Transcript of "Leanne Morgan"

It's so cold in here. Is anyone else cold or is it just me? I mean, like... Oh, it's... What is... Oh, God. Oh, God. It's like a cold. It's like a cold... There's nothing colder than a cold open. This is a cold open. Now, I'm getting bit by a snake. Everybody, run. The snakes are cold. It's a cold open. My phone is ringing. Hang on one second. Hello? It's time for a cold Welcome to SmartList.

Smartlist. Smartlist. Smartlist.

Smartlist. Listener-we're talking about the Golden Gloves.

Yeah, we're talking about the Golden Gloves. It was fun. We had a good time, us guys. We did have fun.

That was super fun.

We did We did our sweaty bit at the beginning.

It was great. It was super fun.

Nice to be a part of that, what was it? I guess category. As our friend Jimmy Kimmel put it, nice to be a part of that category because it could end up like breakdancing at the Olympics and no one ever sees it again.

Never come back. Breakdancing at the Olympics.

The last time you see that category, I don't know. But congrats to Ms. Amy Poehler for winning. Yeah. The absolute The best podcast in the world. Yeah.

For Good Hang. Yeah. Congrats to her.

Good Hang did very well. It was a Good Hang. Her speech was a Good Hang.

Yeah, a lot of good speeches last night. A lot of good.

You know what's fun about... I saw Amy right before. I saw Amy and Joel in the thing in the back, and she was like, Oh, my God, you guys are going to win.

I go, Bull effing shit. We've been saying he was going to win for months.

I won 200 bucks. I bet on her and won $200. I know.

You bet with Krasinski. Then I Amy that you bet with Krasinski, and I go, right from moment one, you know that she's got it locked up when it comes to that. She's Ms..

Golden Globes. Yeah, she's beloved. She's like the darling. She deserves it, but she's beloved. Yeah, for sure.

Yeah. For sure. But anyways.

Did you guys meet anybody you were excited to meet last night? Did you have anybody come up?

I had a wonderful conversation with Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn.

Yeah, same.

Those guys are great. Yeah.

Willy, did you get some nice compliments on your film?

I did, actually. Yeah, it was nice. There was a lot I have a lot of nice people said, a lot of people that- That I really look up to and that I've- Clooney loved it.

Yeah.

Yeah, George was very nice about it. He was very sweet about it. He sent me a nice text as well. Sandler and those guys. That's nice. Super nice. Had some good laughs. At one point, Jason was bothering me, pretending that he was working at the after-party, and he just kept bothering me. Pretending that he was running the martini cart. He was running the martini cart. He goes, I'll just be right here. If you want anything. I have vodka and gin.

Vodka and gin.

Like, into my ear, and I just kept going, Would you fuck off? That's hilarious.

Shani, everything's okay? Sean had to leave early. Yeah. Sean had to leave early. It was some an ailment.

It's funny how it timed out right to us losing our category. That his emergency cropped up.

That is so crazy. Who could have called that? Who was so wild.

That was unfortunate timing, but everything was all taken care of. He got home in time.

He ended up being okay.

Evacuate whatever was good.

Yes. No, thank you for your concern. Thank you. Yeah, I know. Everything turned out terrific. Yeah, I was just like, it's super fun to go. The show Will & Grace, the Will & Grace program, and myself, and all the cast, and everybody.

Now, that's a comedy.

Bring it back.

Because he's gay, so they can't be together. But they're best friends. But they would be perfect together. But he's gay. Boy, this guy's astute. He's got a real take on Will and Grace, the guy in the back of the theater.

That is so funny. But anyway, we've been nominated a total of 27 times. No way. Yeah, and then last night was 28, and we never won one.

Is that true?

Yeah, never won.

Will and Grace was up for what last night?

No, I'm just saying total. Then last night was one more that I and the three of us. Oh, that you were a part of it.

Got you. That's 0 and 28 at the Golden Globes?

That is correct. Something like that, 26, 27.

I was there the night J1 one. I was sitting next to J, and we had a nice deep hug.

Oh, that's nice. That was really sweet. That was really sweet. For what? For Ozark?

This was for Arrested.

Oh, that's great. Congratulations.

I made the mistake of thanking every single person I've ever met in my life.

No, you know what? I remember that night. It was really sweet, and you were legitimately surprised. That was a really, really fun night.

I'm not going to look that up. I'd like to see that.

Yeah.

You get to have those fun moments. Nice things don't usually happen for me.

Oh, I know. We're getting rough. Everybody's real concerned about you. You've had a rough road.

I was proud of our little bit, the three of us. We were cooking with gas up there.

That's right. By the way, and I said to Jason, nobody in the history of an awards show has done a bit with their back towards the audience.

I know. It was so good. J.

B, that was so great. That was great. Trying to create a private moment.

It was so funny. That was funny. I'm just laughing at that.

I liked Clooney's a bit with Don. That was great. That was good. They were really good. Anyway, they did good.

All right, here we go. Ready? Yeah. My guest today is wonderful. She's fantastic. She's living proof that good things come to those who wait. She grew up in Adams, Tennessee, population 600, where her parents ran the only grocery meat shop in town. She hung around the local funeral home for fun. After college, she sold jewelry at house parties to help make ends meet. Twenty-five years later, she's finally having her moment It's 60. Sold Out Arenas, Netflix specials, best-selling memoir, hit sitcom. She's a self-proclaimed Mrs. Maisel of Appalachia. It's the hilarious big hearted Leanne Morgan.

Leanne Morgan.

I knew it.

I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I knew it.

I knew it. I knew it. I knew it.

I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I knew it.

I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I've never seen Will so happy.

I'm in love with all of you all, and I mean it in a sinful way.

I don't think you all might have it made.

Oh, my gosh.

This is a dream come true.

Oh, it's so nice to have you here.

For us, too.

For us, too. Oh, my God. I'm so happy. I love your story. I love that you are having this moment. It's so dessert. You're so funny and cool and original. Oh, I'm so psyched that you're here.

Thank you, Will. Thank you. Now I've got a beagle yelling at me. Hold on, boys.

A beagle?

