Nobel Peace Prize, Gently Used

Summary

Lovett or Leave It: "Nobel Peace Prize, Gently Used"

Date: January 17, 2026
Host: Jon Lovett
Guests: Robin Thede, Ted McGinley, Michael Urie
Location: Dynasty Typewriter, Los Angeles

Episode Overview

This episode marks the kickoff for a new season of Lovett or Leave It, Crooked Media’s irreverent live show dissecting political absurdities and pop culture moments through sharp satire and celebrity guests. Jon Lovett welcomes comedian and writer Robin Thede, as well as actors Ted McGinley and Michael Urie (from Apple TV’s "Shrinking"), for a night of rapid-fire political commentary, candid therapy-style check-ins, and a spirited debate on the greatest rom-com best friends of all time. The main throughline: America is stuck in a perpetual state of escalation and absurdity, and the only way through is with humor, truth-telling, and the occasional musical about Bigfoot.

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Major Segments and Key Insights

1. Political Satire: America’s Never-Ending Escalation [03:00–15:20]

Themes:

• The futility of escalation in the Trump era; politics as a never-ending cycle (the "Shepherd tone" analogy)
• Ramped-up authoritarianism, government overreach, and public pushback
• Satirical takes on actual news, including ICE blunders, military incursions, and political theatre

Notable Insights & Commentary:

• Lovett uses the metaphor of a "Shepherd tone" to describe the current political environment: "It builds and it builds and it builds, but it builds to nowhere and nothing, like Los Angeles doing road construction." (03:08)
• The absurdity of ICE’s recruitment (inexperienced agents sent into the field due to an AI glitch) and the pushback against it: “Welcome to ICE. Oops, all Paul Blarts edition.” (06:55)
• Lovett highlights the growing opposition to ICE, even among unlikely sources, quoting Joe Rogan: “Are we really going to be the Gestapo? Where's your papers? Is that what we've come to?” (07:42)
• Satire about Trump's diplomatic scandals: “On Tuesday, Greenland's prime minister officially told Trump to go fuck himself. Greenland, big ice.” (09:50)
• The news cycle’s constant, numbing escalation: “Trump's Department of Justice crosses a new line and risks economic catastrophe. There's genuine pushback. The markets trust that Trump will back down even as he doubles down publicly and this escalation doesn't end, it just fades into the background.” (05:30)

Memorable Quote:

“America is for Americans. And that ought to terrify these freaks because Americans aren't for this. And that will always mean however they escalate, we will rise to meet them.”
— Jon Lovett (13:08)

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2. Robin Thede on Relationships, Rom-Coms, and Political Legacies [18:29–35:52]

Main Discussion Points:

• Authenticity vs. performance in relationships and online culture
• Reflections on political change, optimism, and her mother’s legacy in politics
• New projects: acting in "Relationship Goals" and producing a Bigfoot musical

Highlights:

• On modern dating: “Everyone online is not who they are in person, whether they want to be or not...we're all kind of putting our best foot forward or whatever, hiding our psychosis a bit.” (18:47)
• The performative nature of social media relationships: “Anything that feels overly performative is just very embarrassing...If it feels too right, I don't know.” (22:19)
• Personal anecdote: Robin jokes about having 12 boyfriends, using this to riff on the social dynamics of dating apps and public/private relationships.
• On her mother's political journey: Robin details her mother Phyllis Thede's tenure in the Iowa legislature and the emotional swing from the hope of Obama’s election to the “void” at the end of her service.

  “I think the whole political climate on both sides of the aisle was very...kind of hopeless. Right. I mean, obviously Obama's especially first term was all about hope and change... And I think there was just an absence of that.” (24:15)

• Insights on leaving a legacy—and refusing to “erase” history, even the painful parts.

  “No, absolutely not. No, no. [The Trump] portrait has to go on the National Portrait Gallery. We're gonna remember this.” (27:00)

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3. Rom-Com Best Friend Showdown [29:09–35:37]

Segment Structure:

Jon Lovett names iconic rom-com best friends; Robin Thede picks the “best” in a playoff-style tournament.

Final Results:

• Winner: Rupert Everett as George in "My Best Friend’s Wedding"
• Honorable mentions: Arsenio Hall in "Coming to America", Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Along Came Polly" (whom Robin says could've beaten anyone)
• Discussion illuminates the essential role of the “friend” in grounding romantic escapism—and how rom-coms often present love as an obstacle course where everything must be “just right.”

Fun Quotes:

“Tom Hanks is the villain in every film.”
— Robin Thede (31:34)

“I'm not selling my voice just to kiss a man with legs. Okay?”
— Robin Thede, riffing on "The Little Mermaid" logic (33:52)

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4. Therapy for the Host (and You): John Lovett with Michael Urie & Ted McGinley [39:01–60:41]

Segment Focus:

• Lovett asks “therapy” questions about ambition, aging, and self-perception, using the Shrinking cast as stand-in therapists.
• Behind-the-scenes anecdotes about TV acting, animal co-stars, and working with Harrison Ford.

Key Anecdotes & Insights:

• On acting with babies vs. animals: “Babies are great to act with...they’re basically just a living prop.” — Michael Urie (42:40)

• Ted McGinley describes being bitten by a dog on "Happy Days" and working with an orangutan on "The Love Boat." (43:34; 44:47)

• On working with Harrison Ford:

  "You can't take your eyes off Harrison. Jason and I are in the front seat, like, acting our pants off, and he's back there just being a human being, and he's incred[ible]...He goes through every human emotion with just his face."
  — Michael Urie (48:03–48:44)

• Therapy question—on not being able to envision the future:

  "At nighttime, you close your eyes, you picture where you're going to go, how you're going to be in that setting, and you go there."
  — Ted McGinley, prescribed visualization method (46:07)

• On balancing ambition vs. happiness:

  “What I like best about that is, you didn't want to do the work to become less ambitious.”
  — Ted McGinley (49:57)

• On aging:

  “I just don't think this energy works in a kind of wizened form.”
  — Jon Lovett
  “I would say you're not seeing yourself in a real way. It works for you.”
  — Ted McGinley (59:56–60:04)

Self-Deprecating Humor:

• Lovett: “I don’t like some soft little faggy. I want to work.”
• Ted: “I'm like a cockroach. You can't get rid of me. I am a survivor for sure.”

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5. Second Thoughts: Regrets and Jokes at the End [65:01–71:34]

Structure:

Each guest shares things they regret or want to “take back” from the episode, continuing the show’s tradition of meta-humor and candor.

Examples:

• Michael Urie jokingly regrets Lovett comparing ALF to “Harry and the Hendersons.” (65:37)
• Ted McGinley shares about the recent loss of his family home to fire, adding poignancy and realness to the show’s usual irreverence.

