Actress Cheryl Hines details her shift from Democrat to independent, citing Washington's intense political noise and the loss of friendships with overly emotional allies. Married to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., she navigates daily confrontations with protesters targeting her husband's work on drug costs and food safety while managing heightened security routines, including carrying homemade sauerkraut for his strict diet. Hines critiques Hollywood's "wokeism," emphasizes real Americans' focus on survival over gossip, and expresses skepticism toward specific vaccines like Hepatitis B, advocating instead for comprehensive schedule reviews to ensure public health integrity. [Automatically generated summary]
Until very recently, you were a card-carrying member of the Democratic Party, as was Bobby Kennedy.
Yeah.
There are a lot of people, I think, Democrats probably who feel like, wow, how dare you abandon us.
It's been a few years of life experiences that led me to not abandon them, but take a step back and look from a wider lens.
I mean, I have had some friends who are so emotional about politics that even me being married to Bobby is too much for them.
I find it odd because most people that yell at Bobby are middle-aged white women.
They're people that really want to be involved in the conversation.
And whether it's true or false, it doesn't matter.
If it gets people's attention, it's a celebration.
It's a success for them.
People are trying to get their kids out the door to school.
People are trying to figure out how they're going to pay their electric bill.
Nobody's gives a shit about so-and-so who said blah, blah, blah.
I don't know if he wants me to talk about this.
I can't say it.
He's so dedicated to this diet that he's eating that he won't bring his own sauerkraut to a restaurant.
Mr. Secretary, can you pass me the chips?
Hi, everyone, and welcome to today's episode of the Katie Miller podcast.
Just a reminder, we've moved to Tuesday at 6 p.m. Eastern.
Please join me in welcoming for this episode, Cheryl Hines.
Hello, kitty.
Thanks for being here.
I have a sip of my vodka.
Thank you for having me.
It's 8 a.m. Cheryl.
Yes.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself for the audience who may not know you?
Oh, okay.
Well, I would say I'm an actress.
I was on Curb Your Enthusiasm for, it took 24 years to shoot 12 seasons.
Wow.
So I think that's what people most know me by, but also films like Bad Mom's Christmas and RV.
And then I'm also married to Robert Kennedy Jr.
You are?
Did you hear that?
Who is the HHS secretary in the president's cabinet?
Life in an Industry Town00:03:14
What's your favorite role of the least popular movie you've been in?
That like no one says, oh my gosh, I love you in this thing.
I mean, I really loved Waitress.
Although once in a while people come up to me and say, I really liked Waitress.
But I liked doing that film.
And, you know, I'm from the South and I had a Southern accent in it.
And it was an independent film and we were shooting like down and dirty.
And I just loved everybody in it.
I had a good time in that.
What's your most popular movie that you liked filming the least?
I mean, this sounds really maybe ridiculous, but I've loved shooting all of them.
I mean, and shooting a film, there are always little tiny challenges that come with it that you don't see.
Like when we were shooting RV, we were shooting in this little forest just covered in mosquitoes.
And then when you look over, the director has like a mosquito suit head to toe with their his head in it.
And you're just like, oh, okay, so they're bad.
I feel them, but I'm not going to swat them because I'm on camera.
So you've been in Hollywood for your entire career.
Yes.
You've now moved to Washington, D.C.
Yes.
What is the biggest similarity between the two?
Well, in LA, it is an industry town, right?
Most people that are there are in the entertainment industry.
And so when you go to a Starbucks or out to dinner, wherever you go, everybody's talking about the industry.
They're talking about what they're working on, the script, the location, whatever that is.
You're in development.
Everybody's in development.
And here, I feel like it's an industry town.
Everybody's talking about politics wherever you go.
And here in DC, it feels like, you know, everybody's ambitious, just like in Hollywood, everybody's ambitious.
They move there for a reason.
I mean, some people are born and raised there, but a lot of people move to this town, to LA, to accomplish something.
What's the biggest difference between Hollywood and DC?
Well, there are a lot of differences.
I mean, Hollywood, like I said, it's an industry town, so everybody's working on their project.
And when the project comes out, then there's a swirl around it and press around it, and it's a big deal for a week.
And then it goes quiet until the next thing comes out.
But in DC, and maybe it's because of where I'm seeing it, because I feel like I'm in the eye of the hurricane looking out.
Separating Bobby from Me00:15:02
As you can relate, I'm sure.
It's every day.
It's like ding, ding, ding.
Something just happened.
Somebody just made an announcement.
People are mad.
People are happy.
And it just is all day, every day.
It's not on Friday something will happen.
It's every day.
It's not quiet.
It's not quiet.
Until very recently, you were a card-carrying member of the Democratic Party, as was Bobby Kennedy.
What's been the transition like going from, I would say, being surrounded by people who shared your views to present day?
