Connie Chung's Memoir Connie (with Connie Wang)

Summary

Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast
Episode: Connie Chung's Memoir Connie (with Connie Wang)
Host: Chelsea Devantez
Guest: Connie Wang
Release Date: November 8, 2024

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Introduction to the Episode

In this captivating episode of Glamorous Trash, host Chelsea Devantez delves into the intricate world of celebrity memoirs, focusing on the latest release, "Connie", authored by the legendary television journalist Connie Chung. Joining Chelsea is Connie Wang, a respected journalist and writer, adding a layer of depth to the discussion.

Guest Introduction

Chelsea introduces her guest, Connie Wang, highlighting her impressive credentials:

• Author of: Oh My. A Memoir and Nine Adventures
• Former Role: Executive Director at Refinery29
• Achievements: Hosted and co-produced the documentary series Style Out, received accolades like the ONA Award for Online Commentary, the AJA Award for Excellence in Commentary, and was a finalist for the Poynter Journalism Prize.

Chelsea expresses excitement about having Connie Wang on the show, especially after discovering that Connie Wang is featured as a character in Connie Chung's memoir.

Chelsea Demontez [03:32]: "She is also just a huge figure in pop culture. She broke through so many barriers in journalism as a woman, as a Chinese American woman."

Writing Memoirs: Challenges and Insights

The conversation shifts to the nature of memoir writing versus journalism. Connie Wang shares her perspective:

Connie Wang [05:15]: "The best thing about memoir is you don't have to report at all. You just sit down and you type out some words. You pull it out from your brain."

Contrastingly, Chelsea reflects on the rigorous reporting process journalists undergo, which seldom applies to memoirists.

Connie Chung's Background and Memoir Highlights

Chelsea provides an overview of Connie Chung's groundbreaking career, emphasizing her role in breaking gender and racial barriers in journalism. They discuss the memoir's structure, noting it combines factual reporting with intimate personal revelations.

Personal Stories from Connie Chung's Memoir

Naming of Connies

A surprising revelation in the memoir is how Connie Wang discovers numerous women named after Connie Chung, creating a unique bond:

Connie Wang [15:24]: "This is surreal, it's crazy. And I can't believe that it took this like a wimpy little, like, journalist calling her on the phone to be like, hey, can you, like, answer some questions for me..."

This connection underscores the lasting impact Connie Chung has had on generations of Asian American women.

Relationship with Maury Povich

Their discussion delves into Connie Chung's personal life, particularly her relationship with talk show host Maury Povich. Connie Wang narrates anecdotes from the memoir that reveal the complexities and challenges of their relationship, including professional and personal tensions.

Connie Wang [21:10]: "And so she had to do it again. And she was like, why, Bori? Why are you making me do this to Dan Rather?"

Challenges in the Journalism World

Connie Wang highlights the memoir's exploration of sexism within the journalism industry. They discuss instances where Connie Chung faced contractual restrictions that marginalized her role compared to her male counterparts.

Chelsea Demontez [46:29]: "When Jane went on her second three month maternity leave, I discovered she was not allowed to say good morning first when the program opened."

Experiences with Male Colleagues

The memoir reveals Connie Chung's interactions with influential male figures, including unsettling encounters with Hollywood personalities like Ryan O'Neal and Jimmy Carter.

Chelsea Demontez [25:19]: "Before I knew it, the night was over... I hopped in my black Jensen Healey convertible, gunned my motor and scooted down the hill, waiting for him down the road."

Dealing with Sexual Abuse

A poignant moment in the memoir is Connie Chung's recounting of her experience with sexual abuse by her family doctor, which she bravely shares in the context of the MeToo movement.

Chelsea Demontez [37:16]: "She molested her. And she writes about it in detail, which I really loved, because I think it's really hard to do that."

Reflections on Feminism and Female Relationships in Media

The conversation deepens into the dynamics of female relationships within the media industry. Connie Wang reflects on how seasoned women in journalism sometimes perpetuate the same systemic issues they once fought against.

Connie Wang [64:52]: "There was Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer... they're creating their own tables but couldn't drop them."

Chelsea adds her insights on the competitive nature among women in media, drawing parallels to the scarcity mindset.

Chelsea Demontez [66:15]: "My idea of feminism is that when a woman is horrible and gets fired, it's cause you know, she's bad at her job, not because you have to..."

Personal Reflections and Final Thoughts

As the episode nears its conclusion, Chelsea and Connie Wang share personal reflections on the memoir's impact. Chelsea emphasizes the importance of Connie Chung's revelations and how they resonate with contemporary issues in journalism and feminism.

Chelsea Demontez [70:07]: "You're so cool. You are the guidepost in this book. You, like, showed an icon their story. You found this anecdote and showed a piece of history that everyone was missing."

Book Dual Test

In a unique segment, both Chelsea and Connie Wang answer three questions to evaluate the memoir:

1. Was the author vulnerable in sharing her truth?

   • Connie Wang: 80% Yes, 20% No
   • Chelsea Demontez: 20% Yes, 80% No

2. Was it entertaining to read?

   • Both agree it was, though Chelsea found the factual tone less engaging.

3. Did reading this book elevate your life in any way?

   • Connie Wang: Absolutely, especially discovering her name in the memoir.
   • Chelsea Demontez: Expresses deep admiration and support for Connie's impact.

Conclusion

The episode offers an in-depth exploration of Connie Chung's memoir, "Connie", through the insightful dialogue between Chelsea Devantez and Connie Wang. They navigate through Connie Chung's storied career, personal struggles, and the broader implications of her experiences in the journalism landscape. The memoir serves as both a historical account and a personal narrative, shedding light on the complexities faced by pioneering women in media.

Notable Quotes:

• Connie Wang [01:56]: "I devised a survival plan. I looked around and I said, well, heck, I'm going to be a guy too."
• Connie Wang [07:20]: "I had so thoroughly convinced myself that I was one of the white guys..."
• Chelsea Demontez [26:48]: "I did the madness. What a gift of like Dan Rather. Slander. Well, not slander. This is just the truth, right?"
• Connie Wang [51:35]: "She's still coming up with tricks in her, you know, in her, you know, in her 70s."

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Connect with Connie Wang:

• Instagram: @ConnieWang (Note: Due to username availability, follow as @ConnieWang.)

Where to Find "Connie":

• Available at bookstores and online retailers.

Further Engagement:

• Follow Chelsea Devantez on [Instagram], [TikTok], and other social media platforms to stay updated on future episodes and discussions.

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Thank You to Our Production Team: Special thanks to producer Christina Lopez, executive producer Jordan Moncada, sound engineer Marcus Homm, and associate producer Jaron Padre for their outstanding work in bringing this episode to life.

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Support Independent Bookstores: If you love audiobooks and wish to support independent bookstores, visit Libro FM and use code TRASH for two audiobooks at the price of one during your first month.

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Stay tuned for more engaging discussions on Glamorous Trash, where we continue to explore the glamorous and the trashy sides of celebrity memoirs and pop culture!

Transcript

[Chelsea Demontez]

This episode is brought to you by Google Gemini. With the Gemini app, you can talk live and have a real time conversation with an AI assistant. It's great for all kinds of things, like if you want to practice for an upcoming interview, ask for advice on things to do in a new city, or brainstorm creative ideas. And by the way, this script was actually read by Gemini. Download the Gemini app for iOS and Android today. Must be 18 to use Gemini Live. This episode is brought to you by.

[Connie Wang]

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[Chelsea Demontez]

Welcome to Glamorous Trash. This is a celebrity memoir podcast where we dig into all of the glamour and all of the trash. If you have ever referenced Mariah Carey in therapy, then this might be the podcast for you. I'm your host, Chelsea Demontez. I'm a TV writer, comedian, filmmaker, author, and sometimes I'm in stuff too. And this week we are book clubbing Connie, a memoir by Connie chung, published in September 2024. It is new. Now you know Connie as a legendary television journalist who has been a reporter and anchor for networks like abc, NBC, CBS and cnn. She is also just a huge figure in pop culture. She broke through so many barriers in journalism as a woman, as a Chinese American woman. And she's also married to Maury Povich, the talk show host. And they had several shows to get at least a couple shows together as well that we will talk about. Now before we dive in, please be warned, there is a trigger warning for sexual abuse. And now let's dig into the book.

[Connie Wang]

Connie devised a survival plan. I looked around and I said, well, heck, I'm going to be a guy too. So I took on their characteristics. I had bravado. I would walk into a room as if I owned it. And she could talk like a sailor. I had a bawdy, bawdy reputation for saying the unexpected to these men who were rather sexist and racist. And they were, whoa. But the bad words, not good. I don't recommend that to anyone. Yeah, it was just my MO of how to survive in that snake pit.