A beagle?

A beagle, a little beagle. I like bagels. I'm up on my top floor, and she doesn't like for me to talk on the phone. So let me get that out of the way. I'm sitting here in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in Knoxville, Tennessee, and I love you all.

That's so good. We love you.

By the way, Leanne, when you said you had a bagel talking to, Sean was thinking to himself at the same time. He was like, I feel like there's a bagel talking to me from the kitchen, too.

So you're Knoxville.

Eat me.

That's amazing. I mean, it is really cool, like Will said, to hear your story, and we'll get into it in a sec. But I don't even know you, and I'm so excited for you, for all that's happening here. Thank you. It's really, really cool.

I've seen you do... First of all, congrats on your... I know your show has been a super big hit, so congrats on that. Thank you. And then now, did you just have a Netflix special?

Yeah, it was in the top 10.

Yeah, exactly. You're just having all this stuff. And then I've seen you in a couple of interviews, and you've got a great vibe. I watched a little bit of your You're on with Conan, and it was so funny. God.

We like that Conan. We love Conan.

I love you. He did the best.

I know.

He was wonderful. I mean, this guy's working with nothing here. He has so little talent, and then he's managed to... Stay smooth. Yeah, stay smooth and scotch something together, this dude. Bless his heart. It's amazing.

It's repetitive, but it works.

It is. Just think about how little intellect he has, and yet he's able to make it work.

Yeah, it makes the hair dance a little bit, and he distracts you.

His hair. I know.

It's- I know. A lot.

Blew me away. Wait, Leanne, so tell me to what Will just said, why do you think you are hitting at this time right now in your life, in this business, and all of it? What do you think is going on?

Oh, my Lord. I don't know, boys. I guess, okay. I guess I've been doing stand-up for 20 years with this head. I was in my early 50s. It's so good. I was doing the same stuff I'd always been doing. One time I was backstage with Reba McEntire's ex-husband, Norval, and he said- No, we know Norval well.

Norval? Yeah.

That has Blake Shelton and all these people, Kelly Clarkson, and he said, It's just a phenomenon, Lynn. You've been doing the same thing for 20 and you changing up my material, all that, but doing stand-up. Then this hits, it's like somebody turned a light on in a dark room. But I started doing that social media thing, you all. I found my audience, and I think that I found a niche, a demo. I don't know what you Hollywood boys would call it, but a bunch of people that were probably being ignored by Hollywood. I think that. I think I spoke to all these darling people that love to be entertained, buy tickets to theaters, and have been wonderful to me. They like my sitcom, and they watch my specials.

They love your sitcom. That's so great. By the way, these guys are... I'm from Toronto. I'm just a kid. I'm just a Oshax kid from Toronto. It should be noted. I'm just a Canadian kid.

We'll fill in all the Hollywood stuff for you guys. Sean and I, we got you.

Yeah.

But it is interesting that I think our buddy Judd Apatow explained why comedy movies are not doing as good a business nowadays is because social media, there's these great little bite-size moments of comedy that people get satisfied by. It is great. I'm looking at them, too. I'm laughing my ass off.

It does seem like- It's immediate, right?

Yeah, but it is helping some parts of the business and maybe hurting others. I don't know.

I I think it hurts. I do. I love a comedy. I love a movie. I've only done one movie, and I played Reese Witherspoon's Big Sister, Gwyneth.

With Will Farrell. Yeah, that was great.

With Will Farrell. He was darling, and we had a ball. But I miss movies like that. I love all of Judd Apatos. I know me, too. I mean, I just-Right? Yeah, and I do. I think there's these little snippets, and then people just get satisfied with that. Yeah. Let me tell you all that my sitcom made it to number two on Netflix because the hunting wives came out at the same time. All those girls that were shooting bores in their panties. Did you all ever watch that show? No.

Wait, what happened?

No, what is it?

It's hunting wives.

They'll shoot a wild boar in panties?

They were shooting bores in their panties, Jason.

Jason's like, What channel?

And then would do sexual stuff with each other. And I could not beat that. A multi-line could not beat that.

With each other, how do you spell hunting? Sorry. I'm going to get slow here, but...

Is that true? I have heard of the hunting wives, but I haven't seen it yet. Is that what we can look forward to if we sample that?

I think you would enjoy it, Mason in the privacy of your own home. Then my special Unspeakable Things, that's the one that just came out. The first one was I'm Every Woman. I could not believe Netflix gave me a special. Me being out in the middle.

Were Were they both in the top 10?

Yes.

Yeah, that's so amazing. That's so good.

Deservedly so. It's funny as hell. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you all. Then you think that perhaps the bits that You were releasing onto social media. They caught fire a bit. Then did you then see attendance at your standup gigs get larger and Netflix took notice of that, and then they said, Okay, now you get a special? Is that the way that-Yes, that's exactly what happened. Then that special brings even more people. Then there's another special. Then she gets a signal. That's the way it goes.

Jason works in business affairs, so he's trying to figure out the commerce here.

At what point was the big negotiation?

Was it before the first special or after? How far apart were you guys on your first offer?

I think what turned it around. I could not get arrested. I always say that. I could not sell tickets in clubs. I was in my early 50s. I already felt like it was over. Then clubs would say, We love her, but she can't sell tickets. I was just about to give up. Then I put out a clip of me taking my husband, Chuck Morgan, to go see Def Leopard and Journey, and how everybody looked sick and had plantar fasciitis. That went viral. Then I think people saw that, and they were like, What else does she have? Everybody looked at it.

And had plantar fasciitis.

That is a rough crowd, I'll tell you.

Because of the way he walks? Is that what it is?

Oh, the little boys in Journey. They've hired that little guy, that little young guy, and he can still flip and squat and stuff. But then those old boys. And then Dev Lampard came out. He had a little bump underneath his little chest. Is that Benson Boon? What, Jason?

Is it Benson Boon? Is that the Flipping Squatter?