So, right, I was a Democrat.
When I first registered to vote, I was an independent because I thought, how will you know who you want to vote for until you hear from the candidates?
And then as I got older, I realized, oh, you can't vote in the primaries unless you're registered as a Democrat or Republican.
So I changed to a Democrat.
And then when Bobby was running, Bobby, RFK Jr., somebody criticized me the other day for calling him Bobby.
It's like it's my husband.
I can call him whatever I want.
I know.
It's weird.
It would be a stranger, I think, if I was.
What do you call him?
Bobby, RFK Jr.
Like, what are we going with?
Mr. Secretary.
It would be weird if I was around the house.
Mr. Secretary, can you pass me the chips?
What kind of chips?
I like potato chips with bridges.
I mean, I'm not proud of it.
I don't eat them all the time, but that's what I like.
But yes, so now it's now I've changed back to independent and there are a lot of people, I think Democrats probably, who feel like, wow, how dare you abandon us.
And I, you know, it's been a few years of life experiences that led me to not abandon them, but take a step back and look from a wider lens.
Have you noticed politics changing the dynamics of your friendship?
Have you lost any friends in this process?
I would say yes.
I think, I mean, I have had some friends who are so emotional about politics that even me being married to Bobby is too much for them.
It's too much emotionally to even, you know, have a friendship with me.
They can't be relaxed around me.
Has anything that Bobby's done or the president's done changed that person's life at all?
Well, yes.
I mean, when you look at what Bobby's done, what the president has done recently, I mean, they just, they're doing favored nations drug costs.
So they're saying Americans aren't going to pay more for the same drug that the rest of the world is paying.
So it's brought down drug prices significantly.
And, you know, Bobby has worked really hard to take out toxic ingredients from foods that they also don't allow in Europe.
So we're, you know, some companies are selling, let's say, oatmeal in Europe, and it's pretty wholesome.
And then the same product that they're selling here, they add preservatives and ingredients that just aren't good for you, and they're taking those out.
So you're saying Bobby made their life better?
In my opinion, yes.
You were very famous before Bobby became secretary of HHS.
Do you think you're more recognizable now?
Yes.
I mean, because it's, I think it's a wider swath of people.
You know, before it was really just people that were, that would say, oh, I like the show that you were in.
And now a lot of people come up to me, a lot of people come up to me and say, I love what your husband's doing and thank you for supporting and being there.
What's your best experience with a protester?
With a protest.
Whoa.
I mean, I would say for every 30 people that come up to Bobby and say they love him, there's one person that will come up and say something awful, which is also weird, in my opinion.
But this woman came up to, and by the way, we have security with us all the time.
He has security with him all the time.
We were getting coffee at a coffee shop.
This woman comes up and tells him, you know, gives him the what for.
She doesn't like what he's doing and how dare he.
And then she turned to me and she said, I know you love him and walked out.
And I just thought, okay, okay.
I don't know how to respond to anything you just said, but okay.
Have you ever found yourself agreeing with someone who's yelling at Bobby?
No.
And it's also odd to me.
You know, you can probably speak to this too.
I find it odd because most people that yell at Bobby are middle-aged white women who, I don't know what makes them think it's okay to come up and say fuck you or something.
But I always think, what was the other way around?
If I was holding office and some guy came up to me, got in my face and said, fuck you, I would call the police.
You know, but so it's a strange, all of this, all of this part of it is very odd to me.
Do you think your career being an actor has prepared you for how to handle when people come up?
I do.
I do because, you know, going from just being an actress trying to get a job where nobody knows you, nobody knows your face.
They don't know your name.
They don't care who you are.
And then, you know, after I was on television for a while, people started to recognize me.
And then people would come up to me.
And at first, I didn't know why.
Because, you know, at first you think it's someone just saying, oh, you're next in line and you don't see that the cashier is open.
And then you realize, oh, they know me from a TV show or something.
So I think that was helpful just going from a random person to someone that some people might recognize you.
So now, you know, in politics, yes, some people recognize me, even just from because I'm married to Bobby and will come up to me.
And most people come up to me and say that they love Bobby and love what he's doing.
But so it's not shocking when someone's just approaching me saying, Cheryl, it's like, oh, yes.
Do you think you've been passed over for awards or jobs now because of politics?
You know, that's really hard to say.
I would have to say probably, probably there are people that feel like they can't separate the fact that I'm married to Bobby.
And then there are also people in the industry, entertainment industry, that are coming up to me saying, I really want to work with you.
So, I don't know, it's a double-edged sword.
You've been really open about your concerns for your husband's safety.
What does that look like behind the scenes?
How do you keep your sense of calm?
What's that look like on a day-to-day basis?
Sometimes I don't keep my sense of calm.
