← Juicy Scoop with Heather McDonald
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- [00:01]
Heather McDonald
Heather McDonald has got the Juicy scoop.
- [00:07]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
When you're on the road, when you're.
- [00:09]
Heather McDonald
On the go, Juicy Scoop is the show to know. She talks Hollywood tales For real life, Mr. Segment, serial data and cereal sister. You'll be addicted and addicted fast to the number one tabloid real life podcast. Listen in, listen up. Woo.
- [00:26]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Woo.
- [00:27]
Heather McDonald
Hannah McDonald's juicy scoops. Hello and welcome to Juicy Scoop from La Quinta, California. I just came from three days of stagecoach and let me tell you, it was so fun. The weather was pretty nice, except at night it got very cold. And one night I was wearing shorts because I had to give up the cowboy boots. And I thought I better wear shorts to make these ugly black tennis shoes work because the night before I was wearing cowboy boots. And when I came home, I felt like I was Natalia Grace walking around the house. Like I was like, hi, daddy, hold me, I can't walk. Like it was Natalia Grace. By the way, it's called All American Family. It's on Hulu. It's so fricking good. Ellen Pompeo, the guy, what's his name? Dunlap, plays the dad. If you were obsessed with documentary and all the times I talked about it, this is about the little Ukrainian orphan girl. And the family adopted her, thought that she was older. And at the beginning, it's the mom's perspective where she's like, who is this, like demon child trying to kill my family who has her period? And then another part is her with her because she has dysdorphism and she has this. She needed operations that her feet were hurting so much that she was taking off these socks that were bloody and hiding them. And that's what the mom thought was her period. So anyway, you watch it. We still don't really know her age. We still don't know her age, but it's really juicy. But I felt like that after doing two days of cowboy boots. So I was so cold and the merch line was so long and I knew they'd be out of sweatpants cause it was so cold. And I just was like going to get a drink because we had artists pass. So there's a little bit nicer bathrooms, less people in line to get drinks and food. And that's where I ran into Kristen Cavallari. I ran into Sheena and Brock. Who else did I say see? Tracy Tudor and the famous makeup artist Chris Dillon, who had the issue with Dorit not paying him or whatever that alleged story was. They're all good now. And so that was kind of Fun running into them. Dorit filed for divorce after PK was seen making out outside of Cipriani in Los Angeles with this blonde girl who was on Survivor five years ago and who allegedly is a sommelier or something. That's what I heard. I don't know if it's true. I just think it's interesting if that's her career. But it doesn't really matter if your partner or your boyfriend doesn't drink and you are in the liquor business. But just thought that it was interesting. And so Dorit has filed. She was photographed the next day dropping her kids off at dance class. PK and her were at a baseball game in very far apart, I guess watching their son play baseball. It's gonna be juicy. Kyle was at Stagecoach. However, I didn't run into her. I don't know if she was with Morgan Wade or not, but that'll be fun. Maybe Morgan will play next year. There's all these different stages, however, the artist pass. This only gets you into the main stage up close, where you can stand up and dance, and it's not crowded, and it really is great. But you're still kind of. Your eyes are still kind of drawn to the screen no matter how close you are. So if you're thinking about going to Stagecoach, I personally, you know, I think you can have a lot of fun in just the general and have your chair and your blanket and just, like, enjoy the beauty or there's a lot of walking. So that's why I was kind of envious of the campers. If you've got a nice rv, I think that's also, like, a really good way to go, because you're close and you want to, like, take a nap, because sometimes you want to enjoy the day, but then you're like, okay, the main stage, the headliner doesn't come till 10, and I've been here now since 4 on my feet. Or you're wearing the. Or maybe you want to wear cowboy boots for part of it and change it for later. Like, it's. But the music was great. Jelly roll was great. Goo Goo doll is really fun. They have, like, you know, not all necessarily country people. Lana Del Rey. So we had a real fun week, and Brandi and Julie came, and we had such a fun brunch yesterday. And then Shannon and I did it again yesterday, so I was pretty tired, but I'm good. This episode of Juicy Scoop is brought to you by booking.com, booking. Yeah, every time I use booking.com to find a place in the U.S. i just know I'm gonna find exactly what I'm looking for. They have a huge variety of options from hotels to vacation rentals. And I'm always able to find something that fits my specific needs. I found that booking.com has something for everyone. No matter who you are, booking.com helps you find that stay. That's ridiculously right for you. Find exactly what you're booking for on booking.com, booking. Yeah.
- [05:19]
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- [05:57]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
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- [06:26]
Heather McDonald
And there's this crazy interview with Bill Belichick, who? Okay. And the 24 year old Jordan, the girlfriend, and he's doing an interview and he has like this weird T shirt on with like holes on it. But I think she was trying to hip him up and gave him that shirt. You know how people wear like shirts but they have like curated holes. Other people think he's like just an old man that's wearing like an old shirt with holes in it. But anyway, he's doing the interview And Jordan, the 24 year old former cheerleader that he's been dating for like six months is like chiming in and getting up and like talking to him in between. And maybe she doesn't know that this stuff isn't gonna be cut out. Maybe she does. Maybe she's like a genius and a lot of people are thinking it looks a little elder abuse ish. And she, they said, how did you meet? And she's like, oh no, no, we're not gonna talk about how we met. And I'm like. So I look it up and it says on Wikipedia, they met on a flight. That's the story they're giving. Maybe that isn't the true story. And they know in this day and age, someone's going to be able to find it out. Maybe someone introduced them that. Who knows? Okay. But, you know, he does have three kids. His daughter's 41 and his sons are 38 and 36. And she is 24. And I mean, it's a 50 year age difference and it's pretty fascinating. But clearly she's running the show now. She's on all the emails. But I also just feel like when you're that old as a man, whether your girlfriend is 24 or 74, a lot of men just succumb to the woman. And that's what happens too sometimes with like stepmoms where they're like, I couldn't. Casey Kasem's daughter, like, couldn't see him anymore because the dad was just so, like, beaten by just this awful woman that they're just like, whatever, just do it. I'm sorry, you're my kid, but I can't, like, fight with this woman. So if I was the children, the adult children, I'd be concerned. Watch this interview, or at least the clips of it. Our girl, Jojo Siwa, very proud. Gay. She does a thing called gay pop. She's an icon. And she had several girlfriends. She's always like, maybe one of my exes, like, talking about her exes. And she was supposedly engaged to this girl who goes by they themselves. Anyway, she got out of the Big Brother house UK version. We already saw that. Mickey Rourke, the old man with the scary face, who's the actor, he got kicked out and he had said to her, you're a lesbian. Well, after four days with me, you won't anymore. Well, guess what? She says she's not a lesbian anymore. He got kicked out. But then she started flirting with this guy and they became so close. And Big brother, you watch everything. His name's Chris Hughes from Love island and I didn't know who he was and I was watching the clips and at first I thought he was gay too, and they were just like forming a lovely bond. But I guess if he was on Love island, he's straight. Anyway, now she says, I'm not a lesbian, but I think she's still queer. I don't know. But someone said, Heather, you had said, this might be the first generation where people's first relationships romantically might be same sex. And then they actually realized maybe they aren't really that for a lifetime. I don't know. Or they're fluid or whatever. In my day, everybody that was gay, like, still went to a prom with the opposite sex. And we knew it, but we were like, at least he's fun and good. Time to talk to now. Who knows? Whatever. So that was Juicy Kim Kardashian's trial for the older men that robbed her at gunpoint in France of her jewelry when she was married to Kanye. They took the diver that she got from Kanye and, like, $10 million worth of other jewels. That's when they. She was by herself. Her bodyguard had gone with her two sisters to the nightclub, and she was alone in the hotel room. Somehow they got in and they were all, like, older. Well, they're really old now because this was nine years ago. And I was like, why did this take so long? And there. There was some reports that it was her schedule. I really don't know. I don't know how this would affect the France trial system. But they have them now. And also one of them just died. But there's, like, nine of them, and one of them just died yesterday. But the trial is starting, and she is set to come and testify. So that is going to be still very, I'm sure, chilling and dramatic, especially because at the time when she was with Kanye, someone, you know, told him, and he left the concert, and it felt very protective and quite lovely that he was so upset and got right over to Paris. And now, of course, he's lost his mind. In my opinion, he has some weird group that's in a warehouse near the Larchmont area of Los Angeles, like, doing weird military singing and, like, screaming, and there's, like, Nazi stuff, and it's just horrible. He also tweeted something about a song that has to do with the fact that he, as a kid, was giving his cousin oral. It's, like, so dark and insane. And so this is probably not only going to bring up a lot of emotions, but also the man that, you know, I'm sure she doesn't even recognize today, was seemed to appear quite lovely at the time that she needed him most. So that's, like, a crazy thing. Virginia Guthrey, who was the person that was the face of the Jeffrey Epstein saga, she was trafficked when she was young by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. She is the one who said that she was trafficked to Prince Andrew and told that story and had the photo of them from the nightclub after the Nightclub when they were together before the thing happened. He said on BBC that's not me. I mean he said that that photo was doctored because I don't sweat like that. And he had like sweaty armpits. I have some disease that causes me not to sweat. It's so awful. And she was so brave in sharing everything that she did over the years she has passed. They are saying it was suicide and now her dad according to tmz wants the suicide to look into it. Wants to look into and investigate it. What's really weird is prior to this she was with her husband for over 20 something years. They had three kids and they were going through divorce and there was a big custody battle. There was a restraining order that I guess she violated. And then there was talk of him trying to get custody of the kids. And then while she was going through that she got hit by a bus or something and then she came out and said the doctors say I have four days to live. And then she supposedly ended her life. All very weird, but also makes sense that her life was not in a good place. And she also said that the husband that she's divorcing was also abusive to towards her during their marriage. But of course because she was the whistleblower of the Epstein thing basically her testimony was so valuable throughout the whole thing and there's so many layers to it that people are like did she really? But ever. I don't know how they, how she did it. I looked it up, I was like, I'm asking. They have not released that how she died or how they came to the conclusion that it was self inflicted. So that I don't know but that was news. And then Travis Kelsey, he supposedly stopped following Ryan Reynolds and people, this is through TMZ and people are assuming it's because he's pissed or Taylor's pissed that by being her friend and being talked as one of the two dragons that she is going to be deposed in the Justin Beldoni lawsuit. And so you know, screw you. Why'd you get me involved in this? Well, you're her friend. I mean you're her friend and you were there. And I mean I guess yeah, it'd be bad that she filed the lawsuit but like okay, so very all those things are happening. And I just watched Love Hotel which I think is really good. I just saw it on Peacock. I think it's on Bravo and Peacock with Shannon Bedor Ashley and Giselle from Potomac from Platomac from Potomac Real House of Potomac and Countess Luanne and It's a beautiful setting. I've actually been to this hotel in Cabo and it's good. Like, it's, it's really good. And she spills some scoop about that, but so much more and such juicy stories that I've never heard, along with the fun that she has of doing her cabaret and having many men. And I think you're gonna really love the interview. So here is Countess Luanne once again on Juicy Scoop. Hello and welcome to Juicy Scoop. You guys are in for a treat because I have a return favorite, not just of Juicy Scoop, but of the world as international cabaret star, actress, and of course, real housewife of New York. Countess Luanne. Welcome back to Juicy Scoop.
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Countess Luann de Lesseps
Thanks, Heather. Always good to see you, darling. I mean, looking fabulous with those legs for days.
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Heather McDonald
Well, I had to get cute. I had to get cute for you. And I'm like, I'm like, wear. I'm not just gonna wear like my leggings and my sweats, because I do. You'd be coming. And you are. You're in a fabulous jumpsuit.
- [16:37]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I know. And I just gave you the name.
- [16:39]
Heather McDonald
What I. You said it was Rami.
- [16:42]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Rami Brooke.
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Heather McDonald
Rami Brooke.