[Chelsea Demontez]

My guest today is Connie Wang. This Connie is also a journalist and writer. She's based in Los Angeles. Her debut book, oh My. A Memoir and Nine Adventures, is with Viking Books. She was formerly the executive director at Refinery29, where she hosted and co produced a documentary series called Style out and that reported on fashion subcultures around the world. Her New York Times reported op ed about Asian American women named after Connie Chung, was the recipient of the O N A Award for Online commentary and the AJA Award for Excellence in Commentary, and was a finalist for the Poynter Journalism Prize. Thank you so much for being here. Hi.

[Connie Wang]

Hi, Chelsea. I'm excited to be here.

[Chelsea Demontez]

I am just so thrilled. Okay, so my producer and I reached out to you to be on this podcast because of that great article I just referenced. However, I did not know you are in the book. You are a character in the book. In the beginning, in the end, I was screaming. I was like, christina, she's in the book.

[Connie Wang]

Oh, I was shocked, too. I was very, very shocked.

[Chelsea Demontez]

That was my first question for you. So when did you find out you're in the memoir?

[Connie Wang]

Well, I mean, this is sort of a lie. I wasn't completely shocked to find out I was in the book, but when I first reached out to Connie, I think in 2020, like, March of 2020, she was writing her memoir. And when I told her, I guess the news that there were people named after her, she was like, oh, my gosh, this would make a great last chapter of my book. I was like, oh, okay. But at the time, you know, I was like, this is never gonna make it. And this was like a phone call from a nobody, you know, reporting on something, like, so in the future. But she had given me a heads up then, and she really stuck to her words. But I also screamed when I first read my name.

[Chelsea Demontez]

You did? Okay. Cause, yeah, I screamed when I read your name. But then you come back again and. Okay. So I just. I was like, wow, we have the. There's no perfect, more perfect guest for this podcast episode other than you. So you also have a memoir of your own. You're in Connie Chung's memoir. You're now on a memoir podcast.

[Connie Wang]

So I can't keep it straight.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yep, I know. I always wanna know from other memoirists, what is it that you love most about this genre? And do you think people are starting to get more literary respect as a whole for the art of memoir lately?

[Connie Wang]

Yeah, I don't know if you're gonna like my answer.

[Chelsea Demontez]

I'm. I would love to not like it.

[Connie Wang]

It's the truth. So as someone who is a journalist, the hardest part about writing is the reporting process. Right. Like, you have to go out. You have to figure out a good story. You have. It has to be true. And you have to get all your sources and your reporting and your research, and then you get to write it. The best thing about memoir is you don't have to report at all. You just sit down and you type out some words. You pull it out from your brain. You know, if things are true, like, you really, really try your best to make sure that things are true. And then if you can't really figure it out, you just put it into the book as, like, I think this is true. This is the best of my recollection. And that is my favorite thing about writing a memoir, because everything else I hated from beginning to end.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Okay, I have to discuss this a little more before we get into the book. It's interesting you say that because I can see how you're like, yeah, as a journalist, I didn't have to do any reporting. As a non journalist, I was like, God, this takes so much reporting. I was like, I gotta go through journals. I gotta call my brother up and remember and be like, hey, remember that horrible thing? One, I've written about it. Two, did all this happen correctly? So did you feel like that wasn't part of the process for you or it was just so much easier than other types of reporting?

[Connie Wang]

It was. No, don't get me wrong. There was a lot of work that went into it. Part of it was that this memoir is like a joint memoir with my mom. And so that's a lot of work. That's a lot of work. I had a lot of conversations. A lot of very awkward conversations. Yeah.

[Chelsea Demontez]

A lot of talking.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah. With my mother, of all people. But compared to reported writing, it's a lot less time consuming just to be like, okay, mom, now I have to talk about when I was five. Now we have to talk about when I was seven. But everything else is like, as a journalist, I think that the thing that journalists lack, that a lot of writers like yourself have in multitude, is like, we don't really have a big sense of imagination. We have a really tough time writing fiction. Like, if you want us to make it up, like, some of us have a really hard time doing it. So journalism is actually the easier way to get us to do some work.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yeah, okay. Yeah, I love that. And actually, that goes right into the first part of the memoir that I wanted to talk about with you. And I just want to quickly read a couple pieces from her first two pages. So the first sentence is, I didn't start out wanting to be a guy. And the chapter is titled Male Envy. And she's just talking about how the whole world, especially the journalism world she was in, is white and male. So she said, I became aggressive, tough body, and extremely competitive. Yes, I looked like a lotus blossom, but I talked like a sailor with a raw sense of humor. And then later, she says, in fact, I had so thoroughly convinced myself that I was one of the white guys that when I walked past a mirror or storefront window, I'd be startled to see a young Chinese woman staring back at me, which is so funny. And the thing I'm gonna say about this memoir is that it kind of tonally reminded me of what on this podcast we call men's moirs, which is when a man writes a memoir, which is to say, men's memoirs are usually lacking in emotion and vulnerability for me. And I felt the same thing in Connie's memoir. And even though she has so many great stories, and then at the very end of the memoir, she writes this, she said, expunging unwanted waste, especially painful old memories, has been excruciating, Particularly when my editor, who is no novice at this ball game, repeatedly advised me to stop reporting the facts. A memoir, she patiently explained, is much more intimate. Dozens of times she prodded me with, but how do you feel? For decades as a reporter, I was trained to suppress how I felt. So I'm just so curious. Your thoughts, because you are a journalist, you also are a memoirist. What was your feelings about the feelings in this book paired with all of the great journalism that is also in this book?

[Connie Wang]

Yeah, I mean, I think that you got straight to the point here, because Khaen Chun's entire deal was that she so herself on observing the news rather than being part of the news. Right. And it's funny how so many of her co anchors or co workers throughout the years, like, inadvertently found themselves being part of the news because either made stuff up or, like, they were part of, like, sexual harassment lawsuits and stuff like that. But she tried her best to only observe and sort of like, she had a great poker face, you know, which also got her in trouble a lot, I think.

[Chelsea Demontez]

I think so, too.

[Connie Wang]

But you read and feel the poker face as you're reading her words, you know?

[Chelsea Demontez]

Oh, I loved that she said my editor was like, stop reporting just the facts. Cause I wrote so many times, oh, my God, she's reporting her life, which is so different than, you know, the intimate emotions of a memoir. Now, that said, there were so many gems in the book. I like Loved reading it, but it was very. It's a very different tone than a lot of the memoirs I've been reading recently. Oh, for sure. So, okay. The memoir also begins with the story of how her mom and her dad came to the US And I loved it. I normally get very mad when we start with mom and Dad's history, but this was horrifically riveting. It's an arranged marriage. Her dad works really hard, but is also a philanderer. But also they really want a boy or her dad. And her dad's family really wants a boy. And her mom only has daughters, so it's daughter after daughter after daughter, and only women are born. And then During World War II, under, like, the wildest circumstances that take, like, almost two years, her family comes to the United States. And Connie is the last daughter born. And she's born in the United States, so she is the only citizen, like, born in the country. And so she is the lucky one. And then she also kind of becomes the. The son. Like, her dad is like, okay, I didn't get any sons. You're the son. Which I just found. That was so wild. So what were some of your big takeaways from the childhood chapters?

[Connie Wang]

Yeah, I mean, so Connie Chung's story is also, in many ways, story of, like, Asian American experiences. There are very, very, very, very few immigrants who are her age that came from mainland China to the United States during the time she. She came.

[Chelsea Demontez]

So because it was so difficult, it was almost.

[Connie Wang]

It just so unheard of. It was very, very difficult. And then as soon as Communist China became a thing, immigration or emigration was just. It just didn't happen. So you'll see a lot of, like, immigrants from maybe Taiwan, but you don't really see any mainland Chinese immigrants until, like, the 1980s when my family came. So there is this huge gap of just, like, a dearth of Asians in America. And that's kind of her experience, too. So she grew up, and she just didn't see any Chinese people around because there were no Chinese people.

[Chelsea Demontez]

That makes so much sense, really, put into the historical context. And learning about, like, that side of the war through this story was so heartbreaking, but also, like, so. God, it was just all so painful and complicated, and they're just watching so, like, the ground around them destroyed as they flee on literal boats.

[Connie Wang]

Oh, absolutely. And Chelsea, like, she is. Her family is actually super privileged. Right? Like, she came from, like, the richest background. And because it's, like, sort of like an irony when you are that rich and your Family has that much to uphold and sort of upkeep. The women traditionally get sort of held back. So her mom was illiterate. Never learned how to read in Chinese or in English. Right. She never learned how to write. She had her feet bound. Right. There are so many things that happened to her because of her status and her wealth that actually kept her behind in the United States. And I think that it had probably a lot to do with what Connie pursued and what she didn't want to be. Right.

[Chelsea Demontez]

And also, her mom, you know, when she was married to her dad, she came with her own servant. His household had servants. And when they come to United States, like, they are struggling financially, which is just also. Yeah. To come from so much wealth and privilege. And then she just reached the bottom rung. And also the marriage is bad. He's cheating on her mom the whole time. He. You know, he doesn't sound great.