It, well, you know, for instance, when I hear an alarm or a sound, especially if I'm in a public place, it registers and I immediately look around to see what's going on, to see where the closest exit is.
I'm very aware of who I'm traveling with or who I'm with, if it's my kids.
So it's always a high alert because something could happen at any time.
Are you comfortable being in crowds?
I don't like crowds to begin with.
I haven't.
Mostly because I'm always worried about what if I have to use bathroom, where's the closest bathroom?
But, no, I don't, I don't like being in crowds now.
Do you still go to restaurants and sit in the center?
Yes.
It depends on who I'm with.
You know, usually if it's me and my friends or something, It doesn't really matter where I sit.
But if it's with Bobby, there's, you know, security is always staying two steps ahead.
So they've already been to that location.
They know what to do in an instant if something happens.
And so, yeah, when you were asking me, like, has it changed just in my day-to-day?
Yes, now I think about that too.
Whenever I walk into any place, you know, I start to look for the exits.
I look around at people.
You know, when you're, you, you clock it if somebody's acting odd.
How about you?
Stephen always says if it looks like it is, it 100% is.
And it's always born true.
If it looks like someone wants to get up and confront you, they 100% are going to get up and confront you.
Yeah.
But what I found is oftentimes someone will go on social media later and say they've had this great confrontation with you and they never did.
I remember there was a time I was taking my kids somewhere and we were all getting in the car and somebody was looking at us strange and I was like, hmm, they're just standing there watching us.
That's probably not right.
Later on social media, he's like, I had a great confrontation with Stephen Miller.
I told him how terrible he was.
And I was like, bro, you just stood there.
And so it's like they concoct a story about how they've confronted you.
But to your point earlier, it's crazy how, you know, I remember taking my kids to a farmer's market.
It's me and my three small children, right?
Now they're four, three, and two.
I think they were three, two, and one at the time.
And it's me and Stephen.
And we did not have security with us.
This is prior to his administration.
And someone comes up and they're screaming every expletive at my husband.
You can imagine.
And I don't know what goes through this person's brain, but like, I don't know what makes someone think it's okay to do that in front of my small children.
It's not okay.
Yeah.
And why?
But go ahead.
I don't mean that.
No, no, no.
And Stephen will, he never responds.
He never gives someone the response they're looking for.
He just goes quiet and walks away or looks down.
He doesn't give them what they're after.
Yes.
I'm like the wife who's like, step back.
I got it.
You're like, I got this one.
And so it's harder for me because it's more when my children are present.
I have a harder time with it.
It's absurd.
When my children are present because they've been present for most of it, I have a harder time.
Of course.
That's also, I don't understand it.
I don't understand.
It's always a liberal white woman, 100% of the time.
That's weird to me too, because, you know, you would think that women especially would be more sensitive to, oh, I see you're with your small children.
This is highly inappropriate.
And even if I come at this person, what do they think is going to change?
It's just for their own satisfaction.
Like you said, I guess just to go say that they had this.
Great interaction.
Bobby and I were at a restaurant and we got back into our car.
We were sort of on the curb on the street.
We had dinner with a friend.
So the car door was open.
We were sitting in the back seat talking to the friend who was standing there saying goodbye.
And this woman gets up from the restaurant.
She walks out to where we are.
She looks inside the car and she says, fuck you.
And she walks back into the restaurant.
You could see her through the glass and she sits down with, you know, a guy.
It looked like maybe she was on a date.
I was like, everything about this is crazy.
And what was really crazy is I said, oh my gosh, I recognize that woman.
I used to watch her on a soap opera.
But the best part of it was after she said, fuck you, Bobby turned to me and said, I think she was talking to you.
But I just thought, that's so odd.
I mean, what was she hoping to get out of it?
Or she just wanted to be able to tell her friends, I told him.
I guess that's like bragging rights.
No, it's what the Antifa groups are posting now, which is you can't allow these people to just live in peace, right?
You can't just allow our family to just push a stroller in peace.
They must make it impossible for us to just have my children have a normal childhood.
Which is also really goes against the idea of... Tolerance.
Yes.
Tolerance.
And love everybody for who they are.
Love your neighbor.
Hate has no place here.
Strollers and Political Bragging Rights00:12:35
Sometimes it's hard to get there.
You've worked in Hollywood for years, but you're really grounded in the everyday side of life.
When you look at Hollywood and how they talk about Real America, what do you think they miss?
I think what Hollywood gets right is they're great at escapism and telling a story and it looks good and it's polished and it's beautiful and you're watching Friends.
It's a little bit dated, but we still watch the reruns.
You're watching that and it's like, whoa, these are some beautiful people in beautiful apartments.
And that's not the reality.
The reality is most people, I would say across the nation, especially if you're a parent, you're trying to get through the day.