  "There are so many blessings, you know, mixed in with this complete chaos...the chaos that goes through your mind. It's crazy." (67:59)

• Robin ribbing Lovett for not engaging in small talk upon her introduction
• Lovett’s honest reflection on internalized language and body image

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Notable Quotes (with Timestamps & Attribution)

• On the perpetual escalation in politics:

  “Politics feels like a shepherd tone...it seems like it's always ascending, but it never actually gets higher.”
  — Jon Lovett (03:08)

• On ICE’s AI blunders:

  “Welcome to ICE. Oops, all Paul Blarts edition.”
  — Jon Lovett (06:55)

• On therapy and being busy:

  “I haven’t been to therapy in about a year and a half because I am so busy.”
  — Jon Lovett (40:26)

• On authenticity in relationships:

  "You can't want the attention you're seeking."
  — Robin Thede (23:09)

• On aging and self-acceptance:

  “I would say you're not seeing yourself in a real way. It works for you.”
  — Ted McGinley (60:03)

• On surviving a fire:

  “There are so many blessings, you know, mixed in with this complete chaos...”
  — Ted McGinley (67:59)

---

Highlighted Moments & Timestamps

• [03:08] Lovett’s "Shepherd tone" explainer, setting the comedic tone for the episode
• [06:55] ICE’s "Oops all Paul Blarts" joke
• [09:50] Greenland tells Trump to “go fuck himself”
• [22:37] Thede on authenticity and performativity in relationships
• [24:15] Thede reflects on her mother’s Obama-era hope vs. today’s hopelessness
• [30:13–33:37] Rom-com best friend bracket, crowning Rupert Everett’s character the winner
• [42:40] Urie prefers acting with babies over animals
• [48:03–48:44] Worshipful recounting of Harrison Ford's star power
• [59:56–60:03] Lovett’s concerns about “aging out” of his own energy, McGinley’s reassurance
• [67:59] McGinley shares about his home burning down in the Palisades fire, finding gratitude amid loss

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Tone and Style

The episode is marked by Lovett’s signature blend of political outrage, rapid-fire jokes, self-deprecating asides, and warm, improvisational rapport with his guests. Serious topics—authoritarian overreach, personal loss, the search for meaning in chaos—are leavened with absurdity and candor, offering listeners both catharsis and comic relief.

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Episode Takeaway

Nobel Peace Prize, Gently Used artfully balances despair and hope, stasis and resistance, with the reminder that authenticity, humor, and human connection offer a way through any “endless escalation”—be it political turmoil or personal aging. America’s for Americans, and laughter, apparently, is too.

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Listen if you want:

• A comedic yet sharply insightful take on the absurdities of 2026 politics
• Heartfelt reflections on family, legacy, performance, and growing older
• Pop culture debates and behind-the-scenes stories from beloved performers
• Self-aware, honest talk therapy—live and unscripted

[Summary by Podcast Summarizer AI, 2026]

Transcript

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[John Lovett]

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[Ted McGinley]

The Federal Reserve, is above the law.

[John Lovett]

But this unprecedented action should be seen in the broader context of the administration's.

[Ted McGinley]

Threats and ongoing pressure.

[John Lovett]

Public service sometimes requires standing firm in.

[Ted McGinley]

The face of threats.

[John Lovett]

It's a dark day in America when even the Federal Reserve chair has to pivot to video. Come with me, Jerome Powell, to try DC's hottest new Korean taco spot as I explain how Erdogan's interference with his country central bank caused the collapse of the Turkish lira. And then it backfired, according to Axios treasury secretary and bottom who pretends to be a top. Scott Besant reportedly told Trump that this was a mess and it could hurt the market. And there was an outcry by business leaders, former Fed chairs, and even a few Republican senators, if you can believe it. Democrats also spoke out, but that doesn't matter. And so this is how this particular news cycle wraps up. Trump's Department of Justice crosses a new line and risks economic catastrophe. There's genuine pushback. The markets trust that Trump will back down even as he doubles down publicly and this escalation doesn't end, it just fades into the background. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, the escalation there continues. Six federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned on Tuesday rather than comply with the Justice Department's push to investigate not Renee Goode's killer, but Renee Goode's widow. Good Lord, at least give her time to bury her wife on a golf course for the tax breaks like a decent human being. That one was hard. I know, it's okay. But also for the first time, According to a YouGov poll, more Americans were in favor of abolishing ICE than opposed to it. And sure, abolishing ICE sounds good, but we have to think about where all those out of work officers would There are only so many gun ranges that will let you tape a picture of your ex wife on the target. The Trump administration is bragging about doubling the number of ICE officers through its recruitment campaign, but there are also reports of plummeting morale and growing ranks of recruits hitting the streets without enough screening or training.

[Robin Thede]

Exclusive reporting about an apparent error in the ICE recruitment system that meant some officers got sent into field offices without proper training. Apparently ICE uses this AI tool to categorize new recruits who have worked in law enforcement before. But there was some kind of a glitch, according to our reporting with it, that led to ICE temporarily putting recruits with little to no experience into a more experienced category, meaning they got less training.

[John Lovett]

Welcome to ice. Oops all Paul Blarts edition. Laura Jadeed, a writer for Slate, managed to get offered a job at ICE despite having never signed or submitted a background check or domestic violence affidavit. Turns out if you tap the action button on the new iPhone, it will toggle focus mode. But if you hold that button down, you do join ice. The Atlantic also reported back in August that the training time for ICE recruits had been cut in half to just 47 days, and the officials chose 47 as the number because Trump is the 47th president. Though if Trump had his way, it would be even fewer days. Homeland Security Secretary and person who would absolutely wear a show stopping white dress to her own sister's wedding. Kristi Noem vowed to send hundreds more ICE agents to Minneapolis as protests continued across the state. But why would an uproar over ICE require more immigration enforcement? It's like a parent who catches their kids smoking so forces them to smoke a whole pack of cigarettes. Or when Noam catches her dog begging for table scraps so she makes him eat a bullet. Meanwhile, images of jumpy, poorly trained, masked agents terrorizing an American city are turning more and more people away from Trump's crackdown. Here's Joe Rogan. You don't want militarized people in the streets just roaming around, snatching people up, many of which turn out to actually be U.S. citizens. They just don't have their papers on them. Are we really going to be the Gestapo? Where's your papers? Is that what we've come to? And sure, the person Joe was asking this question to is a cryptozoologist exposing the truth about Atlantis, but still, it's good stuff. On Wednesday, thousands of children across Minnesota staged a school walkout in protest of ice's presence. That's right. For justice, said the class president. Yes, for justice, said a procrastinator baffled by what the subjunctive is in English, let alone Spanish. As the clock tick ever closer to fifth period and the withering stare of Professora Gunderson. Gotta get out of here. For justice. It's a mood. Grammar has a mood. Harrowing reports of ICE running amok led Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to urge citizens to film ICE agents. Help us create a database of the atrocities against Minnesotans, not just to establish a record for posterity, but to bank evidence for future prosecution. Wow, not even Tim Walls willing to pay for journalism. I feel like we're in the sort of bargaining phase of grief about the future because there was a time where we imagined all kinds of things in the future. Teleportation, flying cars, a replicator that can make any kind of chicken parmesan you want, you know, and now it's just a future where there are consequences. That is like the high speed rail. I don't think we're gonna get it. A future with Consequen, where there remains cause and effect. That's all we really want. Cause and effect. Something to dream about. In response to local leaders standing up to the administration, Trump on Thursday threatened to evoke the Insurrection act, which would of course only make matters worse. And that is so not like him. But we should have Grace. Have any of you tried working from home during a big renovation? It's a poor guy. I'm going to call him anyway. If Trump's goon squad thought Minneapolis was a cold reception, wait till they get to Greenland. On Tuesday, Greenland's prime minister officially told Trump to go fuck himself. Greenland, big ice. I would say Greenland does not want to be owned by the USA. Greenland does not want to be governed by the USA. Greenland will not be part of the USA. So she's interested, concluded Don Jr. On Wednesday, Trump's marry and fuck. JD Vance and Marco Rubio met with the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland and asked after the meeting, Denmark's foreign minister was asked by Fox News if Greenlanders would ever vote to join America. Here's what he said.

[Ted McGinley]

No, not at all.

[John Lovett]

Because I think there's no way that.

[Ted McGinley]

US Will pay for Scandinavian welfare system in Greenland.