[Connie Wang]

He doesn't.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Connie, you can tell Connie loves him. And even through her loving him, you're like, this is a bad dude.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, he. Ye. He was sort of like a dilettante, sort of a diplomat. Right. Like, he was charming enough to get himself jobs and stuff, but then he kind of just relied on Connie to earn all of the money. And they were just like her shadow throughout her entire 20s and 30s. I mean, I thought that that was kind of hilarious in a way, where she was supporting her family members but then trying to escape from them. Like, she had to escape. And she was, like, in her mid-30s.

[Chelsea Demontez]

And she did that by. At 37 years old, she's like, I finally stopped living with or next to my parents, and I did still financially support them. Finally moved away at 37. Yeah.

[Connie Wang]

I mean, that's a story that a lot of. I think Chinese Americans can relate to, but I just thought that. Wow, that was an extreme version of it, for sure.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Really extreme. Yeah. And she also. Okay, so actually. Okay, I can't skip page four. On page four, it says. Then a surprising twist. In 2019, a reporter named Connie Wang contacted me to tell me she discovered that an extraordinary number of Asian parents in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s had named their baby daughters Cody Connie, after me. Okay. That's you.

[Connie Wang]

That's me.

[Chelsea Demontez]

And I love this part of the book, and I love that she put it in the book, because she had already spent a long time writing this memoir, which we'll get to in the acknowledgments, but she had spent years and years and years writing this. Like you said before, you contacted her, and she doesn't really get a hold of her story or a lens on who she is. And she writes. Like, I didn't know if I was successful. I didn't know if I was proud of myself. I didn't know if I had a cool career until you contacted her. And by seeing her story and all the other Connies, she could finally see her own. And I was like, theme of the podcast. It's the theme of the podcast. So can you tell me what this was like for you both when it happened and reading it?

[Connie Wang]

Yeah. I think I always assumed that I was the only one in the world. I mean, just to have named myself or for my parents to name me after Connie Chung. I was like, that's kind of like a silly thing.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yeah. Cause you were gonna choose Connie or Elmo. Is that.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah. Yeah. I think there was a third choice, too. It was like, Michelangelo, because I love the Ninja Turtles. And my poor parents were like, we don't know what English names are. Like, all three of them sound like great choices. But, like.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Like, they're like, Michelangelo's beautiful.

[Connie Wang]

Oh, so many syllables. But Connie was. It was just. It worked for so many reasons. Not only because they were fans of Connie Chung, but it just translates really well. Like, my grandparents could pronounce it. They could pronounce it, like, not like Michelangelo or Elmo.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yeah.

[Connie Wang]

So we picked Connie, and that was kind of like my, like, you know, two truths and a lie. I would always be like, I'm named after Connie Chung. And that was, like, my special fact.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Amazing.

[Connie Wang]

But then I went to. I went to college out in the East Bay in California, and there were just. It was the first time in my life where I was surrounded by Asian people. I grew up in a predominantly white environment where I was not only the only Connie besides, like, old ladies named Connie.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yeah.

[Connie Wang]

But I was, like, the only Asian American. And so college was the first time I was surrounded by Asians. And then I was standing in line, like, on Orientation Day or something, and someone from across the room shouts, like, connie Wang. And I was like, I don't know anyone here. I'm like, who knows me? I'm like, do I have a friend? And it was the girl in front of me in line. She was like, oh, hi. And they started talking. It's like, there's another Connie Wang. That's my name.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Wow.

[Connie Wang]

But there's another Connie here. And then I went home, and Facebook was. Was very new at the time, but I looked up Connie Wang, and I was One of like three, I think, that year in Berkeley. And then just looked up Connie and there were dozens of Connies. And so I started like a little Facebook group. I was like, connie's at Berkeley or something. And then, oh my gosh, every single one of us was Asian. And that was the first time I was like, wow. No wonder I couldn't get it, like an email address. I had to pick some like, random weird email address because you guys took it first. I was like, there are other ones who took it. Yeah. I couldn't get like a Twitter address. I couldn't get all these. I just realized that was the first time. I'm like, there are a lot of Connies out there. And there are a lot of Asian Connies out there. And then I think I just anecdotally asked when I was like, are you named after Connie Chung too? And she's like, oh, yeah, me. Like, I. I am. I'm like, are all of us named after Connie Chung? And that's when it started. I was like, oh, this is not a special story. Like, it's.

[Chelsea Demontez]

But also is the most special story. It is like, it's. Yeah. I mean, and all your photos are in the book. Like, there was that group photo taken. And yeah, it was so beautiful. And it was so beautiful to see her see herself through this other generation.

[Connie Wang]

I could not believe that she had no idea.

[Chelsea Demontez]

I know. Yeah. It only makes sense. When you read the whole book, you're like, well, of course Connie Chung knows that she was amazing. And then when you read the book, you're like, oh, this is how. Okay, so let's get into some of those details of how she didn't know. Starting with this really made me laugh. So she was writing about her sisters and how her sisters had gotten married. And so she's the youngest and she's single for the longest and that's how she ends up taking care of her family. But she said Josephine was the only sister who had a career. Later in life, Charlotte married a man who joined the US Navy and became the first Chinese born American to be admiral in the Navy. The third oldest, June, married a lawyer who joined the U.S. army and climbed the ranks to become the top lawyer in the army and the first Chinese born American to become a general in the US Army. And then I thought, and then imagine when she brought Maury Povich home. Like, she is the outlier in her family and so many ways. And like, I feel like the Maury stuff is also not addressed at all.

[Connie Wang]

Like, I know because she sees Mori as like this. She does not see Maury like the rest of us see Maury. We know Maury as afternoon tv. You are the father. You are not the father. Like, you're scared of peaches. Here's a bunch of bugs, right?

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yes, exactly. Yeah.

[Connie Wang]

But her first job out of school was in this newsroom in D.C. where Maury was, like, one of the most respected journalists, reporters, anchors there. So she's always seen him as, like, the professional, the intellectual, the sort of, like, hotshot in the office. And so, I mean, and that's. That's kind of what his career was until he became Maury Povich on daytime tv.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Maury Povich is in my own memoir when I find out my father is not the father. Like, that is how he's known. And I. I also became curious because Jerry Springer used to be, like, this huge political prowess and ends up in that daytime ring. And I'm like, that has to have some sort of connection with Maury. But we don't get it. And then the other thing. I have to read this part you were just talking about, she said, you know, so Maury Povich is, like, one of the anchors. And she said, when I delivered Maury's wire copy to his desk, I was lucky if I got a thank you or a nod. Surely he could talk to me a little bit like everyone else. Nope. He was strictly business. I couldn't help but notice he was happily married with two adorable daughters who sometimes came to the station to hang out or appear on his talk show. His lack of communication didn't bother me, though. There were plenty of single men in the field. Da, da, da, da. Moves on. I was like, that's it. So you. You definitely worked with Maury for several months on one of your first jobs, Then later, she's gonna be like, oh, yeah, Maury and I were co anchors, but, yeah. And that was it. And then years later, they end up in a relationship, and I'm like, connie Chung, what are you not telling us?

[Connie Wang]

I was like, there wasn't, like, a late evening in the office, like, lingering stairs, no banter?

[Chelsea Demontez]

Are you just trying to make it clear that, like, nothing happened back then? I mean, even so, that you still want to know, like, their friendship or, like, anything I know.

[Connie Wang]

And there's not even an acknowledgement of when they actually started, like, their real relationship. It was an open relationship. Right.

[Chelsea Demontez]

For seven years.

[Connie Wang]

Like, I was like, this is the most progressive thing I've ever heard of. And she. Not.

[Chelsea Demontez]

She.

[Connie Wang]

She really took advantage of this open relationship. She was like dating like Warren Beatty, like Ryan o'ne, like, like Hollywood men. And then like, Maury was her side piece.

[Chelsea Demontez]

It was so. Yeah. And she was like. And you barely even realize she's dating Maury. She's like, yeah. Then Maury and I got divorced, and so we decided we would be together and date other people. I'm like, wait, what? When? How? What do you mean? What was it like being like? We used to work together. Like, we should date now. And okay, so you just said on this podcast we have something called Dringo, which is you drink when you hit something on the bingo sheet. Warren Beatty. That's one of them. Y'all take a drink now. You just said Ryan O'Neal. And we just covered Tatum O'Neal's memoir on this podcast, which is one of the literal wildest episodes to date. I guess I'm using literal wrong, but it was wild, y'all. And I, I have to read this Ryan O'Neal story because after learning about what a absolute aggressive tyrant this man was, and in that memoir, he probably sleeps with like 97 hot women, I could not believe Connie Chung is on that list. So let me read the encounter. She's at some Hollywood party. And she said, all night I kept getting glimpses of Ryan O'Neill, who was looking very love story ish. Our eyes met several times during the night. My little notes here are going, no, no, no, no. She said. But I never seemed to be able to gracefully weave through the stars to talk to him. Before I knew it, the night was over and everyone was heading to the door to give hunky wannabe actors our valet tickets so they could run to get our cars. I found myself at the door just in front of Brian O'Neill. I looked at him and a line from an old black and white movies emerged from my lips. Your place or mine? O'Neill replied up to you. With a subtle and casual glance back at him. I said, follow me. I hopped in my black Jensen Healey convertible, gunned my motor and scooted down the hill, waiting for him down the road. Feel free to use your imagination. By the way, everyone, she's with Maury.