Oh, no. He's a skipper in Squatter. But no, they've hired Journey because Steve Perry had a hip replacement. And maybe they even fell out. Maybe somebody got mad and they fell out. But as we say in the South, but they've hired some little man that could sound like Steve Perry, and he could still move. But all the old boys were in the back and had a blank stare. But then Jeff Leppard came out and had a little bump under. I thought, he's got a hernia. Jeff Leppard, man.

He's wearing yoga pants still, and he can see his hernia?

He has tiny legs. His legs were this big, and he had hair down to here, and you could see through it. I thought, see through it. I had never done that bit before. I was going to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and I thought, Everybody's already heard all this mess. I got to come up with something new. I thought, Oh, I'll tell them about me and Chuck Morgan going to see Def Leopard and Journey. That's what did it. Then I got the big panty tour, boys. Then I found myself talking about my panties a lot, so I named it the Big Panty Tour. But that was all like coming out of COVID. So everything was booming and I was selling tickets.

And then your daughter used to run your Facebook account during COVID because you didn't know how to... You're not a tech person, and that's when you covered.

My kids were doing it until I hired these darling young guys who they had during COVID, they helped me. And I was on my back porch eating chicken and dress it. Well, I don't even want to say that in front of you all because that's country. Like chicken casserole and drinking wine. Too much wine. Then I went on tour, and every picture of me at the Big Panty tour, I looked sweaty and heavy. Like, I was just like, chicken casserole was coming out of my pores. I had imposter syndrome, and I was free down. Then Netflix bought that, and I did that special. Then, Netflix is the stamp. I think Netflix is the stamp to say, She's legit. This is a real deal. And that changed my life. That changed my life. Yeah. And then Chuck Lahr came to my house in Knoxville, Tennessee, and asked me if I would do a television show with him.

And talk about, though, before that, there was four other ones that didn't work for you? Yes. Were they pilots or were they actual shows that went?

I never shot a pilot, but I did. But I would be in Knoxville, Tennessee, raising my three children. And I guess my first one, Warner Brothers and ABC. Abc bought it. My children were in elementary, and maybe one was in middle school. I thought that was it. This was it. I'm going to be the next Roseanne. Then the writer's strike hit. That first writer's strike hit, and it was over in a day.

In '07. That was a while ago.

Yeah. Then I got two or three more. You get them mixed up. Some of them, I think, could have gone somewhere. Some of them, I don't think, were ever going to go anywhere. But I didn't know. I'm not a Hollywood. I don't know all that.

But it's not the way it was supposed. That was not your story. This is your story, and this is the best version of it, too. I think it's awesome. That was not your train, Leanne. This is your train. You're on it now. It's so exciting to watch and to see. Jason has some follow-up questions about the chicken on the porch.

Yeah, was it a white wine or was it a red wine?

It was a red, Jason, in the middle of perimenopause that made that worse. You're talking about wallering in the bed at night, sweat, and you all are asking each other, How did you sleep before I came on here? A little warm at night. Not well.

I know it. I know.

Wait, and then did I... Speaking about food, you celebrated your 60th birthday by going and eating two cakes with a fork at the grocery store. Is that right?

Oh my God. Okay. We were in Florida, my favorite beach to go to. Chuck Morgan took me and all these kids and my two grand babies. I've got two grandsons, a blonde and a redhead wheel, because I did Amy Poehler's podcast, that doll, and she said, We've got, honey, we've got that, too. Okay, and they took me down there, and we had a one, and they're toddlers, so we stayed in every night. It was wonderful. Then my kids bought me two birthday cakes from the grocery store, and I stood and ate them at the counter with a fork, with an old Tankini swim skirt, lands in both soup, boys.

Why did we get two? Because you have two favorites?

Well, my kids, I've trained them, don't we? Over eat? But they were like... We know she likes chocolate, and the grand babies like chocolate. Then We know that I think they wanted Chuck Morgan. He also likes a vanilla and a chocolate. So they said, Let's get two. Because I've raised them that every day is a party. A ham. Right.

We will be right back.

And now back to the show.

Can we just talk a little bit about Chuck Morgan? Because I love this idea of Chuck Morgan. I like hearing his full name every time. I love it. Now, what's the deal with Chuck Morgan? He's a character, right?

He's been a problem for some time.

He's been a problem for some time. I met him at the University of Tennessee, honey. I had gone through a divorce and had smoked cigarettes and not gone to class, you all. I hate to even say that to you all. But I was wrecked.

There's nothing wrong with that. I dropped out.

It's all voluntary when you get to college. You do whatever the hell you want.

I was an idiot. Then I went back to finish, and I did. Then Chuck Morgan, I think, is attracted to people who are broken. We started dating.

Not a lot of pushback from the broken folks.

We thought, Let's I'll merge this like Kmart and what was that Sears, and let's just run it in the ground. But anyway, so Chuck Morgan and I married, and then he buys a used mobile home business. He got an MBA, and he had never stepped in a mobile home, a trailer and bought a mobile home business and moved me to the foothills of the Appalachia Mountains. All the while, you all, knowing from the time I was little, I'm going to be in show business. I'm going to be on television. I knew it from the time I was 10. Really? But I just didn't know. I was from the country and farming people. I didn't know how to... I would have loved to have done the Groundies or Second City. I was raised on Serenade Live. I would have loved to have done, but I just didn't know how. I was this little bitty country kid.

And all through your 40s and 50s and all that, you still held on to that thing that it doesn't matter how long it takes, I'm still going to do it? Yeah.

When I started, I call myself a true stand-up. When Chuck sold that business and went to work for a big- Chuck Morgan. Berkshire Hathaway Company, Chuck Morgan. He moved me to San Antonio, and I would drive back and forth to Austin, Texas, where one of the best comedy clubs in the United States was in Austin. Jimmy Miller, who is Dennis Miller's brother- Sure.

Great Jimmy Miller. We know Dr. Jimmy Miller. He's a manager. He's got a PhD in showbiz. That's what I always say. We love Dr. Miller.

The third brother on that comedy club, and he's the that sent my first CD, to Hollywood, to Jimmy, and he gave it to Tom Warner at Warner Brothers, and that's how I got that deal.

Hey, Tom, Jimmy Miller here. I got a hot CD for you. Tom's like, Oh, Great. Sounds great. Thanks, Jimmy. Two great guys.

