LadyGang Podcast: Lucy Hale (May 5, 2020) — Detailed Summary
Episode Overview
This episode of LadyGang brings on actress Lucy Hale as a guest. The hosts—Keltie Knight, Becca Tobin, and Jack Vanek—chat with Lucy about quarantine life, her new show Katy Keene, navigating Hollywood, self-image, and advice for listeners. The tone is fun, candid, and honest, with a focus on the real challenges (and weird silver linings) of lockdown, the strangeness of fame, and embracing who you are—unfiltered brows and all.
Opening Banter & “Good Week/Bad Week” Segment
[01:11–14:37]
Quarantine Life & Beauty Fails
- The hosts discuss at-home beauty struggles in quarantine: too-short bobs, fading Botox, and learning new languages.
- Keltie laments her haircut:
"I cut a bob and then I kept cutting the bob and then I cut it more and now it's too short. And now all I want is long hair again." (00:00)
- Becca details quarantine birthday celebrations and a parade for a neighbor's 10-year-old:
"A line of cars for a different birthday...It was for some like 10-year-old kid down the street. It was epic." (03:02)
- The hosts discuss overindulging in quarantine—drinking, water intake mishaps (too much water causes stomach pain!), and accidentally reverting to teenage habits.
“Good Week/Bad Week” Highlights
- Jack’s good week: becoming a craft cocktail maker.
- Becca’s bad week: realized too much water (and straw sipping) can cause stomach issues.
- Keltie’s good week: feels the nostalgia of scheduled TV nights, looking forward to shows like The Masked Singer.
- Becca:
"Sadly, my Wednesday night is also exciting because I have gotten sucked in again to The Masked Singer...this show is the dumbest shit I've ever seen in my life, but I can't wait to watch it." (09:33)
Quarantine Reflections
- Hosts confess they're tired of their own company:
“I hate myself. I hate myself so much.” – Keltie (13:39)
- Becca notes the struggle of feeling one-dimensional during isolation.
- They talk about regressing to old habits, trouble motivating for “early” appointments, and how even small tasks feel overwhelming.
Main Guest: Lucy Hale Joins
[17:43–42:44]
Welcome and Icebreakers
- Keltie gives an elaborate, funny introduction for Lucy, listing her awards and achievements, joking about her Instagram-famous brows.
- Lucy laughs:
“That might be the best intro I have ever gotten.” (18:35)
- They joke about the fate of her “seven surfboards” (Teen Choice Awards)—she rarely actually gets to keep them.
Quarantine with Lucy
- Lucy is quarantined solo except for her dog, Elvis—whom she’s become increasingly obsessed with:
“I bought him a car seat on Amazon the other day...I think I’m driving him crazy, though.” (19:33)
- She notes she’s discovering she’s more of an extrovert than she realized:
“I always thought I was an introvert...But now I figured out it's because I'm always surrounded by people...I actually need human connection. I'm losing it.” (20:26)
- The hosts commiserate, acknowledging that quarantine has made them all self-reflective (sometimes painfully so).
Lucy’s Career & Katy Keene
- Keltie praises Katy Keene as a stand-alone series, not just a Riverdale spin-off.
- Lucy explains the Katy Keene premise and her experience working/living in New York for filming:
“Katy Keene was actually my first time living and working there, and it was the best thing that's ever happened to me. It, like, totally broke me out of my shell.” (22:12)
- On taking show “souvenirs”:
“Funny thing...you don't get to keep anything because these are both Warner Brothers shows...they put them into, like, a rotating vault.” (22:57)
- Fashion talk: Keltie gushes over Lucy’s red carpet looks, especially her “mint green” Critics Choice Awards dress.
Beauty Mishaps & Embracing the Natural
- Brows are a big topic:
“I was very tweezer happy at probably, like, 13, 14, 15...I got lucky that they grew back. Now, especially during quarantine, [I] just let them go wild.” (23:54)
- Everyone admits to discovering new quirks—gray hairs, mustaches—thanks to lockdown and a pause in beauty routines.
“If you don't mess with your brows, you also are not taking stock of your face. And you have a mustache.” — Keltie (25:02)
Fame, Typecasting, and Social Media
- Lucy discusses the double-edged sword of TV stardom:
“People will always see me as Aria from Pretty Little Liars and that's totally fine. Like, what a good problem to have. But it's kind of my job and it's been my challenge to sort of change the direction a little bit.” (27:02)
- She and Becca agree that moving on from “teen roles” can be tricky in Hollywood, especially with young-looking faces.