[John Lovett]

Honestly speaking, got to Maduro asking this guy, so what are you in for? Speaking of Maduro, Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corinna Machado met with Trump at the White House on Thursday. And great news, Ari. I am getting word from White House officials that Machado insisted that she give.

[Ted McGinley]

The Nobel Medal to the president and.

[John Lovett]

He did accept it. This is of course not how Nobel Peace Prizes work. Or as the Nobel Committee put it, once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time. This is completely humiliating. It's like having to explain to Trump that if you buy Gene Hackman's Oscar from the estate sale, you do not become the best supporting actor in 1992's Unforgiven. How is this real? How is this the actual news? And that's not the only example of escalation this week. The State Department suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 countries. DOJ raiding the homes of a Washington Post reporter. Trump threatening to cut off federal funding to any state that contains a sanctuary city. And Trump saying this about whole milk.

[Ted McGinley]

Actually a legal definition, whole milk.

[John Lovett]

And it's whole with a W. For.

[Ted McGinley]

Those of you that have a problem.

[John Lovett]

I mean, now I have a problem. What? What the fuck is he talking about? But at the same time, a new AP poll found that more than half of Americans believe the country and the economy are worse off since Donald Trump took office. And majorities believe he has gone too far in imposing tariff tariffs and targeting illegal immigration. People are angry that Trump is focused on ballrooms in Danish territories. Is his approval rating is now over 60%. And those signs are all around us, too. Those sounds are rising, too. Open the door. That's terrible. It's terrible.

[Ted McGinley]

What are they pulling around? Look at that.

[John Lovett]

Look at. Let everybody see this. This is nuts. This is fucking. Yeah. And you're right in the middle of this shit. I gotta work in the goddamn morning just like everybody else. I'm just here trying to stand up for community, dude. We're all human beings here. I don't give a shit who you are, where you came from, what color you are. It doesn't fucking matter. This is wrong. Like that guy. During Trump's visit to a Ford plant in Michigan this week, an auto worker said his piece. It can be hard to hear, but the guy calls Trump a pedophile protector and then Trump says fuck you and flips him the bird. It's a tiny little bird, really. Actually, like, shocking. Ford suspended the worker, TJ Seppala, but as of this recording, over $800,000 has been raised for him on GoFundMe. Yeah, you know, the Trump administration on its various right wing social media accounts likes to say America is for Americans. And I know how they mean it, but I'm starting to hear it differently. America is for Americans. And that ought to terrify these freaks because Americans aren't for this. And that will always mean however they escalate, we will rise to meet them. America is for Americans like these fine souls in Minneapolis.

[Ted McGinley]

Christy, go. I want to know why you're so such a.

[John Lovett]

Our voices are rising too. And that's the shepherd tone I'm really loving right now. So we've got a great show for you tonight coming up next. Robin Fe makes me te and we will be right back.

[Ted McGinley]

Hey, don't go anywhere. There's more of Love it or Leave it coming up.

[John Lovett]

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[John Lovett]

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[John Lovett]

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[Ted McGinley]

Oh.

[John Lovett]

And then we tried to clean it, made it worse. Became disgusting. So got to get rid of that. I'm looking at a Quint. Had great rugs.

[Ted McGinley]

I didn't even know they had rugs.

[John Lovett]

I know like I. I have a bunch of tabs open. I've decided yet. Quint good. Could get the nod.

[Ted McGinley]

Maybe we can get a Quint rug for our office.

[John Lovett]

Oh we should. Cuz that thing's also disgusting. Different dog.

[Ted McGinley]

Different dog.

[Michael Urie]

I think couple.

[John Lovett]

Couple variety. Yeah. Yeah. Sort of a m. So go to quints.com Love it for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q U I n c e.com/love it. Free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com love it. Love it or leave it is brought to you by ZBiotics. Let's face it, after a night with drinks, you don't bounce back the next day like this. No you don't. You gotta make a choice. You can either have a great night or a great next day. That is until we found pre alcohol zebiotics. Pre alcohol probiotic drink is the world's first genetically engineered probiotic. It was invented by PhD scientists to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Here's how it works. When you drink, alcohol gets converted into a toxic byproduct in the gut. It's a buildup of this byproduct, not dehydration, that's to blame for rough days after drinking. Pre alcohol produces an enzyme to break this byproduct down. Just remember to make pre alcohol your first drink of the night. Drink responsibly and you'll feel your best tomorrow. We love Zebiotics. I took some. I was in Mexico for a couple days over the break. We just brought them down there so that we could have, you know, a night of. A night of drinking.

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[Ted McGinley]

Hi.

[John Lovett]

Hi. Welcome. Hi. Nice to see you. Nice to see you. Come on in.

[Robin Thede]

Thank you.

[John Lovett]

Welcome.

[Robin Thede]

Thank you.

[John Lovett]

So you're in a new rom com called Relationship Goals.

[Robin Thede]

Oh, getting right to it. Yes.

[John Lovett]

What do you think the main hurdles people are running up against romantically?

[Robin Thede]

Okay. Number one, men. Number two. Sorry, straight men. No, I don't know. I have. You know what is so crazy? Like, I think everyone. I know that wasn't a serious question, but I'm gonna give you a serious answer. I think everyone's confused because everyone online is not who they are in person, whether they want to be or not. You know, we're all kind of putting our best foot forward or whatever, hiding our psychosis a bit.

[John Lovett]

Right. Isn't that what dating is meant to uncover? That's why we do it.

[Ted McGinley]

Yeah.

[Robin Thede]

It's very mysterious. And they can lie. I don't know.

[Ted McGinley]

Right.

[John Lovett]

They do lie, but probably always have.

[Robin Thede]

That's true.

[John Lovett]

That's true. It's a story about who we think we are. I think sometimes when you go on a date, you tell a story about who you think you are, and it's actually you think there's parts that are true.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

And the parts you're trying to kind of exaggerate.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

But even the parts you think are true are a story that's true yourself. And then over time, you figure out what's the real story of this person according to you, which is also not true because it's through your lens, which is also based on your own self conception, and that's also false.

[Robin Thede]

There's always three sides to a story. Right. Yours, mine, and the truth.

[John Lovett]

That's right.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah. That's what I learned in therapy. Why are you so disappointed in my therapy?

[John Lovett]

No, I think therapy is great.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

Okay. I'm just so busy.

[Robin Thede]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[John Lovett]

So busy.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

No, I got it and I don't need it anymore. I needed it for a while.

[Robin Thede]

I feel like in these times, though, it's like therapy is like just a baseline for trying to just keep it together. I don't know. I don't. Is anyone, like, I don't know how people are raw dogging it without some sort of conversation. Doesn't have to be with a licensed person, but at least a friend who listens or something.

[John Lovett]

Well, we have our staff meetings on Mondays.

[Robin Thede]

Okay. Okay. There you go.

[John Lovett]

And that's really usually my space.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah, that's your time to kind of.

[John Lovett]

Work through some stuff.

[Robin Thede]

That's probably an HR problem.

[John Lovett]

Couldn't. Yeah, probably. Now, this fall, Vogue sparked a devastating conversation with an essay that said, is having a boyfriend embarrassing you?

[Robin Thede]

Oh, my God, I loved it. Yeah.

[John Lovett]

And would you say that's the message of the movie, that relationships are great, but you gotta just hang out with Kelly Rowland? No.

[Robin Thede]

And you know what's funny about that article? I love the lady that wrote it. She's now writing a book in Bali, obsessed with her Instagram.

[John Lovett]

Great place to write a book.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[John Lovett]

When I go to Bali, I'll be writing a book.

