Joy 101: Kelli Giddish

"It was like the Pope was coming... And then she walks in. She's so normal, you know, to be a huge megastar that the whole world knows her name. I mean, Taylor Swift, for God's sake." -Kelli Giddish on Taylor's cameo in an SVU video at the Emmys Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb is Presented by CVS. Shop your local CVS, right around the corner. Experience the full conversation on the "Joy 101 podcast with Hoda Kotb" wherever you listen to podcasts. For more information, please visit us at www.joy101.com/podcast https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.joy101.com%2Fpodcast&data=05%7C02%7CBrianBurton%40iheartmedia.com%7Cd7fa04d380a34316f3d108df27eebf04%7C122a527e5b714eba878d9810b495b9e3%7C0%7C0%7C639273578503938395%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=eDDWK%2FVN2vAH%2Bw3nQLSLoo0C5TIm%2F%2FcMRPTsynpy95U%3D&reserved=0 See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:10Hoda Kotb?

  Okay, guys, I'm a huge Law & Order SVU fan. Love, love, love the show so much. Um, it's been on forever. And there's a member of the cast named Kelly Giddish, who is somebody who's been part of the Law & Order family for many years. I knew her from the show. I didn't know her as a human being until this interview. She is somebody who is delightful. She's energized. She's bright and shiny. And she's someone who I could have talked to for two hours. You know, when you sit with someone, you're like, why aren't we best friends? And why haven't we been best friends forever? Well, Kelly's career took her on an incredible trajectory.

• 0:55Hoda Kotb?

  She loved acting, did Broadway, she did soap operas, she did a whole bunch of other stuff and wound, wound up on Law & Order SVU. And she reflects on everything, on her path, on herself as a mother. She's got three boys. On her relationship with Mariska Hargitay, who's another great friend of mine. And also she gets into, y'all, do you guys remember on the Emmys, when they had that opening bit with Taylor Swift and the whole Law & Order team? She gives you all the tea on that, and it is delightful. You're gonna love this conversation with Kelly Giddish.

• 1:33Speaker 01

  This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human.

• 1:38Hoda Kotb?

  Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb is presented by CVS. I've realized that joy doesn't always come from those big moments. Sometimes you find it on the most ordinary day. I'll pop into a CVS for toothpaste or paper towels, and it never seems to be just a quick errand. Maybe I'll grab a delicious Well Market Trail Mix or wander over to the Joyward Collection. That's part of the fun. So the next time you're checking something off your to-do list, stop by your local CVS pharmacy. You might go in for one thing and leave with a little more joy. Visit your local CVS pharmacy, sponsored by CVS. Every purchase is a financial decision. So it's worth asking, what am I getting out of this? If you're using the Chase Freedom Flex Card,

• 2:22Hoda Kotb?

  you can maximize your cash back on things you need. More ways to earn, more ways to get rewarded. Sign up for the Chase Freedom Flex Card. Learn more at chase.com/getflex. This is a paid collaboration with Chase Freedom Flex. Cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., member FDIC. Subject to credit approval. Offer subject to change. Terms apply.

• 2:44Speaker 02

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• 3:13Speaker 03

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• 3:58Speaker 03

  Try You Beauty today.

• 4:00Speaker 04

  I'm Melissa Jelton, host of the What Happened to Her podcast. We're kicking off the season with the Sandra Birchmore story, a case the police wrote off as a suicide in a snowstorm. Her family never bought it, and the man they suspected wore a badge.

• 4:15Speaker 05

  You never know who that devil is because he's wearing a disguise. Sometimes it's a police uniform.

• 4:20Speaker 04

  And you can get access to all episodes 100% ad-free with an iHeart True Crime Plus subscription exclusively on Apple Podcasts, available only to iHeart True Crime Plus subscribers. So don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts, search for iHeart True Crime Plus, and subscribe today.

• 4:39Hoda Kotb?

  First of all, how are we? Like, just today, if today were a snapshot of your life?

• 4:44Speaker 06

  It's so good.

• 4:45Hoda Kotb?

  It's so good?

• 4:46Speaker 06

  It's so good. Last night, we had a dinner with Dick Wolf and the cast of SVU to celebrate 600 episodes.

• 4:52Hoda Kotb?

  Stop it.

• 4:52Speaker 06

  It's crazy.

• 4:53Hoda Kotb?

  I can't, by the way, when you say those words, I cannot comprehend. Nothing lands.

• 4:57Speaker 06

  I know.

• 4:58Hoda Kotb?

  It's nuts.

• 4:59Speaker 06

  And the same was true for Mariska last night. She was like, it's really hard to take this in. And it is, it's so hard. And it, like, I had a fan remind me, she was like, don't forget, you were in the 300th, 400th, 500th. And I was like, oh my gosh.

• 5:13Hoda Kotb?

  Did you, we might as well just start there. But I mean, to be part of such an iconic franchise. I mean, this is a once in a lifetime. This is a unicorn. This is a, like, OMG, how does that happen? But what has it meant for you in terms of, when you know something is real, when you know there's, stability sounds like a bad word, but the fact that you have that?

• 5:33Speaker 06

  Well, like, I would not have been craving stability when I got on SVU. You know? Now, you know, 16 seasons later, I have three children, and I'm so happy. I don't have to go to Canada or Europe or anywhere to go do my job. Like, I get to do it in New York City. You know, it's, it's 45 minutes away to the stage from my house. And it's so, like, you don't know, you don't know how good that is until you've had a family and until you go, okay, I can, I can, I can walk you to school this morning, and I can drive you to basketball practice, and go to work, and get up and make the lunches, and be there, you know? And fulfill, fulfill, you know, myself, and like, get to go have a job and figure out a puzzle every single day.

• 6:18Hoda Kotb?

  So the fact that you get to do all these things. Let's talk about that, the family piece.

• 6:23Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 6:24Hoda Kotb?

  Because that, I, I mean, I'm in a, I have a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old. Okay? And one of the reasons for me for leaving today was because of the time pie and just sort of how much you're gonna divvy out or however it works. But the luxury, like, you, because you get to do all those things. How important are those kind of little moments for you as a mom?

• 6:46Speaker 06

  It's huge. It's huge. My oldest just went to middle school this year. And like, when, when fifth grade was, was ending last year, I was, I did not expect to be hit like a ton of bricks. I was like, you're not gonna be on the walk to school with us anymore. You know what I mean? Because he's going to middle school on his own. He's getting there by himself. And I, like, I was like, so our band is breaking up. And for me to be able to, to, to walk with them to school, you know, there's something about ambulating, like, like, it's like how, how maybe we grew up with our parents. Like, you could drive and like, you didn't have to make eye contact, but you had a 45-minute drive to rehearsal or practice or whatever, and things would come out.

• 7:30Speaker 06

  That's kind of how I feel like it is on the walk to school, you know, or the walk back to school. Like, it's just time. And you don't, you're not grilling them, it's not. But me being able to be there and, and fix them breakfast and make their lunches, it means the world to me.

• 7:45Hoda Kotb?

  Let's talk about, I want to talk about that some more, but let, let me go back to how you were raised, how you were brought up.

• 7:50Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 7:50Hoda Kotb?

  So if I were to stroll into your house and you were, let's say, eight years old, I'm like, oh, I'm at Kelly's house. What's happening in here? What would I notice about the vibe? What would, what would be my first impression walking into your house?

• 8:02Speaker 06

  It's warm. It's warm.

• 8:03Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 8:04Speaker 06

  We're outside.

• 8:05Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 8:06Speaker 06

  We're outside.

• 8:07Hoda Kotb?

  All the time?

• 8:08Speaker 06

  Yeah. Yes, riding bikes, you know? Like, if I came home, you know, it's like, if you were home before 6 o'clock, my parents would be worried. They'd be like, why are you home?

• 8:16Hoda Kotb?

  What's wrong?

• 8:16Speaker 06

  What's going on? Why aren't you at, why aren't you at so-and-so's house?

• 8:19Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 8:20Speaker 06

  You know, it's like riding bikes. And, and my dad was my softball coach. You know, so I, sometimes I had to get home from school and call the girls and be like, yes, practice is on. I know it's raining outside, but dad says practice is on. You know, and like, go through, go through the list and check everybody off. And I did have, have a little brother when I was seven. So there's a big age gap between me and him.