You're trying to make it out the door, get your kids dressed, trying to get them to brush their teeth, which is impossible.
Make sure they have the sweater, make sure they have the lunch.
You, it's not pretty.
It's not cute most of the time.
And then you're getting through your workday and then already you're thinking about, did I pay the electric bill?
And if I didn't, if I haven't paid it for two months, they're going to turn it off at some point.
So I have to stay on top of that.
But I'm struggling because the car broke down this month and I did not want to pay $2,000 to fix it, but I had to.
So these are, I think, the things that maybe some people in Hollywood are disconnected from.
I think they might be disconnected from those, the challenges of everyday life that most people feel.
You talked earlier about your changing views on certain things that your eyes were more open to.
When you mentioned that Hollywood looks a certain way, do you think it's them exporting their, I want to say groupthink of values in a lot of these productions, right?
They've been criticized for wokeism and trans and a lot of inappropriate images, especially for children recently.
Do you think that's because it's this group think of everyone's in the same industry and we all think the same way and therefore it exports?
So that's not even a conscious decision.
It's really hard for me to speak to that because I don't know.
I don't know.
But I think, you know, one of the things that Hollywood does well is sometimes they stay ahead of showing what could be, right?
So we watch shows or films where the president of the United States is a woman.
They're showing us what could be.
Yeah, that could be.
And here's a world in which that could happen and this is what it looks like.
So that's always exciting to me to see those ideas.
I don't know about, you know, the wokeism and things like that.
It's hard to know.
I don't know.
I don't have a good answer for that.
I don't know.
Were you always someone who was eating healthy, not eating seed oils?
Or what was your kind of trajectory to get to where we are?
I know you've previously said you snack.
I snack.
We all snack.
Let's be honest, we snack.
Fire Cheetos.
Yes, hot Cheetos.
I love fire Cheetos.
That's actually, yeah.
Or is that since you've been married to the secretary?
No, you know, I think, listen, being in LA was, it's a pretty healthy lifestyle.
And I would say across the board, that community is health conscious.
They think about what they eat and the food.
And so I've always lived that lifestyle.
Knowing, you know, if I eat ultra-processed foods all the time, it's not healthy and it's not great.
It's not going to make you feel good.
So I've never, you know, it wasn't like I was driving through McDonald's every day until I met Bobby.
Because I wasn't.
That's just not how I eat or my lifestyle.
But was I really like reading the labels and the ingredients?
Not really.
Sometimes, but not all.
And now I really am high alert.
Do you ever get on Bobby's case for what he eats or doesn't eat?
I will say yes.
He wants me talking about this.
I can't say it.
Well, right now he is only eating meat and fermented vegetables.
So what that looks like is in the morning at 6.30, he's cooking a steak and eating sauerkraut.
So I, you know.
Do you love waking up to the smell of steak in the morning?
So, you know, when I'm just trying to have my latte and that's coming at me, it's like, whoa, okay.
So yeah, I mention it every once in a while.
I'll say something.
So what happens when you guys go out to eat?
Is he like waiting to get back home to eat?
Now this is, I don't know if he wants me saying this either way.
Who cares?
He's so dedicated to this diet that he's eating that he will bring his own sauerkraut to a restaurant.
Which, by the way, Katie, you will appreciate this because we'll be in the car dressed up.
I'll have like a little I'll have my little clutch, right?
One of my good bags that I only take out every once in a while because I want to keep him nice.
And he'll hand me a bag of sauerkraut and say, can you put this in your bag?
And I'll say, I actually cannot.
And if you would have told me when we were inside, I would have brought a different bag.
But what you're about to put in this bag is not okay.
I'm going to give this bag to one of my daughters.
So when she, you know, when I die, this is not a sauerkraut bag.
If you tell me ahead of time, I can bring a sauerkraut bag.
You know what I mean?
It's too long.
I won't bring the Chanel.
Exactly.
I'll bring the Sauerkraut bag.
When I walk in, people say, ew, what's that smell?
Don't worry about it.
It's my husband's dinner.
You know what I mean?
So it's like, okay, I can roll with it, but I need some prep time for it.
No, you're laughing because you know, Bobby, and you know that that is 100%.
I was actually going to dinner and I was like, he's not eating.
I wonder why he's not eating.
Yeah.
But I didn't want to ask because that's like rude to ask somebody.
But like there was a reason.
Yeah.
Because he's waiting.
He eats only a specific thing.
And if it's not there at the party, then he waits till he gets home.
And if he's going out to dinner, he brings his own.
Does he buy the story is he making himself?
This sauerkraut.
Yeah.
He buys it.
That would be a bridge too far.
I don't even know how you make sauerkraut.
I've made sauerkraut and it smells in my home pantry.
Yeah, I don't like the idea.
Okay.