[Connie Wang]

At the time and Warren Beatty. Like they are also dating.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yeah, I think, I think it was Warren's party.

[Connie Wang]

Maybe.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Like I'm shook it one. I just. I need a scientist to explain to me how Ryan O'Neill pulled so much ass. Connie initiated it. This is a 37 year old woman who has lived at home most of her life and doesn't usually date. And I'm like, where did this come from?

[Connie Wang]

No, seriously. And, like. And at the time, she was, like, famous in la. Like, that's how she's getting around to all these parties. Like, people are recognizing her. And also, like, she's famous for, like, being a news broadcaster, like, wearing those blazers and whatnot. And, like, her showing up at this party and then being able to pull all these guys. Like, I respect her for it. What a legendary Connie.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Oh, my. I love her for it. I just wish Ryan O'Neal didn't. He didn't deserve that. You know what I mean? I wish it had been some other actor. And listen, I'm thrilled with Warren Beatty. I've heard from all these memoirs. He's a delicious lover. So good for you, Connie.

[Connie Wang]

Exactly. But she. The one that she didn't sort of reciprocate was Marlon Brando. I thought that was so interesting.

[Chelsea Demontez]

That one was, okay, Durango, Marlon Brando. I mean, okay, let's go read that one. So Marlon Brando's cameo in every single celebrity memoir I've ever read is always, like, bumbling. Marlon Brando rolled into my house and, like, wouldn't leave for a while and rambled. And he was Marlon Brando. So I let him stay. Like, only maybe Barbra Streisand's memoir. She, like, haughty Marlon Brando. And even then, she's like, I would pull him out of his car because he would be stuck to the steering wheel. Cause his gut protruded. So it's like, wow, okay, we gotta talk about this Marlon Brando story. So he just starts calling Connie constantly, and he's like, what's up? I'm Marlon.

[Connie Wang]

Hello.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Stay in touch. And finally one day, she gets another call from him, and he wants to talk about a film. And she does his first interview in 16 years to talk about A Dry White Season, which is the film. And she said he started to ramble about indigenous Americans. While listening to him, I remembered that he had refused to accept an Oscar, his second, for his role in the Godfather. In his place, Brando had sent a woman, Littlefeather, to read a statement. He had written this next part, Little Feather claimed to be Apache, though after her death in 2022, her sisters disputed this. Brando was protesting the portrayal of indigenous people in movies and on television and blah, blah. Okay. So I was like, what? And I just want to state, like, stuff like, this is so intricate and personal and identity has so much nuance to it. And so, you know, my producer Christina and I, we researched it. There is a lot of nuance to this. We're going to link an. That goes into all of the details, but it is very wild that that is just like the cherry on top of her Marlon Brando story.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah. She said he would call her and fill up her entire. Like, you know when you used to leave a message, you would, like, actually record on a tape cassette. He would fill up the entire cassette just with rambling. And it turns out that he had, like, a big Asian fetish. And she was like, it was nasty. It was gross. I was like. I said, what a menace like, this is.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yeah. She digs up old interviews where he's doing, like, racist Asian jokes. And then she said, he was looking at me as if I was a nice cut of Asian meat. He had several children with an Asian woman. It was not hard to see he had a fetish. Then Warren Beatty is like, hey, can I get those tapes, please? I'd love to hear Marlon Brando rambling. And she's like, no, Warren Beatty. And then, I'm sorry, I just have to go back to Little Feather. That is an iconic Oscars moment. And in Connie's book, to be like, actually, she's not Apache. I was like, what?

[Connie Wang]

Oh, yeah.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Okay. So while we're here, I just have to let you guys also know Dringo twice, Henry Kissinger is in the book. Now, Connie, I don't know if you know this, but Henrik Kissinger is in minimum 16 to 19 celebrity female memoirs.

[Connie Wang]

Oh, boy. That guy got around.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Is that not why? Yeah. Oh, and he loved it. He's really in Connie's. As part of. So a big part of this book is she takes us through every big interview, every big job. And so obviously with. With the politics, like, he plays a role in the book, but nothing scandalous. Okay, so.

[Connie Wang]

Oh, I'm sure he tried to feel her up or something. Like, she does go through and list. She's like, every politician you can think of has touched my thigh.

[Chelsea Demontez]

And I'm like, okay, yes. Although I feel like she would have told us if Kissinger did. And the only other thing, I'm not trying to defend this man. In fact, I want to persecute him even more fully for what I'm about to tell you. I became so obsessed. I was like, how is this stupid war fuck criminal murderer in all of these memoirs as, like, a fun guy? And it turns out he was like, I come to the idea of power and I wanna be seen with celebrity women because that's how you stay powerful. And so he would set up one off dates with the most famous woman he could think of over and over and over and over again. Because in every memoir, they're always like, and he didn't even wanna kiss me, and he didn't even touch me and blah, blah. And it's like, oh. Because he was, like, at home coming to his TMZ article with you, not.

[Connie Wang]

Me, Googling what he looked like when he. This doesn't make any sense.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Oh, no. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, absolutely. He. No way.

[Connie Wang]

Oh, boy.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yeah. I'm just like, I would rather he be wanting to kiss you than be like, I'm in a newspaper with Jane Fonda. Sorry, sorry, sorry. That makes sense to me. Okay. Another story I loved, which is so funny, which is she's really talking about these newsrooms and journalism diversifying for the first time. And obviously that's very positive and also fully negative. And yet this is one of the funniest stories. So she said she was about to get a promotion, and she said he was gonna hire her as a writer, this guy Mike. But he still needed a newsroom secretary, someone to replace me. That was my cue to come up with someone I thought would satisfy the ongoing pressure to hire women and minorities. I ran across the street to the bank where I cashed my paycheck every two weeks. I always went to the same teller, Toni Taylor, A sharp, smart, pretty young black woman who could count my measly wages in a flash. Toni, I said, do you want to be a big star at that TV station across the street? She did not hesitate. Yes. I dragged her across the street to meet Mike. He hired her as a newsroom secretary on the spot. And I got to move up later. Tony rose to become a producer.

[Connie Wang]

Oh, boy.

[Chelsea Demontez]

It's like such a fucked story, but also delightful in its fuckery. Like, where it's like, wait, you're thrilled for both of them. And also, this is so sad.

[Connie Wang]

This is so sad. But I feel like we have stories like that. Like, how little has things changed. Except the way that she writes about it is just so like, oh, golly gee, what an opportunity.

[Chelsea Demontez]

What an opportunity for Tony the bank teller, the only other minority in a two mile radius because these white assholes have pushed everyone out. Yeah, it. It was pretty.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah.

[Chelsea Demontez]

It's like, what Chinese women anchors of news stations could we name now who are famous on the level of like.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah. I mean, well, Lisa Ling for once, right? But then I feel like there are a lot of local news anchors who are Chinese American. I'm part of the Asian American journalist associations. And I would say, like, a huge proportion of these journalists are actually like women broadcast journalists, as your like.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yes.

[Connie Wang]

Instead of like the ugly written journalists like myself, who doesn't have to be on TV or anything, and we never do our hair or makeup or whatever. But, like, I think there are a lot of Asian journalists who followed in Connie's shoes.

[Chelsea Demontez]

I think you're absolutely right. I was just more so pointing out, like, there was Connie in her day and now there's Lisa. So we still have just one.

[Connie Wang]

Oh, yeah.

[Chelsea Demontez]

You know what I mean? So it's like, yes, there's progress. There's just this. There is progress, and it's so much better than it was. And also we haven't moved at all.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah, yeah. I also think you're seeing a little bit of just like the death of primetime broadcast news, you know, Like, I don't think people watch the news anymore. We get our news from, like, TikTok teens. And that's a whole nother thing.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yeah. I mean, I was thinking about it with this book because the detail with which she writes the journalism parts of the book were. Was a little too factual for narrative storytelling for me. However, I was like, oh, but if you want to be a journalist, this is the most incredible book to read ever. And then my next thought was, wait, journalism has changed too much. I don't. I. And I want to ask you, like, could you, coming up in the world of journalism, like, pull a lot from this book or has the industry changed too much?

[Connie Wang]

Oh, I mean, this is something that I don't really know that much about because I don't know anything about TV journalism. But I think this is super traditional. I think that there are probably some corners of the world that still work like this where you sort of have to, like, be on the copy desk and, like, run errands and fetch coffees and whatnot. But like.