I was 32 when I started doing clubs, and I considered myself a real... But I had been doing little gigs in Marstown, Tennessee, in the I'll at you. Somebody say, Can you come and do your program at the Rotary? I would get paid $50, take my babies to Mom's Day out and go do that. But I started doing clubs and being more like the real thing at 32 years old.

Who was your hero coming up? Who are you looking at going, I'd love for my career to go that direction. Was it somebody on a sitcom or was it a stand-up?

I loved all sitcoms, but I love stand-up. I love Johnny Carson and watching the stand-ups. I would watch Jay Leno, David Letterman.

Remember David Brenner?

Yeah. Yes. I love David Brenner. And Richard Lewis. I love Richard Lewis. I would watch Ellen, Rosanne. When Rosanne was on there, it blew me away. But I loved the sitcom. I grew up watching WKRP in Cincinnati. Yeah, sure. And Cheers and Fraser and all that. But anything to do with, a comedy movies, stand up, I loved all of it. And I just didn't know what I was going to do and how you can make a living at it. Yeah.

I'm going to go around the horn. What was everybody's favorite multi-cam sitcom of all time?

All in the Family.

All in the Family, your number one? Yeah. Yeah. Cheers for me, too.

Cheers for me, too. Taxi was up there pretty good, too.

Yeah, I should say Will and Grace, but I- Will and Grace.

Which one was that?

No, because I was on it, so it'd be something else. It would be weird if you said it.

It would be weird if you named your own show.

That's right. That's what I did.

Let's just say, but yeah, cheers for me. Okay, sorry. Wait, what was your favorite of all the multi-cams that comes of all time? If you had to pick one, Gun to Head. I love Lucy. I don't know why there'd be a gun to your head.

I love Lucy. Oh, gosh. Okay, you all, let me think. I really enjoyed WKRP in Cincinnati. There you go. I just loved it. I loved Lonnie Anderson. I loved- Les Nesman. I loved all those guys on radio. When I think about it, or like Threes Company. I'm 60 years old.

I love Threes Company.

Yeah, I do, too. Threes Company.

Never has a swinging door been more well used than in Threes Company? To the Kitchen, that's where... Oh, so good. Right.

Jack Shipper, play by John.

Yeah, that door swung pretty good, too.

Sure. Wait, when you first started out, you were doing like, Kwanas Club stuff, right? Yeah. Community Center stuff. And did you know by those early... And then you were doing... I said in the intro, you were doing... Jewelry. Oh, jewelry, right. Jewelry parties. Is that like Tupperware parties and stuff?

Yes. I was selling because Chuck Morgan, you all, is tight with money. And people don't believe me when I say that. I remember that. We were just in New York celebrating my five-year-old grandbabies' fifth birthday. We took him to the Museum of Natural History and to the Line King and all that. Chuck Morgan booked me in a Hilton garden inn.

That's where Will is right now.

Yeah, exactly.

But I I'm a big deal, but he likes to keep us with the break zone. But so I wanted to... Of course, he was 27 years old, you all, and had a business and was having all these people on payroll. I wanted to make a little money. I wanted to stay home and breastfeed my first baby, and I wanted to make a little money and get my hair highlighted. One of my friends said, I'm selling this jewelry, and I don't even care about jewelry. I She goes, You can meet people, because I was isolated up in the Appalachian mountain. She said, You can meet people and you can eat some dip, eat a brownie, sell some jewelry.

By the way, I'm in.

I had a vision of you just now presenting a necklace with a little bit of dip underneath your fingernails.

Jason is thinking about other people touching the other vegetables or the chips, all the other fingers that get in there, Jay, a little bit. Oh, a double dipper.

But you know what? I look back on it, it was really fun, and I sold jewelry to everybody in the Appalachian Mountains because I was funny. People thought they would book me about a year in advance because they would have a good time. I wasn't talking about jewelry. I developed some of my first material, and I was talking about breastfeeding and hemorrhage. I always talk about what I'm going through, and women could relate to it. Then I remember singing to a Women, because you have to do the pitch at the end, like to book a party with me. I said, I mean, it's get me now with a party or see me in Las Vegas later.

You're right.

It's up to you. But I felt in my heart, I thought, I'll be on TV one day. I'll be in Las Vegas. I'm going to be doing, which was crazy, but I thought that. I felt that every time. And then the company noticed.

You have to see it. You have to see it to believe it. You really, really do.

If you don't believe in it, no one else is going to.

Yeah, it's so true.

I always believe that. I've got real worried. Right before I blew up, I told Chuck Morgan, I go, I don't think anything's going to happen. I feel desperate. I think I'm going to open up a hardware store. He was like, That's crazy. A hardware store. You don't need to do that, Lynn. That's the first time I had doubt, and I almost quit. I said, These social media boys that I hired who are darling, I'm still with them. I never spent that money on my career, and I thought, I'm giving it three months because it was expensive. I thought, I'm giving it three months. If nothing happens, I know that's a sign, and I will bow out. In the first video, they put out went viral and changed everything.

Let's give a shout out to those boys. What are their names?

Honest Fox Media, and that is Jared and Andrew, and they are precious. I tell you, you all, they had a mom. They grew up with a big bunch of brothers and sisters, and they got my voice. They understood my brand from the word go.

That's great. What does Chuck Morgan think about the money you spent with Jared and the boys?

He fought me on it.

Yeah, of course he did. Yes, sure. Classic Chuck Morgan.

I read that Chuck Morgan didn't realize how big your Fame was until a gig at the University of Tennessee or something like that. You're walking out.

Yeah. Maybe when we went to see Lana Rinshy and Earth, When In Fire, and people, he got me regular tickets, which I don't mind sitting regular in somewhere. But now I got a bunch of darling middle-aged women. They had a cocktail. For you know it, we're all kissing and hugging, and I don't see the show. But anyway, people were yelling at me through the big arena, and I think he was dumbfounded.

Yeah, well, let's say more about that. What happens, the old big brooch is Chuck Morgan with his Berkshire Hathaway gig, and he's seeing Leanne out there.

