationships fine, but I would it would Harry have stayed in the Royal family or William?
That's the interesting thing. Would William be such a proponent in such a shill for the Royal family if his mom is still alive and she's clearly not a part of it. Do the boys remain such a staunch supporter of it? That would have been interesting to see, you know, I mean, who knows, but you know, William is obviously this very strong member of the royal family. I think he's it would be the most recognizable face of the Royal family now, even more so than his dad. I mean,
it's you think of the boys totally. Well, we've all thought of the queen.
Were up loving the boys because everybody saw their Diana faces with Diana.
Yeah, and you know you think of William and Harry when you think of the royal family now because the Queen is gone, and so it's funny it's kind of skipped that generation because of Diana.
And nobody's a big Charles Fanner.
No, no, he's he's the forgotten Royal And this is just kind of so unpoppy. He's so easy to kind of know, not maybe not dislike, but love. Yeah, he's not easy to like. Thank you guys for joining us, Thank you for being with us as always. We really appreciate it. I hope you had a great holiday week and it's tough you get back into it and Christmas is right around the corner. Get your shopping done and take
care of each other. Thank you so much, We love you, and we will do it again next time, because we have a lot more to talk about. Thanks for listening. Follow us on Instagram at the most Dramatic pod ever, and make sure to write us a review and leave us five stars. I'll talk to you next time.