[Chelsea Demontez]

But even like, the types of questions you have to ask people, and this question is okay, and this question is not okay. I just kept thinking, oh, no, this has fully changed.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah, I know. I think a lot of it has. But the thing that I think that will never change is that she is super good at the relationships part of it. The kind of like buttering someone up behind the scenes, getting someone to feel comfortable. And then as soon as the cameras turn on, all of a sudden she switches into, like, journalist mode. And that's when she gets the. Gets, you know? And I think a lot of people these days Especially like new journalists, they don't, they forget about that part of it. Like, you have to do a lot of pre work in order to make people feel comfortable talking to you. And what you see a lot on the screen is a lot of just like very cringe relationships and like very cringe questions and answers.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yes, I think that's so true. And she also, she talked about something that I definitely was like, well, this, I'm not in journalism, but it's certainly in my industry. It was this look men give you where they either want to fuck you or fuck you over. And she called it fuck you or Fuck youk Over syndrome. And she would point out all the men in the book where she's like, okay, this guy had it. And then here's what he did. And ugh, thought of so many male directors.

[Connie Wang]

Sometimes it's both, right?

[Chelsea Demontez]

I think it's always both. Yeah, I think they're like, they're like, which one is it? And then as soon as they've done one of them, they're immediately like, and now the other. Okay, we're gonna take a quick break and then we'll come right back into the episode. Thrive Cosmetics is my favorite makeup. They have thousands of five star reviews, they're cruelty free, and they have my brand new favorite product that I have used every single day since I got it. It is their brilliant eye brightener, the shade Stella. I use this in conjunction with their Liquid Lash Extensions mascara and it is gorgeous. I get so many compliments. It truly highlights your eyes and creates the most beautiful eyeshadow that has depth. Brighten your holiday look with Thrive Cosmetics luxury beauty that gives back. Right now, you can get an exclusive 20% off your first order at thrivecosmetics.com glamorous trash that's thrive Cosmetics. C A U S e m e t-I c s.com glamorous trash for 20 off your first order, go get that brilliant eye brightener shade Stella.

[Connie Wang]

This episode is brought to you by Dutch Bros. Get stoked for all the holly jolly vibes this season at Dutch Bros. Stay cozy with returning winter faves. Hazelnut truffle mocha and and candy cane mocha. Plus the new winter Shimmer Rebel energy drink Blends up sweet cream and blue razz flavor with soft top and shimmer sprinks to keep those spirits energized all winter long. Download the Dutch Bros app to find your nearest shop. Order ahead and start earning rewards.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Hey, it's Bill Simmons from the Bill.

[Connie Wang]

Simmons Podcast here to tell you about Michelob Ultra Courtside.

[Chelsea Demontez]

It's getting fans closer to the NBA with a chance to win prizes like courtside seats, a trip to All Star.

[Connie Wang]

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[Chelsea Demontez]

Check it [e-mail] Courtside Michelob Ultra Superior Access Courtside 2425 Sweepstakes. No purchase necessary. Open to US residents 21 and up.

[Connie Wang]

Begins on October 1, 2024. Ends July 1, 2025.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Multiple entry periods.

[Connie Wang]

Visit michelobulture.com Courtside for free entry, entry deadlines and official rules.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Message and data rates may apply.

[Connie Wang]

Void where prohibited.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Okay, welcome back. Let's continue the conversation.

[Connie Wang]

I mean, one person I kind of want to talk about is her relationship with David Letterman. Like, I had to look up every single one of those spots that she talked about because they were so bizarre. She was like, I cracked walnuts on one of his episodes. Like, he went to buy shoe trees with me one day, and I looked them up, and they're like classic David Letterman bits that I kind of remember watching as a kid, but now seeing them as an adult, I'm like, wow, the subtext here is so crazy. Her cracking walnuts is, like, incredibly sexual. Like, it's her long, red nails and these, like, wrinkly little walnuts and just squeezing. And I was like, why, Connie, did you do this?

[Chelsea Demontez]

As a joke, As a promotion. We said, and Connie Chung will be here to crush walnuts in her bare hands. And the NBC attorneys and so on.

[Connie Wang]

And so forth said, well, is she.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Going to be there to crush walnuts? And we said, well, no. And they said, well, you can't do that then. Because conceivably people might stay up, tune.

[Connie Wang]

In to see Kyle break walnuts with her bare hands.

[Chelsea Demontez]

All right. Can you do it?

[Connie Wang]

I don't know.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Well, give it a try. Do them both.

[Connie Wang]

Do them. Yeah, I know. Oh, yeah, I know.

[Chelsea Demontez]

I'm sorry. I didn't.

[Connie Wang]

You're gonna ruin your nails. I know. He's gonna break a finger.

[Chelsea Demontez]

And in the book, she's like, he's so funny.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah, but then he fucked her over at the very end, right? Yeah, of course.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yes. And also, David Letterman fucked so many women over. There's so many disgusting interviews. Like, Demi Moore is one I think about, where he's like, take your clothes off, spin around, give daddy a pat. Yeah. I'm so glad you looked those up. I will have to post some of those to the Patreon. Well, while we're in a sad moment, I want everyone, we're gonna talk about a really tough story that must be discussed, which is that she writes about how in the 1960s, she went to see her family doctor. It was the doctor who had delivered her, and he molested her. And she writes about it in detail, which I really loved, because I think it's really hard to do that. I think it's really hard to revisit it. I think this is where her journalism expertise shined, because it told the story of abuse in a level of factual detail that I think is hard to get to when you're the one who's experienced it. And I just thought it was impeccable. And she was Talking about how October 3, 2018, at 72 years old with the MeToo movement, she finally broke her silence. And she wrote a piece on this. And from writing the piece is how she finds out it had also happened to her sister.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah.

[Chelsea Demontez]

And they had just both shamefully kept it secrets to themselves when they could have had each other.

[Connie Wang]

Yep.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Which I. I also found to be so. It just felt so familiar.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah. Oh, absolutely.

[Chelsea Demontez]

You know, where you hold it to yourself and then realize it's so many of you.

[Connie Wang]

And that there's that additional complication of if her sister had shared, it wouldn't have happened to Connie. And if Connie had shared, it might not have happened to other women. Because this guy died at a very old age, you know, and he practiced.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Lived a long time.

[Connie Wang]

How fair is that? You know? And I remember reading about it in. I think it was the Washington Post when it first came out, and I was like, oh, I haven't heard from Connie Chug in so many years. I'm like, oh, this woman is still around. And, oh, my gosh, her voice is still so relevant. And I remember being like, thank you so much for saying something, you know, and this was in the beginning of, I think, all of the sort of Me too revelations, and this one in particular, like, it really stuck with me. I was like, it's so important to talk about it because of the regrets that she has about it all.

[Chelsea Demontez]

So in the book, she references Christine Blasey Ford, who spoke out against Brett Kavanaugh and how what she had written in the newspaper was an open letter to Christine. Now, Christine also has a memoir that came out, and people have asked me to cover it on this podcast, but because I've also have such a intense history with abuse, I just haven't yet. What I want to say is that I spoke at an event called Night of Courage, which is put on by this organization called Futures Without Violence. And I want everyone to know about that organization, in case you are someone in life who is maybe dealing with an abusive relationship or knows someone who is. Futures Without Violence is an incredible organization that I just painfully wish I had known about them in my young life and in my early life. And I had the honor to speak at this event. And other speakers that night were Chanel Miller and Steve Kerr and Christine Blasey Ford and. And Christine and I spoke that night. And as part of my speech, without even obviously knowing what was going into hers, Part of my speech was talking about that moment when I was watching the Brett Kavanaugh trials and how Christine's testimony really shifted my internal life and made me realize how much deeper work I still had to do. And that moment is a big part of why I'm here and even why I'm, like, able to have a voice and talk on a podcast and to think about Connie also watching that exact same moment, and that helps her find her voice. And even though Brett Kavanaugh got confirmed, that moment where Christine dared to speak out, like, shifted all of us. I just feel so grateful to every woman speaking out, then influencing every other single woman. And then Connie gets to speak out and. And. And free so many other women. So, you know, that part, it was just really beautiful to me, it was.

[Connie Wang]

Such a turning point, and it affected so many people. Just, like, seeing how strong and powerful she was when giving her testimony, you know?

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Connie Wang]

And how much you remember and how much you don't remember. And that's something I actually really appreciated Connie talking about. She's like, anyone who's gone through something like this knows that you don't remember stuff that seems obvious, but the things that you do remember stay with you until you die.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Absolutely. And, yeah, okay, like, it's. I almost wanted to start screaming another monologue, but we'll move on. How about another sad story?

[Connie Wang]

Keep on coming.