You're jackassing it back to Austin. It's not for shits and giggles. You're really doing something, and all of a sudden, Chuck Morgan is in for a bit of a reality check.

Security is getting between you and Chuck Morgan walking back out to the car, and he's not comfortable with that, is he?

Well, no. Some of it he loves, Jason. Some of it, I think it has been something to navigate. Which part? I think he does like to go to the University of Tennessee and sit up in a box and meet Payton Manning.

Yeah, Yeah, of course he does.

That doesn't suck, does it? Old Chucky Bum.

Chucky Bum.

He has been a wonderful provider, so I think it was a little- We love Chuck Morgan. No, we love Chuck Morgan. It was hard for him, for me to make, honey, to have this power. You know what I'm saying, boys?

Yeah. But let me ask you just a little bit about you saying that Chuck Morgan got you the regular tickets, and you don't mind and stuff like that. But now people are yelling out. And that experience of like, because there is that thing of people go, oh, look at those celebrities. They're in that special thing. And now you're like, Oh, I get it a little bit. Because, right? A little bit? Can you speak to that?

Yeah. I have wonderful fans. And when I tend, I go out in those theaters or arenas, and they stand up and blow me kiss before I've ever said a word. They're precious. They want to see me win. I think a lot of women my age, they tell me it's inspiring that this happened to me at this age, and it's not over, and all of that. But you never know if somebody's crazy. There could be somebody that's unhinged, and you just don't know. I didn't know that. I didn't know. Only when I'm in large crowds, they'll have somebody walk with me. But Chuck goes, We don't need anybody, Lynn. I got it. Chuck's a big man. He's 6'4. He's grumpy.

Do you run material by him at all? You're like, Is this funny? Or is this not? Or does he not?

No, I don't because he Now, he'll say to me, You need to say that, or Tell them this, Leanne. He'll remember something and say, Why don't you tell them that? And he gives me a lot of good material, you all, because he's peculiar.

What about your kids? Do your kids think you're funny?

He's peculiar.

They do. They do, Jason. Do they give it up? But they're annoyed by me, too. Yeah, they do. They'll go, Girl, you're funny. But they also think I've gotten diva-ish.

Yeah, sure. Oh, do they? Yeah.

Well, they are all grown. They can cook. I get home. I've been on the road. You all are on the road. You all know you get home, you're exhausted, you're staring out in a space Could somebody else boil the macaroni?

Mom's hammering it.

Then when you were... Wait, how many kids you have?

Three. A boy and two girls.

Right. You said babies You've come first, comedy came third. Was that implied that you're second? Or what second?

Oh, Lord, I don't know. I didn't feel second. What would that be? I mean, being a wife, probably. Did I say that out of my butt hole.

Okay. It's mom-wife career. Yes. But now, the kids are out of the house, yes? Mm-hmm. Chuck's doing just fine. He's got a brand new That's what I'm doing now. He's got a chair that he loves. He can spend all day in that chair now. He's good. Now, do we get to move a career up to number one now?

Yeah, it's number one now, Jason. There we go. It's Leanne. I feel bad because I am the mama. Don't you feel bad. They do still need me some. But yes, this is taking over everybody. Good. You all know what that is. I live out in LA part of the year to shoot, and so I can't be there. I miss my family so badly, and they come back and forth to see me, and I'll go home. But yeah, it's taking over everything.

Wait, so this is the sitcom you're shooting out here, right? . Now, that schedule does free you up quite a bit, doesn't it? That's a real nice schedule. Those The Sitcoms, The Chuck Lorrey world. Oh, mama. Are you doing just four-day weeks over there?

No, we do. Well, we do a table read on Monday, and then rehearsal Tuesday, Wednesday, and then pre-shoot Thursday, and then live audience Friday.

Right. Have them slide that table read over to Friday, right before you start shooting, and you can free up that Monday. You can spend more time in Chattanooga. There you go. That's not a bad idea. Tell Chuck there's a new plan.

Yeah. You know? Yeah. God. Oh, love you. J. B, you're going to run into Chuck Leroy today, and he's going to be like, Hey, man.

Exactly, on the driving range.

Isn't that so great that you're so used to a live studio audience since you were at all?

That changed everything.

It probably relaxes you, no?

It does. I'm telling you all, this scared me to death. I had always wanted this. Then you're like, Oh, my gosh, why did I wish for this? Because at first it was so stressful. Kristen Johnson plays my sister, who is a pro. She's such a pro. She has to sit and tell me what to do, and had to do her job and then teach me. I was like, What is that? What are you all talking about? So at first, I was terrified. And then, and Reese Witherspoon said to me, It's the best schedule in television land. It's the best thing you could do. And we shoot two weeks on, one week on. Two on. That's the way he wants it.

It used to be three. This is very looked. How great. Now, are you able to cross paths with the great director, Jimmy Burrows at all?

I have not met him yet, no. I've heard them say something about him. He's the greatest of them. I did have Andy Ackerman for an episode. Very good. I love him, and I'm hoping I get him on some of these this season. I loved him. That was my favorite episode.

Are you shooting over at Warner Brothers? I am. Or are you over there at the Netflix lot? Warner Brothers.

On the Friends lot. I mean, on the Friends sound stage.

Is Is it a lot of... Do you rely on a lot of your own family stories to write stories for the show?

No, not really. I mean, they listened to every podcast, read my book, watched all my standup. It's based on my standup, but I mean, they'll get ideas from me, but not... I mean, I've got nick Backeye.

Because when I was reading it, when I was reading about your... All your family stories are so fucking funny. Can you say the one about the ski trip and one of your kids getting hurt.

When I fell off the ski lift, are you talking about when I fell off at 49 years old?

No, you had that, but one of your kids shared a personal observation about themselves.

Oh, are you What are you talking about when the baby, who is my makeup artist, who is my true makeup artist on tour? She says now she's my caregiver, and she hates that. But she's also my makeup artist on the set. At one of her brothers.

Was she your youngest kid?