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Countess Luann de Lesseps
Ramy Brooke. I love this jumpsuit. I just got it yesterday.
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Heather McDonald
I love it because it has a little sparkle, but it's daytime and it's so flattering.
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Countess Luann de Lesseps
Daytime chic.
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Heather McDonald
And because in your shows, when you do your cabaret, a big part of it are the outfits and you change several times and that's always really fun. Are you still wearing Giovanni?
- [17:04]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I'm still wearing Giovanni. And, you know, people don't understand about my shows is that each show is different. So I'm not doing the same show. It's an all new show. And yes, I'm still wearing Giovanni and different dresses, of course, and different outfits because you know, how we do the cabaret is I pick a song that I love and then I go, okay, now how am I going to get. Which I know my fans love too, because it's like a big sing along, as you know, because you've been to the show.
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Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [17:32]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And then I go, okay, well, how am I going to get into this song with a story. So I work that way, right? And then I, I get the story and then I have to pick the perfect Giovanni dress that works with that. Like I do Tina Turner, what's Love Got to Do? I'm not doing that on this tour. I did it on Mary F. Kel. But as example, you know, I have to pick a dress that has short fringes and shows your legs for days. Right. So that's how I pick my outfits for the show.
- [18:00]
Heather McDonald
It's so great. And you're here this Friday at the Wheel Turn, which you've done now. Is this like the fourth time you've been at the Wheel Turn?
- [18:08]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah, I played the Wheel Turn like, three or four times now. And it's a big theater, you know, it's 2,500 seats. I remember when Andy did his anniversary show there, Right. For Bravo. I came out singing money. Anyway, so now I'm headlining the Wheel Term, which is where Madonna plays, which is. It's just incredible for me. And I love the venue. We're gonna do an after party, of course, for my special guest, because I got a lot of Bravo liberties coming.
- [18:32]
Heather McDonald
Yes.
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Countess Luann de Lesseps
So it's gonna be fun. I'm gonna see you there too, aren't I? Yes, I know.
- [18:38]
Heather McDonald
Absolutely.
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Countess Luann de Lesseps
I know you'd love to come.
- [18:40]
Heather McDonald
Okay, so now let's get into. So you have your tours. You still, after la, you've got a lot of other places you go back to the east coast in Maine, New York, Alexandria, Boston. So. But what I really want to talk to you about is the show, the new show, the Love Hotel. Oh, the Love Hotel. Oh, wait, before we talk about Love Hotel, yes. I want to talk about this acting that you recently did in the Murdoch Mysteries, which is like, what era is this?
- [19:11]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
It's the 1920s. It's like Downton Abbey, really, for the Canadians. But it's syndicated worldwide, so it's very popular in, like, London and overseas. And it was incredible to play this character. I play the mayor's wife, and the mayor is a cheat in line bastard. That's how they got me, right? They're like, let's get the Countess. Right? So. So I play his wife, and I'm also an entertainer, so I'm traveling all the time because I'm entertaining stages across the universe. And he's the mayor. And so when we get to see each other, it's tumultuous because I know he's having affairs, and I don't care because I'm a dynamic diva who's, you know, entertaining audiences around the world. So it's. It's kind of funny.
- [19:55]
Heather McDonald
It's a timeless story, right?
- [19:56]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
It's a timeless story, and it relates to my story exactly. So I love this character that I get to play. And I just hope they're gonna keep the mayor along for a while so I can keep going back.
- [20:06]
Heather McDonald
So how did this work? Was it just your Agent called and they were like, we have an offer. You have to audition.
- [20:12]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
They reached out to me. That's how I got Law and Order. You know, when I did Law and Order years ago with Marcia Hagerty, I was filming for Housewives, and I got a call that the casting director of. Of. Of Law and Order said I, you know, they tried to cast this. So I played this character, which is the. The. The artist had his muse, right? So I play the muse of an artist and very wealthy. Who's obsessed with him. Right. But he's a murderer. And so, you know, I get a call that they can't find this kind of person through casting. They haven't been able to find this elevated muse who, you know. And so I got a call. The talent agent calls me and goes, we couldn't find anybody. She's a fan of the show, so she's a fan of the house. We couldn't find anybody. Bring me the Countess. I want the Countess. That's who needs to play that part. And that's how I did it. I got it. I mean, literally, they called me and I was on the set of Law and Order two days later.
- [21:18]
Heather McDonald
And that really is fun. And I love seeing that kind of a crossover. And it's so brilliant because, yeah, if you're casting a housewife type, why not try to get a housewife?
- [21:29]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Well, it really wasn't a housewife. It was really luxury.
- [21:33]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [21:34]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Somebody who is, you know, like. Right. When you think of the Countess, right. You think of luxury and wealth and aristocracy. Right. So that's really what she was going for. Right. And she couldn't quite find this type. So that's why I got the call, which is incredible. I mean, to play a part next to Mariska Haggerty. I mean, that is SAG Aftra.
- [21:57]
Heather McDonald
Yeah. That was. You finally got.
- [21:59]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
That is. I earned my ear.
- [22:01]
Heather McDonald
Yes. So I.
- [22:02]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And it was not easy, let me tell you. It was scary. I was in a trailer all day because they worked, you know, she worked so hard, you know, Mariska Haggerty. And, you know, she asked me, what's it like doing reality? I said, I love it. Because I say, don't come at 10, come at 11. You know, she's. She's on set all day. She works her ass off.
- [22:18]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
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Countess Luann de Lesseps
And I admire her for that. It's a lot.
- [22:20]
Heather McDonald
It's very hard. People don't realize how. That's why. When I think certain actors go on to something else, like Gwyneth Paltrow with GOOP or whatever, Right. And be like, don't you think, I wonder if she misses acting when she won an Oscar? I'm like, no, it is really, really hard. I mean, there's the fun of it and all of that, but the actual hours.
- [22:40]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah.
- [22:41]
Heather McDonald
And then if you're the producer or the director as well, you're carrying all those hats and then, you know, it's a lot of stress.
- [22:47]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Oh, no, I was stressed out because, you know, they got to get the blood right. Like on the pavement. You know what I mean? It's like, so you're waiting for them to get the sh. Etc. So I was there all day and by the time my partner came along, it was like 6pm I was exhausted.
- [22:59]
Heather McDonald
So they. They shot it in New York though, right?
- [23:01]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah, they shot New York.
- [23:01]
Heather McDonald
So you're just sitting in a trailer.
- [23:03]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
The piers, you know, they shoot at the piers. So I was in a trailer all day. And then, you know, and I'm stressing about my lines. I want to remember my lines. And then it's like 6:00 and I'm wiped out already. Right? Yeah. But, you know, I'm so glad I got the opportunity to do it and to be on a show like that is huge. But it is a lot of work.
- [23:21]
Heather McDonald
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- [26:49]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah, last September to be exact.
- [26:53]
Heather McDonald
How hot was it there?
- [26:55]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
It was warm. It was really warm in September in Cabo. It's quite warm, but it was beautiful. I mean, the hotel was great. You know, it's so now.
- [27:04]
Heather McDonald
Were there other people?
- [27:04]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
It's so romantic. Really. Cabo, Were there other people at the hotel? I don't know Cabo at all. I go to like Tulum. I go to Mexico, you know, near where? The east coast, Mexico, Gulf of Mexico. And so this I've never been to to Cabo and It's, it's very dramatic. The ocean is like crashing on the rocks, you know, it's like very romantic and sexy.
- [27:25]
Heather McDonald
Yeah, we love Cabo because for us it's two and a half hour flight. Nothing and not a fart. Like, the nicest hotels are not far from the. So you could do like a three day weekend and still feel like you've got to get. Get away.
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Countess Luann de Lesseps
Right.
- [27:37]
Heather McDonald
But wait, I'm curious, were there other people there? Oh, I know what hotel this is.
- [27:42]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
It's the Los Velas.
- [27:46]
Heather McDonald
Yes. Okay. So I went to the. And this is the boutique one.
- [27:51]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah, there's two.
- [27:52]
Heather McDonald
I went to the one that has the spa.
- [27:54]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
That has the spa and that grand entrance. You walk in and the kids can.
- [27:58]
Heather McDonald
Come and we had the best time. But then you walk a little and this is the all adult one, the gr. And then this is. So now did they, did they have. Were other people there while you're filming or.
- [28:09]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
No, there was in the, in the one that, you know. Yeah, there were people there. This hotel, the second one was really just for us for filming.
- [28:18]
Heather McDonald
Oh, that's great. Okay.
- [28:20]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah, we had to because we need the lobby, we need the, you know, the bar area, we need the beach. So, you know. Yeah.
- [28:26]
Heather McDonald
So I want to know a little bit like you get the call and did you know when they, how did they present it to you first? Let's start with how they presented. Would you be willing to do this other new show?
- [28:36]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Right. So, well, they called me and they said, we have a show for you, which is a dating show. And so we're going to find you guys. I said, well, good luck with that. I haven't found one in seven years. Good luck. Anyway, so we're in. Of course we're going to send you away for three weeks. Going to pay you, obviously, and we're going to find you guys. I'm like, yeah, baby, yeah, I'm in, I'm in. So, you know, that's how it was.
- [28:59]
Heather McDonald
Presented to me basically at that time.
- [29:01]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Did they say who was coming?
- [29:03]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [29:03]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Who?
- [29:03]
Heather McDonald
The other women.
- [29:04]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I didn't know who was coming yet because I guess they weren't sure who was actually coming, you know. Yeah, they wanted.
- [29:09]
Heather McDonald
So they just want to make sure.
- [29:09]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
That you were sure that I was committed to go.
- [29:11]
Heather McDonald
And then when did you hear about the other girls, which is Shannon, Beador, Giselle and Ashley from Potomac. Giselle and Ashley from Potomac.
- [29:21]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You know, I gotta say, probably not too long after that, maybe a couple months. Cause it took time for me to you know, when is it gonna happen? I'm on tour with my cabaret, so. Right. So I have very limited windows, right. Where I'm not booked already doing shows. So September just worked for me. And so that's what they nailed down. I think I got a call probably in the spring for a September date.
- [29:44]
Heather McDonald
And then when you heard who the cast was, did you have any. I know.
- [29:48]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I was like, this is strange cast, right? Well, meaning.
- [29:51]
Heather McDonald
Meaning that it's kind of all over the place. It's not like you guys came from one cast or like, I know that some of the cast, you guys do become friends because, you know, you've been to these. You've done the Girls trips, the Mohegan Sons together or, like, you know, the Bravo cons. How well did you know that?
- [30:10]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You know, I know Giselle because we did Project Runway together at one point.
- [30:14]
Heather McDonald
But that was just like a one.
- [30:16]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
It was a one off. So I didn't know her well from that, but I don't. I didn't know any of them well. In fact, Shannon Bedor, I know better than the other girls, you know, than the Potomac girls, but. So I was surprised at the cast because I was like. But at the same time, I'm like, this is genius because we would not go after the same guys, Right.
- [30:34]
Heather McDonald
I think that was probably the plan. That's the plan.
- [30:36]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
It's like, we're not gonna go after the same guys. Like, for example, Ashley, she's 38 or 37, so she possibly could have more kids if she wanted to. Right. With another man. Right. We're past that point, the three of us. Right. Giselle, she's gonna go after a different guy than I would go after.
- [30:52]
Heather McDonald
Right?
- [30:52]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And Shannon definitely is gonna go after a different guy than me because now.
- [30:56]
Heather McDonald
Why do you feel like you guys wouldn't. Wouldn't go for the same type?
- [31:00]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Well, I just think we're so different. Do you know what I mean? And different in personalities, different looks, et cetera. I just. I wouldn't imagine that Shannon would be interested in the same guy, which just came true. We're not interested in the same guy on the show.