[Robin Thede]

Why not? It's funny because my girlfriends and I were talking about this article. It was, it was. All of our group chats were blowing up when this came out, and we kind of came to the conclusion that, like, public boyfriends are embarrassing.

[John Lovett]

So, like, putting it forming your relationship.

[Robin Thede]

Formative relationships are embarrassing. Yeah.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. But really. Right. So basically you're saying, like, if you're in a relationship and you're. It seems almost like, why are you posting so much about.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah. These publicly kind of performative relationships where it's like, oh, it's our Instagram account and everything we do is about us. And I don't know, even the family ones are a little cringy to me because I'm like, these kids didn't ask to do this.

[John Lovett]

I worry about that.

[Robin Thede]

I worry about it too. I really do.

[John Lovett]

I worry about what it does to their brains.

[Robin Thede]

So, yeah, I just think performative. Anything that's so performative. I'm not saying you can't post your boyfriend. You can post your boyfriend. But like, anything that feels overly performative is just very embarrassing.

[John Lovett]

But it does. I know what you mean. But then it does raise the question, what isn't performative and what isn't important? You know? And you're, you know what is?

[Robin Thede]

I think authenticity is the bar. Right. If it feels like, oh, you guys just had a fun hike and you posted about it, fine. But if you're like, look at us, everything's perfect, everything's aesthetically pleasing and like, this dinner is perfectly edited the way. I don't know if it feels too right.

[John Lovett]

It needs to come from an organic place of pride and then not efforted. Right. Like an organic need to share because you're excited but without enough self reflection to want the attention.

[Robin Thede]

That's right. You can't want the attention you're seeking. I know.

[John Lovett]

I don't know.

[Robin Thede]

It's why I literally just. I don't know. I avoid that altogether. I don't post any relationship stuff.

[John Lovett]

I remember somebody said this also, all.

[Robin Thede]

My boyfriends would find out about each other, and that would be very embarrassing.

[John Lovett]

How many boyfriends do you have?

[Robin Thede]

About 12.

[John Lovett]

12. Wow, that's a lot. I got juggling 12 different ones. That's so cool. That's so cool. You get to try so many fun restaurants.

[Robin Thede]

So many restaurants.

[John Lovett]

Wait, your mom, Phyllis Thede was an Iowa state representative from 2009 to 2023.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

Which extends from Obama one to Trump two.

[Robin Thede]

Yes. Yes. Quite a ride. She was. Yeah. Seven terms. And in the House, they have to run every other year, so every other year is an election year, which is insane. And she still managed to get work done, which was great.

[John Lovett]

What did she learn about politics? What changed about what she thought being a politician was versus what it turned out to actually be?

[Robin Thede]

Well, I remember being with her in 2008 when she got elected for the 2009 term and Obama won the same night. And it was just such an incredibly high high, you know? And then I remember being with her on the last election night when she lost her seat and there was a massive red wave in Iowa and, you know, a state had gone from blue to purple to red in those 14 years, and it was just so different. I think the whole political climate on both sides of the aisle was very. I don't know. I don't. Frustrating isn't the word, but kind of hopeless. Right. I mean, obviously Obama's especially first term was all about hope and change and all of those things. And we still felt that even as he was leaving. And I think there was just an absence of that. There was just no kind of. I don't know, it felt very arid. I think when she left, if that makes sense.

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Robin Thede]

There was a void of.

[John Lovett]

I feel like when Obama wins in 08 and then 12, it was part of a kind of feeling of, oh, we're like, we're heading into the future.

[Robin Thede]

Yes.

[John Lovett]

And that he represented a change that was happening. And in hindsight, actually his singular talents were overcoming a backlash, in part stirred by the fact that he was black, but also just larger people creating a.

[Robin Thede]

Backlash that I see the likes of. I mean, you know, it's wild. It's wild. And I think that that regression or that shift to whatever we're in now was so evident, and I think she was kind of glad to retire when she did. But she definitely worked hard the whole time and never gave up and always tried to work across the aisle. But, you know, so they have to put up a picture of the current president, and they have to say the Pledge of Allegiance to it. Did you guys know this?

[John Lovett]

And so the pledge of the flag, I would hope.

[Robin Thede]

Well, I guess the flag's there, too.

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Robin Thede]

But when they put the Trump picture up, she just. It was such a sad day. It was just so weird. The whole thing just felt very weird, very odd.

[John Lovett]

I remember we were at a live show, and for Ponte American, there was a person in the audience that asked a question, and it was something like, after he's gone, can we take down all the portraits and can we kind of erase it?

[Robin Thede]

No.

[John Lovett]

And it was like, no, no, absolutely not.

[Robin Thede]

The portrait has to stay.

[John Lovett]

Absolutely not. No, no.

[Robin Thede]

It has to go on the National Portrait Gallery. It has to.

[John Lovett]

We're gonna. No, it's forever.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah. We're gonna remember this.

[John Lovett]

This door locked behind us.

[Robin Thede]

Babe, it locked and burned.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. And wait. And speaking of unreality in the sense that we're living in what seems like an impossible and almost and surreal situation, you're producing an Off Broadway play about Bigfoot with Amber Ruffin.

[Robin Thede]

Yes, Bigfoot.

[John Lovett]

Remember? Remember Harry and the Hendersons?

[Robin Thede]

Yes, I remember Harry and the Henderson.

[John Lovett]

Remember alf? There were two different shows at the same. Roughly the same.

[Robin Thede]

I was a massive ALF fan. But ALF was an alien.

[John Lovett]

Alf was an alien. Yeah. Right. Small. Yeah. Furry.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

And very big.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

Big, furry.

[Robin Thede]

Much more Sasquatch.

[John Lovett]

Bigfoot.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

What's the difference between Bigfoot, Sasquatch and Yeti?

[Robin Thede]

I'm so glad you asked that. So a yeti is more of a polar, or is it Himalayan? Well, sure, but he's mountainous and he's cold and he's white.

[John Lovett]

Cold and white, yes.

[Robin Thede]

Yeti and Sasquatch and Bigfoot are often confused, but a Sasquatch actually has longer hair and a much more of a me. I have no idea what the difference between Sasquatch is. Right. So obviously I've done no research, but I do know enough to tell you that Amber Ruffin has written one of the first funniest musicals. And it's like a 90s rock musical. Like, it's so freaking funny. It's like Spamalot, Book of Mormon. Like, very farcical and silly, but with a big heart. And Gray Henson, who played Elf on Broadway, is playing Bigfoot. And it's just the funniest. It went to, like, Edinburgh and stuff. Over the past couple years, all these festivals and won everything and now it's going to be off Broadway.

[John Lovett]

And you're telling me backstage is pretty graphic sex scene in it?

[Robin Thede]

Well, a few, yeah.

[John Lovett]

So, Robyn, in honor of your of relationship goals in which you are a friend.

[Robin Thede]

Yes.

[John Lovett]

A friend to the rom com kind of couple. Will they. Will they Ing and won't they?

[Robin Thede]

Yes.

[John Lovett]

It's time for a segment we're calling. Oh, this is my emotional support person.

[Robin Thede]

Ah, wait a minute. Of a Griffin.

[John Lovett]

What the heck?

[Michael Urie]

That's good.

[Robin Thede]

I like this.

[John Lovett]

So here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna give you two rom com besties and you pick your favorite of the two.

[Robin Thede]

Oh, great.

[John Lovett]

Okay. And then we'll go up against the next one and so on.

[Robin Thede]

Yep.

[John Lovett]

Keep in mind you do not know which best friend is coming next. Are you ready?

[Robin Thede]

I'm ready.