Speaking of food labels and transparency, did you know there's a website where you can learn more about the ingredients in all of your favorite drinks?
It's called goodtonowfacts.org.
There you can explore over 140 common beverage ingredients in one place.
No spin, just facts.
As a mom of three young kids, it's so important for me to know exactly what I'm giving them.
And this website created by the American Beverage Association is such a great resource.
Check it out at goodtonofacts.org.
As parents, we know what's best for our kids.
It's about time that we were in the driver's seat.
This episode is a paid partnership with the American Beverage Association.
I like it.
Great.
When you look at what's happening in this country, stress, burnout, and chronic illness, what do you think is a real first step towards making America healthier?
Well, I think it's everything that Bobby is advocating for.
I think we need to get back to Whole Foods.
It's number one, to move, to go outside, to get exercise, to walk, to take the stairs, just to switch over to be more active, be more aware, see what's in your food, what's in your drinks.
I think that's the first step.
Which portion of the Maha platform are you most excited about?
Like if you had a platform of Maha, which one is it?
I really appreciate that they're getting out ingredients, eliminating ingredients in our food that, like I said, other countries don't even allow.
They don't allow it in their food.
I don't know why we have it in our food and who was in a leadership role when they allowed that to happen.
Also, baby formula, I think is, I'm really glad that they're working hard to take out toxic ingredients in baby formula.
That's what radicalized me was baby formula.
Yeah.
That's where I started.
It's hard to believe that, you know, I went down a rabbit hole and I was looking at it all because I, when I first heard there's arsenic and lead and things like that in baby formula, I thought, first of all, that can't be true.
And is it in all baby formula?
And so when you look it up, it's like, yes, it is true.
And no, it's not an all-baby formula.
So you do have to look at the ingredients.
And I love that the Maha movement is making sure it's not going to be in any formula.
It's hard being, first of all, really hard being a mom.
It's overwhelming.
It's overwhelming.
And so you would think that something like baby formula, you would trust that whoever allowed it on the shelf.
Whoever allowed it on the shelf knew what they were doing.
And they wouldn't put anything in there that was harmful.
Speaking of babies, are there any vaccines now, if you were a new mom, that you wouldn't give your young child right away?
Or think twice about?
I would definitely think twice about the hepatitis B. If you were a mom that's giving birth in a hospital, I would think, and I think it's pretty normal practice that you've been tested to see if you have it or not.
And if you do not have it, you're not passing it to a baby.
There's polymarket odds right now on which vaccine Bobby is going to look at first.
I always think it should be hepy, but.
It doesn't make sense to me at all.
It really doesn't make sense to me.
But I also appreciate that they're going through vaccine by vaccine.
Nobody's saying no vaccines.
None of them work.
Don't do them.
They're saying, let's look at the schedule.
Let's go through them.
Do we need this?
What does it do?
Why did this start to begin with?
And can we make them safer?
Can we make them elective?
Vaccine Rumors and Campaign Odds00:10:15
What does that look like?
I think that's important.
The one always got me was the rotavirus vaccine because I've never heard of anyone contracting the rotavirus, at least where my kids are.
And so if it's not a common illness right now, why are we giving it to every kid?
Right.
It's a fair question.
But that's just what.
You and Secretary Kennedy have been married for 11 years.
How did you meet?
We met at a Waterkeeper fundraiser.
I was actually with Larry David.
And, you know, Bobby was hosting the event.
And it was, you know, it was great to meet him, but it was just really a flash in the pan.
Was it love at first sight?
No.
Hello.
What was his first move?
Or did you make the first move?
Well, you mean when there was a switchover?
Yeah.
Well, that was years and years later.
We were both going through divorces, you know, filed papers, waiting, suing, whatever that looked like.
But there wasn't really a move.
It's just strange because I had not really had a one-on-one conversation with him before, other than, hi, how are you?
How's it going?
I was a fundraiser.
But when I saw him, and I talk about it in my book, Unscripted, November 11th.
I talk about the first time that we actually had a conversation.
And I saw him so differently that night.
I thought, oh, whoa, he's cute and interesting and smart.
And I don't know.
I just saw him completely different.
And he was funny.
A lot of people cannot believe that he's funny.
They're just like, that's not true.
I say, I know, because when he's on TV, he's like, Stoneface man, which makes me laugh because that's not his normal go-to.
It's not the person you know.
No.
But I do know that side.
When you see rumors or speculation about your marriage, how do you keep your cool and decide what's worth responding to versus what's just noise?
I think you always have to consider the source, right?
So that's where I start.
And then it ends with a conversation with Bobby.
So getting to the truth of the matter, and then that's where it ends.
There's a reporter who's trying to monetize herself over Bobby.
What was your reaction to her allegations then?
And what's your reaction now that she's writing a book?
