Juicy Scoop with Heather McDonald: Cheryl Hines on Hollywood Backlash, RFK, Curb, and Comedy

Episode Date: October 30, 2025
Host: Heather McDonald
Guest: Cheryl Hines

Episode Overview

In this candid and lively conversation, Heather McDonald welcomes her longtime friend Cheryl Hines—actress, author, and comedian—to dish on life, Hollywood, careers, family, and navigating controversy as the wife of RFK Jr. The episode spans their shared early days in comedy, Hines' rise to fame with Curb Your Enthusiasm, her experiences with divorce and blended family, as well as the dramatic fallout from her husband's political ambitions. Cheryl’s new memoir "Unscripted" provides the backbone, prompting reflection on reinvention, manifestation, motherhood, friendship, and gracefully handling Hollywood’s shifting loyalties.

Table of Contents

1. Early Days: The Groundlings and Formative Years (01:17–07:38)
2. Love, Loss, and Sliding Doors (07:38–15:15)
3. Pyramid Schemes and Hustling in LA (15:36–19:14)
4. The Groundlings: Friendship and Career Launchpads (19:14–23:13)
5. Curb Your Enthusiasm: Landing the Role and Behind the Scenes (23:13–27:16)
6. Hollywood Hustle: Auditions and Resilience (27:16–33:32)
7. Motherhood, Work, and Work-Life Balance (39:24–53:48)
8. Blended Families, Grandkids, and Being "Share Bear" (53:48–56:14)
9. On RFK Jr, Politics, and Hollywood Fallout (59:24–75:27)
10. Navigating Friendship Breakups and Cancel Culture (66:07–76:08)
11. Vaccine Discourse, Censorship, & Public Backlash (74:17–82:23)
12. The View Appearance and Media Challenges (82:23–87:48)
13. Career Shifts, Blackballing, and Accepting Change (88:03–95:01)
14. Manifestation, Regrets, and the Kennedy Connection (95:16–99:00)
15. RFK Run, Social Media Hate, and Staying Grounded (99:21–104:21)
16. Old Friends, Miscommunications, and Clearing the Air (104:21–119:13)
17. Reflections, Gratitude, and Lasting Friendship (119:13–END)

1. Early Days: The Groundlings and Formative Years (01:17–07:38)

Cheryl and Heather reminisce about meeting in 1996 at The Groundlings improv theater, where they cut their teeth in comedy together.

• Nostalgic recall: Heather admits, “For me, I love funny people, but I am a shallow bitch, and I like a pretty friend.” (03:08)
• Sky Bar stories: Heather describes her elaborate English-accent ruse to get names onto hot Hollywood club lists and dragging Cheryl to these scenes.
• Sketch writing: Cheryl recalls, “You used to make me laugh… you would say, ‘I need you to show up with three good ideas.’” (03:01)

2. Love, Loss, and Sliding Doors (07:38–15:15)

Cheryl discusses an old relationship with an investment banker, sparking a “what if”—what if she’d married into suburban normalcy instead of pursuing acting?

• Cheating revelation:
  • Cheryl finds a used condom: “As soon as I walked in, I was like, whoa, something feels weird here.” (09:49)
  • Holds her ground: “I said, let’s just cut to the chase… because of the used condom that I can see in your trash.” (13:22)
• Rage and restraint: Cheryl admits she fantasized about smashing his window but refrained: “That would have made the news—what a crazy bitch you are.” (11:54)
• Unexpected kindness:
  • Cheryl: “One of the security guards…said, ‘I could take him out’… dead serious.”
  • Heather: “Life could have gone so many different ways, Cheryl.” (14:54)

3. Pyramid Schemes and Hustling in LA (15:36–19:14)

The juicy saga of LA’s infamous $2,000 pyramid scam.

• Cheryl: “You put in $2,000...then eventually you can walk away with, like, $60,000. But...there’s no fresh meat.” (16:04)
• Cheryl failed at hustling others: “People would be like, should I borrow money from my mom? And I’d say, ‘No, Jesus, no.’” (18:51)

4. The Groundlings: Friendship and Career Launchpads (19:14–23:13)

Reflects on The Groundlings as a true springboard for comedy careers:

• “The only way to get an agent was—they had to be there.” (20:04)
• Feeling the cutthroat nature, hoping for more stage time: “Can I get in one more bit?” (20:07)
• How Curb Your Enthusiasm “just started as a one-hour special,” and the concept of manifesting those big moments.