[John Lovett]

All right, first up, we have Awkwafina as Rachel's college roommate in Crazy Rich Asians. And we have Paula Patton as Morgan in the 2010 Queen Latifah Common rom com. Just right.

[Ted McGinley]

Oh.

[Robin Thede]

Now what am I judging this on?

[John Lovett]

Who you just your.

[Robin Thede]

Your pick who is the better friend?

[John Lovett]

Who do you want? Who is you? You can just choose.

[Robin Thede]

Well, Awkwafina was a mess. Her character was a mess in that movie. So I. I guess I'm gonna have to go with Paula Patton.

[John Lovett]

Great. All right, next up. All right, we have now we have Paul Patton as Morgan vs. Arsenio hall as Semi in Coming to America.

[Robin Thede]

Arsenio hall, the hands down, my favorite movie of all time.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, it's when he gets the hot. What was it about that hot tub?

[Robin Thede]

Oh, my God, so funny. No, how about when he plays the woman on the speed dating. I mean, like all of them playing multiple roles, but Arsenio does not get enough credit for how funny he is in this movie.

[John Lovett]

So good. I love that apart. Yeah, it's a rental too. They get the hot tub in there?

[Robin Thede]

Yes, yes. And then the landlord takes it over when he has to. Yeah.

[John Lovett]

So good. All right, now we have Semi versus Monica Calhoun as Quincy and Monica's mutual friend Carrie in Love and Basketball.

[Robin Thede]

Oh, oh, okay. Love and Basketball is a classic. I still gotta go with Semi because he, he rode for his friend doing the craziest things and really, you know, and really rode for himself because he wanted to get all the perks of being the friend of the prince. But yeah, I'm still gonna go with Semi.

[John Lovett]

I support that. Next up, Sammy versus Dave Chappelle as Joe's bookstore manager, Kevin. And you've got mail.

[Robin Thede]

I thought you were gonna say Dave Chappelle and Robin Hood. Men in tights. And then I was gonna. Or even half baked. And I was gonna give you both of those. But I'm gonna stick with semi.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, I think that's right. I think that's right. I think that's right. Tom Hanks is the villain in that film, by the way. I just wanna be clear about that.

[Robin Thede]

I have a theory that Tom Hanks is the villain in every film.

[John Lovett]

Oh, interesting. Even Captain Phillips, the.

[Robin Thede]

Think about it. Forrest Gump. Think about it. He did Lieutenant Dan wrong. Just saying.

[John Lovett]

You know what I learned there? If anyone says something to you with a kind of authoritative.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah, yeah, you'll get the.

[John Lovett]

That cues them. Yeah. I'm worried about what just happened. I'm worried about that.

[Robin Thede]

Convince them of anything.

[John Lovett]

All right, now we have semi versus Carrie Fisher as Sally's desperate bestie Marie in When Harry Met Sally.

[Robin Thede]

Oh, but Carrie Fisher has so many other good roles I could pick her for.

[John Lovett]

What is she. Has she ever been another rom com bestie?

[Robin Thede]

Well, Star wars is a rom com.

[John Lovett]

Right. But she's falling in love with her brother.

[Robin Thede]

That's true. That's true.

[John Lovett]

That's the beauty. Oh, no, it's Harrison Ford. I know that. I remember.

[Robin Thede]

I still. A semi. It's my favorite movie.

[John Lovett]

It's your favorite movie.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

So good.

[Robin Thede]

I'll change at some point. If you pick one, there is one person that could beat him.

[John Lovett]

Okay, let's see if we get there. Next up, it's. It's Rupert Everett as George in My Best Friend's Wedding.

[Robin Thede]

You know what? I'm gonna have to go with Rupert Everett. He was a great friend in that movie. And she was a mess. And she had no business being the lead of that movie. I think she. And I love Julia Roberts, adore her, but she was wrong in every way in that movie. Yeah, but he was a great friend. He was a great friend to her.

[John Lovett]

That movie is very much. It's funny because it's like, from the perspective. It's obviously so from her perspective, but it's also kind of from the perspective of like. It's as if the movie isn't aware of what real relationship.

[Robin Thede]

Right? And at some point somebody goes, no, no, no. They're gonna root for her to ruin her best friend's life. I don't know. But Rupert Everett is amazing in that movie. He's amazing.

[John Lovett]

It's sort of this quality of Rom coms, even the great ones, which is that they treat the possibility of ending up together as, like, everything has to be just right.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah. Literally. A movie called just Right.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, but how? Like, in, like, the Little Mermaid, like, if they're ever gonna kiss, everything has to be just right. I know, but, like, when people want to kiss, they kiss.

[Robin Thede]

They kiss. And I'm not selling my voice just to kiss a man with legs. Okay?

[John Lovett]

And that's so important.

[Robin Thede]

All I need your voice. She was like, what? Also, great movie.

[John Lovett]

She needs. You know what? Her best friends really let her down. You know why? Because Flounder and the Crab, they just don't. They're not. They don't. They're just not. They're betas. They're betas.

[Robin Thede]

Yes. Yes.

[John Lovett]

They're betas.

[Robin Thede]

They do not have enough life experience.

[John Lovett]

It's unbelievable. All right, now we have Rupert Everett as George.

[Robin Thede]

Yes.

[John Lovett]

Versus Queen Latifah as Sidney's supportive cousin Francine in Brown Sugar.

[Robin Thede]

No. Rupert Everett. And I love Dana. I love Queen Latifah. Sorry. No, I still got to go with Rupert Everett. And I love Brown Sugar.

[John Lovett]

Who do you think is the best then? Who would have beaten. Is there anyone that could beat.

[Robin Thede]

Yes. Philip Seymour Hoffman. And Along Came Polly.

[John Lovett]

That's so interesting.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

Wow.

[Robin Thede]

He was so funny and so useless as a friend that he actually drove bad decisions that led to good decisions. And so I just. I just also love him and miss him. He's just fun to watch.

[John Lovett]

He was very good. He was also great in Mission Impossible.

[Robin Thede]

He was fantastic in Mission Impossible. To think that he could be that horrible child actor turned whatever he was in Along Came Polly versus Mission Impossible is like the range and Boogie Nights. And Boogie Nights. And didn't he play some. Who was the artist? He played not Andy Warhol, but some. Anyway, he's an icon. What was it?

[John Lovett]

Capote.

[Robin Thede]

Thank you. Truman Capote.

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Robin Thede]

It was amazing.

[John Lovett]

Well, the winner is Rupert Everett as George. Relationship Goals is on Amazon prime on February 4th. Up next, they're from shrinking, but my excitement is growing. All right, we'll be right back. Thank you, Robin. Robin will be back at the end of the show. Thank you.

[Ted McGinley]

Hey, don't go anywhere. There's more of Love it or Leave it coming up.

[John Lovett]

Love it or Leave it is brought to you by stamps.com, it's staggering that to this very day, many small business owners are still making post office runs or are stuck with expensive postage meter releases. It's ridiculous. 2026.

[Ted McGinley]

What?

[John Lovett]

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[Ted McGinley]

They're feeding it Mice?