Well, you know, at the time, it was Bobby, Bobby had been running for president, and it was an exhausting year and a half of headlines and rumors and articles and chaos.
And at that time, I thought, okay, this is more chaos and more rumors.
And it was a lot.
It was coming up, it was on the heels of everything else.
And I had just lost my nephew.
I just lost my nephew.
So that was really what's important in life.
So you have a real loss and a real situation and a real family situation.
And then to have a story was distracting at best, but also in the scheme of what's real, what's not, what's important, what's not.
It was not ranking up in the this is what's important in life category.
And now, I don't know.
You know, I don't know.
I have no idea.
I don't know this person.
Don't know their intentions.
I could guess, but I won't.
But you can if you want.
But I don't know.
There's a lot of people who look for clout.
Well, that's the thing that I really learned during the campaign.
There are people that really want to be involved in the conversation.
They want to be a part of it.
And they want to, I'm not just talking about this person.
I'm talking about a lot of people.
And they spend a lot of time figuring out how to write something that's going to get people's attention.
And if they do, then they are really celebrating.
You know, and whether it's true or false, it doesn't matter.
If it gets people's attention, it's a celebration.
It's a success for them.
Even if they've only met you once or have barely had a conversation.
Yes.
So, and a campaign, I know you experience things differently because it's not exactly the same as a campaign, but it's very, very similar, right?
But in a campaign, there's an outdate.
You know, as soon as the election's over, there's an out.
It's done.
Like you can keep saying all the things that you want to say about this person.
If they've been elected, it's whatever you're trying to do, it's not going to make a difference.
But before that date, people are very hopeful that whatever I say can make a difference.
People are going to listen to me and they get it all out there.
You know, oh, I know something that happened in 2014 that nobody's heard about, but you should hear about.
And they're all dying to get it out there.
And then, and then after the campaign or after it gets out there, and it did make a splash or it didn't, a lot of people have moved on from it.
I would say most of the people have moved on from it.
And there are people that didn't even know about it to begin with.
I was talking, I was asking my brother about this situation.
He said, I have no idea what you're talking about.
I said, you don't know it.
You don't know at all what I'm talking about.
You're my brother.
He's like, yeah, I don't, but you can tell me.
What I've learned in this is that like when you think something's important to you, when you're like, everyone's asking about this one story, and then you talk to somebody who is not involved in this aspect of your life, like, what are you talking about?
This may be important to you, but it doesn't matter to me.
99% of the other portion of the population.
That's right.
And it's hard, though, because when it's happening to you for that day or for that week or whatever it is, you feel like, oh my God, this is all anybody's talking about.
It's not.
People are trying to get their kids out the door to school.
People are trying to figure out how they're going to pay their electric bill.
That's like nobody gives a shit about so-and-so who said blah, blah, blah.
It's like, and there are people that will be excited to whisper down the lane, oh, did you hear what it said about it?
I get the same comments on my like pages repeatedly.
And it's like, no one cares.
It's not real.
What comments?
We'll talk about it later.
Okay.
But that's also interesting, the people that do comment.
And I also wonder who are these people that have time to go through and leave comments.
And then somebody will comment on their comment.
And they're like, well, I also think blah, blah, blah.
So it's like, whoa, you've got a lot of time.
And this is how you want to spend it.
Okay.
Do you ever feel like your career has taken a back seat to Secretary Kennedy since he's announced his bid for president?
Well, I'm working on a project right now.
So, you know, it's an interesting question because there's been a shift in the entertainment industry that coincided with Bobby's, you know, getting this job.
So in the entertainment industry, COVID shut everything down for a while.
And then when that lifted, then there were strikes in the entertainment business.
So people also were not working again for another year.
And then when the strikes lifted, a lot of people thought, oh, everything's going to get back to normal, but it didn't.
There weren't very many things shooting.
And then the fires happened in LA, which was another setback.
So it has been, you know, four years of setback, setback, setback.
And now it's very, very expensive to shoot things in California.
The taxes are really high to shoot.
Is it because of their own policies?
Perhaps.
I don't know how it got there.
That's another thing.
You know, when I got to LA and for a while, for a long while, They were the, you know, LA was the leader in production, in the creative content that was coming out of the U.S. Nobody does it better than Hollywood.
Nobody does it better.
And now they're not really shooting in LA.
They're shooting everywhere else.
Yeah.
So it's hard.
I don't know.
You know, I don't know the answer to that.
Maybe.
Hollywood's Creative Leadership00:14:52
You became a mom before your career really took off.
How did that shape the way you film and navigate Hollywood?
I mean, that's a good question.
I think, I think for me, you know, it's always been important to lead a life with integrity.