• 8:43Hoda Kotb?

  He's a baby brother when you were seven?

• 8:44Speaker 06

  Baby brother. So I got to be an only child for a little while. And then I got to be a big sister. I, I consider that having the best of both worlds.

• 8:52Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 8:53Speaker 06

  And my mom, she was like, I was sitting on the porch and watching you play, being the seven-year-old, and I was holding my new baby. She was like, what have I done? She was like, just when she can go do everything for herself, I have another one, and I'm so glad she did. My, my little brother, and I, I.

• 9:12Hoda Kotb?

  What a cool way that worked out, like, how life works.

• 9:15Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 9:15Hoda Kotb?

  And softball, you act like, oh, softball. But softball, that was like a thing for you.

• 9:19Speaker 06

  It was a huge thing. Huge.

• 9:21Hoda Kotb?

  Were you a state champion?

• 9:22Speaker 06

  Yes, ma'am, I was.

• 9:24Hoda Kotb?

  Sorry, I need a minute.

• 9:25Speaker 06

  Georgia State Champions. It was a big deal.

• 9:28Hoda Kotb?

  Tell me.

• 9:28Speaker 06

  It was my life, you know? It's like, um, it's what you did. It's what you did growing up. It's where the family was. It's, it's where you ate. It's where you, you know, you napped in the car, you, um.

• 9:40Hoda Kotb?

  What did you learn from softball? What did it teach you?

• 9:43Speaker 06

  I mean, to, to support. You're, you're part of a team no matter what. To show up even when you don't feel like showing up, even when it's hot as hell in, in Georgia. And, you know, it doesn't matter. You're showing up for each other. And you're cheering on the bench for each other. It doesn't matter if you're, if you're on the bench, if you're playing, if you're, and, and just to give it your all.

• 10:04Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 10:05Speaker 06

  And fail.

• 10:06Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 10:07Speaker 06

  Like, do really bad and get up and do it again.

• 10:10Hoda Kotb?

  So, okay, so sports, they always say, like, C-suite people are like 90% sports when it comes to women. You know, people who played sports, it taught them.

• 10:19Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 10:20Hoda Kotb?

  There, you chose a field that was, that's, that involves rejection. It's kind of scary. People are gonna judge you, not on you as a human, but you as, you know, you're just judged all the time. How, you seem like a really cool, sensitive person. How were you able to withstand that part of what your profession would become?

• 10:41Speaker 06

  Um, I mean, because I had such supportive parents.

• 10:45Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 10:46Speaker 06

  I did, and I knew if, if I fell on my face.

• 10:49Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 10:50Speaker 06

  That they were gonna help me back up. You know, and like I, I lived, like, when I came to New York first, I remember living with like a seven year old Colombian lady. Like, I rented a room from her in Chelsea. Don't ask me how I got in there. So, and, and I came home from Christmas after seeing my parents, you know, and like I had this huge suitcase and I go and I put my key in the door and it, it won't open the door where I'm renting a bedroom from this lady. And I'm like, what is going on? And there's no, like, she doesn't have a cell phone at that point. Like, so I go to, I, I go around the corner and I get myself a grilled cheese sandwich and I call my parents and I say, I can't get into the place that I'm supposed to live.

• 11:30Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 11:30Speaker 06

  And they're like, you know what, Kelly? Just get on a plane and come home. And I was like, that's not an option. Like, are you kidding? No, no, no, no, no, no. Like, I have $10 to my name and I don't have a place to live, but I'm not coming home.

• 11:42Hoda Kotb?

  So what'd you do?

• 11:43Speaker 06

  So I don't know. I don't know what gave me the, the, the, the fortitude. It was just knowing that I could come home.

• 11:49Hoda Kotb?

  Right. You had a place to land, therefore I could do anything.

• 11:53Speaker 06

  If things are really bad, I have a place to land.

• 11:55Hoda Kotb?

  So what did you do?

• 11:56Speaker 06

  Who knows? I don't remember. I, I got a beer and a grilled cheese and I waited it out. But like, I don't know.

• 12:02Hoda Kotb?

  So how was your path? I mean, I know I was reading about All My Children and these guys, but how, like, what was your first moment that you entered into the acting world and you're like, yeah, yeah, this is for me?

• 12:14Speaker 06

  Well, I mean, I was a flower in first grade. So I think that, you know, I think there's, there's a lot written about that.

• 12:22Hoda Kotb?

  Okay, that's hilarious.

• 12:25Speaker 06

  You know what? I, I auditioned for the Velveteen Rabbit for this lady named Yatesy Harvey. And funnily enough, I, Wyn Everett, who has been on Chad Powers, she's been making the rounds and, and she's just flying so high playing this part. And we went to the same high school and we were taught by the same lady. But I auditioned for this lady when I was a kid and she put me in the Velveteen Rabbit. And then from then on, I did community theater with her, moved to high school so I could be in her theater program. And it, she was so serious, like, and expected so much out of us. Like, I say Georgia State champs, but we, we also won state championships, like, for one act plays with her.

• 13:07Hoda Kotb?

  For real?

• 13:08Speaker 06

  Yeah. And, and you had to, you had to build the scenery. You had to know how to, like, you had to do all the parts. You had to know how the lighting worked. You had to know how the costume, the makeup, that you had to, you had to know all of the facets of, of making a play go up and, and doing it. And, you know, it's, I loved it. I loved how much she expected out of us. I loved, I loved failing and falling on my face for her because she would, she would demand so much of us.

• 13:36Hoda Kotb?

  That, that expectation thing, by the way, as I think about parenting and life. But once something is expected of you, just like I'm sure excellence was expected of you in softball, too. It's like, once people expect it, I feel like you rise to it. You know, I think sometimes we're like with our kids, a little bit like, you're good, don't worry. It's a, you know, and I'm wondering.

• 13:57Speaker 06

  Don't feel bad. Don't feel bad about it.

• 13:59Hoda Kotb?

  Right. Maybe we're not putting enough kind of expectation on them to, to, you know, to get where they need to get.

• 14:08Speaker 06

  And it's the little things that, like, I'm finding are working.

• 14:10Hoda Kotb?

  Like what?

• 14:11Speaker 06

  Just no more, no one is gonna clear your plate.

• 14:14Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 14:15Speaker 06

  You're gonna put it in the dishwasher.

• 14:16Hoda Kotb?

  Put it away. Yeah.

• 14:17Speaker 06

  And, you know, and I do little things like, um, like, I know I don't even have to look at the table because I know, I know, I know you did it. Like, I don't even have to look, right?

• 14:26Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 14:26Speaker 06

  And you hear, you know, and they all scurry to do it. But just like my son is starting middle school.

• 14:32Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 14:32Speaker 06

  And I said, you know, you have, you have an alarm that you can set.

• 14:35Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 14:36Speaker 06

  And he's like, huh, yeah, I'm gonna set an alarm. And so I went in there this morning and it was going off. It had been going off for five minutes. And so I lifted up the covers, I put it on his ear.

• 14:46Hoda Kotb?

  Oh, you did?

• 14:46Speaker 06

  Yeah. No, yeah. And I'm smiling the whole time, like, okay, this is you being independent. But you have to give them, you know.

• 14:53Hoda Kotb?

  Teach them. Right. Um, so you, you moved schools to follow this teacher. Were your parents cool about that?

• 15:00Speaker 06

  Yeah. My mom, my mom was an educator. So I, she happened to work with this, with this woman. So I get, I got to move, you know, kind of easily because she was in the, the public school system. And so it was interesting going to the same school where your mom is the assistant principal and the girls' disciplinarian.

• 15:18Hoda Kotb?

  Oh, jeez.

• 15:19Speaker 06

  You know.

• 15:19Hoda Kotb?

  How, how was that?

• 15:20Speaker 06

  It was, it was good, you know, but I skipped lunch one day and got caught. They were like, Ms. Giddish's daughter is at Subway getting a sandwich. And so I got called in. I'm like, what the?

• 15:31Hoda Kotb?

  So your dad's a coach, your mom is the prince, assistant principal, you were, there was, you had no way out. Like, that was not happening.