[John Lovett]

Yeah, fish doing the Charleston. What are you talking about? The point is you get 60% off your first order plus free shipping when you head to smalls.com love it. Smalls cat food is protein packed recipes made with preservative free ingredients you'd find in your fridge and it's delivered right to your door. That's why cats.com named Smalls their best overall cat food. Starting with Smalls is easy. Just share info about your cat's diet, health and food preferences. Then Smalls puts together a personalized sampler for your cat. No more picking between random brands at the store. Smalls has the right food to satisfy any cat's cravings. After switching to smalls, 88% of cat owners reported overall health improvements. And wait till they gave it to the cats. Then it got even crazier. It's a big deal and the team at Smalls is so confident your cat will love their product, you can try it risk free. That means they will refund you if your cat won't eat their food. Make 2026 your cat's healthiest year yet. Take advantage of their new year Special and get 60% off your first order plus free shipping when you head to smalls.com lovett one last time. That's 60% off your first order, plus free shipping when you head to smalls.com loveit. And we're back. Great news. We've checked and your health insurance covers our next two guests, please welcome to the stage from Apple TV shrinking, Michael Urie and Ted McGinley.

[Ted McGinley]

Hi.

[John Lovett]

Thank you for being here. Look at this. Pleasure. Wow.

[Ted McGinley]

Thank you.

[John Lovett]

And have you here both. Hello.

[Ted McGinley]

Hi, everybody.

[Michael Urie]

Ted McGinley, everybody is. Look at that.

[Ted McGinley]

TV's Michael Ury.

[John Lovett]

Now, you don't play therapists on the show.

[Ted McGinley]

No, sorry, neither of us do. Thank you for noticing. Yeah, nobody would let me do that.

[John Lovett]

I don't think either one of you has therapist energy.

[Michael Urie]

No, no, we're basket cases now.

[Ted McGinley]

Hang on a second. Well, but I think that Derek has this. He has this really understanding energy. So he is just very accepting Derek, but will almost believe anything. So I think that he wouldn't make it as a therapist.

[John Lovett]

Well, that's perfect.

[Ted McGinley]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

One of the cool things about the show is I think, though, that sometimes the people who aren't therapists are sort of filling a void of therapy for the therapists. Like, whenever we get the scripts, I always look at the scenes and I think, am I on the couch or am I with the pad? Like, which role am I playing in this particular scene?

[Ted McGinley]

Yeah, that's well said because, you know, that's very true. Like, often sort of off the ice, we become the therapists for the therapist. And I keep saying, well, you guys seem more crazy than all of us.

[John Lovett]

Well, I think that's a great way into how we're going to be doing this segment because as I did mention earlier, I haven't been to therapy in about a year and a half because I am so busy.

[Ted McGinley]

I love that.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. So tonight I'm going to ask you about your incredible careers and ask you some of the questions. I've been saving up for a therapist in a segment we're calling But Michael urie and Ted McGinley. I am Pagliacci. That killed me. All right, Michael, the shrinking cast had an addition, and I understand that this involved you working with sort of a new member of the cast.

[Michael Urie]

Oh, yes. Okay.

[John Lovett]

And this was a small number. Tiny actor, the cast. How'd that go?

[Michael Urie]

What a setup.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. I do a bad job.

[Michael Urie]

No, it's great.

[John Lovett]

Hey, so there was a baby this season.

[Michael Urie]

And that was.

[John Lovett]

What was that like? Spoiler.

[Michael Urie]

My character has a baby, which is.

[John Lovett]

Am I not supposed to know that? No. Is that spoiled? Can you spoil a show about therapy?

[Ted McGinley]

No, it's like they fucking.

[John Lovett]

They kind of figure it out.

[Michael Urie]

No, not at all. My character has a baby this season, and I. And so. And there was a really funny moment in this previous season where we were sort of toying with the idea of a baby. Like, they brought a baby on set and was like, will this guy be able to have a baby? My character's, you know, not exactly. He doesn't seem like the kind of person who should be a father or should have a baby. And that's kind of like my arc.

[Ted McGinley]

Great.

[Michael Urie]

It's a great arc, and I. And I love playing it. And at one point, we were trying to work with this baby in season two, and it was crying a lot because that happens. That's what babies do. And one of the crew guys. One of the crew guys was like, please don't let them give you a baby next season.

[John Lovett]

Well, they say, you know, babies and animals can be tough.

[Michael Urie]

Okay. But I want to say. I want to push back on that a little bit. John, if it's okay, you can. I think it's children and animals. I say babies are great to act with.

[John Lovett]

Right. Because they don't have any say.

[Michael Urie]

That's right. That's right. They're basically just a living prop, and.

[Ted McGinley]

You always look like an angel holding a baby. You can't go wrong.

[John Lovett]

You can't go wrong. You can't go wrong.

[Michael Urie]

It's gonna do something cute and then be like, a little shit and make you look bad or. A dog is trained. You know, working with animals is weird because they're not like regular animals. They're trained. And so they're looking at their, you know, their handler off camera, and it's like, not. It's not fun at all.

[Ted McGinley]

It's really hard to work with animals. And the trainer. Because the trainer, if you're having a scene, we have a thing called an eye line, where you don't want anybody in your eye line while we're working opposite each other because they want to focus on you. But when you're working with an animal, the trainer's back there going. And you get. It's like, up, up. Me or the dog? I don't know who we're talking to. They drive you nuts because now you.

[John Lovett]

Were bit in the crotch by a dog.

[Ted McGinley]

Yes.

[John Lovett]

On Happy Days.

[Ted McGinley]

Yeah, you want to talk about. You want to talk about shrinking. So on Happy Days. And this is where I learned, like, you have to really. You really have to trust the actor holding the animal. So the worst thing you do is give an actor almost anything, but you give him a deadly animal. And then this guy.

[Michael Urie]

Who was it?

[Ted McGinley]

Who was holding the animal so well? No, he was a guest star. He was a very big, strong guy. And he's holding this huge dog that was supposed to come after me. And he had a chain on him. The guys hold him like this. And as you start acting, everybody sort of relaxes and it goes. And all of a sudden, that dog comes out. He's supposed to do this. And he comes after me, and the guy's supposed to hold him. He doesn't grab the dog and he grabs my crotch right here. Thank God I was going the other way. And other words, it would have been the other circumcision. It was brutal. Literally, it scared me to death. I would be living on an island in Bimini right now, doing pretty well with my own jet, but a little shorter.

[John Lovett]

Now, there's no video proof that we could find, but you were also perhaps on the Love Boat with an orangutan.

[Ted McGinley]

Yes. Yeah. So I've worked crazy.

[Michael Urie]

We'll be on set and we'll be talking about something, and he'll be like, yeah, that's when I dance with the Andrew Sisters on the Love Bar. That's like, what? Wait, go back. What? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I work with Joshua Gabor. Oh, sure.

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

He's got the craziest stories.

[Ted McGinley]

My problem is that I don't remember them until you start talking about them. Like, oh, yeah, I forgot about that. But I've worked with the. I've worked with a bear. I've worked with a wolf. I've worked with an orangutan. And they're like, don't look them in the eyes. Well, how am I going to work with them?

[John Lovett]

Well, that's the way to talk about Harrison Ford. All right, now, I do have a therapy. Here's my first therapy question. I feel like I can't envision the future. Like, I can make plans but then someone says, are you looking forward to that? And I was like, I don't know how to do that. What is that, you think? So, like, I plan for the future. And then they're like, are you looking forward to that trip? And it's like, well, I know we're gonna do fun things, but I have no image of it in my mind. I don't think about it that way.

[Ted McGinley]

So when you go to sleep at night, you don't close your eyes and you don't imagine where you're gonna go?

[John Lovett]

No.

[Ted McGinley]

Well, let's work on that.

[John Lovett]

This is good.

[Ted McGinley]

I think that's the beginning.

[John Lovett]

I'll work on it.

[Ted McGinley]

At nighttime, you close your eyes, you picture where you're gonna go, how you're gonna be in that setting, and you go, there.

[John Lovett]

I'm gonna try that. Thanks for nothing, Michael Urie.