- [31:14]
Heather McDonald
And what is your like, you know, you've dated all different types, from the Count to Jacques. Jacques, who is less, like, funny. Younger.
- [31:23]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Tom. We won't talk. It's not about Tom.
- [31:25]
Heather McDonald
Yeah, it was Tom, which, you know.
- [31:29]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
That was a blip on my screen, really. I mean, you know, we only stayed married seven months. But anyway, my type. Tall, handsome, successful, funny.
- [31:40]
Heather McDonald
What's your age?
- [31:41]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Kind Kind. Kind is big, classy, rich. I mean, wealthy. That can keep up with me. Do you know what I mean?
- [31:50]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [31:51]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And sexy. I like a guy who said I like, you know, I like European men. European men are generally sexier. Not, you know, they're not. So I don't know, it's like in, in Europe that if the president of France has an affair, nobody gives a right. In America, you have an affair, you're done.
- [32:13]
Heather McDonald
Well, the president of France, that's a juicy story.
- [32:15]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Let's not talk about Monica Lewinsky.
- [32:16]
Heather McDonald
Yeah, right. Or the ass. But okay, so when, what is your age? Do you have a limit on either end of the age range?
- [32:28]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Like age appropriate? And I always say, you know, I'm not going to date a 20 year old because I have a son who's 28. Right. But that kind of fell to the side when I met Joe Bradley.
- [32:38]
Heather McDonald
Who's Joe Bradley?
- [32:39]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You don't know Joe Bradley from Southern Charm? Oh, he's hot.
- [32:42]
Heather McDonald
Yes.
- [32:43]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
So we did a show for Andy, Watch what happens live. And there was like a flirting connection. We were like flirting from the get go. And I just love him because, you know, boys from the south have good manners. Mothers have raised them well.
- [32:54]
Heather McDonald
Right.
- [32:54]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
They know how to dress.
- [32:55]
Heather McDonald
I just went to the master, open the door.
- [32:57]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
They know how to treat a woman. You know what I mean? Very mature for his age. But anyway, we hung out. It's like no big story there, but so generally I date age appropriate.
- [33:07]
Heather McDonald
You said you hung hung out.
- [33:09]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
We hung out.
- [33:09]
Heather McDonald
Did you kiss or anything?
- [33:12]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I can't tell. I don't kiss and tell. Okay, I'm gonna leave it to your imagination.
- [33:16]
Heather McDonald
Okay. All right, I'll show you a picture after.
- [33:20]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
He's cute.
- [33:21]
Heather McDonald
Okay.
- [33:21]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Adorable guy.
- [33:22]
Heather McDonald
So. But normally you like someone more age.
- [33:25]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Appropriate and you know, and I love this about the love hotel is, you know, they brought guys around, which I was in shock. When I saw the guys first walk out on the first episode, I was like, wow, they really did their homework. You know, like there were some silver foxes, like really good looking dudes. I was like, wow, this is going to be fun.
- [33:44]
Heather McDonald
And did you find. How did they find them?
- [33:47]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You know, I think through various places. I think through dating apps, I think through Instagram and Yeah. Danny Matchmakers. Yep. Mm. Yeah, they put together a great group of guys from the get go. So I was like, this is going to be fun.
- [34:05]
Heather McDonald
Did you get a word? Did you hear from Patty Stanger?
- [34:08]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Was she like, Yes, I did.
- [34:09]
Heather McDonald
You did?
- [34:10]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I. Yes, I did. She said, I'm available. I said, I know.
- [34:13]
Heather McDonald
Wait. To be one of the people or to, like, help facilitate?
- [34:17]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yes, to help facilitate. Like, like, I need help finding a guy. But I love her for offering. Why not?
- [34:25]
Heather McDonald
I mean, it's up her alley, obviously.
- [34:27]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Totally. But.
- [34:28]
Heather McDonald
Yeah. Okay. So here you are.
- [34:33]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah. I mean, out of all the outfits, I had fabulous clothes. They picked the most casual look of the whole show.
- [34:40]
Heather McDonald
But maybe that's why they wanted to, like, differentiate. Like, because you are, like, the athletic one.
- [34:45]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I'm casual, though. That's true.
- [34:46]
Heather McDonald
But also, clearly, like, you were always. Can I just go on a swim on the beach? Can I just. Can I just dive into the water? Like, Shannon Beador is famous for, like, swimming in her Spanx, right? And, like, literally getting in a pair of, like, falling in a pool. Like, so she's not gonna. The one that's like, let's go scuba diving at 6am Right? That's you.
- [35:06]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yes.
- [35:07]
Heather McDonald
So I kind of like that. And then we have Giselle.
- [35:12]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
She looks great there.
- [35:13]
Heather McDonald
And how did you guys get along?
- [35:14]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You know, I. I like her a lot because she's very. She's very elegant. Right. She's very kind of guarded. Right. But she. She is a good time. You know what I mean? She's elevated to me. You know what I mean? She's classy.
- [35:32]
Heather McDonald
I did a live show with she and Robin years ago when I was doing a live juicy scoop in D.C. and she was great.
- [35:40]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
She is great.
- [35:41]
Heather McDonald
She's great.
- [35:41]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I like her. She's fun. She's elegant, you know, gorgeous.
- [35:45]
Heather McDonald
You just can't stop looking at that face.
- [35:46]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Oh, my God. Her eyes are just mesmerizing.
- [35:49]
Heather McDonald
Yeah, she's. She's gorgeous. But she definitely has not been lucky at love in the. In the seasons of Potomac that I've watched.
- [35:57]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Right, right.
- [35:58]
Heather McDonald
There's been a couple where I'm like, between you and me, is this even, like, a real thing? Whatever. You know, you probably have seen that over the years where maybe someone is. Has a guy now. The audience is so, like, sophisticated. They're like, is this girl really dating this guy? Or is she, like. Right, so I have something to discuss or whatever.
- [36:20]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Right.
- [36:21]
Heather McDonald
But not you.
- [36:22]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
No, no, not me. I. You know, listen, we're doing a reality show. I'm guarded about certain things, like my children. And, you know, when I was married to the Count, I was guarding that because it was on Rocky. Rocky waters.
- [36:36]
Heather McDonald
When you started.
- [36:36]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
When I started the Housewives, my marriage was already kind of rocky.
- [36:40]
Heather McDonald
You didn't know if it was gonna Work.
- [36:41]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
No, And I think he was thrilled because, like, oh, good, she has something to do.
- [36:45]
Heather McDonald
Which is exactly what, you know, happened with Camille Grammer and Kelsey.
- [36:50]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Exactly, exactly. Exactly.
- [36:51]
Heather McDonald
And that always was so fascinating because I did an episode of Frasier.
- [36:57]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Oh, you did?
- [36:58]
Heather McDonald
Yeah. And I was. He was on a. Speed dating, and I was like this annoying girl. I was a guest star. And after that, I got called in to do Producers, and Camille, she was like a producer of, like, a girls sitcom type of show. And I don't think it went, but I saw the Met things and she was always really sweet.
- [37:17]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And so, yeah, I like Camille.
- [37:19]
Heather McDonald
I think she. He knew. You know, she started out as like a dancer on, like, mtv. You know, there's old video of her with, like, her New Jersey accent and everything. So I think, yeah, you know, she had aspirations for entertainment. She marries this bigger entertainer, has the biggest sitcom ever, and part of it. And so I think when it came, he probably presented it to her like, well, this is your time to shine. The kids are a little older, but really it was that he already probably had his eyes set on somebody else or just wanted to get one foot out the door. Yeah. And so you feel, looking back, like, that's maybe why your husband was also like, yeah, yeah, great idea.
- [37:57]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah. Well, because, listen, I don't have a similar experience, so I'm a showgirl.
- [38:00]
Heather McDonald
Yeah. So he started out as acting.
- [38:02]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Why are you such a showgirl? Because I am. You know, I grew up in a big family, so it's like, look at me, look at me, look at me.
- [38:07]
Heather McDonald
What number are you again?
- [38:08]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Six or seven.
- [38:09]
Heather McDonald
Okay.
- [38:09]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
So, you know, I went to nursing school. Then I got scouted to be a model in New York, and that's when I got the taste of like, wow, this. I like this modeling thing.
- [38:17]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [38:17]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And then I got to Europe and I loved the modeling thing over there, but it didn't go so great. So I wound up in television. So then I got bitten by the television bug, which was like, this is great. I don't have to pound the pavement, knock on doors and get said no to. I get a real job.
- [38:30]
Heather McDonald
Is that when you were actually. You were hosting that Italian television?
- [38:32]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I was hosting a show on Italian television, but it took me a while to climb to that level. I was the Van White of Italian television. First because I couldn't speak Italian. Then I realized if I could speak Italian, I could really take them for a ride. And I talk about that in my cabaret show, which is I realized, oh, my God, I can have A career here. And how did you. And I stayed here. And this is why I met the Count, because I was skiing in Switzerland with an Italian boyfriend, and I. I met my husband at a dinner party, and we got married two weeks later.
- [39:00]
Heather McDonald
Wait, was the Italian boyfriend next to you?
- [39:01]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
No, he was on a business trip.
- [39:04]
Heather McDonald
Okay, wait, you're skiing with the Italian.
- [39:06]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Boyfriend, he's on a business trip. So he leaves me in Switzerland.
- [39:09]
Heather McDonald
Oh. Cause you.
- [39:09]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I go to a dinner party and.
- [39:11]
Heather McDonald
I meet the Count, and then how do you.
- [39:14]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I. I just left. How do you tell somebody that loves you that you're leaving, you're in love with somebody else?
- [39:20]
Heather McDonald
So were you living with this Italian boyfriend or just on a vacation?
- [39:23]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
No, I was living with him.
- [39:24]
Heather McDonald
How did you leave and get your stuff and everything?
- [39:28]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
It's called a garbage bag. I literally threw myself in a huge garbage bag. I went off like Santa in the middle of the night and left before he got back because there was no way to tell him. Now, how long to do justice to the story is I told the Italian, who was 55 and I was 27, that, you're not going to be the father of my children. You know, that someday this is going to come to a close. And I was kind of warming him up because I was going to go to LA and become an actress. Like Sharon Stone went to Milan. She was a model, and then she went to California. So I had an agent like Sharon Stone would have had, who said to me, now you have to go to la. Now you have a huge career here. Now you go to California. So I was trying to talk my boyfriend at the time into the story that I'm going to leave at some point. This is not going to last. And then I met Alex, and I realized, hell with the career. This is the father of my children. So I left my career in Italian television to marry Alex, because if I didn't leave, it would have never worked.
- [40:33]
Heather McDonald
So, wait, you're at the dinner party? How many people are at the dinner party?
- [40:36]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
20. And you can't imagine how beautiful it was.
- [40:38]
Heather McDonald
Like one long table.
- [40:39]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
A long table with place cards.
- [40:41]
Heather McDonald
Oh, I love something like, this is my dream, kind of.
- [40:43]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And there's silverware for miles and glasses and. Oh, no. Chandeliers and wooden. A wooden. Beautiful chalet in Switzerland. Like Gunter Sachs.
- [40:54]
Heather McDonald
Fabulous. Invite it to the dinner party.
- [40:56]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
So I had a lot of friends that I made through this Italian boyfriend who was like the Assispumanti of Italy. So the Pellegrinos were our friends. You know, Robert Plant was coming over for dinner parties. No, no, no. I had like fabulous friends.
- [41:10]
Heather McDonald
But wait, how did you meet him? The Italian?
- [41:12]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I met him because I actually won a beauty pageant over there called Lady Universe. So I had to do a tour. Nobody really knows the story. I did a tour with Lady Universe across Italy. So I went to every like town in Italy and with the sash and the crown, the whole thing.
- [41:27]
Heather McDonald
Okay, I love it.
- [41:30]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And this. And so Mr. Spumanti, Roberto Gancia.