The baby, and she's been a booger. I'll just tell you all, I'm in love with her. She's funny. She's so funny. She has been like Chuck Morgan. She's a lot like her daddy. Very strong wheel. She's been a lot. We were in Beaver Creek, Colorado. I think it was one of the two or three times we had been already. All right, everybody goes off skiing. This baby is on the gondola with me to go up to the Bunny Slope, which is not far to get up on that. It's just me and her. In that short amount of time, she takes all of her clothes off. She's high. You know, skiing is hard. I've never enjoyed it. Chuck Morgan loves it. It's I compared it to working in a coal mine. When I go skiing because I got to get everybody dressed. I got to make lunches for everybody because chicken tenders cost $45 up on that. Ski Mountain and Chuck Morgan didn't go for that. But anyway, I said, Why are you taking your clothes off? And she said, My butt hole edges.

You can't get to it through all those layers.

You cannot get to it through all those- She took all her clothes off. Let me tell you all, I had been doing that on tour. I'd been trying to work out that band about snow skiing because I hate snow. I'll go, I'll stare at rich people, but I don't ski anymore. She said to me, Mom, can you tell people I was four or five years old? You did not tell them. They think I'm grown. And then I took my clothes off and my butt hole was itching. So then I had to put in there. I thought, Oh, my God. So then I started saying, Okay, she was four or five years old and her butt hole was itching. But yeah, I've had more people go, Oh, my gosh, that snow skin. Because it's so hard with little children.

Oh, yeah. And now, is it true you bring your whole family to your Netflix special? You brought your whole family for the first time? Yes.

They came out on the first one. I don't know. I just naturally thought that was the thing to do.

And they'd never seen you do anything like that?

No. And they were in shock. And then I brought them out on the second one, and each child now introduces me. Charlie, my oldest, introduced me on the first one, and then Maggie, my middle child, introduced me on the second one. But you all won't believe how many people have said, That's so sweet you brought your family out, and we want to see your family because you tell all these stories. I don't know, it just seemed natural to me to bring them out. It really wasn't that calculated. I just thought, Oh, look at my family.

Yeah, we went on tour. I brought my sister out, and the audience just thought it was like Elvis squawkt on stage.

We'll be right back.

And back to the show.

But doesn't it get a little tricky with the stories? I mean, perhaps some of them you might need to embellish to trip it into hysteria. And then do some of them get a little their nose out of joint? It was like, well, you always say that I'm the one that's dirty or that I'm the one that's lazy or that I'm the one that would... Do you have to divvy it up evenly so that you don't get a bunch of heat when you get home? Yeah.

The only time anybody's me any grief over it and said, Do not speak my name, when they went through middle school. Middle school, everybody was paranoid and angry and puberty, and I did not... That was a dry time for me. That's the And then they got in high school and they were like, We don't care what you do. And you all, I wasn't working that much. I mean, I was working, but it was so pitiful that nobody cared. And then college, they didn't even know who I was. And then now I always say, Is this okay? And now they even say to me, Mom, you've never told this story. Tell this one. Oh, that's great. So now everybody's in on it and they're fine. The only time Chuck Morgan ever said to me, Don't you ever say that again. It was one of the first times I was on stage. I'll just tell you, boys, I had breastfed three babies. My breast looked terrible. They had sucked up into my body. They were like a little wadded piece of tissue in the bottom of a tube song. I had life left in me. I had life left in me.

I was 32 years old, and I wanted to get my breast done. I said, one of the first times I was ever on stage, I said, I want to get my breasts done, but it's been a bad mobile home year. Chuck Morgan said to me, Don't you ever say that again? You know I can write a check for your breasts today. I've always provided for you, and it hurt his feelings. I've never said anything That's the thing. Well, now I say it on interviews. But now, after that, I never said it again.

I love that Chuck Morgan took issue when you talked about a downturn in the mobile home sales. That was the only thing that bummed him out.

That's so good.

What a dude. That's such a dude thing.

Do you guys currently have a mobile home that you guys like to travel around in?

No. These are the kind, Jason. They're not even those. This is the kind that you, a double Have you ever heard of that, my darling?

This can be like a legit home. This is a home.

You live in. Where you put it on a foundation. This is one of the largest home builders in the United States. He has worked for them for over 30 years. It It was a Warren Buffet company. They've sent us to Cancun.

Oh, wow.

Yeah, boys.

Jason has been on a couple of motor homes. Who'd you go with, J. B? I forget.

With the Leif Garret. We went on a nice ski tour.

Oh, my Lord.

Yeah, there was snow of a different kind.

I've got some video of that trip I got to find.

Which I do think an RV would be fun.

You had your mountain bikes with you, too, didn't you?

Yeah, up on the roof there. We could travel from the mobile home lot where we'd plug in, dump the trash, and then bike into town. Oh, God.

Oh, yeah.

God. It was a good time.

Wait, Leanne, is it true you were going to be a therapist at one point? Did you study psychiatry?

I did study. I wanted to be a child family therapist if I didn't make it in Hollywood. Wow. Wow. I love all that. I still love that. I love my degree, and I loved all that. I look back on it and I think, During COVID, when I was wringing my hands and drinking wine and eating a chicken casserole, I should have gotten a master's online.

Did you get a degree in psychology?

I got it in Crisis Intervention Counseling under Chon Family Studies.

I loved it. Wow, that's pretty cool.

After I went back, after I went back and got through all that bad time, then I buckled down and studied. But yeah.

Make It makes me think, sometimes when you see... One of my favorite movies is King of Comedy when Jerry Lewis played a very severe, serious talk show host behind the scenes. And comics, particularly stand-up comics, always have this exciting, darker, quiet side. I started thinking about this degree you've got and therapy. Do you ever fantasize about playing a role where it's dark and it's quiet and there's this flip side to the character? Do you have acting aspirations like that?

I do, Jason. And you all would know better than I do if I could even do it. I bet you'd be great. But I would love to do drama, and I would love to do a darker character.

You'd be great.

You can't do what you do without that side being under at all. We get it. We know what you're doing. You should get after that.

Yeah. Thank you, my darling. I would love to. I don't know if anybody would take me seriously. Sure. They would be exciting as hell.