[Michael Urie]

I'm a basket case. I can't help you.

[John Lovett]

Now you're both veteran TV actors and is it a pain to have to work with kind of snooty film actors like Harrison Ford?

[Michael Urie]

No, he's awesome.

[Ted McGinley]

He is.

[Michael Urie]

He's really cool.

[Ted McGinley]

I like to say that Michael Urie is a master class in acting. He truly is so gifted. And to just get to stand next to him is a miracle. Harrison, you work with Harrison. I had a real problem with Harrison because he kept saying, I mean, I grew up loving everything he's ever done. Love all his movies. And yet you have to work opposite him. I didn't have scenes directly with him once in the first season. I did, but have had more since. And I couldn't get past the fact that that's Harrison Ford, you know, I mean, it was so hard for me. And finally off camera, he puts you at ease so much. And he's really like, he's the youngest guy in the city. He's a bad behaved 16 year old. And so it's really fun. He's an amazing force. But when you work with him, you realize, now I see why this guy is who he is. He's a master.

[Michael Urie]

Oh, we had a scene. Jason and I had a scene within. We have a scene this season where we're doing something pretty crazy in the front seat of a car and he's in the back seat. And we found out about it a couple of weeks before it was happening.

[Ted McGinley]

My favorite scene of the whole year.

[Michael Urie]

Is it.

[Ted McGinley]

Yeah, Love it.

[Michael Urie]

It's a really cool scene. And Jason and I got so excited about it. We were told a couple weeks early, this is coming down the pike. Just Letting you know. And we were so excited. And we didn't tell Harrison what we were gonna do. And in the script, it didn't explain what was gonna happen.

[Ted McGinley]

And it's a two shot here and then. And then Harrison right here in the middle. So you're watching him while these guys go.

[Michael Urie]

And Jason and I are going for it. We are shooting this, and we're like, in a car in Pasadena. We're driving around, and we are going for it. We are, like, having the best time. It's so fun. It's so funny. And they send us the dailies, which they don't usually do, but this was such a special shot that they sent us the dailies. And you can't take your eyes off Harrison. Jason and I are in the front seat, like, acting our pants off, and he's back there just being a human being, and he's incred. I was like, he's incredible. He goes through every human emotion with just his face, words at all. He's sad, he's giddy, he's afraid. He does, like, everything back there. And you realize that's why he's a movie star.

[Ted McGinley]

He's the master.

[John Lovett]

He's so interesting.

[Ted McGinley]

He really is.

[John Lovett]

That thing, what is that? That thing that draws your attention, that movie star charisma, that way his face does stuff. You're like, I want to watch that face.

[Ted McGinley]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

It's like, I think. What?

[Michael Urie]

It's partially like. I know that he's thinking, but I don't know what he's thinking.

[John Lovett]

Yes.

[Michael Urie]

And I want to know.

[Ted McGinley]

That's right. You can't always tell what's going on in there. And it's so compelling that you just keep going for more. And you never know what he's going to do. I mean, he's a lot of fun to be around.

[John Lovett]

Now it's time for another therapy question.

[Ted McGinley]

Close your eyes.

[John Lovett]

I know on some level that a less ambitious version of me would be happier, But I will not do the work to become that less ambitious version of me, because I am currently that ambitious version of me. And this version of me doesn't want to surrender control to that happier me, because it might stop me from becoming some undefined, most successful version of me, which is what the current me wants for my future. Even if that happier me, if allowed to exist, will know that this current desire was misplaced and would be glad I didn't pursue it. Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

Ted, do you want to take that?

[Ted McGinley]

Yeah, I would. Well, that's an easy one. What I like best about that is, you didn't want to do the work to become less ambitious.

[John Lovett]

That's right.

[Ted McGinley]

I don't.

[John Lovett]

I don't like some soft little faggy. I want to work. What am I going to do? Like, you know, have a hobby. What could that be? Will it get me any attention?

[Ted McGinley]

What are your hobbies? I. I would like to know.

[John Lovett]

I mostly do this.

[Ted McGinley]

Well, you're good at cook.

[John Lovett]

I do like to cook. I'm learning to cook.

[Michael Urie]

That's not a hobby. That's a need. You have to cook, you have to eat.

[Ted McGinley]

And your specialty, your area of expertise.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, like, mostly like food and stuff. Different kinds of food. Okay, okay.

[Michael Urie]

Okay.

[John Lovett]

Michael, I want to ask you about your show Younger, which was. You were on Younger, and it starred Sutton Foster and Hilary Duff. And in season five, Hilary Duff's character dates a fake Jon Favreau, who's my co host on Pod Save America named Jake Devereaux, who's part of an obviously fake Pod Save America podcast. There is also a Jewish man named Levitt. And then. And then we have the picture. So here's Jake Devereaux, very handsome. Now here's Levitt. And then that's my third co host, Tommy, played by a woman named Charlotte. What was that about?

[Ted McGinley]

Michael, you want to handle this one?

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

Well, I think that they were trying to show that. I don't fucking know. I wasn't in that episode. I was a recurring guest star. I don't know. I think. I think this is. I think this is a. This is something that you should talk to your therapist about. This is another example of a reason why you need to get back.

[John Lovett]

Not enough time.

[Michael Urie]

This bothers you. And also, by the way, this is an adorable person.

[John Lovett]

I look good now. I'm good. I think Tommy. Tommy really got. Tommy. Tommy got a race. That's Tommy Erasure. Oh, on shrinking.

[Ted McGinley]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

Now you've been. You've acted across from Candice Bergen, Jeff Daniels, and Harrison Ford. Who is the worst of the three actors?

[Ted McGinley]

Me, by far. That is. Imagine like these are all rock stars and the fact that you get to work opposite them is. Yeah, it's pretty special. It's not lost on me. And by far. If you're going to pick the worst, you're looking at.

[John Lovett]

But see, then. But you're one of the legends that people must feel that way when you're standing across from them. What does it feel like to be that for people? They're like, oh, my God, it's Ted McGinley.

[Ted McGinley]

I've never experienced that I really want to, but I. I haven't experienced.

[Michael Urie]

I was so excited to meet you.

[Ted McGinley]

When I started this. So not true. But. But, you know, you work on this set. The people that come in you. Michael J. Fox this year came. Is coming in. Michael J. Fox is. I've known him when I was on Happy Days at Paramount. I would see him on the lot. We've circled each other for years. And he's such a talent comedically. And you realize there are many, many movies now that I've realized would never have been made without him saying, I will do it. I went to his Parkinson's benefit. They've raised $2 billion in 20 or 25 years. If I was afflicted with that, I would be sitting in a dark closet crying all day and no one would benefit. Someone like Michael is so courageous and so generous and the fact that what he's done for mankind is so beautiful and that Harrison plays side by side with someone who deals with it on a daily basis in a moment to moment basis. It is a very special part of the show this year. And it's gut wrenching to watch.

[Michael Urie]

It was really magical having him around.

[Ted McGinley]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

And I just want to say that I think that when you get Parkinson's, you're going to do great stuff with it. I. I.

[Ted McGinley]

You know what?

[John Lovett]

Thank you. Sorry.

[Ted McGinley]

I mean, what else can I say?

[John Lovett]

Thank you very much.

[Michael Urie]

It's not contagious.

[John Lovett]

Right. And that's so important. And that's part of the awareness.

[Ted McGinley]

Well, I've.

[John Lovett]

That's important to remember. I didn't know if that was okay. And I've done it and it's done.

[Ted McGinley]

It's okay. I wash my hands all the time, so.