- [41:34]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [41:35]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Gorgeous Northern Italians. Blonde with blue eyes. Okay, 55 now I'm in my 50s now, right? 55 and gorgeous. And he's got the hats for the American who's green as the day is long. Because I don't know anything, right? I'm just new. I'm a new meat, right? And. And he comes to me, goes, what are you doing here? I'm saying, well, I'm trying to model, but it's not going very well. Anyway, start dating him. And then, you know, we, we stayed together for two and a half years. And then I met Alex, the love of my life.
- [42:04]
Heather McDonald
Okay, so you.
- [42:05]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Which broke my heart because I loved him, but I knew that that was not my future. Like, I wanted to have kids, so I'm not gonna have kids. No.
- [42:13]
Heather McDonald
Okay, so you're with a 55 year old and you kind of know this can't last forever. So you get invited to the dinner party because he's away and you're like, I've got nothing to do. Sure, I'll throw on a black dress and go to this thing.
- [42:24]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Exactly. But I went with Princess Hohenloh.
- [42:26]
Heather McDonald
Who's that?
- [42:27]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
So Princess Hohenlohe was my mentor. She was a marriage.
- [42:30]
Heather McDonald
A mentor of what? How to marry?
- [42:31]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Well, no, she's. No, she's, she's American. She used to work in the old days. And I tell, tell the story in my cabaret show, which is Honey was my mentor. So she, she grew up in, in, in Georgia. She's Georgia Peach. And Honeychild worked in the old days of radio with Bob Hope. And they used to say, wherever there's Hope, there's honey. So that was her thing. And she met everybody with Bob Hope, including Prince Hohenloh, who is Austrian Hungarian Prince who fell in love with Honey and he married her. So Honey was living amongst all, like Princess Grace. So Honey was living in Europe, but American. So when she met me, a good friend of Roberto, my Italian boyfriend, she knew everybody, Gina, little Brigida, all the big Liz Taylor, everybody was her friend.
- [43:15]
Heather McDonald
So how much older was she?
- [43:17]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
She was like 70s and I was 20 something, but she loved me because I'm an American dating one of her friends and I'm a TV star. She's like, girl, you, I can't even. And she had a southern accent and honey child had the best jokes and she knew the entire world. For example, I go to Paris and I go, I'm dating at the time and dating Roberto, but I'm just met Roberto, right? So I'm dating around a little bit. So Honey comes with me to Paris and a guy invites me to the opera, the opening of the opera in Paris. So she goes, I go, honey, I got her invited. I said, I have to bring my auntie. So she, she took me on as her niece. I love it. I have to bring my aunt. And Honey was fabulous. Short like Dorinde style hair, short blonde, but fierce woman. Fierce. Fabulous. Anyway, I said, we're going to the opera. She goes, darling, we don't have anything to wear. I said, well, she goes, oh, let's go. We're going to go Avenue George sank. We go to Avenue George sank. Open the door. She knocks on the door and rings the bell. Hubert, it's Honey. Hugh Bear Jorvanchy opens the door. And we were set loose in his.
- [44:31]
Heather McDonald
To just pick out whatever we wanted.
- [44:32]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
To pick whatever we wanted. That was Honey. She was amazing. So I went to Sean Connery's wedding with her, Sean Connery's son's wedding in Marbella. She lived in Spain. She had a house right on the water in Marbella. So I used to go and visit her all the time and stay with her. And then she got cancer. So I walked her out of this life as a nurse, you know what I mean? It was terrible. And Victoria was a baby. Victoria was born. She got to see Victoria.
- [44:56]
Heather McDonald
Oh, that's good.
- [44:57]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah, she got Victoria on her lap. I have pictures of Honey. She was amazing. She mentored me through my life. She told me, if you're gonna wear that dress, darling, it's the bread or the wine, Honey, you can't have both.
- [45:08]
Heather McDonald
Oh, the bread.
- [45:09]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
The bread or the wine? Can't have both. Oh, Honey was fabulous.
- [45:14]
Heather McDonald
So she gave.
- [45:14]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And she also said, people aren't talking about you, you might as well be dead.
- [45:18]
Heather McDonald
That's a good attitude, having this business.
- [45:20]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I did that correct.
- [45:22]
Heather McDonald
You know, which, you know when you throw when your videos, I see them all over TikTok, people that take videos of you and stuff. And I've been there. I know every single person there is having a blast.
- [45:35]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
But, oh, there's The Negative Nellies.
- [45:38]
Heather McDonald
Do you ever read? Do you. How do you keep yourself?
- [45:40]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You know, I don't. I don't address. I don't address them because they. They're clickbaiters.
- [45:44]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [45:44]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
They do that for clickbait. So somebody will come to me and be nice.
- [45:48]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [45:49]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And then. Then they're overbearing. Then they. They. They try to get attention, and then I get fed up. I'm like, you know, and then that's when they get you.
- [45:57]
Heather McDonald
They meet you and have a story. I'm just talking about, like, they.
- [46:00]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Well, yeah, sometimes people do that. They will meet you for attention. They try to put something out there about you that's negative.
- [46:05]
Heather McDonald
Right. I met when.
- [46:06]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I just showed them a great time at my cabaret show.
- [46:08]
Heather McDonald
Right.
- [46:09]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
But they'll come and they'll be friendly, and then they'll be too pushy, and then I shoo them away because I have to. Right. And that's when they capture that moment, which is good because it just happened to me recently, so I'm glad we're talking about this.
- [46:21]
Heather McDonald
Oh, it did. What happened?
- [46:22]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Doesn't matter.
- [46:23]
Heather McDonald
Okay, well, I've had that type.
- [46:25]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I don't address them.
- [46:26]
Heather McDonald
Right. I've had that type of thing happen to you, and it is hard. And, you know. And you know, you're like, especially after.
- [46:32]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I put on a great show.
- [46:33]
Heather McDonald
Yes.
- [46:33]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And she had a great time. But this is.
- [46:35]
Heather McDonald
All you have to do is do a video that was like, exactly. Lou was rude to me.
- [46:39]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Exactly.
- [46:39]
Heather McDonald
Instead of.
- [46:41]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Instead of. She was so nice until I was too pushy, like.
- [46:45]
Heather McDonald
Or I went to Lou's show and it was so fun.
- [46:46]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Right.
- [46:47]
Heather McDonald
We don't need to watch that. Right. You know, as you're scrolling. Scrolling. Scrolling.
- [46:50]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Of course not. So people know it's not clickbait.
- [46:52]
Heather McDonald
People know how it works, you know, and just putting a name in something and. Yeah. I've had a similar thing like that happen. And I was just, like, shocked. And I was like, well, gosh, I make a living out of talking about people. So I guess I'm at this level and I shouldn't be mad, but it's like. You're like, but wait, that's not how it happens.
- [47:07]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
That's how it happens.
- [47:08]
Heather McDonald
But then you're like, but then if I address it, then it gets bigger.
- [47:10]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Of course.
- [47:11]
Heather McDonald
And so. Yeah. But I think that's a great attitude. Well, getting back to this, honey, which is just like, this could be. That could be a serious. In itself. That part of your life could be like a very. A version of Emily in Paris, but Lou in Italy. Like, I don't know.
- [47:27]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I met like John Galliano when he didn't have a penny. We took him off the floor of a. Of a warehouse in London. He doesn't want me to tell that story, but it's true. I met him when he had not a penny before he went to Givenchy, you know. Is it Givenchy? Yeah. So where it became huge. Right? So. But I met him when he didn't have a dime. And Faisal Amour from Plan Sud. Do you know Plantsu?
- [47:49]
Heather McDonald
No, I don't know how Plan.
- [47:50]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
They're actually dressed me in Milan for television. So Plantsuit was like a European brand, but they had a plant suit in New York and around the world. Actually, it stores everywhere. So he's one of the only straight designers that I know. And he became a good friend and he said to me, I'm going to London. I'm going to take this designer who's been kind of. It doesn't have financial backing, and I'm going to put him up in my atelier in France, in Paris. So he took this. We went to get John Galliano in London and he took him to Paris. And that's how he became his career.
- [48:20]
Heather McDonald
Wow, that's amazing. So you go to this dinner party because honey brings you. And honey brought you to the dinner party.
- [48:28]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
She did. But I knew the woman who was having the party already because Honey, you know, had a lot of friends all over the world. So they would come to Milan, they would come and stay with us because we. I lived in like a palace and in Milan with the Italian. Yeah, with servants and the whole thing, it was insane. I couldn't go shopping. I had somebody following me to carry my bags. It was great.
- [48:48]
Heather McDonald
There was nothing.
- [48:49]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I'm going to Valentino. Pick whatever I wanted in Valentino because I would see personality. So they would give me everything. You know what I mean?
- [48:56]
Heather McDonald
Because of the TV show. Not because you're dating the 55 year old.
- [48:58]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
No, the TV show. TV show, no TV.
- [49:00]
Heather McDonald
But that you were in the palace with the servants because of the 55 year old.
- [49:02]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Tell you exactly.
- [49:04]
Heather McDonald
And like, when you're like, what does your siblings and other friends from home when you'd get on the phone and like, tell them, now I'm getting.
- [49:14]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah, right. Yo Paulo Italiano, comi an Italiano. I speak fluent Italian and French and Spanish, but not Spanish is shaky. But I'm learning. I want to learn Spanish better, but they don't know what to think of me. It's like I come home. First of all, I didn't tell my parents I was getting married. Last they knew, I was in Italy working on television. Exactly.
- [49:34]
Heather McDonald
Okay, got it.
- [49:34]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Because I married Alex two weeks later.
- [49:36]
Heather McDonald
After the dinner party. You met him, married him in two weeks?
- [49:38]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yes.
- [49:39]
Heather McDonald
How. Now I want you to hear that story. How did that happen? So are you seated next to him or do you.
- [49:44]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I'm seated next to him, between him and his brother. So Ferdinand de Lesseps, right. Is very famous in Europe, right? That's where the count comes from. Which is. They built the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal, gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States for the French, which is Ferdinand de Lesseps. Right? So Ferdinand. So Alex has a brother called Ferdie who's named after his great, great grandfather. You know, people think I got my title out of a Cracker Jacks box. They don't understand it's like being a Getty or Kennedy or whoever. You know what I mean? It's like aristocrats at the top level, right? That father was ambassador of Monaco for 40 years. So Alex grew up with Princess Grace. You know, Prince Albert would come over for dinner. You know, this is my life. So anyway, I married him because I knew he was going to be.
- [50:28]
Heather McDonald
But how does the conversation start?
- [50:30]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
So he goes, do you want to go skiing tomorrow? I'm going helicopter skiing. I don't know if there's a place for you on the helicopter, but I'm going to find out. Do you want to go? I've never been in helicopter skiing in my life.
- [50:39]
Heather McDonald
But you're a good skier. Because you're a good skier.
- [50:42]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
But I've never been in a helicopter skiing. So he calls me and he goes, I'm sorry, there's no room for you in the helicopter. I'm like. Because, God, I don't know if I can do that.
- [50:52]
Heather McDonald
Anyway, all that means is that the helicopter lands you in a place.
- [50:55]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
No. Means there's not another scene on the helicopter. It was full.
- [50:58]
Heather McDonald
No, no, no. But I'm just saying to people that don't understand what helicopter skiing is, it's like they land on a part of the mountain that. Not like they land in a place.
- [51:05]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Where you have to duck, right? Because the chopper will take your head.
- [51:08]
Heather McDonald
Off and then you go down. Because it's. It's pristine and it's not groomed.
- [51:12]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Because powder. No, we go with guides, right?
- [51:15]
Heather McDonald
Yes.
- [51:16]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I've been in a helicopter with him skiing, like every day for a year. At least for years anyway.
- [51:23]
Heather McDonald
Okay, so he says there isn't a spot.