Jason is a big-time director. Jason, what are we talking about here? Big-time. You are. You're a big-time director. You are.

Big, big, big, big, big, Everyone is so excited and familiar with the flip side of it, then you show them what's behind the curtain, Leanne.

I would love that. I love that.

Leanne, you said so many little tiny things. You love doing laundry, which is like, what? He loves doing laundry. It's therapeutic. And then your favorite gas station snack on tour, because I heard you love grabbing stuff at gas stations. When you're on tour. What's your classic snack?

Well, honey, we have to. I don't want a boiled egg, but I tried to because I don't want my butt to look big on TV. That was a shock, boys. That was a shock.

You know what I don't like?

Where's my chin?

I don't like boiled nuts, which you see a lot in the south. Like warm nuts? No, no. Boiled. They're in a bag, a wet freaking bag. It makes the peanut shell all soft, and sometimes they're a little spicy. I I'm a big peanut fan, and so I tried to get into it over and over again there in Georgia, all the years I've spent there. I just can't get there. But I feel like it might be close. No? No. Don't stop trying.

I've never cared about a boiled peanut.

Yeah. All right.

I try to eat nuts because a handful of nuts, I don't want to get dementia or whatever. But I don't- Wait, does that help?

Do nuts help with the- I think some like walnuts and brain health, I think so.

Omega's something.

Omegas in there?

Now, Chuck Morgan can go to a gas station, make a full meal with boiled eggs because it's cheaper, and relish, and a mayo packet, and make his own egg salad. But be I'm on tour, you all know what that is.

You've got Sean's attention.

I'm constantly trying to get in protein because I'm 60. Now, everybody yields about women having all that protein, but it's hard on the road.

Who's cooking in the house? Does Chuck know how to throw a meal together when mama comes home super tired from all over just hammering it?

He can make do. Because I was the stay-at-home mom. Even though I was doing stand-up, I cooked every meal. I am a country. I'm from the country. We cook, we put everything into these children. I was doing all that and doing everything because he was traveling.

That house always smells so yummy. What's your go-to meal? Fancy folks coming and you want to really wow them with how you can make this particular-Oh, I don't feel very fancy, but-No, it doesn't need to be a fancy dish. These people need not be fancy. But what-It's something you know you make well. Yeah, if you're looking to brag a little bit.

I can make a good chicken picada.

Oh, look at that, with the capers?

Sure. With the capers, lemon, with a thin chicken breast. I can do that with a little angel hair.

There's a lot of water retention on the capers.

Is there really?

Yeah. My friend Josh, our friend Josh, he once told me that he ate chicken picada, I think, something like 87 days in a row at a real low point in his life.

He was looking a little puffy through a few months.

Leanne, who's your... Outside of your family and Chuck Morgan, who's your best... Who's your friend that makes you laugh the hardest? Or who makes you just giggle?

I tell you, Karen Mills, who is a stand-up who's been doing it longer I have has been my saving grace in this whole thing. Because imagine you all, my girlfriends, their husbands are executives, they're out playing tennis, they're all getting you countertops. I love them. I love them, but they don't understand the comedy mind. You got to be around other comedians. Karen Mills opens for me on tour, not all the time because she's got her own thing going on. But I can't tell you all how I'm grateful to have her. We laughed so hard together. That's great. I'd go back and forth with her about material. Then when we've had through the years, I had to do a lot of private corporate things because I had three children and couldn't stay gone. I would do a gig and then call her and say, I'm quitting. That was the worst thing that's ever happened to me. I wish somebody had shot me while I was on stage. And then she would call me on the way home from a horrible gig and say, I'm quitting. I'd go, No, you're not. But we had each other. It really helped me to have somebody because I'm in Knoxville, Tennessee, and I'm not around in Nashville.

I work Zanies all the time, and my concert promoters are out of Nashville. Nashville is a huge comedy scene now with Nate Bargazzi, John Crist, Theo Vaughn, all these people. I get to be with them, but all these years I was on my own. And this mom, when everybody else was talking about school stuff and stuff that I was involved, too, with my kids, but I needed somebody somebody that understood what I was going through because it's hard. Stand up is hard. The hardest. And you drive 300 miles and make $50 and all that stuff.

How do you handle when you were saying sometimes, some of those gigs It's the worst. Somebody shoot me. How do you handle that when the audience is just not... They're distracted, they're talking, they're drinking, maybe they're having a meal or whatever. Do they ever get nasty? Do you ever feel like, Well, fuck this. I'm going to engage with these people and get after them a little bit or maybe a heckler or something. Does it ever get not fun and contentious?

It's not fun. There's times when you feel gutded coming out of doing a show for men that make carpet fiber. But I don't get contentious. I don't go there, Jason, because I'm too sissy. If I started going after somebody, then if they came after me, then I don't feel... People have never heckled me. I only get a drunk woman saying, I got a C-section. I get that stuff. I don't get people coming after me. I think it's because I'm a mom and people are And they can tell I've got a sweet spirit, and they don't want to come after me. Yeah, good. All right. But yeah, some of these corporate things will kill you.

What about cursing? There are comics that curse and comics that don't, correct? There's a There's a demarcation line there.

Yeah. I love, I'm a huge fan of Dave Chappelle. Oh, my gosh. I love all kinds of comedy, and I don't care if they cuss. I've never done it, but I think it's because I started out With little children, and I didn't want to say anything that I didn't want them to say.

It's almost funny or without it.

It just wasn't in my thing, but I don't mind it when other people do it. But yeah, there's a line.

Yeah, I always love that about Nate, too. You mentioned Nate Bargazzi, who I He's such a good dude, and he's so funny, and he never cusses. It's amazing. He doesn't, huh? Yeah.

No, I don't know.

No, he doesn't.

Leanne, we're going to do some rapid fire, and then I'm going to ask you one last question. Okay, ready?

Okay, my darling.

Here's rapid fire. Is it a news section? We're doing a news section?

Yeah.

Do we need some sting music to tee it up?

I love this. Sure. We're going to do a little sting music.

Rob, jump us up some.

Sean's rapid fire section.