[Chelsea Demontez]

I don't know why this. I don't know why this one made me sad. Maybe other people will be like, obviously, Chelsea. But I did not know that Jimmy Carter was a dirty dog, she said. Another time, something similar occurred with a prominent person. In the 1980s, I was seated at a black tie dinner next to former president Jimmy Carter. At one point during the dinner, his knee and leg kept pressing against my leg under the table. I immediately looked at him. He smiled. Oh, dear. The incident happened after President Carter had told Playboy magazine he had looked at a lot of women with lust in his heart and had committed adultery in his heart many times. I think I saw the Look, Oi, oi. I thought Jimmy Carter was one of the good ones. I thought he was a peanut farmer.

[Connie Wang]

We should. Someone should bring this up to him. Maybe he should know.

[Chelsea Demontez]

I hope, I hope someone brings up and he'll. At this moment, he'll probably be like, yeah, yeah, yeah. So the other weirdo moment, we're crawling our way out of the sad ones. We're getting less sad. But now we're getting weird. The Richard Nixon interview.

[Connie Wang]

I know.

[Chelsea Demontez]

What, okay, so he is the President. This is right around Watergate, and she gets an interview with Nixon. And she said, Nixon proceeded to artfully dodge all my questions. Then, looking directly in my eyes, he asked me a question that came out of left field. How much money do you make? I was startled. Excuse me? He repeated the strange question. I launched into a lengthy explanation. I make a base salary of about $26,000 a year. But if I do report for CBS Evening News with WALTER Cronkite or one for CBS Morning News, I am paid an extra $55. And if I do a radio spot, I get an extra $25 for each. And if I rack up a lot of radio spots, I proudly added, I can bring my salary up to as high as $28,000 a year. The President proceeded to offer me his thoughtful wisdom. Just remember this, you have to make more money. With that, he turned on his yell and strutted off to the West Wing with his service detail following close behind. She said, to this day, I have no idea what he said about Watergate.

[Connie Wang]

I mean, I feel like there's two types of people in the world. Like, one type of person who has a conversation like this and then thinks about it before they go to bed every single night for the rest of their lives. It's just like, why did I say that? Why? What's happening? What could it mean? And then the other type of person just sleeps blissfully, and that's Nixon, you.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Know, and also, what a great way to get out of a. You know, he asked a question that clearly threw her off. And also his advice was, make more money.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Well, thank you, Mr. President.

[Connie Wang]

Explains some of his choices.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Perhaps it explains everything. So the last big part of the book is she is the CBS Evening News co anchor with known piece of shit Dan Rather. But I'm thrilled to have more stories on the page. This absolute ding dong. And I want to read a page of some of the sexism she had to endure. And it's really, it's slight rules. She was talking about Barbara Walters and she was also talking about Jane Pauley and Bryant Gumbel, who were also news anchors. And she said. When Jane went on her second three month maternity leave, I discovered she was not allowed to say good morning first when the program opened. Nor could she say have a good day at 9am to close the Today show. Contractually, those were privileges reserved for Bryant alone. I was astonished. Jane had co anchored Today with Tom Brokaw before Bryant was hired. She had seniority and the pecking order should have been the exact opposite. All of that reminded me of the antiquated restrictions Barbara Walters had to abide by when she was climbing her way to the top. On Today, Barbara was allowed to question an interviewee only after the male anchor had asked three questions. First. It's so small, but given that it's contractually in writing, it feels huge to me. What did you think of all that stuff?

[Connie Wang]

Well, it shocked me because I didn't know that those things could be in contracts. Right. And this is the difference between like, I guess, TV and other types of journalism or just like Hollywood and not Hollywood. And maybe this is the side that you're more familiar with. But so humiliating to have it written down in words to be like, maybe like on the screen you look equal, but on paper you are absolutely not equal. It's just like a daily reminder. It's awful.

[Chelsea Demontez]

It does happen in Hollywood in terms of like, you're, you are numerically ranked by importance. You're the number one on the show, the number two on the show. And you know, a woman can be a number one and a male, a man can be number two and he could make more money. However, these little tiny, like, you cannot speak until he's spoken three times. I've never, I've never heard that before.

[Connie Wang]

Oh, me neither. No, that was, that was quite shocking. I actually, I got to the section where she was just like. And then this happened with Jen Rather. And this happened with Jen Rather. And this is like, like just listening them off. And it was so delicious, like you said. I had to like, look up at whether he was dead. I was like, I'm pretty sure he died because like, otherwise, I mean, what a gift. What a gift of like Dan Rather. Slander. Well, not, not slander. This is just the truth, right?

[Chelsea Demontez]

Facts.

[Connie Wang]

But no, he's very much alive.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Oh, he's very much kicking.

[Connie Wang]

Oh, yeah.

[Chelsea Demontez]

I hope he's so pissed. I hope he's so mad. I have not seen enough headlines about it. I think maybe because we're like, yeah, we know, we know. Jan. Rather sucks.

[Connie Wang]

Well, I think a lot of people assume that he might have not been around anymore, but he's. He's still working. He's still like, I think he has a podcast, but I don't think he's. Of course. But I don't think he said anything about it.

[Chelsea Demontez]

But, yeah, no, isn't it?

[Connie Wang]

She did mention that she's only seen him twice since she was fired from CBS. Once she saw him on the train from D.C. to New York, and he really wanted to sit down and have a conversation with her on this very public train. And he was just like, are we all good? And she was like, yes. Is that it? And then they went their separate ways. And the other time, he was being honored at this thing that Maury is actually the board of, and he was like, wouldn't it be awesome if you were the one who gave him the award? And so she had to do it. And she was like, it felt so gross to be like. To have to do this. She's like, why, Bori? Why are you making me do this to Dan Rather? And he was just like, yeah, just be a sport. So she had to do it again.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Just be a sport. Could sum up a lot of her career that she was forced to do.

[Connie Wang]

Oh, yeah.

[Chelsea Demontez]

She is, like, in rom coms, when they are always a journalist or working at a magazine, and the storyline is always, I want to do real reporting. I don't want to talk about girl stuff. I want to talk about politics. That's like, what. How to lose a guy in 10 days. And like, every other movie ever, it was Connie's real life. Connie was like, I don't want to cover Nancy Kerrigan. Please, like, let me, like, cover the election. They're like, no, you're a lady.

[Connie Wang]

I know. I like part of me, too. As someone who has covered the girly stuff for her entire career, I was like, don't knock the girly stuff. I like, this is 50.

[Chelsea Demontez]

That's how I felt. I know. I was like, okay, I get that it's a different time, but, like, that Nancy Kerrigan, Tonya Harding story is. Is such a phenomenal story and not how it was presented at the time at all, but it's. It's, like, such a story of poverty and abuse and, like, ugh. But, yeah, it was thought of as, like, stupid.

[Connie Wang]

I know. She called. I mean, to be fair, she called the O.J. trial a girly story. You know, like, that's right. She was like, that's not serious. She was like, O.J. being on TV was not serious. So she has a very different, I think, bar threshold for what constitutes, like, a serious story for her.

[Chelsea Demontez]

But I think you're absolutely right.

[Connie Wang]

The other thing that doesn't come through podcast but is rich in her book is just her fashion and her taste and her hairstyles and stuff. And she never really talks about any of that stuff except anecdotally. And I kick myself. I've never had a chance to ask her about it, but no one really talks to her about this. And I have a feeling that she wouldn't want to talk about it because, again, she is such a serious journalist in all these ways, but she obviously cares so much about.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Oh, and also hat. Had to. Had to care a lot. And the fact I love. I loved about this. She shares this in common with Angela Lansbury, which is that she did her own hair.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah.

[Chelsea Demontez]

It's like, wait, you both are on television every day? You what? And she's like, yes, I did the helmet hair every single day. I hair sprayed it. I did my own hair. I shopped. And did her own makeup as well.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Which is. She has a whole other skill set.

[Connie Wang]

Whole other skill set. And she has all of the tricks. Like, I was. My mom was actually, like, going through Connie's Instagram. She was like, why is she wearing visors all the time? She's like, she's always wearing visors in her videos. And she's inside, there's like, no sun. Like, she's so scared of sunlight. And then she actually did a video about. She's like, you never asked me why I'm wearing a visor sometimes with these Instagram things. Do you want to know why? Because it's like an Instagram instant facelift. It, you know, pulls everything up. And I was like, okay, genius.

[Chelsea Demontez]

But, yeah, I love it. Casts a nice little diffused light over the face.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah. So she's still coming up with tricks in her. In her, you know, in her 70s.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Good for you, Connie. I love that. Well, the other big thing we have to talk about in the book now is the back half of her career where she and Mori. There's just not enough Maury Juice for me. Like, I think it was the thing I was looking forward to most in the book because I have some core memories. I don't know where they floated in from. Of her and Maury, like, arguing on air in an uncomfortable way. Like, they're spatting back and forth. And I know it had to have been on some show that they hosted together. But as old People online doing press for the book. Charming. Amazing. No one has ever aged better than this relationship. She's like, don't say that. And he's like, I'll say this. And she's like, oh, stop talking. And they are so cute together. But I do remember them being in their 40s, and it was like, it felt like they were fighting. Do you have any memory of that, or is that just, like, my childhood version?