• 15:37Speaker 06

  I remember like getting in so much trouble. And dad goes, I'm sorry. This is, this is the way it's gonna be. You represent your mother.

• 15:43Hoda Kotb?

  I think we spend so much of our lives waiting for the big moments, the birthdays, the vacations, the milestones. But the truth is, some of the happiest moments show up on the most ordinary days. So like this, I'll stop into a CVS because I need one thing. Somehow, the best part of the trip is never the thing I came for. So maybe I'll grab a delicious well-marketed snack, or maybe I'll wander over to the Joyward Collection. It's really full of fun, cool, seasonal decor, thoughtful little gifts, and those little discoveries that make you so glad you stopped in. I have to tell you, if you're an extra care member, you're gonna save on things you're already buying. And those extra bucks really

• 16:25Hoda Kotb?

  do add up. Just watching that total go down at the checkout never, ever gets old. I know life's busy. We're all juggling a lot. And that's why I think those little unexpected moments of joy matter so much. So the next time you're running errands, stop by your local CVS pharmacy. You may go in for something you need, but don't be surprised if you leave with something that simply makes your day a little brighter. Visit your local CVS pharmacy, sponsored by CVS. Halloween has a funny way of making you buy things you'd never normally buy. A 10-foot skeleton? Sure. A full-size fog machine? Why not? Three bags of candy that somehow become six bags of candy?

• 17:08Hoda Kotb?

  It happens. Which brings me to the Chase Freedom Flex Card, the savvy decision that will earn you more cash back on the everyday purchases, plus the extraordinary Halloween tricks and treats. With Freedom Flex, you earn even more treats on your Halloween and everyday needs. You get 5% cash back on popular rotating quarterly categories, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases. More ways to earn, more ways to get rewarded. That's no tricks, all treats. More ways to earn, more ways to get rewarded. So sign up for the Chase Freedom Flex Card. Learn more at chase.com/getflex. This is a paid collaboration with Chase Freedom Flex. Cards issued by JP Morgan

• 17:52Hoda Kotb?

  Chase Bank and a member FDIC. Subject to credit approval. Offer subject to change. Terms apply.

• 17:59Speaker 05

  I'm Malcolm Gladwell, host of Smart Talks with IBM. I spoke with Dr. Laura Jayhai of Cleveland Clinic about how advanced computing is helping shorten the path from medical discovery to treatment.

• 18:11Speaker 07

  The moment that there is a compound that someone in a lab thinks it would be effective to treat a certain disease, it takes about 10 to 13 years from that moment to when that drug is on a shelf for a patient. A big part of that gap could be computationally solved. Better simulation of compounds, designing drug trials that are more efficient, that would finish faster. That was the motivation to bring computational tools and technology closer to biomedical researchers.

• 18:46Speaker 05

  Learn more about how Cleveland Clinic and IBM are using AI and quantum computing to revolutionize biomedical research at ibm.com/smarttalks.

• 18:58Speaker 03

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• 19:34Speaker 03

  resurfacing compound by You Beauty now at youbeauty.com. That's the letter U, B-E-A-U-T-Y.com. Try You Beauty today.

• 19:45Hoda Kotb?

  Okay. So you go through high school, you love it, you're in love with it, you go to New York, you're gonna try, you're gonna try. The stories of people who go to New York and couch surf and work with little jobs, there are a million, but a few people, just a few, wind up getting something.

• 20:02Speaker 06

  Why is that?

• 20:03Hoda Kotb?

  I don't, why do you think it is?

• 20:05Speaker 06

  I mean, it's, what, what is fascinating and what's attractive about this profession is that there's no, there's no path.

• 20:14Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 20:14Speaker 06

  There's no right way, there's no wrong way. And even now, there's no right way, there's no wrong way. And it can be maddening when you're starting out. It's just like, somebody, please tell me what to do. Do I get an agent? Where do I go? And, and all it is, is like, I got invited to a party because I was at a playwriting conference and I knew a director friend. So he was like, hey, you wanna be my date? And I was like, absolutely. We went to a play. I met a casting director. He goes, do you have an agent? I go, no. He said, let's fix that. So.

• 20:42Hoda Kotb?

  One little decision leads to.

• 20:44Speaker 06

  Yeah. Like, how do you teach? But I just always say, work begets work. Like, I said yes to doing this playwriting conference. You know, like, you're not getting paid to do that. You're just going,

• 20:54Hoda Kotb?

  But you met someone.

• 20:55Speaker 06

  You're working your ass off, like, doing train schedules for actors and, you know, doing that kind of thing. But you meet somebody, you, you make a contact, you, and, and it just leads one thing to the next.

• 21:06Hoda Kotb?

  So when that guy said, do you have an agent? What, when did All My Children come?

• 21:10Speaker 06

  So, I mean, I think I, I think I, I, I got on Broadway. Like, I was cast in a Broadway, right? So I think, I think that came first.

• 21:21Hoda Kotb?

  Isn't that so funny when you think about it? I do this all the time. Like, which, who cares? You were on Broadway.

• 21:28Speaker 06

  And I was like, because I was like, yes, I came to New York. I have, I've been here a year and I'm, I'm on Broadway.

• 21:33Hoda Kotb?

  Wait, what was this play?

• 21:35Speaker 06

  Uh, it was called Bobby Bowlin. And it closed before it opened.

• 21:40Hoda Kotb?

  You cracked me up.

• 21:41Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 21:41Hoda Kotb?

  So, wait, it never?

• 21:42Speaker 06

  No. It went on previews, we were, it was with Fairfaucet.

• 21:46Hoda Kotb?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 21:46Speaker 06

  And I had to steal Fairfaucet's husband in the play, and she was awesome. She's so hot. I think she was like sixty years old at that time, and I was like twenty-two, and I was like, she's so much hotter than me, oh, my God. Look at her legs, I can't, I can't even compete, and I have to steal her husband.

• 22:02Hoda Kotb?

  Okay, that's awesome.

• 22:03Speaker 06

  So, yeah, but then that, that play closed before it opened.

• 22:07Hoda Kotb?

  But what did you get from that?

• 22:08Speaker 06

  Oh, I'm like rejection, like you learn how to, okay, but you, I fell on my face with that, like I thought, like, yes, like I knew I had it.

• 22:17Hoda Kotb?

  And then it was over.

• 22:18Speaker 06

  And then it was over.

• 22:19Hoda Kotb?

  Okay, and so you, so after Broadway, which is huge.

• 22:21Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 22:22Hoda Kotb?

  Then what?

• 22:22Speaker 06

  Then I, you know, like, I, I had a lot of people from my college, I went to a tiny place, University of Evansville, that has produced so many beautiful, talented, working, working people.

• 22:35Speaker 06

  And we would just do black box theater, you know, my friend Matt Smart would write plays, and, and we would get together, we would rehearse them and do them and whatever, and I, I wrote a one-woman show, and I think, I think somebody, the casting person from All My Children saw that, and got me a screen test for there, and I, I remember walking to the soap opera gig going, shut up, I'm gonna get this, you know, like, do I really wanna do this? Do I really wanna tie myself up in this?

• 23:03Hoda Kotb?

  And then what?

• 23:04Speaker 06

  And, and then they offered me the job, and, and it's like a steady paycheck, it, and I was like, you know what, I'm gonna take everything I can from this job.

• 23:11Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah, say yes, yeah.

• 23:11Speaker 06

  The first thing I did was look up actresses that started on soaps, and I was like, where are they now?

• 23:16Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 23:16Speaker 06

  You know what I mean? Like, I don't wanna get, I don't wanna go, I don't wanna be in that forever. And I was like, okay, so it seems like if you get a twin on a soap opera, then you're, then you're set. So that was my goal, I was like, make them write a twin story. But I, I did it, I got it, and I learned so.

• 23:35Hoda Kotb?

  I was gonna say, the daily.

• 23:36Speaker 06

  I learned so much from doing that.

• 23:39Hoda Kotb?

  What was it?

• 23:40Speaker 06

  Just the daily grind of learning.

• 23:41Hoda Kotb?

  Daily, yeah.

• 23:42Speaker 06

  Learning, I mean, because I think sometimes you do like ninety pages a day.