- [51:25]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
There isn't a spot. So, okay, let's move on. So. And Paris King is. It's a whole thing, but, you know, it's. It's. We call it God's land because it's only mountain goats. And. And us, there's nobody, obviously. We're in the middle of nowhere.
- [51:40]
Heather McDonald
Okay.
- [51:41]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
So anyway, there's no space, but there's a party coming up in a couple of days, a big party that I'm invited to with Honeychell.
- [51:49]
Heather McDonald
So. Good.
- [51:49]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And he goes, do you want to come with me? I said, I'm already going. I'll see you there.
- [51:53]
Heather McDonald
Okay.
- [51:54]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I don't go with him, but I meet him there.
- [51:55]
Heather McDonald
Huh.
- [51:56]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And another guy who's trying to kiss me, who's a singer from France. But that's a whole nother story.
- [52:00]
Heather McDonald
Okay, wait, I have to. Let me ask a question. This is exciting. So when you're getting ready for. To go to the party with Honey, and you know this guy's going to be there that you're obviously.
- [52:08]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I am. And I love him already. I already know.
- [52:11]
Heather McDonald
Okay.
- [52:11]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I know.
- [52:12]
Heather McDonald
Like, how do you decide what to wear that night?
- [52:16]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Do you.
- [52:16]
Heather McDonald
Are you someone that thinks about that a lot or you're just like, everything looks great, I don't care.
- [52:20]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I'm. I'm pretty casual about that. I like to be comfortable.
- [52:23]
Heather McDonald
Okay.
- [52:24]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You know, I'm not, you know, so.
- [52:25]
Heather McDonald
This wasn't like a. This wasn't like a black tie dinner. It was just like.
- [52:28]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
No, it was very elegant dinner. You know, people in Switzerland and Europe, they dress, you know, they dress to go out for lunch. They dress to go out for lunch. Forget about dinner. So they dress to go out to walk their dog.
- [52:39]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [52:39]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Which I love. I love the. I love the effort that goes into it. You will never see a European in the sweatpants. Never. Anyway, so from there, do.
- [52:48]
Heather McDonald
Wait.
- [52:48]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Do you fall that night?
- [52:49]
Heather McDonald
Wait, do you remember what you wore on the first, like, kind of date with him? Sort of.
- [52:55]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You know what I think probably, like, I do remember. And it was like a jean look.
- [53:01]
Heather McDonald
Okay.
- [53:02]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
But really, you know, with heels, jeans, you know, like, cool.
- [53:06]
Heather McDonald
Okay.
- [53:06]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Dressy.
- [53:07]
Heather McDonald
All right, so. So you go to that party.
- [53:09]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah, that's the way I got married, too. In jeans.
- [53:10]
Heather McDonald
Anyway, did okay get to that?
- [53:12]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
We eloped. We eloped.
- [53:13]
Heather McDonald
Okay. Okay. So now you've only known him for three days.
- [53:16]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah. So then we. At this party, then we go skiing together the next day.
- [53:21]
Heather McDonald
Okay.
- [53:21]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
We're just inseparable, you know, we're we fall in love, and. And then he says, you know, he comes to me, dinner at somebody else's house, like, the next day. Next day. We're together every day. So he says to me, you know, you're going to be the mother of my children. You're going to be the mother of my children. I said.
- [53:38]
Heather McDonald
He says that.
- [53:39]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I know.
- [53:40]
Heather McDonald
So he had never been. Had he never been married before or anything?
- [53:43]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Three times, but no kids. One daughter from his first marriage, but he was in college, so she's like, you know.
- [53:50]
Heather McDonald
So he was really now looking to.
- [53:51]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Like, have kids, you know, I don't think he was looking to. He said to me, I'm not. Do you think I'm not getting married again because I've been married three times? I said, do I look desperate to you? So I had an Italian TV career to go back to. So it was either it's do or die right now, because she's going back, and if she goes back, I'm gonna lose her. And I knew if I went back, I would lose him. So we just decided to get married. Like, very casually. He asked me on the ski lift and.
- [54:19]
Heather McDonald
Before the Italian came back from his business trip.
- [54:21]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Exactly.
- [54:22]
Heather McDonald
You were already saying, I'm gonna get married.
- [54:24]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I was gone. I went to Paris. Went to Paris. Cause we had a party to go to in Paris together. So we drove with Honey child to Paris. We took Honey with us.
- [54:31]
Heather McDonald
And you got married in Paris because.
- [54:33]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Honey was friends, of course, with his father. Honey's okay. He's the ambassador of Monaco. So Honey's friends are Princess Grace. So guess what?
- [54:41]
Heather McDonald
Amazing.
- [54:42]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I know. So Honey knew them. She goes, I'm gonna get you. I'm gonna get us invited for tea. I'm gonna seal this deal, which is, this is my niece, so she's good. And I met his parents. And the mother, I'll never forget the way she looked at me up and down, like, who's this? The father loved me because I'm a nurse and I'm American Indian. Native American. He loved that. So he was.
- [55:05]
Heather McDonald
Did you feel like the mom liked you, too?
- [55:06]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah, she did. She did. And, you know, they both died very shortly after we got married, so they never met. Six months later, his mother died. She had als. Terrible. So I took care of her. And the father died a year after Noel was born. A year before Noel was born. So, literally, I had Victoria. His mother had passed. And then his father got ill, and I had Noel, and he passed. Isn't that something?
- [55:33]
Heather McDonald
Wow. And so were you already Actually married in your jeans. Before you told the Italian.
- [55:41]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Before I told my mother I was married and I was in New York.
- [55:45]
Heather McDonald
What? What the.
- [55:46]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
But why the flew to New York to get married? Because that was the quickest place to get married.
- [55:49]
Heather McDonald
But why the whole.
- [55:50]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Because in Paris you need blood work and in New York you can get married without. Without blood work and things like that.
- [55:56]
Heather McDonald
Okay, but once you decided we're gonna spend our lives together, why did you two feel like you had to get married, like in nine days? Like, why couldn't you just be engaged?
- [56:03]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
We were in love. No, we just ma. Well, because I was also, you know, I was. I was going out with the Italian, but I had, you know, Prince Borghesi who was after me, and so I had all these guys kind of after me, and he understood that, so he realized, I gotta grab her now, otherwise I'm gonna lose out here. So, you know, I was. I was with the Italian, but I was not very faithful, let's put it that way. I was looking for Mr. Right, Mr. Wright for having a family. I said to myself, in my 20s, I. By the age 30, I want to be married and have children. I'm a big manifester.
- [56:38]
Heather McDonald
So how old were you when you got married?
- [56:39]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I'm a big manifester. 29.
- [56:41]
Heather McDonald
Oh, that's so amazing. I'm a big man.
- [56:43]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And I had Victoria within. Did you.
- [56:45]
Heather McDonald
But did you know you were manifesting? Because I didn't really realize.
- [56:48]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yes.
- [56:49]
Heather McDonald
Until I.
- [56:49]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
No, I didn't.
- [56:50]
Heather McDonald
I didn't know right. While I was doing it.
- [56:52]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Right. We didn't know that.
- [56:53]
Heather McDonald
I didn't know it. And then once they kind of people talked about the secret of manifestation.
- [56:56]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Right.
- [56:57]
Heather McDonald
Now I do it and I'm not afraid to do it. And I'll say it. Yeah, but I don't know how you felt. But when I would grow up and I would tell somebody, like when I met my husband and We've been married 25 years, it's May 27th.
- [57:08]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Congratulations. That's awesome.
- [57:09]
Heather McDonald
When he looked at me, I was like. And I remember I told my friend the next day and we were dating. We're on the phones with our friend.
- [57:16]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You knew.
- [57:16]
Heather McDonald
I knew. But I was like. I said something. And the initial thing is, you don't want to jinx it. We used to pay the generation. Don't jinx it. Don't say it. Now we realize. Don't say it. Believe it, achieve it. If it's not going to be you, it's going to be. Be somebody else. So why not you. Like, you are capable, don't have imposter syndrome and like, go for it. So, so now I feel like that now I look back at other parts of my life and I wouldn't make a poster, but I would say things like kind of in my head like, oh, one day I'll do.
- [57:48]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You'll do this? Yeah.
- [57:49]
Heather McDonald
You know, like I'd park my car and walk to my waitressing job in in Beverly Hills and I'd park in the residential fancy neighborhood and be like, oh, one day I'll have a house like this. And now what? Now I do.
- [58:04]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Right?
- [58:04]
Heather McDonald
But like you designed in Beverly Hills, but it's a similar type of house. And I'm like, and you know that it'll come one day. I don't know when or how. Like it'll come one day.
- [58:13]
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- [60:27]
Heather McDonald
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- [61:43]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I love this. So, so when I met him, he goes, I rented a house in the Hamptons this summer. Do you like the Hamptons? I said, I've only been once or twice because I lived in New York, you know, modeling and I would go out to rental shared houses with models and shit. And he goes, I rented a house because I'm going to write a book. You know, because Alex wrote a book about his great, great grandfather who built the Suez Canal, who was, you know, prolific. I mean, he was just unbelievable. They, they had a train from Paris that would go to their chateau. He made train tracks to go from Paris to his front door. That's how powerful he was. He made his own, they built train tracks to go to where he lived. Okay, so he Wanted to write another book, a follow up on this book about his. Well, it never happened because he met me and then we had children, so he never wrote the book. But we lived between the Hamptons and Switzerland and Stud.
- [62:36]
Heather McDonald
So that's how you ended up living.
- [62:38]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Back in New York. Exactly. So you were living in the Hamptons.
- [62:42]
Heather McDonald
Before when the kids were.
- [62:44]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I've been in the Hamptons since 1993. I married Alex in 93. I've been in the Hamptons for over 30 years.
- [62:50]
Heather McDonald
And would you do, like, all summer in the Hamptons and the rest?
- [62:53]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
We would do six months. So we would work live around the ski schedule. You know, we'd go. And then the kids had to go to school, so they went to school in Switzerland. So we would only go in the summer.
- [63:01]
Heather McDonald
Okay.
- [63:02]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
So we had the house sitting there, and we would only go in June, July and August. I would cry my eyes out because I had my whole family. Yeah. And Alex's parents are dead, you know, and the brother is. Lives in Brussels, so I didn't have any family there, but I made a family, which is all my friends, which is the Prince of Greece. I mean, the king of Greece was my friend Constantine. And all the kids, the Gettys. I mean, you know, all these people, fabulous people. People, you know, and they live in Switzerland, they live in whatever, Palm Beach. They live here, they live everywhere. You know what I'm saying? And so very exclusive. Very exclusive.
- [63:34]
Heather McDonald
When the opportunity coming up to do this show and, you know, you didn't know how long was it gonna last? You're like, oh, I didn't know anything.
- [63:40]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I didn't even know what reality was in 2007.
- [63:43]
Heather McDonald
And so not, you know, nobody really knew what it would become. And so when you were doing that and he was. Did you. Before you presented him, did. Presented it to him, did you think he would have any reservations about you doing it?
- [63:57]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You know, I didn't, because otherwise I would not have presented it to him. But now I didn't know what I was doing. First of all, it was called Manhattan Moms. Now, if I saw the Housewives of the OC which was already on, I would have never done that show, ever.
- [64:13]
Heather McDonald
Why?
- [64:14]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Because I didn't like watching these women of the OC Because I thought it was, like, tedious and stupid and. Yeah, because they're getting, you know, they're blonde, but, you know, getting boobs done and whatever. It's just like, no, I would not put my life out there like that.
- [64:27]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [64:28]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Because my life is totally different. Right. Not to snub them.
- [64:31]
Heather McDonald
Right.
- [64:31]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
It just was their lifestyle. They lived in a gated community. I live in Europe. I speak three languages. You know, I'm married to a French aristocrat. My life has nothing to do with that.