And even though being an actress is crazy, and sometimes people ask you to do crazy things, you know, you might have to ask yourself, am I going to feel good about this when my daughter's in grade school and I'm, you know, wearing tassels, dancing around at a bachelor's night out in this film?
Not that anyone ever asked me to do that, but I was, I was offered a role where I would come out of a swamp topless, like a swamp goddess that I turned down.
Could have been your real breakout moment.
It could have been my breakout moment.
But even, you know, even as an actor, sometimes there will be something, there'll be a line.
And not often, really, I can only think of one time.
There was a line that I didn't want to say because it I felt like it wasn't, I felt like it was crossing the line.
And I didn't, and I thought, you know, is this something that I want my, that to explain to my daughter later?
No.
Is there a family rule or tradition that's sacred in your house, no matter how busy life gets?
Is there a what?
Like a rule, a sacred rule or something you guys live by?
Well, definitely family first.
I don't care what happened in the world.
I don't care what you just did or said or a situation you got yourself into.
Anybody in my family, it's just like, let's have a stop down.
Let's talk about it.
And I'm going to stick by your side.
And that's the number one rule.
You know, it's like you will always, this is always going to be your home.
And we're going to get through it.
Now we're going to play the time-honored game of would you rather?
Okay.
Would you rather have Larry David narrate your inner thoughts for a week or be stuck in a curb your enthusiasm storyline for a month?
I think I would rather have Larry David, David, speak my thoughts.
I would just love to hear what he would think.
Wait, are they my actual thoughts or are they what he thinks I'm thinking?
Well, it's an interesting question, but this says narrate your inner thoughts.
Oh, and that's not as interesting.
Although it would be kind of interesting to hear Larry say, should I eat a carrot or should I just, you know, eat the stupid yogurt like I'm supposed to do?
So yeah, I think that would be more entertaining.
Would you rather have paparazzi outside your home or political reporters in your DMs?
I'm sure I have politico or politico?
Political.
Yeah, I'm sure I have political reporters of my DMs.
I know I do.
And I don't even know.
I mean, I just read one.
I never look at my DMs.
I just read one the other day that was from, I think, a year ago.
I clearly didn't respond.
Do you want me to get back for the story now?
Yeah.
Would you rather host Saturday Night Live or star in the next season of White Lotus?
White Lotus.
Would you rather be known as the cool mom or the calm mom?
The calm mom.
Would you rather start in a reality show called Keeping Up with the Kennedys or the Real Housewives of the Trump administration?
Both of those sound amazing.
I mean, I think the Trump administration real housewives would really be entertaining.
Be a banger.
It would be a banger.
By the way, I'm sure if you made a call right now, you can make that happen.
I'm sure we could.
How many people want to sign up for that?
Listen, I could probably, we could talk off record, but I could probably think of four.
Yeah.
Man, that would be so amusing to watch back.
Can you imagine?
Again.
What does your daily routine look like?
It's hard because it changes every day.
Every day is completely different.
I'm either, you know, getting up at, I seem to get up at five every day, which sounds like I'm getting up and heading to the gym.
I'm not.
I get up and I look at the clock and I'm like, I can't sleep for two more hours.
You can't sleep for two more hours.
And then I'll, you know, lay in bed for a while and have that conversation with myself.
You can't get to sleep for another hour?
You want to try to sleep for another hour?
You can't sleep for another.
And then I'll get up and I'll, I don't know.
I end up either traveling.
Lately, I've been doing press, but before that was getting up and just writing.
I wouldn't let myself even leave the house most days.
Do you scroll on your phone?
Yes.
What do you scroll on?
I just scroll.
You know, I scroll on Instagram.
I do look at X.
I go through phases.
Some days I'll be, I'll say, I'm not looking at anything.
And then, and I don't.
And I managed to get through the whole day.
What were you last influenced to buy?
I mean, I really liked Molly Shannon's memoir.
Memoir.
I'm sure I'm hitting that too hard.
Memoir.
No, you got it.
Memoir.
Memoir.
Who's more dramatic?
Actors or politicians?
Politicians.
What's your guilty pleasure TV show when no one's around?
I really love a good date line.
What's your skincare routine?
I feel like I have a lot of lotions and potions until I run out of one and then I switch it over to something else.
I don't know.
I mean, I definitely take off all my makeup.
I sleep with the lip balm on.
I don't know.
I really, I don't know.
But I eat a lot of avocados and I do think it's good for your skin.
Okay, that's the first time I've heard that one, but okay.
What's the last fast food you ate?
I was just in Maine and I don't know if it's fast food, but we went to a place where they have lobster rolls and I had french fries with old bay spice.
Is that fast food?
I mean, I really can't tell you the last time I went to like a Burger King or something.
Is that what you're talking about?
Oh, I can't.
I don't know.
In the last year, have you gotten asked more what you eat than like in charge time in your life?