• 23:46Hoda Kotb?

  Holy moly.

• 23:47Speaker 06

  Like, a big day for, for Law and Order is nine, like, that's a huge, huge day.

• 23:51Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 23:52Speaker 06

  And there, you would do it, you would do like eight episodes a week. So it was just, and.

• 23:57Hoda Kotb?

  So you had to crank it out, memorize.

• 23:59Speaker 06

  And you had to do it in one take.

• 24:00Hoda Kotb?

  Oh, wow.

• 24:01Speaker 06

  You know what I mean?

• 24:01Hoda Kotb?

  So this is, this was great for you.

• 24:03Speaker 06

  Yeah, it was great. You had to think on your feet, you have to know what choices you're gonna make, and.

• 24:07Hoda Kotb?

  And you loved it, you, you loved it on Broadway, you loved it on All My Children, you just loved the craft of it.

• 24:12Speaker 06

  Yeah, definitely.

• 24:13Hoda Kotb?

  Okay, no matter where you were doing it.

• 24:15Speaker 06

  Definitely.

• 24:15Hoda Kotb?

  Okay, so, wait, when does Law and Order come into this mix?

• 24:17Speaker 06

  Then, yeah, it's like, like, I, I did a Fox show where I was number one on, I did a thing called Past Life, and, you know, you do guest stars here and there, and then I did a show called Chase with Jerry Bruckheimer, and that was on NBC and had a blast.

• 24:33Hoda Kotb?

  Loved that.

• 24:33Speaker 06

  Loved.

• 24:34Hoda Kotb?

  Oh.

• 24:35Speaker 06

  And then, um, that, that ended after the first season, and then Law and Order, they said, hey, Chris Maloney, um, is leaving, we need, we need some, someone to take his shoes, and I was like, but I don't know, me? The, like, Chris Maloney and Mariska Hargitay, like, you want me to come, okay, all right, who else are you hiring? They were like, don't worry, we actually are hiring someone else. But, so me and Danny Pino got the, got the gig, and.

• 25:02Hoda Kotb?

  Wow.

• 25:03Speaker 06

  Like, I honestly, I was, I, I thought the show was Mariska and Chris.

• 25:09Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 25:09Speaker 06

  So much, and I was like, listen, I'll be on it for the next two years, but I don't think the show, like, like, that's what the show is, it's their partnership. And then you get to meet Mariska.

• 25:20Hoda Kotb?

  Talk, talk about that, first of all, I'm such a huge, I love her so much.

• 25:23Speaker 06

  Me too.

• 25:24Hoda Kotb?

  Go on, tell me.

• 25:25Speaker 06

  She loves you too.

• 25:25Hoda Kotb?

  Love her, yeah.

• 25:27Speaker 06

  And you go, oh, no, this lady is taking, taking this and running with it.

• 25:31Hoda Kotb?

  Okay, so first meeting, you, you, you know her, she's, you know, been on for a long time, blah, blah, blah. So, tell me your first meeting, or, or what was she like as someone to work alongside?

• 25:41Speaker 06

  I remember the audition, and they, they were like, um, can you, can you go at it a little bit harder with her? And I was like, yeah, you know, and just, just, you can feel it with somebody, like, acting, like, they're gonna just react to whatever you give them. You know what I mean? Like, that's what acting is, but, but with her, it was so easy.

• 26:00Hoda Kotb?

  Really?

• 26:01Speaker 06

  Yeah, it was so easy, and she's just open, she wants, she wants to make every scene the best it can possibly be. And, you know, after, after doing something for that long, to still have that energy, that drive, that commitment, you know, it's, it's very admirable.

• 26:16Hoda Kotb?

  What was she like, or what is she like as a person for you, one of your people?

• 26:21Speaker 06

  I mean, she makes me laugh a lot, you know, and she's a mom of three.

• 26:26Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 26:26Speaker 06

  So, I, and she's been through everything that I'm going through, you know, her kids are a little older, so I get to ask her, you know, what she did in this situation, and, you know? And she's unapologetically sixty-two years old.

• 26:42Hoda Kotb?

  Yes, that's one of my favorite parts.

• 26:43Speaker 06

  And I mean, I guess people have seen her around.

• 26:45Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 26:46Speaker 06

  Hosting the Emmys, um, like, doing a Broadway play.

• 26:49Hoda Kotb?

  On Broadway, I know.

• 26:50Speaker 06

  I, and like.

• 26:52Hoda Kotb?

  It's.

• 26:53Speaker 06

  At a time when you could be like, um, denouement, you know, like, okay, like, I've been on this show, everybody knows me, everybody loves me, but then to just keep building upon, upon that, it's, it's so inspiring.

• 27:05Hoda Kotb?

  Evolution, I know, it's like everything, it seemed like after she did that documentary on her mom, and when you finally unlock something that you've been carrying around, like, everyone's got something.

• 27:16Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 27:16Hoda Kotb?

  I don't care who you are.

• 27:17Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 27:18Hoda Kotb?

  Deep down, you've loved it your whole life, you're like, this is how it is, I just carry it till the end, I guess, whatever it is. And to be able to offload it, like she did, and then all of a sudden, in the play, she was like, next level, like, she seemed free.

• 27:33Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 27:34Hoda Kotb?

  And then the Emmys followed, it's so weird how one big action begets like all these things. And I remember talking to her when she was on the show, because I was telling her I was leaving the Today Show, she was, I wanna talk to you about all this, because I've been doing my show for a long, long time and all this stuff. And I could tell even just in conversation, because you, when you know, you know.

• 27:52Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 27:53Hoda Kotb?

  Like, there's not a, there's not a push-pull.

• 27:56Speaker 06

  Right.

• 27:57Hoda Kotb?

  If you're losing sleep over it, then it's probably not yet. If you're wringing your hands, it's not yet. For me, I was deciding, and I'll never forget, I was like, oh, should I, I don't know, is it, I, I had a clear vision, and I was like, all of a sudden, I was like, am I crazy? Like, what's wrong? I woke up, you know, thinking what was going on. And I was with my little, my young daughter, who was, who was six at the time, now she's seven, second grade. Anyway, she was climbing a, a tree in our front yard, and she was repeatedly climbing it, and I was in the front yard thinking about, what am I doing, what the hell am I doing? Mommy, look, I'm like, oh, my God, look how high you are, come, yeah, she came back down, I'm up and down, I was just watching her and daydreaming about my future. And finally, on like the sixth or seventh time, she was, Mom, I'm at the top again. I go, well, honey, I go, amazing, I go, well, now what are you gonna do?

• 28:42Hoda Kotb?

  I go, you're at the top again. She goes, I guess it's time to find a different tree.

• 28:47Speaker 06

  Oh, don't make me cry.

• 28:48Hoda Kotb?

  But I, I literally go.

• 28:50Speaker 06

  Oh, my gosh.

• 28:51Hoda Kotb?

  I go, a different, she goes, yeah, I already climbed it.

• 28:53Speaker 06

  Oh.

• 28:54Hoda Kotb?

  I go, you already climbed it, you already, I was like, hugging her, swinging her.

• 28:58Speaker 06

  Oh, what a gift.

• 28:58Hoda Kotb?

  But that tiny moment.

• 29:01Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 29:02Hoda Kotb?

  And it was cl- clarity, like, total clarity.

• 29:06Speaker 06

  That's so great.

• 29:07Hoda Kotb?

  But anyway, to know when it's time for the next. So, for you, as you go through.

• 29:13Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 29:13Hoda Kotb?

  All My Children, it was time.

• 29:15Speaker 06

  And I quit that job, too.

• 29:17Hoda Kotb?

  Wait, you quit?

• 29:17Speaker 06

  Yeah, I had a four-year contract, and I, I, um, I, I went to the executive producer, and I was like, I think I need to, I think I need to move on, and she goes, I think you do, too. I go, thank you. She goes, I'm gonna let you out, it's no, no worries, you know? And I was like, thank you so.

• 29:32Hoda Kotb?

  What was it about, like, what happened?

• 29:33Speaker 06

  I just, you know, you just kinda get into a rhythm, you know, like, maybe some bad habits, of like, and I just felt like I was kinda getting into some bad habits with it, and I was like, I think I need to.