- [64:40]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [64:41]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I wouldn't be that person. I'm not that person. Right. So if I saw that, I would never have done the show.
- [64:46]
Heather McDonald
Right.
- [64:47]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And not to diss them, because they're fabulous women. I know them all, and I love them all now. But then. Do you. Then I was. I was Countess de Lesseps. I was not Luanne. You don't call me Luanne. I'm Countess de Lesseps. Right. Because. And I. And I wore that with great pride because, you know, my children are born into this family. It's a part of who I am. It will always be. So when I. So that famous scene with Bethany where she introduced me to the driver, it's like, lou, here's Frank. Whatever his name is. Doesn't matter. I'm Mrs. De Lesseps. I didn't say Countess. I'm Mrs. De LesSEPS. That's who I am. I don't want to be called by my first name. I wasn't used to that.
- [65:22]
Heather McDonald
Yeah, right.
- [65:23]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
But God knows I've changed through the years, haven't I?
- [65:26]
Heather McDonald
Right.
- [65:26]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You've seen me grow and. And be. I'm just Lou, you know, I'm a nurse from Connecticut who happened to step into the world of French aristocracy. So I embraced it. I loved it. I had the best time. I had fabulous jewelry. I mean, I would get. I mean, his mother left me beautiful jewelry from. You know, I always put this on, you know, this necklace that I have, it's like diamonds all over me. And I put it on and go, oh, my God. I wonder who's worn this. Right. Because the jewelry.
- [65:54]
Heather McDonald
Do you wear that on stage or. No. Because you're too afraid of it? Like.
- [65:57]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
No, no, no.
- [65:58]
Heather McDonald
Falling or something and makeup and all that. Not wanting to travel with it.
- [66:01]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
No, no, no. I have a safe for all that stuff.
- [66:02]
Heather McDonald
You have a safe?
- [66:03]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I do. Of course.
- [66:05]
Heather McDonald
I wonder now if maybe when they were recruiting you guys and putting the pilot together and the show together, if they did tell you it was Manhattan mom so that you wouldn't think they did.
- [66:16]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
It was Manhattan Moms. That was the working title.
- [66:19]
Heather McDonald
But do you think they purposely did that?
- [66:21]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Well, of course, because like I said, if I knew what I was getting into, I wouldn't have done the show. So that was on purpose. And how I Got the show is from Jill. I met Jill at a dinner party in the Hamptons.
- [66:33]
Heather McDonald
And what did you say to you?
- [66:34]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I was with Tommy Hilfiger because Tommy married Dee, who's from Monaco. And one of my best friends, Jane, is friends with Dee. So I know Dee from before and you know, so I'm with Tommy Hilfiger and Dee and these are my friends. And I see Bobby. I don't know his name is Bobby, but I see him buying shots for my niece who's like 23. So I walk over and go, if you're gonna buy her shot, I need one too. And he goes, I'm Bobby's. My name's Bobby. And then up walks Jill Zarin. Hi, I'm Jill Zarin. And I just, I fell in love with Jill because you know Jill, she's huge heart. She's the real deal. I like authentic people. You already have the posers, the wannabes, you know, you can keep em. I want the real deal. I don't care how much money you have, because money can't buy you class. Isn't that true?
- [67:16]
Heather McDonald
I love it. So she, how does she present it to you?
- [67:20]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Well, first I met her and then we, we hung out the whole night. I mean, we went out, we went to parties, we went together. Yeah, we just hung out the whole night together. And then, then I went to Europe because the kids were going to camp in Switzerland. So I was leaving for Europe and I had a little card, pink, fuchsia. And she probably still has it. I was trying to get back into tv, so I was doing little segments for CBS Morning show. So I was trying to get back into tv and Jill said, you know, they called me about this show and I think you might be perfect for that. And I'll let you know. So I get an email from her. When I just got on email, my husband had email. I was like, what is that, Alex? He had email maybe in 2004, five, I want to say. And. And I was like, I can't be bothered with that. Anyway, so I get a email from Jill that says they're casting and they, you should come. And I meet them at the American Hotel. And that's how I got the Housewives was from Jill.
- [68:21]
Heather McDonald
Yes, I love it and you know, it must.
- [68:23]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And I sang on my, my audition tape. I said, Peggy Lee, what a day this has been. What a rare mood I'm in, right? So I start singing on my audition tape. They're like, okay, let's grab her, you know, And I got the Title, the Countess. You know, how.
- [68:39]
Heather McDonald
How far into the show did you do? Because sometimes, I mean, listen, thank God for Peacock. I know you guys don't get residuals, but it is really a fun time on, like a rainy LA day, which don't have.
- [68:53]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I just showed you. Wait, I just showed you a clip in Mexico.
- [68:55]
Heather McDonald
Yes, that's just.
- [68:56]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
A guy's watching me in Mexico and I'm dubbed in Spanish, which is hysterical.
- [69:00]
Heather McDonald
Yes.
- [69:00]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah, we're syndicated worldwide.
- [69:02]
Heather McDonald
That goes way back, so. But I remember when you're like, I'm gonna do a cabaret thing. How early. What season was that? Was that?
- [69:11]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I'll tell you exactly when. So, you know, this should hit the fan for me in 2017, after Tom, you know. You know, I hit. Hit bottom, and then I rose to the cabaret stage. No pressure.
- [69:24]
Heather McDonald
You had no pressure there. The songs in the video. I'm saying, you started singing before.
- [69:30]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
No, I did money on the show. Money. Right.
- [69:35]
Heather McDonald
But at that point, you had gotten.
- [69:38]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
But then you didn't do the show, girl. Meaning that I'm an entertainer. Right. So I do. I did Italian television. I was a model, blah, blah, blah. But singing has always been a part of what I love to do now. I recorded some songs, I did some covers of songs. I did, for example, Stevie Nick's Dreams. And I've been singing that song since I'm 15. Yeah.
- [70:04]
Heather McDonald
I mean, the best. Yeah.
- [70:05]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You know, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Nicks, you know, Heart, Anne Wilson. I mean, I was like, wannabe singer.
- [70:13]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [70:14]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Right. But that never happened to me. But then a really good friend of mine, actually from California, Todd Allen, said to me, lou, you love to entertain, you love to sing for your friends, and you tell the best jokes. You should be a cabaret performer. I was like, oh, okay.
- [70:29]
Heather McDonald
And that's how the first cabaret show came.
- [70:31]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah. Meet my friend, Ben Rimmelauer. Ben Rimmelauer was a director, huge Housewives fan, knows everything about me. And. And we put together the show.
- [70:41]
Heather McDonald
How do you feel about, you know, the fact that now so many other Bravo liberties have taken their celebrity to make some sort of a stage show?
- [70:53]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Right. I think it's great. You know, there's room for everybody. I'm so different. You know, Erika, Jan and I are like apples and oranges.
- [71:00]
Heather McDonald
But, I mean, you should.
- [71:00]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I mean, literally, but you should kind.
- [71:03]
Heather McDonald
Of like tap yourself a little on the shoulder in just that they saw that you did it, and there was a thirst for fans to go and get a taste of their favorite reality star in some other. Whether it's Trivia. Tom Sandoval.
- [71:18]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I got myself to London. I mean, that was my agents and my doing, which is getting me to London, which, you know, our show is huge in London. Over. It's in England. It's in Ireland, Scotland. Right. So. So I played a big Pride festival. I had 40,000 people standing in front of me singing money can't buy you class, which was epic. Until the Swinton was in the crowd as well.
- [71:40]
Heather McDonald
Right.
- [71:41]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And so we became friends.
- [71:43]
Heather McDonald
I love that.
- [71:44]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I know. And she introduced me this last tour to the stage in London at the Adelphi Theater, the home of Sunset Boulevard and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
- [71:51]
Heather McDonald
I saw that.
- [71:52]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Wow. I mean, like, shoot me now I could die and go to heaven, because that was epic for me. And I love her. She's such a wonderful. She's such an amazing actor, first of all, and a real true aristocrat because she. Her family dates back to 800, not 1800. 800. Okay. Swinton. Swine. Because he was giving the king animals swine or pigs, you know.
- [72:17]
Heather McDonald
God, your stories are like.
- [72:19]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
So titles are given. I know titles are given to aristos for the services they render to the king. That's how they get titles in land and castles. Oh, is you serve the king. So you get this.
- [72:29]
Heather McDonald
How do you feel?
- [72:30]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And here's your title.
- [72:31]
Heather McDonald
So let me ask you this. How do you feel about the controversy of the Sussex and Prince Harry and Meghan?
- [72:39]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Well, I think she's a genius for getting him out of there because let me tell you. I mean, because she can't walk out the door.
- [72:44]
Heather McDonald
I mean, she was an American.
- [72:45]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Like, you can't go to the bathroom without people, you know, spying on you. A terrible way to live your life. Under the. The looking glass of. And, you know, the aristos don't have a lot of money. I mean, they get poor, given, you know, a stipend, let's call it. You know, they get given some money, but they don't have the money that. I mean, England, they own all the churches. I mean, there's so much money in. And with the Aristocrats. Right. So. But they don't see that kind of money. So Prince William, I behooved him to move to the us, Sell a book. I mean, how much they make on the book? 50 million.
- [73:19]
Heather McDonald
Well, the other deals are huge with Netflix and all that stuff.
- [73:22]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
They're never going to see that kind of money. And first of all, second of all, he could never live with that kind of money in England because, you know, that's just how they do it, because guess what? Then. Then. Then we're. They were stealing from the people. Do you know what I mean? Okay, you can't have $50 million in London like, you're. Now you're stealing from the people.
- [73:39]
Heather McDonald
You had honey.
- [73:41]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Okay, I had honey.
- [73:42]
Heather McDonald
What if you had met Meghan while she was dating Harry, and you guys just had, like, a fun dinner, and she's like, what if Harry asked me to marry him? Would you have ever been like, just get ready. Like, it's not gonna be as fun as. It's not. Like, you're gonna be in this palace and be able to do all these things. You're gonna. You know, when they did their Netflix thing, they kind of said they were not living in, like, a great house. It was cold. It was. You know, and then the weirdness of.
- [74:10]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Everything'S cracked up to me.
- [74:12]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [74:13]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
A lot of duties you have to be, you know, you have to always put a smile on your face. You always have to be, you know, It's a lot of work. It's a lot of work.
- [74:21]
Heather McDonald
You didn't really have that as the countess, thank God.
- [74:24]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
No, I didn't have that. We lived in the Swiss Alps also.
- [74:27]
Heather McDonald
Sounds like you had, like, the best of the situation. Like, you had the title without, like, all the.
- [74:31]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Exactly. It worked out great.
- [74:37]
Heather McDonald
Oh, okay. Let's get back to your love. Okay, so you're on the love.
- [74:40]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I mean, we could. We. You and I, we go all day long. Okay.
- [74:43]
Heather McDonald
So she. Oh. So how did you and Shannon get along?
- [74:46]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You know, we got along great. Yeah, I love Shannon. She's fun.
- [74:50]
Heather McDonald
Very fun.
- [74:50]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah, she's fun and she's, you know, she's like, very. What's the word? Like, I'm thinking designer. She's like, the way she dressed. She's very conservative in a certain way, right?
- [75:00]
Heather McDonald
Yeah, very.
- [75:01]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I'm like. I have, like, see through clothes on, right? Showing my ass and my boobs. And this one, she's very. Yeah. Chanel. And very, you know. Tory Burch.
- [75:09]
Heather McDonald
Yes.
- [75:10]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Very Tory Burch.
- [75:11]
Heather McDonald
Right, right.
- [75:11]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Which is not my style, but it looks good on her because she's like a little girl. Yeah. Do you know what I mean?
- [75:17]
Heather McDonald
Yes.