Yes.
Yeah.
What part of your new book are you most excited to share with the world?
I'm terrified to share all.
It's very, it makes you feel very vulnerable.
And I'm getting ready to record the audiobook, which also makes me feel exposed.
It's one thing if you're just writing the words and you're just like, close the book and it's like you read that and however you hear it in your mind.
But then it's kind of terrifying to think I'm going to read these words out loud.
But I think different aspects are going to appeal to different people.
I don't know.
I don't know what the answer is.
What's the biggest bombshell?
Once again, it depends on what pocket of person you're...
I think that, you know, I talk about some of Bobby's siblings a little, which I imagine will be something.
I talk about, you know, Bobby running, which is, you know, behind the scenes.
And at the same time, I do talk about a lot of behind the scenes of shows that I've been on or films that I've been in.
I talk about a creepy director that was trying to get me to take my clothes off.
Hi.
So I don't know.
There are a few little bombshells in there.
Who's the funniest person or favorite actor you've worked with?
That's so hard.
Got to name one.
I guess Larry David.
It's not that interesting because, yeah, that it would have.
Who are you most excited to never see again?
Um, I really don't know.
I don't have a good answer to that.
Well, let me think about it.
I'll circle back.
Let me see.
Who are you closest to in the Trump administration?
That surprised you.
I really like Linda McMahon.
And not that that surprises me, but, you know, we're different generations, but I like her.
I like her daughter and her family.
So it's interesting because there's a sort of a, there's something about her that kind of feels like reminds me of family in a way that's just so you say yeah, maybe Linda, but I really, I like everybody in there.
Who's had the worst reputation and you're like, they're going to be a terrible person.
And then they're not a terrible person.
Um, I could name eight.
Um.
You know, I was really concerned about meeting President Trump, you know, at the time.
And I was kind of surprised when I met him.
I found him to be very personable and interested in listening to people, which I, from everything I had known or read or had seen about him, I thought he was not going to be that person.
Has he upheld all the commitments he made to Bobby when he joined his ticket?
He has.
That was another thing too, right?
When Bobby joined his ticket, I got another round of phone calls from people saying, you know, he's going to make Bobby look foolish.
He's never going to go through with this.
He just wants Bobby's supporters.
But those people never called me back to say, oh, hey, he actually is working for the president and they're getting a lot of stuff done, just like he said.
What's been the best moment of being in DC or your best experience yet?
That you felt like I'd never have the chance to do X. Right.
That's a good question.
I mean, there have been a lot of them.
I don't know, being in the Oval Office with Bobby and watching him be sworn in.
It's pretty monumental.
It's an awesome day.
Yeah.
All right, our last question.
Okay.
If you could host a dinner party with three people dead or alive, who's sitting at the table?
And what are you eating?
Yogurt.
No.
Okay.
These people dead or alive.
Obich.
Obilely.
Maybe Carol Burnett.
And Maya Angelou.
And do we need a guy?
No, it doesn't matter.
It's my fantasy.
And my grandmother, Ruth.
And what are you eating?
We are eating French fries with old bass season.
We're eating, I don't know, I think like Italian pizza and having dirty martinis.
And we're going to circle back to who are you most excited to never see again?
Oh, to never see again.
Who am I most excited to never see again?
I was hoping we wouldn't circle back to that.
To never see again, to never see again.
I know it's ridiculous to say I like everybody, but I do feel like even the people I don't like, it's interesting to see them.
Any of the senators at Bobby's hearings?
By the way, those hearings, we were talking about dramatic.
After sitting through some of those hearings, I thought, yeah, Hollywood does not hold a candle to the performances and those hearings.
Does it make you lose faith in Congress watching those?
It doesn't make me lose faith, but it makes me see how performative those hearings are.
I mean, a lot of people, not all, some, not all, come to the table, even though it's a hearing and the idea, I think, is that they're asking questions and listening to what that person says.
But that does not seem to happen with most of them.
And most of them, you know, some of them are getting out charts and props and another thing.
Performative Congressional Hearings00:01:01
And it's like, whoa, what?
Or my favorite is when they'll say, can you tell me, you know, what the answer is?
When, what date did this happen?
And Bobby was like, well, I knew you couldn't and we're out of time.
And quit trying to use my time.
It's like, what?
And I look around like, is anybody else seeing this?
And everybody else, it's like, yeah, no, this is how it goes.
Yeah, maybe one of the, maybe one of, I will, I can't mention anybody by name.
Because like I said, even somebody that I don't like necessarily, they're usually pretty interesting at the very least to be like whoa what's going on inside your head and thank you for joining this episode of the katie miller podcast thank you katie thank you all for joining remember to like follow subscribe and share we're available every tuesdays at 6 p.m eastern everywhere where you get your podcast.