• 29:44Hoda Kotb?

  Something else.

• 29:45Speaker 06

  Something else, you know?

• 29:46Hoda Kotb?

  And so you knew, and that was clear.

• 29:48Speaker 06

  And it was hard, though, because I was eating steak, you know what I mean? Like, I was getting to go out to eat, I was getting to pay for my friends' dinners, I was getting, you know, like, steady paycheck.

• 29:57Hoda Kotb?

  Yes, you knew exactly what was coming.

• 29:58Speaker 06

  Didn't have to worry about the rent.

• 29:59Hoda Kotb?

  When did your family, when did that all come into be? Where were you in your career when you were thinking about, like, is it time?

• 30:07Speaker 06

  Well, I mean, I was on SVU, and I had, you know, that stability and that.

• 30:11Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 30:11Speaker 06

  Like, that confidence, I knew where I stood there, I knew where I was, I knew where I was going there, and I, I felt totally ready to, to bring a, a child into that.

• 30:24Hoda Kotb?

  Tell me about that part, because, did you, um, let, talk about that, that decision, and why it was something that you guys wanted to do.

• 30:32Speaker 06

  I mean, it's, it's a pull.

• 30:34Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 30:35Speaker 06

  It's a pull in your body.

• 30:37Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 30:37Speaker 06

  That, you know, all of a sudden, you go from like, partying like a twenty-eight-year-old to like, sitting on the train and like, looking at a kid and being like, what, stop it? And you're just like, and nothing else makes you happier than seeing, hearing, all of a sudden, you're attuned to, to kids' giggles and like, and mothers, and like.

• 30:56Hoda Kotb?

  So interesting.

• 30:56Speaker 06

  It's cra- it's crazy, you can't explain it, like, but your focus just, just turns, you know, to, to daydreaming about that, instead of daydreaming about like, what authors you'd like to meet, you know, like, it all, like, it just, you just stop, you know, it, the selfish part of you just kind of goes, and it's.

• 31:15Hoda Kotb?

  So interesting.

• 31:16Speaker 06

  I wanna, I wanna learn from somebody else, like.

• 31:18Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 31:19Speaker 06

  That I invite into my life.

• 31:20Hoda Kotb?

  What was it like when your first child was born?

• 31:23Speaker 06

  It was like, I always knew him, and I was just meeting him for the first time.

• 31:28Hoda Kotb?

  Oh, my God.

• 31:29Speaker 06

  It, such a strange feeling. I was like, oh, we finally get to meet. It's crazy. It's crazy.

• 31:39Hoda Kotb?

  What were you like as a mom, like the first?

• 31:42Speaker 06

  Silly.

• 31:43Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah. Did you know what to do or are you just figuring that?

• 31:45Speaker 06

  No, no. I was exhausted watching Modern Family at 3 a.m. and breastfeeding. I'm going, oh, my God, I have to be up at 5:30 and be on set.

• 31:55Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah. How, how did you do all those things? You just did it?

• 31:58Speaker 06

  I just did it.

• 31:58Hoda Kotb?

  You just did it. You were so happy.

• 32:00Speaker 06

  I'm such a workhorse. And I love working and they were so, like, bringing everybody to work.

• 32:04Hoda Kotb?

  Oh, that's nice.

• 32:05Speaker 06

  Like, my second son, I, I literally was, like, breastfeeding while they were changing lights and setups around me, you know?

• 32:10Hoda Kotb?

  That's love right there.

• 32:12Speaker 06

  And they didn't care.

• 32:12Hoda Kotb?

  Yes.

• 32:13Speaker 06

  You know, and I weighed a buck eighty on national TV three times.

• 32:19Speaker 06

  So I would say they're, they're pretty supportive.

• 32:22Hoda Kotb?

  I love it. I remember when I, I adopted my first daughter Haley and I remember Maria Shriver came over and I didn't know what I was. I mean, I knew I was doing, I was, you know, but I didn't know. So I knew there was like feeding and changing the diaper and napping. But in between, I was like, what am I doing here now? There's like an hour of nothing to do. So I was like, so Maria came over and she was like, oh, my God, Haley. So I was holding Haley up and I was like, yay Haley. And she goes, what are you doing? I go, I'm playing with her. And she goes, Hoda. She goes, your child needs what you need. And I said, what is, what do you mean? She goes, to be looked at, to be talked to.

• 32:59Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 33:00Hoda Kotb?

  To, you want, she wants to feel secure and safe and loved. That's all. You don't need to shake keys in front of her and try to dangle things and make her laugh. Just hold her and look at her. And it like totally changed. I was like, I need what we need. Oh, my God, that's so.

• 33:15Speaker 06

  It's not a being from an alien race. It's your race. It's your, it's us. It's our species.

• 33:21Hoda Kotb?

  We can do this.

• 33:22Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 33:22Hoda Kotb?

  Um, so how did becoming a mom, you're a mom of three, but how did becoming a mom change you as a human being?

• 33:32Hoda Kotb?

  Everything.

• 33:32Speaker 06

  Yeah, everything. I mean,

• 33:36Speaker 06

  I, my dad, as soon as, soon as I started, goes, um, but no, as soon as I, as soon as I had my first child, he was like, don't forget to, to take care of yourself. You know, like, don't forget that. Like, make sure you always, you always take care of yourself. And I took that to heart and like, especially having kids when you're older, you know, it's like, I, I did really start paying attention to my health. That, that really changed.

• 34:04Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah. Like, what, what steps did you?

• 34:05Speaker 06

  I mean, like, especially after my third kid, I was in my 40s and I started lifting really heavy weights.

• 34:10Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 34:10Speaker 06

  And I never did that before.

• 34:12Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 34:13Speaker 06

  Um, I always like, you know, ran and you do all that kind of thing, but I'm like, you have to put resistance on your body. Just like we were saying about our kids, you have to, you have to let them go through resistance in order to grow, in order to, to, and just, I'm super, super cognizant of, of my health and who, who they're gonna have, you know, in 20 years, you know? So that, that perspective changed.

• 34:38Hoda Kotb?

  Yes, interesting.

• 34:39Speaker 06

  And that's all I think about now.

• 34:42Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 34:42Speaker 06

  That's, I, that's all I think about. I think about them all the time and,

• 34:49Speaker 06

  and, you know, like the line that you, that you're always dancing around, like, do I push them to do that or do I just let it be?

• 34:56Hoda Kotb?

  And what is your, what's the conclusion you came to?

• 34:59Speaker 06

  I don't know. That's why I think about it all the time. I'm never sure.

• 35:02Hoda Kotb?

  I don't know either.

• 35:03Speaker 06

  That's why, that's why.

• 35:04Hoda Kotb?

  I know. And you want to introduce, but I think also, like, I mean, you can't invent adversity and most, look, you and I both know, like, we've talked to a million different people. I remember sitting at the foot of, like, Viola Davis and she told me the story of her childhood, which was terrifying and horrifying. And somehow this woman emerged from this and is unstoppable. I remember sitting, I asked, I asked Viola, how would you describe your childhood? And in one word, she said, hungry. Hungry. So you, but what she went through to become incredible. And Shania Twain, same thing. She was describing to me that she would watch kids throw their lunch away that they didn't want.

• 35:45Hoda Kotb?

  And she would want to dig it out of the trash because she didn't have anything. And yet here she is. So, but kids aren't going to be given adversity to become stronger people.

• 35:54Speaker 06

  Like, what are we gonna be me for that?

• 35:55Hoda Kotb?

  But it's also, but how do you create a kid who, who can withstand if they've never had to withstand anything? You know, it's, it's tricky. You can't invent anything, obviously, but.

• 36:07Speaker 06

  We talk about it on set a lot, you know, because obviously we, we all have a lot of kids. And we talk about that a lot, you know, because obviously we're working our asses off to, to, to provide a good life for them so that they don't, they have everything they need. And they do have everything they need. So where do you, where do you create that resilience? And, and it, I think it's just like my mom did for me. Like, we, you know, we, we were middle class and, but I didn't, I didn't get Nikes. Like, I didn't get, you know, like, whatever. I mean, it's like, after talking about Viola Davis, like, I didn't get Nikes.