- [75:17]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah. If I wore anything like she were, I would look ridiculous now. You know what I mean? She wears it well because she's like a Southern girl to me. You know what I mean? But she's not. She's a California girl, but she reminds me of more of a California girl. I mean. I'm sorry. A Southern. You know. Because she's charming, she's funny.
- [75:35]
Heather McDonald
Because her daughter went to a Texas school. Like I can see.
- [75:38]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Right.
- [75:39]
Heather McDonald
A lot of. There's a lot of Southern California desire to go live that South. Southern like life.
- [75:45]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Right.
- [75:46]
Heather McDonald
What did you.
- [75:47]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah, she's like a Southern belle to me.
- [75:49]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [75:49]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You know what I mean?
- [75:50]
Heather McDonald
There any.
- [75:50]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Put flowers on her, you know, give her a champagne glass. I mean, she's, you know, she's like that.
- [75:56]
Heather McDonald
Now, were there any guys.
- [75:57]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And more conservative. Much more conservative than I am.
- [76:00]
Heather McDonald
Were there any guys. Don't get too specific because we want people to watch the show. But were there any guys that like, off the bat, you both were kind of like maybe had your eye on.
- [76:12]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
We did. Which you'll see on the show.
- [76:14]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [76:14]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
There's one guy in particular that we all have our eyes on.
- [76:16]
Heather McDonald
Okay.
- [76:17]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
But you know you gotta peel back the layers of the onion, don't you?
- [76:20]
Heather McDonald
Right.
- [76:20]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And hopefully not cry.
- [76:25]
Heather McDonald
And then we have Ashley Darby.
- [76:27]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Oh, hot.
- [76:28]
Heather McDonald
Is she not?
- [76:29]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
She's gorgeous. I know. I can't say sexiest. She's big. Oh my God. We were in the gym every morning together because she works out like I do.
- [76:37]
Heather McDonald
That bod.
- [76:37]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Oh my God, her ass is like. You can have a meal on her ass. I mean, you can sit a play. Yeah. I mean she is gorgeous. In great shape and gorgeous. And sweet. So sweet.
- [76:48]
Heather McDonald
Now she has been honest about that. She doesn't necessarily have a conventional heterosexual love life. Kind of like a little. Let's bring in a third person. I'm a little bit bi though. The third person thing she said didn't work for her with her husband. After a while, once she became her mom, became a mom. But I wonder, was that like intriguing or did that play out?
- [77:14]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You know, I didn't really know that about her. Uh huh. Yeah. So I didn't really know that about her. I didn't know that she was more fluid in that way. Yeah, but. So I didn't really. It didn't really come up. It didn't really cross my mind. But. But she likes to sing, which I didn't know.
- [77:30]
Heather McDonald
That's right. Yeah.
- [77:31]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And she's a good singer. So we just connected because, you know, she's athletic, she's sweet and. And she likes to sing. So you know. There you go.
- [77:40]
Heather McDonald
So does the show have like those moments, like a housewife moment where you're having your time with each other as girls and sharing? That's great.
- [77:48]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah, no, it's. We were, you know, really, the drama was mainly with the men. Right. So it's. We're each other's wingman, really. I mean, we would. I'll give you an example. We would go on a date, and I would. Because we could have multiple dates. Right. So. And sometimes a group date. Right. So I'd get into a guy just for her. Like, peel back the layers, doing my homework for her. You know what I'm saying?
- [78:12]
Heather McDonald
Get the. Get the score.
- [78:13]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Get the scoop and.
- [78:14]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [78:14]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
See how I feel about him. And we did that for each other. So it wasn't necessarily because I'm interested in him. I'm interested in him for you.
- [78:21]
Heather McDonald
Yes. Wow.
- [78:23]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah.
- [78:24]
Heather McDonald
Interesting to see how it all plays out. This was the host.
- [78:27]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Was.
- [78:28]
Heather McDonald
Was the host. So now, I mean, you probably can't say anything, but there was. Obviously, there's a controversy there that after the taping, he expressed on social media some disenchantment with one of the other girls.
- [78:45]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Got you. I like disenchantment.
- [78:47]
Heather McDonald
Not you. And she. It was Shannon. Then she responded, like, pretty shocked. Like, yeah. I thought we ended on a great note. And I kind of was fascinated because I was like, this is another one.
- [78:59]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Of those moments where you shouldn't press send.
- [79:03]
Heather McDonald
You shouldn't press send. You need to put the phone away. You need to think about it.
- [79:07]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Don't drink and text and. Yes.
- [79:09]
Heather McDonald
And getting to that, since we're just talking about, you know, a mistake. You know, people make mistakes.
- [79:16]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I mean.
- [79:17]
Heather McDonald
Right. But throughout.
- [79:17]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
People make mistakes. He made a huge mistake, obviously.
- [79:19]
Heather McDonald
Yes. When you're on a public show like that.
- [79:21]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Of course.
- [79:22]
Heather McDonald
But throughout Housewives and stuff, there's been intense reunions, and I should be the host. Oh, maybe you could be the host. Why not? Why not?
- [79:32]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I should be the host.
- [79:33]
Heather McDonald
Okay. And then. Okay, so let's. Okay, let's talk about that for a minute. Lou is the host.
- [79:39]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yes.
- [79:39]
Heather McDonald
Who are.
- [79:40]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I'm the one that can help these women navigate the guys.
- [79:43]
Heather McDonald
Let's cast the next one with you as the host.
- [79:45]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Okay, done.
- [79:46]
Heather McDonald
Well, let. Who would be good? There's so many single ladies now.
- [79:50]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Oh, yeah. Well, let's see. Dorinda.
- [79:53]
Heather McDonald
Great.
- [79:54]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Sonia.
- [79:55]
Heather McDonald
Yes.
- [79:56]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
She needs a man. Dorinda needs a guy. Okay, that's two. I can cast this really quick, I think. Erica, James, Garcelle.
- [80:05]
Heather McDonald
Oh, well, you think? Okay, let's talk about Garcelle.
- [80:08]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
She just freed herself up. So she's free.
- [80:10]
Heather McDonald
Yeah. Garcelle. I. That would be amazing.
- [80:14]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Kyle.
- [80:15]
Heather McDonald
Yeah. Who knows?
- [80:16]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Because she's done. Cass is already.
- [80:19]
Heather McDonald
She's not. We don't know what's going on.
- [80:20]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
We don't know what's going on there.
- [80:21]
Heather McDonald
I don't know what's going on.
- [80:23]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
That's my cast.
- [80:24]
Heather McDonald
What I. Okay, let me just go back a second. So, as you know, Garcelle left. And when we saw it, it was. You know, she gave a great little video of like, thank you, and it's not goodbye forever, because I'm going to do Love Hotel with Louis.
- [80:39]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Correct.
- [80:40]
Heather McDonald
But she just kind of was like, okay. And she does have a lot of other projects. She's a writer, producer, you know. Yeah. Actress, associate, things going on. But then when I watched the reunion, there really were. Was this moment, like, throughout these. I know you guys have these long, wicked days, you know, of everything where they said in the beginning of the reunion, she said, and we're definitely getting a cast photo this time. And by the end, they go up to get the cast photo, and she's like, I'm out. And she has since unfollowed the cast members, which is a real deliberate movie. Which is. Which tells me you want some press from that. Because if you no longer friends with somebody and we're all on Instagram, and I always say this, you can just mute them for a month. If you just are like, I don't want to see the wedding I'm not invited to.
- [81:28]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Right.
- [81:28]
Heather McDonald
Just mute them. Like, your mental health. Don't need that. But when you like, then you kind of, you know, the. The fans are gonna unknowingly remove. Yeah. You know, the fans are gonna figure it out. You know, it's gonna get out there, and it's a big statement. And so, I mean, I think in her case, she's happy with her decision of not doing the show next year. But I wonder if, in your experience, was there ever times where you had to talk yourself out of, like, completely saying F off or sending a two way.
- [81:58]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I'll tell you when that moment was. I'll tell you exactly when that moment was. When they were all against me in Miami. I didn't bring back the truffle fries. Okay. I couldn't go for a swim. I couldn't go see my poster. No. Right. And then Life is not a cabaret. Right. I walked out that same. I left the table.
- [82:17]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [82:18]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Because I was. And I was crying. All right? So I go out to the sidewalk. Producers are out there. They go, get back in. Pick up your chin and get back in. That's what he did. And it took a lot for me to walk back in that. Because they were all against me.
- [82:33]
Heather McDonald
And why were they good that was the.
- [82:35]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Because they were just so jealous. They really were so jealous because you.
- [82:39]
Heather McDonald
Were doing this thing that was actually.
- [82:41]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah.
- [82:42]
Heather McDonald
Successful and it was working out. And they probably. Probably, you know.
- [82:46]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
They didn't like it.
- [82:47]
Heather McDonald
Right?
- [82:48]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
They didn't like it.
- [82:49]
Heather McDonald
And I feel like, you know, Bethany is very successful and stuff, and she probably was like, fuck, why didn't I think of doing this? Well, listen, she likes to be funny and everything. She probably was like, I could have done something like this. Not singing and stand up is a completely different thing. But I'm just thinking, I wonder if.
- [83:05]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
She'S like, stand up. She could do. Right. She could do stamp, but you can't really.
- [83:08]
Heather McDonald
I mean, you can do it.
- [83:09]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Well, she tried to do a talk show that failed, so there you go.
- [83:13]
Heather McDonald
But, yeah, she probably was like, this is like kind of a genius thing.
- [83:16]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Uhhuh. Well, yeah. And, you know, I saw her last summer. Okay. I'm walking to a party. It's like this big agent, and I see Lee Shriver. Lee Liv. Sh.
- [83:30]
Heather McDonald
Walking hot actor.
- [83:31]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
John Ham.
- [83:32]
Heather McDonald
Love him.
- [83:32]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
John Ham, too. They're walking in.
- [83:34]
Heather McDonald
Oh, he's got a new.
- [83:35]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Is walking in. Okay. Andy Cohen's walking out. I see Andy on the way out, and I go in and Bethany's there with her daughter Bryn. And she says, you know, Bryn's a big fan of yours. Would you take a picture? And, like, Emma Roberts is there, comes up to me, who made Exile Frances on social media. On Instagram, she put Exile. Anyway, so Emma Robert walks in, and Bethany's got this moment with me and her, et cetera. And so she takes pictures, et cetera. And she goes, you know what, Lou? I guess life is a cabaret, isn't it? So she concedes to me, finally, after all this time.
- [84:06]
Heather McDonald
Yeah, yeah. I think in all the time, it's all in good fun. It's like. I think what it is, is everybody is in. You know, you and she are both very successful and doing your own thing. So you can look back at the times that might have been hurtful, whether they were on camera or not, and kind of be like, we're all doing okay. And that's what's great about, like, getting to a certain age, too, in life.
- [84:30]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah. And nobody died. I mean, we almost died in Cartagena, but that's a whole nother story of that boat trip from hell.
- [84:35]
Heather McDonald
Yeah. That always keeps coming up.
- [84:37]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah, well, you know, I do. I do. I'm doing a couple shows now. I'm doing cabaret. And I'm doing also a Show where it's. I call it the Loonaverse. And it's all about, you know, these stories, which we don't know the backstory.
- [84:50]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [84:51]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Which I mean, you know, you know, Sonia was in diapers. I mean, we got so ill on that trip. We almost got killed on the boat. Sonia was in diapers. We had, like. We had, I'm going to call it projectile diarrhea. That's what happened. It was bad.
- [85:04]
Heather McDonald
That was Columbia, right?
- [85:05]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Oh, yeah, that was Cartagena.
- [85:06]
Heather McDonald
Oh, Cartagena.
- [85:07]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Cartagena. Yeah, exactly. So anyway, so I put together clips, Clips of the show, which I get into, which is, you know, the picture with Bethany.
- [85:15]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [85:16]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Okay. That she took. That she didn't take. But I can't tell you who took it because you have to come to my show to figure out.