[Connie Wang]

I don't remember them fighting. I also didn't watch. I think you probably watch more sophisticated TV than I did back then.

[Chelsea Demontez]

But no, no, no. I rarely made it to a television. I don't even know where this memory came from.

[Connie Wang]

I do remember. I remember the last show they did on their, like, joint. Whatever. I forget what. What show it was, but she was, like, lying on a piano, like, in a.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Singing.

[Connie Wang]

Singing in a gown. And I think she was drunk. And I was like, this is something I didn't know I needed to see. You know, thanks for the memories. We came to do a show for Very Little Doe. By little, I mean, I could make more working on Skid Row. That's cable tv.

[Chelsea Demontez]

That is that. I know Connie would hate this, but that was my main knowledge of Connie. I wasn't there for all the news anchor stuff. I only knew her when that clip was, like, one of the first. Not one. One of the first in my life. Like, every news show was making fun of it. Not new show. Like, well, Letterburn. And so when she wrote about it in the book, it actually. Oh, I was so sad. She was like, the show is ending, and I don't know why I did that. I thought it would be funny. Yes. I really regret it. Like, kind of, like, stop talking to me about it. Like, I don't want to talk about it. But when you go and watch it, it is this serious journalist doing her best attempt at comedy. It was supposed to be satire. She just is not a comedian. And so it came off like she had lost her mind. And it was also in a year where, like, anything a woman did, they were like, she's crazy. But I feel really sad for her because she clearly feels sad about it in the book. Like, she doesn't think it's funny.

[Connie Wang]

No, I know she got made fun of a lot, you know, and for, like, things that she kind of didn't deserve, like, the IVF stuff. But, like, what I think is that, like, the truth of it is, like, Connie Chung is she's the crazy one in the relationship. And I use that term with a lot of love. Like, she is loony and batty and hilarious. And I think Maury really is like a straight man, which is wild because.

[Chelsea Demontez]

He, like, he told Connie. So she doesn't really write about that song moment enough. But later in the book, she would say, my dream was to write a memoir and perform it like Billy Crystal. Which is, like, wild, given how the memoir is written. However, that's the part of her that got on the piano. She wants to perform and be funny. And Maury told her not to because he said, you have a reputation to uphold. I said, maury, you're wrong. You're so wrong. Get this woman on an open mind.

[Connie Wang]

When I first talked to her in that 2020, she was in the middle of this decision. And I, like, I remember being like, this is. I've unlocked a level of reality that I, like, I didn't know was possible. And like, what is happening right now? She was like, I'm really thinking that this memoir, maybe this doesn't come in book form, but maybe I take it to Broadway and it becomes like a one woman show. And I was like, what are you talking about?

[Chelsea Demontez]

That's so funny. We have the opposite reaction. I'm like, yes, she needs to be on a mic. The written form is not her medium. But her singing on the piano, like, yes, girl, give me your version of 700 Sundays or whatever.

[Connie Wang]

And Chelsea, I agree with you at this point. Not that she's not a good writer. I think she is a very, very good writer. But what happened with this book is she didn't hire a ghostwriter, which I think a lot of media people do. And it's not fair, right? It's not fair. Ghostwriters are wonderful writers.

[Chelsea Demontez]

They're. They are gifts to you. Like, I've said it so many times now, but it's like, why on earth would you, like, okay, if I was like, hey, I'm going to, like, make an opera about my life, I'd be like, yeah, so I guess I'll sing opera tomorrow because it's my life. Like, blah, blah, blah. It's like, why do you think you can learn an entire art form the first time you attempt it? It's hard. It's hard.

[Connie Wang]

Shit. It's very hard. And to her credit, she did it. And she says, she's like, I'm not a written word writer. She's like, I write. Like, I speak on the air. And it's true. She ends a bunch of chapters with to be continued. And that's for the next section, right?

[Chelsea Demontez]

I Think the editor did. I think the editor was like, you have no transitions. There's no narrative through line. I know. Let's put coming up next exactly three places.

[Connie Wang]

But I don't know, maybe we should start a letter writing petition to get her on Broadway or off Broadway.

[Chelsea Demontez]

I think she would be incredible on stage doing her memoir, and I think she'd give us a lot more gossip. I can see her being slippery on the mic and saying a lot of fucking shit.

[Connie Wang]

Yes. Especially after a couple cocktails. Like, she is. She is. She's loose.

[Chelsea Demontez]

I'll personally be the martini bringer on the road. Yes. Okay. So she and Maury just. They're like, yeah, it's been seven years. I guess we'll get married. They get married. I don't know why, because they continue living apart for, what, another nine years. Like, I don't know the math at this point, but years and years go by to the point that when he moves to New York City and they're in the same city, she's like, oh, no, my marriage was great. I saw him on weekends. Now I have to live with someone. This is. This might be. This might suck. And they make it through. I don't know how. There's not much written about it. And then she is 43, and he's like, you've always wanted to have a kid, so it's time. And these chapters were so. I think my. My. My age is showing here and that. I was like, it was so hard for me to wrap my head around this because she was talking about how, like, other women in her had, like, had put their careers first and now time's up on having a baby. And I was like, I'm sorry, is. Isn't this a JD Vance point? Isn't this Megan Kelly being like, you career gals better start giving out babies or, like, better give birth to babies or you're gonna, like, lose your opportunity. But she was really like, yeah, I lost my chance. And, yeah, I felt. But okay. And so then she starts doing ivf. It's a big process. They turn to every method they can. She eventually finds out that she can conceive, but the embryo can't attach to her uterine wall. And so at this time, she's also being let go from her job as a co anchor. And they say, like, hey, you could say, I want to leave because I want to put having a family first and save face. And then she writes about how it was the worst decision ever because she was made a mockery of. Of, like, Connie Chung walks away to desperately, like, have child with Maury, when in reality she was going to be fired no matter what. And she's like, I should have just let them fire me. What did you think of, of that whole chapter?

[Connie Wang]

Gosh. And I thought, like, I am so happy this wasn't me, because I would have fumbled through this too, even probably more catastrophically. I read the sort of note that she wrote, and I was like, oh, there's nothing wrong with this. And then of course, that one line, it was like, aggressively pursue having a child, aggressively pursue parenthood or whatever. And that's, of course, the thing that got parroted over and over and over again on the night shows. But I remember that happening as a kid and being like, oh, what does that mean? Like, she's aggressively gonna go, like, do it with Maury over and over again, but without even realizing, you know, what struggles she must have gone through, especially with IVF in early days, too, but early ivf, yeah. And here's like, one thing that, like, I, I think I appreciate now. And you might too, like, after writing a memoir there, like, you. Like, for me, I would. The open book, like anything that I wrote about myself kind of was like, for Fair Game. And that, that, that exercise of vulnerability was really my own. What I didn't feel comfortable doing, and I don't think I, I did, was talking about other people in my life with that same amount of vulnerability, because it's their story to share. So even though it was about my mom, I didn't talk about things that she didn't want me to share. I never really talked about my husband, my partner. And I, like, for sure would never write about my kids. And so I think that one of the things that you're feeling, or like I felt too, in this book, is that she's not going to share her relationship really with Maury, because he was like, don't put that out there. You know, like, he's like, that's, that's our personal business. She rarely barely talks about her child, Matthew, except for in, like, very matter of fact terms.

[Chelsea Demontez]

And, you know, it is funny. Like, I know that you fucked the shit out of Ryan O'Neal, but I don't really know what you and Maury are up to. Like, it's a wild. I think you're at absolutely right in the choice being made. And so then, like, other, like, fun anecdotes get put in the book, but then it's imbalanced. Well, okay, so her son Matthew, the stuff she did write about him, though, also, like, really bummed me out in that. In that she, you know, she really wanted to conceive. And when she said they were aggressively pursuing a child, she was like, we meant, like, turning to other options, like surrogacy and artificial insemination, as it was called at the time. And then she. Then they decide to adopt. And she said our plan was to adopt a little American boy to have a mini Maury and a little Chinese girl to have a mini Connie, but then never addresses why there wasn't a Connie. A little mini Connie, like, that just didn't happen.

[Connie Wang]

She says that she didn't sleep with Matthew. Like, he was sort of like a. It was a tricky infant. And she was like, I'm done. And I totally understand, as a mom of two, I get the feeling of being done.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Absolutely. Absolutely. Okay. This was the part I didn't like, she said. What helped me believe adoption was right for me was when a girlfriend of mine, Karen Dana, her door full name, shared her wisdom with me. She had adopted one son and had also given birth to another. Wanting to preserve our gene pool is overrated, she declared. So nicely put, Karen. I realized that if I adopted a son, he would not be neurotic and paranoid like me, my parents, and the rest of my family. What a gift. I was like, oh, no. This is some of the most dustiest dated point of view on adoption. So categorically untrue. Just printed in a book next to a picture of her son.