• 36:45Hoda Kotb?

  Sorry. I probably shouldn't have injected.

• 36:47Speaker 06

  No, but, but you know what I mean? But it is like, um,

• 36:52Speaker 06

  they, they're, they're constantly comparing themselves too, to other people. So no matter what, they're gonna feel like they don't, you know, they're not measuring up in some way. So it's.

• 37:03Hoda Kotb?

  It's tricky.

• 37:04Speaker 06

  It's so tricky.

• 37:05Hoda Kotb?

  It's tricky.

• 37:05Speaker 06

  And, and I don't, you know, like, and one kid, one kid's super book smart, you know, and he flies through. And another kid is super smart about, like, observing the world and making, making inferences, you know? And I don't, I don't want to break that just so he can spell because perfectly, you know? I don't care if he can spell because. I don't care.

• 37:27Hoda Kotb?

  He will eventually.

• 37:28Speaker 06

  You know what I mean? I don't care. And I'm not gonna sit there and break his spirit to make him sit down and, you know, not when he, he, he has the funniest things to say and the funny inferences to make about life, you know, like, so you just kind of let it ride. I let it ride.

• 37:44Hoda Kotb?

  I think that's a great, great, great philosophy. That's, that's a great philosophy.

• 37:48Speaker 06

  And you trust them to make decisions. Like, my, my soon to be 11 year old, I go, I thought you were trying out for flag football. And he calls me the day of, he goes, I'm coming home. I'm coming home. I'm not, I'm not doing it. And I go, okay, we'll talk later about it.

• 37:59Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 38:00Speaker 06

  So I ask him, I said, what's up?

• 38:01Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah, what happened?

• 38:03Speaker 06

  Just, I, I like doing it casually. I don't want it, I don't want it in a structured environment, you know? And I was like, all right. And he goes, and Mom, I have after school every single day.

• 38:13Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 38:14Speaker 06

  I do basketball every single day. I already have after school. And I go, good point.

• 38:17Hoda Kotb?

  Good, yeah.

• 38:19Speaker 06

  You know?

• 38:19Hoda Kotb?

  Right.

• 38:19Speaker 06

  Let it ride.

• 38:20Hoda Kotb?

  Yes. Instead of, I know, I know. I think I'm gonna do more of that too. Yeah. I think that's something that's super important. I think we spend so much of our lives waiting for the big moments, the birthdays, the vacations, the milestones. But the truth is, some of the happiest moments show up on the most ordinary days. So like this, I'll stop into a CVS because I need one thing. Somehow the best part of the trip is never the thing I came for. So maybe I'll grab a delicious well-marked snack. Or maybe I'll wander over to the Joyward Collection. It's really full of fun, cool, seasonal decor, thoughtful little gifts, and those little discoveries that make you so glad you stopped in.

• 39:02Hoda Kotb?

  I have to tell you, if you're an Extra Care member, you're gonna save on things you're already buying and those extra bucks really do add up. Just watching that total go down at the checkout never, ever gets old. I know life's busy. We're all juggling a lot. And that's why I think those little unexpected moments of joy matter so much. So the next time you're running errands, stop by your local CVS pharmacy. You may go in for something you need, but don't be surprised if you leave with something that simply makes your day a little brighter. Visit your local CVS pharmacy, sponsored by CVS. Halloween has a funny way of making you buy things you'd never normally buy.

• 39:43Hoda Kotb?

  A 10-foot skeleton? Sure. A full-size fog machine? Why not? Three bags of candy that somehow become six bags of candy? It happens. Which brings me to the Chase Freedom Flex Card, the savvy decision that will earn you more cash back on the everyday purchases, plus the extraordinary Halloween tricks and treats. With Freedom Flex, you earn even more treats on your Halloween and everyday needs. You get 5% cash back on popular rotating quarterly categories, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases. More ways to earn, more ways to get rewarded. That's no tricks, all treats.

• 40:22Hoda Kotb?

  More ways to earn, more ways to get rewarded. So sign up for the Chase Freedom Flex Card. Learn more at chase.com/getflex. This is a paid collaboration with Chase Freedom Flex. Cards issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N A Member, FDIC. Subject to credit approval. Offer subject to change. Terms apply.

• 40:43Speaker 02

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• 41:12Speaker 03

  I'm Melissa Jelton, and in my new podcast, What Happened to Her, I'm bringing you new stories and conversations every week. Stories about women whose deaths were too quickly ruled a suicide.

• 41:24Speaker 04

  She was starting to get worried and get scared for her safety.

• 41:30Speaker 03

  Stories of survival. The only difference between me and her, frankly, was a little bit of luck because by all rights, I should be dead. Cases that everyone else called closed. They can't convict her, right? Like, she has so much evidence. These stories all start in the same place, with a woman failed by a system that didn't believe her, that didn't protect her, that didn't see her. No child should ever experience that. And we were babies. She did all of these brave things and came out and spoke about it and he got a year. Never know who that devil is because he's wearing a disguise. Sometimes it's a police uniform.

• 42:10Speaker 03

  Listen to what happened to her on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 42:17Hoda Kotb?

  Um, can we talk about just the Emmys in that opening skit? I'm sorry, I can't. I can't. It was so. I didn't know, first of all, I didn't know what was happening. I'm like, wait, what? So will you give me a little snapshot of how that came? What was happening? What was rehearsal like?

• 42:35Speaker 06

  So Mariska told me like a week or two before. She was like, I got Taylor Swift. She's gonna come. And I was like, that is so great.

• 42:43Hoda Kotb?

  Insane.

• 42:44Speaker 06

  So great, so insane. Because she's such a big fan of the show, too. Like it, it, it's organic. Like a lot of things that Mariska makes happen. You're like, of course. Like, it's not like, uh, like grinding to make it work. Um, and then that we, we filmed covertly on a Sunday.

• 43:02Hoda Kotb?

  But how, tell me about what that vibe was like in there.

• 43:04Speaker 06

  Like the Pope. It was like the Pope was coming and it was, no one could have their phones. And we're like, we don't, it's okay. We don't need anything, you know?

• 43:12Hoda Kotb?

  Okay, so she walks in.

• 43:14Speaker 06

  And then she walks in, she's so, she's so normal.

• 43:16Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 43:17Speaker 06

  You know, to be a huge mega star that the whole world knows her name.

• 43:20Hoda Kotb?

  I mean, Taylor Swift, for God's sake.

• 43:21Speaker 06

  I know.

• 43:22Hoda Kotb?

  Hi.

• 43:23Speaker 06

  I know.

• 43:23Hoda Kotb?

  Okay, so she walks in.

• 43:25Speaker 06

  And she's like, I'm so happy to be here.

• 43:28Hoda Kotb?

  Oh.

• 43:29Speaker 06

  And she meant it. You know what I mean? Like it, and she, I think she truly loved supporting Mariska in that way. And Mariska was thrilled to have her. They worked on the writing together of the skit and, and she, she goes, oh my God, the whole cast is here. Taylor says, she goes, I can't believe you're here doing this. She goes, I thought some of you would be CGI'd in or something.

• 43:53Speaker 06

  We're like, no, you're here. We're gonna be here.

• 43:55Hoda Kotb?

  Are you kidding?

• 43:56Speaker 06

  You know?

• 43:57Hoda Kotb?

  But how was, how was everybody about their lines? Cause by the way, there were so many lines. It was so fast.

• 44:02Speaker 06

  It was so fast. It was so fast.

• 44:04Hoda Kotb?

  And she had lines. How did she do?

• 44:07Speaker 06

  She was so prepared. She came and I, I loved this little moment. Like I, I looked and, and I was like, we were about to start the scene again to, to do another take. And she's just standing there like, and I was like, it's so cool to get to see someone who's as accomplished.

• 44:24Hoda Kotb?

  Sure.

• 44:25Speaker 06

  And who is creatively, um, I just see her as like way, way to go. Like every, like her creative impulses to actually follow through and make, craft, craft all of these things. These videos, the, the music, the, the, the, but to actually look over and see her just having a quiet moment preparing for a scene.

• 44:45Hoda Kotb?

  Preparing for that scene.