“I'm 30 years old. People don't know that...I'm kind of in this, like, in between age where I can't play a teenager, but no one believes you as anyone's mother.” (28:29)
- Lucy reflects on handling public scrutiny and online trolling, especially regarding body image during her Pretty Little Liars years:
“There was a phase...I was obsessed with what people were thinking...but now, honestly, I just want to do good work and be surrounded by good people.” (39:04)
Fun Tangents: Post Malone and “Jeans Man”
- Lucy admits to being strangely attracted to Post Malone:
“I'm not a super fan of Post Malone, but I am sexually attracted to Post Malone...I think that's what it was. It's like, you don't expect him to be so personable and genuine...” (30:00)
- The hosts hilariously recount “Jeans Man,” a mysterious bedazzled-jeans-wearing gym-goer who inexplicably captured Keltie’s attention.
Advice Segment: “Questionable Advice”
[31:52–42:17]
Lucy offers advice to three anonymous listener dilemmas:
1. Quarantine Dating Gone Cold ([33:09])
- A woman wonders if a guy’s radio silence after they fled NYC means “he’s just not that into me.”
“If guys want to get a hold of you, they will get a hold of you. If they want to talk to you, they’ll talk to you.” – Lucy (33:09)
- The LadyGang agrees: men are straightforward—no games. If he wanted to, he would.
2. Struggling with Personal Style ([35:36])
- A listener, "a retired emo kid" and mom of three, wants to upgrade her fashion game but feels overwhelmed.
- Suggestions: elevate basics with good accessories, find “outfit recipes” online, and copy looks from Instagram or Pinterest.
“If you're in a fashion or style slump, just find pictures of outfits that you like and then you sort of just copy. The beauty of the Internet...” – Jac (36:08) “Literally replicate, you know, street style photos.” – Lucy (36:29)
3. Breaking Up Sister’s On-and-Off Relationship ([41:12])
- A sibling is frustrated by her sister’s toxic, unstable relationship and doesn’t want her name on a shared apartment lease.
- The consensus: You can’t break people up—she’ll have to learn for herself. But they suggest at least trying to keep her name off the lease, and possibly quietly gathering “evidence” if there’s something shady.
“People have to go through their own thing. They're not gonna get out of the bad thing until they reach their breaking point.” – Keltie (41:23)
Fame, Paparazzi, and Survival in Hollywood ([36:45, 38:16])
- Lucy addresses recent paparazzi snaps of her walking her dog sans mask—she recognizes she’ll get trolled, but says:
“You don't see them half of the time because now they have these crazy lenses, and they'll just sit in a parked car with their windows up…it’s weird. They gotta make a living too. I don’t know.” (37:39)
- She explains staying off Twitter is her best tool for self-preservation.
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
On Quarantine Self-Discovery:
“I really just realized how one dimensional I am. Like, I really just scroll through the same thing over and over again. And I thought I would really expand into, like a higher being during this time. And it hasn't happened.” – Becca (13:43) -
On “Frozen in Time” Phenomenon:
"I'm kind of in this, like, in-between age where I can't play a teenager, but no one believes you as anyone's mother." – Lucy (28:29) -
On Hollywood Scrutiny:
“Maybe I’m just, like, so messed up in the head, how messed up in the head I am…But now, honestly, I just want to do good work and be surrounded by good people.” – Lucy (39:20) -
On Relationship Realness:
“If guys want to get a hold of you, they will get a hold of you. If they want to talk to you, they'll talk to you.” – Lucy (33:09)
Episode Timestamps (Highlights)
- 01:11–14:37: Good Week/Bad Week — quarantine shenanigans, introspective moments
- 17:43: Lucy Hale joins
- 18:35: Lucy reacts to Keltie’s grand intro
- 20:26: Lucy realizes she needs people (not an introvert)
- 22:12: Filming Katy Keene in New York
- 23:54: Eyebrow stories and beauty chat
- 25:02: Quarantine beauty “discoveries”
- 27:02: Lucy on breaking out of her “Aria” image
- 28:29: The challenge of “aging” out of teen roles
- 30:00: Lucy (sort of) crushes on Post Malone
- 31:52–42:17: Audience Q&A — dating woes, style tips, meddling in loved ones’ relationships
- 36:45: Paparazzi and mask-shaming
- 39:20: Surviving public scrutiny
Closing Thoughts
- The episode blends humor, vulnerability, and practical advice. Lucy is warm, candid, and game for the LadyGang’s signature relatable irreverence.
- Themes include accepting yourself, challenging beauty/fame expectations, and the importance of supporting women—while also laughing at life’s messiness.