- [85:22]
Heather McDonald
Get the scoop.
- [85:23]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Get to get the scoop. So I'm doing that kind of a show because, you know, some venues can't hold the piano, grand piano, a drum set and, you know, and a bass player. Right. So I kind of miss a smaller audience and with showing these moments. And then I do with the moderator and I show, like, the most incredible clips from over the course of the years and. And tell the story, which is my story.
- [85:47]
Heather McDonald
Right.
- [85:47]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Which people don't know.
- [85:48]
Heather McDonald
So that's a great idea. Wait, I can't even. Tinsley.
- [85:53]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah. You know, she really landed on her feet, didn't she?
- [85:58]
Heather McDonald
How great that. How great was that?
- [86:00]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I love that story.
- [86:00]
Heather McDonald
That is a Cinderella story. That. That's a housewife Cinderella story.
- [86:05]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
That is a wonderful story because she.
- [86:06]
Heather McDonald
Ended up being on this show coming off of, like, the mug shot with the bad Botox.
- [86:11]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I was there. I was in Florida when that happened to her. And I saw her getting her nails done. We knew each other before. I've known Tinsley for years. And she had this Cuban boyfriend, the Sugar family. Very rich, very rich. But 30, and she was approaching 40. Okay, what do I do? And, you know, he was 30. He was 30.
- [86:31]
Heather McDonald
Oh, okay.
- [86:32]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Good luck with that.
- [86:33]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [86:34]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Gazillionaire. 30 years old and hot. I 10. This is trouble.
- [86:39]
Heather McDonald
It's going to be hard.
- [86:40]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And she got arrested shortly after that.
- [86:42]
Heather McDonald
She had what?
- [86:43]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
She got arrested after that because they.
- [86:44]
Heather McDonald
Got in a fight and she showed.
- [86:45]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Up at his property or person stuff. She went to her things and he wouldn't let her in, so she got arrested. I mean, stupid. But, you know, I was there. I've known her since then. I've known her for a long time.
- [86:56]
Heather McDonald
Right.
- [86:56]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And so I'm So happy for her because here she is. That shitty situation with Sonia in the townhouse didn't work out great for her.
- [87:02]
Heather McDonald
Right.
- [87:02]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And then. And then, you know, she just wanted to have kids and be a mother.
- [87:06]
Heather McDonald
And she was with the coupon king.
- [87:07]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And she was the coupon king, Scott. He was no good.
- [87:10]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [87:11]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
So here this man who's handsome.
- [87:14]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [87:14]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Good looking, tall, the rich, and his wife dies of cancer. He's got three young little children that could be hers because they're all little blondies.
- [87:21]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [87:22]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I mean, I'm so happy for her.
- [87:25]
Heather McDonald
I'm so happy. I think I still follow her. And she doesn't post much because she's having this great life. But something will come up and I'm.
- [87:31]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Just like, look at her go.
- [87:34]
Heather McDonald
So great. And I mean, I love it.
- [87:38]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Makes me want to cry of joy.
- [87:39]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [87:40]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Seriously, I love that.
- [87:42]
Heather McDonald
Yeah. Well, I know you can't, like, tell us what happened, but I'm excited to see the Love Hotel and everything that you have going on because it's, like, so great.
- [87:53]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
The Love Hotel is gonna be, I think, epic for Bravo because it's the first dating show, really, for them. Right.
- [88:00]
Heather McDonald
It really kind of is.
- [88:02]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
It's the first dating show they haven't done dating.
- [88:03]
Heather McDonald
It's a pretty genius idea.
- [88:05]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Well, you know, it's about time.
- [88:07]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [88:07]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Like, this has been on my mind for years as we spoke about this before, didn't we? Years ago.
- [88:12]
Heather McDonald
Right.
- [88:13]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You know, a lot of housewives have become single. Well. Because it's tough to be married and do that.
- [88:19]
Heather McDonald
I remember when you told me about an idea like this, and it was a couple years ago when we were in the Hamptons and we went to your house.
- [88:25]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
That's correct.
- [88:26]
Heather McDonald
And you.
- [88:27]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I picked you up in my convertible.
- [88:29]
Heather McDonald
Convertible. We went on the boat. We, like, had lunch.
- [88:32]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
That's right. It came out of my boat.
- [88:33]
Heather McDonald
Yes. And so I do think this is a great idea. I do think. I really. What? I don't understand. I'm going to put it out there. Okay. Because I. And, you know, I'm sure whatever that was a fun choice of who they chose to be the host turned up. But I believe that, you know, when the Bachelor started, they had the host. It was just a guy, and the host was his wingman. He was currently the age. You know, that's how it started. So I think. Yeah. If the girls.
- [89:07]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
The Golden Bachelor. You're talking about.
- [89:08]
Heather McDonald
No, the original Bachelor.
- [89:10]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Right.
- [89:10]
Heather McDonald
With Chris Harrison.
- [89:12]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah.
- [89:12]
Heather McDonald
When the original bachelor was this guy Alex, and they picked Chris Harrison because they were similar in age. So he was the host, but the wingman. And then it went on and they had the girls and everything. My point is, like, it should be you. It should be someone who embraces dating after divorce and can give advice and fun.
- [89:33]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah. Real advice.
- [89:34]
Heather McDonald
Real advice. And, like, that's kind of where I'm like, with a lot of these shows, too. I'm like, I wish there was more women also behind the scenes in, like, in leading the lifestyles of, like, more relatable. Because maybe it wouldn't go right to say that mean, snarky thing. It might go to, well, how do you feel? Because she was there for you at this time, but now you. You're. You're feeling like she's not listening. Like, I don't know. I just feel like. I don't know. I think that's kind of why the shows have somewhat gotten off track, is because the shows are for women. And I wonder, like, we need mentors.
- [90:11]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You know, look, I talk about Honey Child. You know, Honey was my mentor. You know, she guided me. She guided me. Right? So, you know, I feel that mentorship is something that's fallen to the wayside these days. You know, people need to have mentors and people that they can get advice from and.
- [90:27]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [90:27]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
That they look up to, that they like the way they live their lives, etc. You know what I mean? Like, not afraid to love or take a chance. So, you know, I think that's so important, and we don't have enough of them today. And I agree with you, that host should be more involved in terms of. Let's. Okay, let's just read from the teleprompter.
- [90:46]
Heather McDonald
Right?
- [90:46]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Let's get in.
- [90:47]
Heather McDonald
I think that's really fun.
- [90:48]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
But I know, like, Shannon, like, why Shannon? Why is it always this kind of guy? Right? Not to say from the Love Hotel, talking about in general.
- [90:56]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [90:56]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Her history of dating. Right now she's got to look at a girl with her guy across the table, and they're getting married. I'm like, girlfriend, how does that happen? But, you know, this guy is just a piece of shit, this guy. Right. Sorry.
- [91:12]
Heather McDonald
But it is. It is great.
- [91:13]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I mean, what kind of a guy would do that?
- [91:15]
Heather McDonald
First of all, it's just. It's. Yeah, it's just. It's just the history of her life. Like, it's just. Holy Shannon. It would have. Like, you couldn't write it. Like, that's what's so great about the Bravo universe shows.
- [91:29]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You can't find Ramona anywhere. I mean, where are you gonna find a Ramona?
- [91:33]
Heather McDonald
Yeah. How. Ramona's doing great.
- [91:35]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
She's doing great. She's got a wealthy boyfriend.
- [91:38]
Heather McDonald
Loving life.
- [91:38]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Loving life. Living her best life. And so I'm happy for her.
- [91:42]
Heather McDonald
You know, she called the other me the other day.
- [91:44]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Oh, she did?
- [91:45]
Heather McDonald
And I was like, out of the blue. Yeah.
- [91:47]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Oh.
- [91:48]
Heather McDonald
I go, hello. And she goes, hi. You know, I just got back from Aspen and I have two tickets to the boat show. And I know it's last minute, but I'd love to take you. And I go, ramona, this is Heather McDonald from LA. I'm the comedian. And she goes, oh, my God, I thought you were my other friend Heather from Dunn and Dunh. And I'm like, listen, if I had a jet, I would be at the. I would be at the Palm beach show in like a hot second. And I'm like, please invite me next time.
- [92:15]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Oh, my God, how funny.
- [92:16]
Heather McDonald
It was just. But that's how it started. It wasn't even like, how you doing? It was just like, I got tickets, girl.
- [92:20]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah.
- [92:21]
Heather McDonald
Put on your shoes.
- [92:22]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Go and swear.
- [92:23]
Heather McDonald
The rich men's are. We're going to find the zaddies.
- [92:25]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Exactly. Well, that's what I love about Ramona. You know, I always say that she's great. People are like, oh, Ramona, whatever. But Ramona is actually really the most fun. She'd be the first one to take off her clothes and jump in the pool.
- [92:37]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [92:39]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
As long as she has her noodles.
- [92:40]
Heather McDonald
Yeah, Noodles.
- [92:42]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
A swing. But will never be the same without noodles. I mean, she's hysterical. I. I get a kick out of her now.
- [92:49]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [92:49]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I mean, all those years I filmed with her, I'm telling you, she. She was also not easy to deal with. Right. But she's changed a lot also, you know?
- [92:57]
Heather McDonald
Yeah.
- [92:57]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
She's gotten softer with time, you know, it's.
- [92:59]
Heather McDonald
It's so great. Well, listen, you have.
- [93:02]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
We could talk all day. We could talk all day, but let's talk more Cabaret.
- [93:06]
Heather McDonald
Everybody go see Luann and not have a good time at her shows. I don't know any.
- [93:14]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
It's always new. People think they're seeing the same show. It's not the. Like, next year I'll be out with the Love Hotel.
- [93:19]
Heather McDonald
Right.
- [93:20]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Which is not the Love Hotel. It'll be my iteration of the Love Hotel. But in music, you know, so it all be about, you know, and it's.
- [93:26]
Heather McDonald
Just fun because it's like.
- [93:28]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And heartbreak too.
- [93:29]
Heather McDonald
Get. You know, get one person or five people, whatever. It is fun. If you could Get a little group together and, you know, enjoy.
- [93:38]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Yeah, it's just, it's just, it's so much fun. You know, I love to do what I do, which is the other thing. It's like, you know, people like, oh, you're traveling, you're doing all these dates. Oh my God, so much work. But I, I love what I do. So, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm excited by it. So, you know, that makes it a lot easier. And they're my story, so I don't really have things to remember except.
- [93:57]
Heather McDonald
And with all the travel I know you can't reveal because there might be a man in your life based on the show. Is it hard to make a relationship work when you're on the road all the time?
- [94:09]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
You know, I think that when you love somebody, you have to set them free so they do what makes them happy. Right. And if you love somebody that much, then you stick around. Right. So. So we'll see what happens.
- [94:23]
Heather McDonald
Everybody go.
- [94:24]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
I can't tell you.
- [94:25]
Heather McDonald
I know you're already following the Countess. It's Countess Luann on Instagram and her dates are there. And I'm. There's going to be city. If you can't see her at this tour, there'll be another one. And if you haven't gone before, you gotta go. And if you. And if you're already gone, then you've probably gone three or four times. Like me.
- [94:43]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Exactly. And that's what's great because my fans keep coming back because I do put on a new show. You know, I change my show all the time because my life changes.
- [94:51]
Heather McDonald
Yeah, right.
- [94:52]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Like last year I. Right. The Love Hotel was just a figment of the imagination.
- [94:56]
Heather McDonald
Right, Right.
- [94:57]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
And. And so, you know, you know. Manifest. Manifest. Because life is a cabaret. You just never know what's gonna happen. Happen.
- [95:06]
Heather McDonald
Yeah. I love it. Thank you. Thank you, Luanne.
- [95:09]
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Thank you, darling.
- [95:10]
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