• 44:46Speaker 06

  Like that's really, it's really cool to get to see that moment even from, you know, Taylor Swift. She has to do the same thing that we do.

• 44:55Hoda Kotb?

  Right, she's remembering her line. Let's take it in. Um, was anyone nervous or no?

• 45:00Speaker 06

  I mean, the producer was, it was so cute.

• 45:03Hoda Kotb?

  Really?

• 45:03Speaker 06

  Yeah, yeah, watching. I said, have you taken your heart, your, your blood pressure medication? Because he was just like, and I was like, Ken, we're fine. Everybody's fine.

• 45:13Hoda Kotb?

  We got it.

• 45:13Speaker 06

  It's gonna go great.

• 45:14Hoda Kotb?

  We got it.

• 45:14Speaker 06

  But he was just so excited, I think.

• 45:16Hoda Kotb?

  So when Law and Order comes back again, which it always does, which is what I love.

• 45:23Hoda Kotb?

  What is it like? How do you get ready for a new season? Like, tell me what happens to you and just how you're, what that's like.

• 45:31Speaker 06

  You know, you, you spend as much time with kids as possible in the, in the weeks, you know, preceding that. And you're there for every little thing that you can possibly be there for, because you know, you might be, be gone. Um, a lot more before, when, when the season starts.

• 45:47Speaker 06

  And it, it's just like getting back on a bike.

• 45:50Hoda Kotb?

  I love it.

• 45:50Speaker 06

  You know what I mean? It's, um, you get to go see your friends, you know, cause like you, you spend two and a half months off and like you, you keep in touch with people, see how they're doing. But then you get to go back on set, see the crew that you love, see the directors that you love, see the producers that you love, see the cast you love. And, you know, you get to put on your face and go be, go be your character again. You know, it's just like a, really grateful every time. I think we all are. Every time a season starts, we're like, we get to do this again.

• 46:22Hoda Kotb?

  We get to do this all over again. Um, our podcast is called Joy 101. Tell me how, I want to, tell me how you start your day? How do you prepare for whatever?

• 46:38Speaker 06

  Very strong coffee.

• 46:39Hoda Kotb?

  Do you, are you an early riser? Like what's your, do you have any little ritual or do you just get up, have your coffee and then go get the kids?

• 46:44Speaker 06

  Yeah, I have, I have, I set, set the coffee the night before.

• 46:48Hoda Kotb?

  Oh, nice.

• 46:49Speaker 06

  Just set it the night before.

• 46:50Hoda Kotb?

  Oh, so it's ready.

• 46:51Speaker 06

  Yeah, and I got a little thing, a little plug in so I can start it as soon as I wake up from my bed. I hit on, so I, I can walk down the stairs and smell a fresh, fresh pot of coffee. Um, that's huge for me. And then I pour my, my cup and I stare off into space for at least, at least five minutes.

• 47:12Speaker 06

  I don't do anything. And it's at the kitchen counter and I just let myself be dumb and not think about anything for, for five minutes.

• 47:21Hoda Kotb?

  Love it, okay.

• 47:22Speaker 06

  You know what I mean?

• 47:24Speaker 06

  And then I turn on whatever podcast I'm in the middle of or whatever, whatever book I'm in the middle of. I put it on the kitchen counter and I start chopping vegetables and, and putting the kids lunches together. And then put the bacon in the oven, maybe cinnamon rolls if it's Thursday.

• 47:39Hoda Kotb?

  If it's Thursday?

• 47:40Speaker 06

  Yeah. And then I go wake the kids up and, and we, we sit around and eat. And sometimes if my three-year-old lets me, I get the guitar out and we, we sing a stupid song at breakfast. You know, just something, something to like.

• 47:53Hoda Kotb?

  Tell me the age of your kids again?

• 47:54Speaker 06

  Three, seven, and 10. Yeah.

• 47:57Hoda Kotb?

  Okay, okay.

• 47:58Speaker 06

  The three-year-old is not a fan of me playing guitar.

• 48:02Hoda Kotb?

  What, what are you playing?

• 48:02Speaker 06

  You're holding something like that's not me. And I'm kinda jealous and I'm gonna not let you do that.

• 48:09Hoda Kotb?

  Okay.

• 48:10Speaker 06

  But yeah, we just, it's like sing a stupid song or like put on some song that they're obsessed with and just have a dance. Just something to make it easier when I say, go brush your teeth, grab your water bottle, you know, like.

• 48:25Speaker 06

  All the barking. And then we put everything in the stroller and I have a speaker on the stroller usually.

• 48:30Hoda Kotb?

  Oh, what are we playing?

• 48:32Speaker 06

  Like this morning I played a Buckets of Rain, Buckets of Tears, got all the buckets coming out of my, you know, I'm like, just something that, that is nice and light and, um, play a lot of Grateful Dead for oldie. You know, I, it's just like whatever in Benson Boone, all the kids love, you know?

• 48:52Hoda Kotb?

  Do you love singing?

• 48:53Speaker 06

  I do, I love singing.

• 48:55Hoda Kotb?

  Why aren't we doing that more?

• 48:55Speaker 06

  You, do you sing?

• 48:56Hoda Kotb?

  But why aren't we, you? I mean, I, I try to play the guitar. I play at home.

• 49:00Speaker 06

  You do?

• 49:00Hoda Kotb?

  I know just landslide and country roads. Those are my only two, back and forth. I don't even know what the notes are. I just know how to hold them.

• 49:06Speaker 06

  Doesn't matter.

• 49:07Hoda Kotb?

  I don't know anything, but I love it.

• 49:07Speaker 06

  Doesn't matter, doesn't it make you so happy when you?

• 49:10Hoda Kotb?

  I can't believe I'm putting music in the house. I'm like, oh my God, that's me. Someone said, oh, is the, is Alexa on? I go, it's me.

• 49:17Speaker 06

  It's me.

• 49:18Hoda Kotb?

  It's actually me. I did that.

• 49:20Speaker 06

  I'm making that music.

• 49:21Hoda Kotb?

  Yeah.

• 49:21Speaker 06

  And then give the kids a harmonica.

• 49:23Hoda Kotb?

  Oh.

• 49:24Speaker 06

  Yes.

• 49:24Hoda Kotb?

  For real?

• 49:25Speaker 06

  Yes, yes. I'm telling you, it's, it'll be okay.

• 49:28Hoda Kotb?

  It's good?

• 49:29Speaker 06

  It's good. It's good.

• 49:31Hoda Kotb?

  All right. So music on the way to school. And then what? And then after you're done with that drop?

• 49:36Speaker 06

  Gym, go to the gym.

• 49:36Hoda Kotb?

  Right away. Look at you. You got your whole, you love it. You're lifting a heavy.

• 49:40Speaker 06

  Or doing yoga.

• 49:41Hoda Kotb?

  Yoga, yeah, okay.

• 49:43Speaker 06

  I only go to the gym so I can go to the sauna. The sauna is so my reward. And my son is like, how do you sit in a hot?

• 49:50Hoda Kotb?

  Oh, the best.

• 49:51Speaker 06

  And I go, I love it.

• 49:52Hoda Kotb?

  It's the best.

• 49:52Speaker 06

  I'm from Georgia and it's cold here. It's so cold. Everywhere's cold.

• 49:58Hoda Kotb?

  And then how do you, how do you end your day? Like how, what's the, what's the last thing you do?

• 50:02Speaker 06

  Wash my face. I, you know, just like everybody else. Have, have a big, big, I always, like no matter what, do you go to bed with a big, big bottle of water?

• 50:12Hoda Kotb?

  Of course.

• 50:12Speaker 06

  Do you drink it?

• 50:13Hoda Kotb?

  No. When, when are we drinking it?

• 50:15Speaker 06

  I never drink it.

• 50:16Hoda Kotb?

  It's also too big.

• 50:17Speaker 06

  It's too big.

• 50:18Hoda Kotb?

  Sometimes I'll look over there, I'm dying.

• 50:20Speaker 06

  And it's too heavy.

• 50:21Hoda Kotb?

  I'm like, I can't. I'd rather, I'd rather die of thirst and get up and get that.