[Connie Wang]

Yes, this is for you, Matthew. I know. Can you imagine growing up and your dad being Maury Povich and your mom being Connie Chung? I just, like, I cannot.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Well, and Maury Povich's whole thing is, you are not the father. And he is what? Not the father. Like, that's kind of a nightmare.

[Connie Wang]

I know it's hard to see a.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Parent of an adoptee still hold these beliefs about adoption that are, like, so painful. I know, for adoptees. But you know what? Matthew seems nice. He seems happy, as far as I know. So they have a closed adoption, too. That was the other thing. I was bummed about, closed adoption. And she's like, they had to wait a year to make it official because, you know, the biological mother could change her mind. And so they kind of lock everything down. She's lost her job. She was like, I never would have left my job to raise Matthew. So it's kind of this blessing. And then when she tries to pop up again, Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer take turns sabotaging Connie Chung back and Forth for what sounds like like 20 years. These motherfuckers. I was like, oh God. Like, oh, I know, I know those women came up in the. There can only be one era, but how dare you?

[Connie Wang]

I know. I mean, so when I was talking to Connie and she was bringing up the fact, she was like, but I wasn't the only one. There was Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer. And she's like, that's such a sweet story. But like, I frankly don't believe you. And I'm like, I just want you to think about how many 20 year olds are running around with the names, name of Barbara. Right? Like, there's just not that many. But there's a ton of Connies, I can tell you. You know, a ton of Connies in their 20s and 30s. And I know it's just like after a decade of being just like a decades plus of being like kicked around by men, then for her to be kicked around by a bunch of women too. And like that's something I personally have experienced in my own career working in a lot of women's spaces. There is.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Tell me, like, was it a progression the same way or was it just always both the whole time?

[Connie Wang]

Oh, gosh. I mean, I think it's, it's a lot of women who started their careers in this very sexist sort of way and, and then all of a sudden are finding themselves working in very feminist environments with a lot of younger people and still feeling the need to sort of hold on to what they have and then put women through the kind of wringer and, and watch them struggle as they, you know, extend the ladder down to them. And I just don't think you need to do that. But just like being quite a bullied through that sort of process in the come up was not fun and I related to a lot of it.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yeah, I think you're so right. And also it is, it's fascinating too because especially like on this podcast, I'd like to think it's known for like having empathy for women and loving women's stories and like, and loving other women. However, only if you deserve it. My idea of feminism is that when a woman is horrible and gets fired, it's cause you know, she's bad at her job, not because you have to go, wait, was it sexism? Yeah, like not a world where no woman ever loses a job ever, because that's feminism. And I feel like that part where you're like, wait a minute, I'm suffering at the hand of other women is a really complicated part of this when you're trying to be a woman who doesn't. On other women.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah. It's that scarcity mindset, too, I think, when a lot of women believe that there's only one spot or two spots or whatever. And, like, if I. If it's not me. Well, if it's her, then it's not me. And I just. I don't think that's true in a lot of. But I. But again, I don't know. Tv. It could be true, right?

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yeah. And. Oh, I think it's definitely true for Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters by far. And we did an episode on this book called the Ladies who Punch, which is. Is the absolute Game of Thrones oral history of the View. And all of that stuff that she's talking about Barbara doing in this book, she did on her own show that employed four other women. There literally was more than one at your own hand. You created your own table but couldn't drop it. So that was the biggest heartbreak of this book for me. I don't know if you know what I'm about to say, but Barbara Walters asked Connie Chung to be on the View, and Connie couldn't because she was attached to something else. Can you imagine?

[Connie Wang]

I know.

[Chelsea Demontez]

The debut of the View, and Connie Chung is one of the women at the table. I'm devastated that that didn't happen.

[Connie Wang]

I know. I mean, the bright side of that is that Lisa Ling got to fill that spot, right?

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yeah. But that spot. Well, just because I read this book, Lisa Ling comes in two years after in the spot that I mentioned. I'm pretty sure that's the spot Connie would have had. This is just my interpretation from reading the book, but Debbie Metanopoulos had that spot, and they wanted to get rid of her. And it was sort of like the youth spot that then went to Lisa Ling that eventually transitioned into the spot that, like, Elizabeth Hasselbeck would have, and then it would kind of become the Republican spot. And so it was this chair that was always a swinging door. But, man, imagine if it had been Connie Chunky.

[Connie Wang]

Yeah. And I mean, the world would have been able to see how kooky Connie Chung is. Was, you know, is actually, frankly, she's.

[Chelsea Demontez]

A little funny in this book, so I imagine she's very funny in real life.

[Connie Wang]

In real life, she's even funnier. She, like, has bits that she plays. She's, like, dotty on purpose. Like, she is so great in person.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yeah. I love that. It's interesting because. Okay, well, you know what? I'll Save it for the booktool test. I want to read the end of the book. So this is the very last paragraph of her book. Goes with exactly what we were saying. She has talked about the generation of Connies that you brought to her. And then she says, and even more importantly, there's a strain of weed named after me. And she talks about that. I am happy to share my pot namesake with my sisterhood of connies, along with a message to inhale. Remember to have a sense of humor, take your work seriously, don't forget to have a life, and most importantly, stretch your hand to others who are trying to climb on board.

[Connie Wang]

It's a wonderful message.

[Chelsea Demontez]

I think that's beautiful.

[Connie Wang]

Inhale too. I love that it begins with inhale.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yeah, exactly. Inhale this. Okay, so it is time for the book dual test. We're both gonna answer three questions. First question, was the author vulnerable in the sharing of her truth?

[Connie Wang]

80, yes. 20, no. Can I do that? Can I split it?

[Chelsea Demontez]

Oh, yeah, you can split it. You can absolutely split it. I'm gonna go the opposite. 20, yes. 80, no.

[Connie Wang]

Okay.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Okay. Second question, was it entertaining to read?

[Connie Wang]

Yes.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yes. Okay. It was a little too factual for me, but I wanna say this very clearly. I love her. I love her. There are some books where you're like, it was so entertaining, but, like, I don't wanna have a drink with you. I don't wanna see you in a book.

[Connie Wang]

Okay. So I'm gonna mend my answer though. Yes, yes. Footnote. But I think it would be more entertaining as a one woman show off Broadway.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Yes, exactly. Yes, exactly. Yeah. Not scripted. She makes it up every night and we bring her Martinez. Okay, final question. Did reading this book elevate your life in any way?

[Connie Wang]

My name is in it. Absolutely.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Many times.

[Connie Wang]

Many times. I know. It absolutely did. Like, this is. I mean, it's surreal, it's crazy. And I can't believe that it took this like a. Like a wimpy little, like, journalist calling her on the phone to be like, hey, can you, like, answer some questions for me from this, like, story that I'm writing for her to realize the impact that she had, which seems so obvious to me and other generation Connie people. But I don't know, she's just like. I think that the end of her career was so rocky that she couldn't see anything but the bad parts about it. Whereas for me, I'm just like, you're it. Like, you are the most famous Asian American woman who has ever lived, you know? And like, you're Connie, like we are. We follow in your footsteps. All bow down and now.

[Chelsea Demontez]

So I'm going to do it to you because you are not a wimpy journalist. You are so cool. You are the guidepost in this book. You, like, showed an icon their story. You found this anecdote and showed a piece of history that everyone was missing. Connie, you're amazing.

[Connie Wang]

Thanks, Chelsea. I mean, if there's any takeaway, just cold call your heroes. I suppose they get back to you sometimes.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Okay, Connie, tell everyone where they can find your book. Follow your words, support you. Check out the article, tell us all about.

[Connie Wang]

Thank you. The article generation Connie can be found in the New York Times. And my book, oh my Mother can be found at a bookstore near you or an online bookstore near you.

[Chelsea Demontez]

I love it. Now, do you want online followers? Are you on the gram? Do you be tiktoking?

[Connie Wang]

I am on Instagram. I'm very bad at Instagram. But if you would like to follow Con Con Wang. Because I couldn't get Connie Wang, I.

[Chelsea Demontez]

Had to hear your screen name. I needed that before the episode was over. Thank you so much for being here. I feel like I'm with the star of the book. Has never happened on this podcast before. So thank you so much, Chelsea.

[Connie Wang]

Thank you.

[Chelsea Demontez]

A huge thank you to our podcast producer, Christina Lopez, our executive producer Jordan Moncada, our sound engineer Marcus Homm, and our amazing associate producer, Jaron Padre. I also want to let you know that if you if you love audiobooks but you want to support independent bookstores, go to Libro FM where it is easy to download audiobooks and support local bookshops. And right now you get two Libro FM audiobooks for the price of one with your first month of membership using code TRASH. That's right, TRASH. T R A S H. Two audiobooks for the price of 1 at Libro FM. And if you have questions, go to the Patreon Chat Lounge and I will see you there.