There's only five of them. Ready? Sweet tea or bourbon?

I'd even say bourbon.

I love that. Jell-o salad or banana pudding?

Banana pudding.

Country music concert or Arena Rock Show?

Or what rock show?

Like a big arena rock show.

Arena Rock Show. Like the journey to stuff, everything.

I'd probably go for a rock show.

Oh, wow. Live studio audience or on location or like touring or something?

Live studio audience.

How about that? Early Bird or Night Owl?

Early Bird.

Oh, wow. Pizza or barbecue ribs?

Pizza.

Pancakes or bacon?

Pancakes.

Levi's or Lycra?

Levi's. What? I answered all of them the same.

I'm just listing all the stuff that's in front of him right now, by the way. He's just looking at stuff in his room. Pizza and ribs, Lycra and jeans. He's just looking at shit that's in his view.

There's an open box of pizza in the corner.

Banana pudding. He's like, I'm going to get after that banana pudding.

Leanne, I want to leave you with the first of all, this has been so great. I just want you to say, you said your message is over and over again is about women of a certain age, as you said. It's not over for us. What does that mean? What would you tell your younger self about that? Growing up, by the way, we didn't even talk about you moving to a town called Bean Station.

But anyway, Bean Station. I'll go, All right, you all. Being When in Hollywood with these young girls that are these actresses, first of all, if I'd have moved to Hollywood at 20, I'd be on dope. Let me say that. I don't know how they've done it. Because I'm 60 years old and I'm who I am, that I'm able to handle all this. But I tell young women all the time because they all think, and I remember feeling at 30, I'm old and 40, it's over. I feel like I'm smarter than I've ever been. I'm better at my craft. It took me 20 years to figure out how to do this. I just think it makes sense when people make it big. Like Bill Burr, I heard him in an interview say, It took me 20 years. I couldn't sell tickets. I couldn't do anything. It was a slow build, but who I am and why it's happening to me, all this has happened to me at this age. I just think it's crazy to think that, and I know you all have been big deals since you all were young, and that's wonderful. You all have given so much joy to all of us.

But I do think there's something about honing a craft.

Like you said, at 60, you know three times as much as a 20-year-old. That's right. That informs the things you can You don't have access when you're talking about funny shit. It just makes so much more sense.

I'm still doing the multiplication after Jason just said that.

Yeah, it's also a privilege to get older because the only other choice is I know. It's like you want to get as old as possible because if you don't, you die. You're dead.

I know. That's your choice. Those are your choices.

Bring the wrinkles on.

That's why eating those two cakes in that stretched out teen Keeney swim skirt meant the world to me. I thought, I thought 60 was going to be rough on me. And I thought, oh, my gosh, I'm so thankful to have my health and I'm having the time of my life. This is crazy what's happening to me. It's like winning the lottery. It's like God put down at the carnival and picked up one of those little ducks and said, It's you, girl. 60 is a new 40. I just feel so blessed by all of it.

You're doing it real well, and this has been an enormous pleasure. Thank you.

Sean, be honest. Be honest. Did it make you think about order getting a cake today?

A hundred %. I just wrote it down. You did. And I put a two next to it. Leanne, you can see why you made it. You're just a absolutely It's been an unbelievable joy.

More, Leanne.

All your success is so deserved. It's so awesome to talk with you.

Thanks for talking to us today.

Thank you all. I'm in love with all three of you all.

Back at you.

You all are darling. You all have given so much joy. I hope you all know that. To all of us people out here in the middle of the United States.

Let us know when you're going to do a set out here in Los Angeles. Okay, I will.

I'll be working on that new hour, Jason.

Yeah, come on.

All right, you angel.

You You, angel. Thank you for this today. Thank you, my love. Have a great rest of your day, Leanne.

Thank you, Leanne. Thank you.

Bye, bye, bye, Leanne.

Bye. See you.

Bye, bye.

Sean, what a great guest.

I know. She was great. Scotty loves her, lives with her. Yeah. I do, too. But he's seen every single thing she's ever done.

Scotty turned you on her?

Yeah. I was like, Wow, she is really funny.

She's really funny. I can hear her talk about Chuck Morgan all day.

I know. I want to see him. I know. He comes up a lot.

He's so fun. He's got to come out on stage.

Wouldn't that be fun? I want to talk to that guy.

Book him.

All right, book him. Don't shout orders at me. Book him, Dan.

Hey, are you going to bring a cake over tonight?

Do you want me to?

Yeah, or a pie. Why don't you go get-I'll go get a Sweet Lady Jane's pie, our cake or something. Or a Winston's pie.

Will you really eat it if I get it?

If you get a Winston's pie, I'm going to eat the hell out of it.

They're okay.

You're not a pie guy. You're more of a cake guy.

Yeah, pie. I don't understand pie. It's just fruit shoved into pastry.

All right, well, then bring a cake. Yeah. Yeah.

That I understand.

What are we watching?

You said-Oh, right, right, right, right.

Are you guys getting together tonight?

Yeah, it's movie night.

I'm going to watch a movie. I'm not going to watch a movie.

Now, Will, aren't you supposed to come home for a week and then go back to Long Island?

Yeah.

Is that going to happen?

I'm coming back Friday.

For?

A week, eight days. Yeah.

Wait, really? Is there any way that you can free up for some hangout with Danny Dees on Sunday morning?

No, I can't Sunday.

God damn it. I know. What about Saturday morning with me?

Saturday.

That's sweet.

No, I can't. Because I got that thing that you can't do Saturday afternoon that you said that you can't do.

I can't. That's why I'm going to cram in the ground in the morning.

Because I have other shit I'm going to do.

I don't think you're going schedule right now.

Are we still rolling? Yeah. Damn it. What about that Leanne Morgan?

I know.

She was an absolute delight.

She's a delight.

I mean, maybe late Sunday afternoon. Sorry. Yes, Leanne Morgan.

I must say, Willy, you are- There he comes. You're gone for a long, long time with this junk and this incredible movie that you're in. I can't wait for everybody to see you in it. When When will you be done?

Bye.

Bye.

Love you all. Bye.

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