• 50:25Speaker 06

  I don't know what that is, but it's like your binky. It's your binky, it's your, your little lovey.

• 50:30Hoda Kotb?

  Okay, so our, our podcast is called Joy 101. So what, what is bringing you joy? Like what's the thing that lights you up right now?

• 50:38Speaker 06

  Like those, those moments of watching, watching the kids dance, you know, and not, not fight.

• 50:45Speaker 06

  It's, it's funny because there's not a lot of things that you can watch, you know, that everybody can get involved in. But music is always like a common denominator. Everybody can get, get in there and dance. And that I love doing, I love doing that in my house when it happens organically and everybody just stops what they're doing and comes and just like, ah, dances around. I love that so much.

• 51:09Hoda Kotb?

  That's beautiful.

• 51:10Speaker 06

  Yeah. And just the, the summer, I adore the summer so much. I love going to the beach and I love, like, it's the only place as a mom where you can sit on your butt and still feel like you're doing something. You know, cause you're at the beach, everybody's having fun.

• 51:26Hoda Kotb?

  Right.

• 51:27Speaker 06

  Or you're sitting down.

• 51:28Hoda Kotb?

  You're like, look at me.

• 51:29Speaker 06

  You're sitting down.

• 51:30Hoda Kotb?

  Look at me.

• 51:31Speaker 06

  You know?

• 51:32Hoda Kotb?

  I love it.

• 51:32Speaker 06

  Yeah, it's great. I don't, it, it only lasts for like two and a half minutes, but you do sit down.

• 51:37Hoda Kotb?

  You'll take it, you'll take it. I love it. Kelly, thank you so much.

• 51:40Speaker 06

  Oh, thank you.

• 51:41Hoda Kotb?

  I'm so happy you came.

• 51:42Speaker 06

  I'm so happy, I'm so happy we could do this.

• 51:44Hoda Kotb?

  Thank you.

• 51:44Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 51:47Hoda Kotb?

  Hope you enjoyed that conversation. Uh, I did. I think that Kelly's an incredible person. So what do you say? We get our heart right, right now? What if we do a little heart check in? So we make sure that we're in the exact right place where we should be at this moment? Well, my friend Kelsey Patel, who's on our Joy 101 app, has a little five-minute exercise that you can try out to make sure your heart is right. Take a listen.

• 52:17Speaker 06

  Hi, I'm Kelsey for Joy 101. And this is to help you create a sacred start to your morning. So as you can see, I have my own warm morning beverage. Perhaps you have yours. And I want to just start by inviting you to kind of let the opening of the day come in. You can hold your, your warm beverage, maybe your cup of water. Wherever you are, just allow yourself to gently and easily align with this practice to start your day. So you can close your eyes when you're ready and we'll just take a few rounds of breath to begin. Inhaling through the nose, letting the chest and the heart open up. Exhale, open your mouth.

• 53:00Speaker 06

  Just saying hello to this new day. Try that a few more times.

• 53:06Speaker 06

  You can make any sounds on the exhale. You can shift your arms and your shoulders around if you need a little stretch. Maybe rolling out the neck, moving around in the hips. Whatever you need to awaken not only the breath and the body, but also to move and connect to how you're feeling as you begin this new day.

• 53:34Speaker 06

  And when you're ready, begin to soften into a more settled breath.

• 53:40Speaker 06

  You can allow yourself to pick up any sounds you're hearing at the start of your day.

• 53:50Speaker 06

  Notice any smells. If you'd like, you can even gently open your eyes and just gently notice the room.

• 54:01Speaker 06

  Maybe you're inside, maybe you're outside.

• 54:05Speaker 06

  Picking up colors, connecting to the sounds.

• 54:12Speaker 06

  Just allowing yourself to be in this sacred start to your day, no matter what time it is.

• 54:19Speaker 06

  When you're ready, you can come back and just taking all that in as you gently close your eyes again.

• 54:26Speaker 06

  Taking a moment to breathe into the heart center.

• 54:33Speaker 06

  Just asking the heart, what is it that you need today?

• 54:39Speaker 06

  It's a gentle, loving intention from your heart space.

• 54:47Speaker 06

  Now going into the physical body. What does your physical body need from you today? Is there an intention you have with your physical body today?

• 55:01Speaker 06

  Perhaps it's eating a meal quietly and slowly.

• 55:08Speaker 06

  Perhaps it's taking a walk. A little extra stretch after your morning practice.

• 55:17Speaker 06

  Whatever it is, just allow that intention to come forth easily.

• 55:23Speaker 06

  With just a gentle acceptance.

• 55:29Speaker 06

  And then going into the mind and just checking in with the brain.

• 55:34Speaker 06

  If there's any extra chatter of a to-do list or all the things you have on your list today, just find one that feels like a top or extra priority.

• 55:47Speaker 06

  An intention to create action so that the mind can rest assured that you hear the priority for the day.

• 55:59Speaker 06

  Just taking a deep breath in and a deep breath out.

• 56:06Speaker 06

  Just knowing you have set this gentle connection and awareness with the heart, the body, and the mind.

• 56:16Speaker 06

  When you're ready, you can gently open your eyes. And just take a couple moments to really allow yourself some gratitude for taking this space to just connect. Wish you a beautiful rest of your day. I hope to see you again. And from my cup to yours, thank you for being here today.

• 56:38Hoda Kotb?

  Well, God, I hope you feel good. I hope you feel like you've had a reset. I hope that practice made you feel lighter and I'm sure the conversation with Kelly did the same. Thanks again for joining us and I'll see you next time right here on Joy 101, the podcast.

• 57:07Hoda Kotb?

  I've realized that joy doesn't always come from those big moments. Sometimes you find it on the most ordinary day. I'll pop into a CVS for toothpaste or paper towels and it never seems to be just a quick errand. Maybe I'll grab a delicious Well Market Trail Mix or wander over to the Joy Word Collection. That's part of the fun. So the next time you're checking something off your to-do list, stop by your local CVS pharmacy. You might go in for one thing and leave with a little more joy. Visit your local CVS pharmacy, sponsored by CVS.

• 57:37Speaker 04

  I'm Melissa Jelton, host of the What Happened to Her podcast. We're kicking off the season with the Sandra Birchmore story, a case the police wrote off as a suicide in a snowstorm. Her family never bought it and the man they suspected wore a badge.

• 57:53Speaker 05

  You never know who that devil is because he's wearing a disguise. Sometimes it's a police uniform.

• 57:58Speaker 04

  And you can get access to all episodes 100% ad-free with an iHeart True Crime Plus subscription exclusively on Apple Podcasts, available only to iHeart True Crime Plus subscribers. So don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts, search for iHeart True Crime Plus and subscribe today. What happens when romance gets a little monstrous? On Radio 831, a romance podcast, join us, St. Johna Basker and Tyler McCall, as we host our own monster romance extravaganza. We're joined by the villain edit author, Rosie Dannon, and sentient object romance expert, Gracie Delgado, to explore what these unexpected love stories can reveal about desire, fantasy, and what we actually want.

• 58:39Speaker 04

  Listen to Radio 831, a romance podcast, on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Michael Lewis here to tell you about my new book, Blockers, which gives you an inside look at the Trump administration and the public servants who stood in its way. These were people who were securing our most sensitive data, keeping the public safe from all sorts of threats, and engaged in life-saving scientific research, until they were told they no longer belonged. And the question to me is, if they can't survive in our government, then what does it say about us? Get Blockers now, only at blockers.fm.

• 59:20Speaker 01

  This is your girl, TS Madison, coming to you loud, live, and always and forever in color from the Outlaws Podcast. National Coming Out Day is in October and we've got stories from all your favorite LGBTQ celebrities to celebrate. Check out our episode with comedy legend, Wayne Brady. My daughter was actually the one, she said, Dad, you may be pansexual. The iconic Billy Porter. And Terrell Grace and I talk about family and children's family posts coming out.

• 59:46Speaker 04

  I don't like statements like that. That's Dad or that's Grandma. No, no, no, no, no. It should never come at the cost and expense of your own sanity and your own mental health.

• 59:53Speaker 01

  Download the free iHeart Radio app, search Outlaws with TS Madison, and listen now. This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.