5. Curb Your Enthusiasm: Landing the Role and Behind the Scenes (23:13–27:16)

• Landing the life-changing role as Larry David's wife, then dealing with being written out for a season:
  • “Good news and bad news. Mostly bad news for you. You’re not going to be in it at all.” (26:48)
• The show’s semi-improvised style:
  • “No lines to memorize… Larry would write a three to five page story outline, but he didn’t want me to see them.” (25:38–26:32)
• The camaraderie and fun with Susie Essman: “We used to say, my god, this is the best job anybody could ever have.” (25:38)

6. Hollywood Hustle: Auditions and Resilience (27:16–33:32)

• The anxiety and absurdity of auditions, and Jennifer Coolidge’s irreverence:
  • “She said, ‘You can go fuck yourselves. You’ve had 10 years to call me.’” (29:52)
• On casting:
  • “The casting director…wants you to be so great.” (31:13)
• Jennifer Coolidge’s casting wisdom: “If the part says attractive, I can do it. If it says very attractive—no. But if it says character looking, then I really get the part.” (31:50)

7. Motherhood, Work, and Work-Life Balance (39:24–53:48)

• Cheryl discusses marrying her first husband (Kat’s father) and how his management skills helped her career.
• The importance of dreaming bigger and manifesting—ties into Heather’s own journey and The Secret.
• The challenge and guilt of balancing work and motherhood:
  • “Work brought me so much happiness, and it made me a happy, full person… but I kept thinking, am I doing the right thing?” (44:38)
• Honest confessions about being a mother of one:
  • “I thought about having another child, and I thought, I’m not going to like them because I love her so much.” (49:57)
  • Discussion of differing relationships with stepkids and grandkids.

8. Blended Families, Grandkids, and Being "Share Bear" (53:48–56:14)

• Cheryl’s stepchildren and grandchildren: “You can be hot step grandma. I am! I’m Share Bear!” (53:48)
• Embracing modern family structures and rejecting the ‘grandma’ stereotype: “My mom didn’t want to be called grandma—so we called her Cracklin’ Rosie.” (53:53)
• How “Bad Moms Christmas” forced Cheryl to play a much older character, and the reality of typecasting in Hollywood.

9. On RFK Jr, Politics, and Hollywood Fallout (59:24–75:27)

• How Cheryl met Bobby Kennedy, with Heather marveling: “Cheryl is now marrying into the Kennedy family… that’s a life!” (60:54)
• The surreal campaign trail and imagining being First Lady:
  • Cheryl: “There was hardly anybody who was daydreaming about [being First Lady].” (62:07)
  • Heather: “I want a fucking invite to the White House!” (62:00)
• Unprecedented political hostility and party switch:
  • “When he was running for president, at first, it seemed quite positive… Then it was a 180.” (71:20–71:31)
• On being dropped by Hollywood peers: “People hate me so much they are starting to hate you… I don’t want that for you.” (72:28–72:46)

10. Navigating Friendship Breakups and Cancel Culture (66:07–76:08)

• Strained friendships, including with Tig Notaro:
  • “Tig said, ‘No, I don’t want to hear [your thoughts]…’ That was sad.” (66:34–67:38)
• The erosion of tolerance: “I know there was a time when you could agree to disagree and still be friends. Not anymore.” (70:14)
• Heather’s reflection on how extreme polarization is “like a religion on both sides.” (70:28)
• Cheryl: “I've never asked someone who they voted for.” (90:44)

11. Vaccine Discourse, Censorship, & Public Backlash (74:17–82:23)

• Heather talks about fainting on stage after vaccination, facing internet backlash from both sides (75:15)
• Conversation on why vaccine debate is so fraught, and how personal stories get politicized:
  • Cheryl: “Why can’t we listen to someone’s experience without calling them crazy or making it political?” (77:49)

12. The View Appearance and Media Challenges (82:23–87:48)

• Cheryl describes her recent appearance on The View, where she faced grilling about her husband:
  • “I was ready for those kind of questions… some were not questions, they were attacks.” (84:03)
  • “I wanted to connect with them and have a conversation, but…” (85:26)
• Noting the double standard women face for their spouse’s politics:
  • “If there was a man on a show with a bunch of other men… nobody would be telling him to divorce his wife over politics.” (85:26)

13. Career Shifts, Blackballing, and Accepting Change (88:03–95:01)

• The unprovable nature of being “blackballed” in Hollywood post-politics:
  • Cheryl: “It’s an unprovable thing… it’s just one person saying no.” (88:10)
  • “There was a time when I wasn’t ready for change… the universe says, no, you can’t.” (93:25)
• Accepting the seasons of a career: “I'm completely fine with however it works out… I've done a lot of things I dreamed of doing.” (94:24–95:04)

14. Manifestation, Regrets, and the Kennedy Connection (95:16–99:00)

• Heather and Cheryl both touting the power of positive thinking, manifestation, and reflecting on their unlikely journeys.
• Cheryl: “I really didn’t know anything about [the Kennedys]… just what I learned in school.” (97:03)
• Heather’s Catholic family stories, and how different political alignments within marriages were once not a big deal.

15. RFK Run, Social Media Hate, and Staying Grounded (99:21–104:21)

• Hilarious and surreal moments dealing with public hate for her husband:
  • "You said the demographic of people that come and tell them to fuck you are middle aged white women." (99:30)
  • How Bobby Kennedy responds: “Just sits there and listens. And it does not have the effect that the person is hoping it will because they end up looking crazy.” (100:07)
• Enduring the campaign trail and media scandals with perspective—“I can't hear one more, this is too much. This felt like too much. I was just like, it's such a circus.” (101:37)

16. Old Friends, Miscommunications, and Clearing the Air (104:21–119:13)

• Old LA wounds and miscommunications, like the infamous “not actually invited” birthday party email:
  • Heather: “I convinced myself you meant to invite another Heather.” (107:15)
  • Cheryl: “You really were invited by my daughter!” (107:10)
• Past podcast drama and clarification about Tig Notaro:
  • Heather: “I think someone might be mocking me…”
  • Cheryl: “I would never do that. I think you are amazing, and I’m really proud of you.” (110:29–111:13)

17. Reflections, Gratitude, and Lasting Friendship (119:13–END)

• Humorous regrets and lingering guilt:
  • “There's a weird thing that, like, haunted Sky Bar that'll just kind of haunt me. That was not nice.” – Heather (119:04)
  • “I'm going to forgive you right now.” – Cheryl (119:13)
• On enduring friendship:
  • “We'll always have each other and you'll always have your family… The rest of it, who cares?” – Cheryl (116:15)
• Closing thoughts on enjoying the journey, not sweating public opinion, and having no major regrets.

Notable Quotes

• On Career and Fate:
  • “There are moments in your life where you’re like, I’m just not ready for what’s about to happen. Can I have a minute? And the universe says, no, you can’t.” – Cheryl (93:25)
• On Cancel Culture:
  • “The world is so black and white now. It used to be we could agree to disagree and still be friends.” – Heather (70:14)
• On Navigating Political Hate:
  • “People hate me so much, they're starting to hate you. And I feel really bad about it, and I don't want that for you.” – Cheryl (72:28)
• On Manifestation:
  • “Your dreams have to be bigger than everyone else’s.” – Heather (41:44)
• On Lasting Friendship:
  • “We'll always have each other. … It’s going to come and go, ... Sometimes you just keep your mouth shut. A week later, they've all moved on to something else, you know?” – Heather (116:13/116:34)

Essential Timestamps

• Meeting at The Groundlings: 01:17–07:38
• Infamous Condom/Breakup Story: 09:36–15:02
• $2K Pyramid Scheme: 15:47–19:14
• Landing Curb Your Enthusiasm: 23:13–27:16
• Motherhood and Only Child: 49:08–53:48
• Political Fallout & Friendship Loss: 66:07–76:08
• Hollywood Blackballing: 88:03–95:01
• White House Possibilities: 62:00–65:51
• On The View Experience: 82:23–87:48
• Clearing up Friendship Miscommunications: 104:21–111:13

Tone & Language

Casual, unfiltered, and heartfelt—Heather and Cheryl keep it real and funny, never shying away from “juicy” stories or painful truths. There’s plenty of camaraderie, wit, and wisdom—all seasoned with the candid honesty of two friends who’ve seen Hollywood’s best and worst together.

Final Thoughts

This episode is a treasure trove for anyone interested in comedy, acting, the weirdness of LA, or the messy intersection of fame and politics. Cheryl Hines shines with resilience and warmth, and Heather McDonald’s incisive but loving style brings out all the best “juicy scoop.” For new listeners, Cheryl’s book Unscripted is highly recommended for more behind-the-scenes drama and inspiration.