[John Lovett]

Hey, did you realize when you were unmarried with children that we were all gonna end up living in Al Bundy's America?

[Ted McGinley]

Kind of had an idea. Yeah. Yeah. It was a great place to be. That. That show was fun. We had a lot of.

[John Lovett]

We had.

[Ted McGinley]

It was a unique experience because they were sort of the anti everything. And I was having this conversation today that the Bundys were sick in that it was us against them. We are the opposite in that it is the world we are just living in. This dark world, the soup that we all live in all the time. But we're there for each other. The Bundys are kind of like that, but it's a very small group. So it was a weird analogy that talking to people about it. I think that Al Bundy. I love that Ed o' Neill got to move on. To Modern Family, because I think he didn't want to die as Al Bundy, as great as it was, you saw him move on. He's a brilliant actor.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. That show. It's funny because Married With Children, I was talking with Hallie, who's our head writer, and we both had the same experience, which is. It was the one show we were not allowed to watch as kids. Yeah, same. There was something about it that. There was something about it really, really freaked the squares.

[Ted McGinley]

Yeah. You know, it's funny, my parents were so excited when I got on Happy Days, and then I went to the Bundys, Married With Children. They freaked out, like, what is this? And then when I had kids, we wouldn't let them watch the show. And by the time they were old enough to watch the show, you know, it was so tame. By then they could care less.

[John Lovett]

Curious about. I would actually kind of want to go back.

[Ted McGinley]

Family Guy and.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, Family Guy. Yeah. Compared to what. What it was like Marry the Children was seen as so, like, edgy and dangerous for Casey.

[Ted McGinley]

Yeah. I don't think my kids have ever seen it, to be honest with you.

[John Lovett]

Wow.

[Ted McGinley]

In fact, I don't think they've ever seen anything I've done. And neither is my wife. She just learned my name today. But that they've watched Shrinking and. And that's pretty cool.

[John Lovett]

You know Michael.

[Ted McGinley]

They like Michael.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, everybody likes Michael. I saw, you know, Mary, and you were fantastic.

[Michael Urie]

Oh, cool.

[John Lovett]

You were so great in Omari.

[Ted McGinley]

I saw him in Richard ii and he was phenomenal.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. But not as funny.

[Ted McGinley]

You know what I was like. He was pretty funny. Yeah, it was. That's what he found in this.

[John Lovett]

You found. You found the comedy in Richard ii. Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah. That's cool. We got some laughs. It was cool.

[John Lovett]

But it wasn't as funny as Omari.

[Michael Urie]

Not as funny as Omar. Omari is like the most perfect play. It's so brilliant. It's so smart. It's so funny. And it was. There are these wonderful surprises that happen during the show and the way the audience would react to the surprise. I would get, like, hard as a rock. It was so fucking cool just to, like, let me a surprise on 900. People who have no idea what's coming or if they've seen it before, they're so ready for it.

[John Lovett]

It.

[Michael Urie]

That play is like drugs. It was. It was so exciting.

[John Lovett]

It was really, like, riveting. It was just a riveting experience.

[Michael Urie]

And how amazing was Jinx Monsoon? Jinx Monsoon was my Mary. She's brilliant. I've worked with Sutton Foster and Patti LuPone and Mercedes rule. I've been on stage with, like, some giants and Jinx is like that. Working with Jinx is like working with a stage titan.

[Ted McGinley]

Sitting right here. Just saying. Sitting right here. Go on.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah, you'd be really good in a play. You should do.

[Ted McGinley]

I don't have the courage.

[Michael Urie]

No, you'd be great on stage.

[Ted McGinley]

I don't have the courage, but you're.

[John Lovett]

Constantly putting yourself down and, and this is not your session. It's. It's mine, but it's something I want to deal with later. I want to start to focus on that in your session. Yeah, I don't.

[Ted McGinley]

You know, it's been a long career. It's been. I've. It's been brutal, you know, so come on, You're.

[John Lovett]

You've. You've been in it the whole time. You've been. You've. This business has changed around you 15 times and you're still fucking crushing it.

[Ted McGinley]

What are you talking about? I'm like a cockroach. You can't get rid of me. I. I am. I'm. I am a survivor for sure. I'm a fighter and I'm still here, and I'm very proud of that.

[Michael Urie]

You should see the crew loves Ted more than any of us. Even like Harrison, when Ted walks on the set, the crew lifts off the ground six inches. He's the Pied Piper. Everyone loves him so much.

[Ted McGinley]

You're like, that's very sweet. That means a lot to me, because I do. The crew has become. On our set, they are one of the characters. We actually use the crew for the reaction constantly. Right?

[Michael Urie]

Yeah, totally.

[Ted McGinley]

And we can trust them. They have our back. And so I always see myself as one of the crew members. And I will be probably after.

[John Lovett]

It's funny, it's kind of a truism, which is that especially early, if I think of some of the iconic roles you had earlier on, you were kind of a world class handsome prick, I should say.

[Ted McGinley]

Yeah, but. Yes, but it's. I was a prick.

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

You're like the poster child for prick.

[Ted McGinley]

And by the way, I love being the prick.

[John Lovett]

Can you not say, I am handsome. You don't do that. You don't acknowledge that you're a very handsome man.

[Ted McGinley]

Come on. One time I might have been.

[John Lovett]

All right.

[Ted McGinley]

But I. But, you know, I'm growing into my character self, which I enjoy. Yeah.

[John Lovett]

Oh, you're your character self?

[Ted McGinley]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

You go handsome actor to character actor. That's the transition. You're in the middle of the. Well, it's interesting because that really comes to my next therapy question, which is, on some level, I don't believe my personality works in an older body. And right now, my only plan is to pretend not to notice that I am aging. Do you think there are other approaches? Like, I just don't think this energy works in a kind of wizened form.

[Ted McGinley]

I would say I. I would say you're not seeing yourself in a real way. It works for you.

[John Lovett]

Oh, wow.

[Ted McGinley]

Yeah. That bond is perfect. Get better and better, Michael.

[John Lovett]

Urie. Useless.

[Michael Urie]

I'm trying to get a word in. It's impossible up here.

[Ted McGinley]

All right, all right, let's just.

[John Lovett]

Sorry, sorry, sorry. Michael.

[Ted McGinley]

Here it goes.

[John Lovett]

What are you gonna do to fix me?

[Michael Urie]

I want you to close your eyes and imagine yourself as a shriveled, old, wizened comedian, quote, unquote comedian.

[John Lovett]

And sister.

[Michael Urie]

Is it fun? Is it still cute? And is it working? And I think the answer's gonna be yes. I think yes.

[John Lovett]

Okay, that felt good. Thank you for helping. Thank you for helping.

[Ted McGinley]

Wow, you are broken.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

All right, we have to leave it there for now. This is so much fun. I keep talking, guys. So we gotta go to the next thing. Michael and Ted are in season three of Shrinking, which is on Apple TV, premiering on January 28th. We will be right back. Robin's gonna join us. We'll be right back.

[Ted McGinley]

Hey, don't go anywhere. There's more of Love it or Leave it coming up.

[John Lovett]

Love it or Leave it is brought to you by Willy's Remedy. Are you tired of waking up hungover and worried about what happened last night?

[Ted McGinley]

Not since 2010.

[John Lovett]

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[Ted McGinley]

Wow.

[John Lovett]

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[Expedia Narrator]

L I. Olivia loves a challenge. It's why she lifts heavy weights and likes complicated recipes. But for booking her trip to Paris, Olivia chose the easy way with Expedia, she bundled her flight with a hotel to save more. Of course she still climbed all 674 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower. You were making to take the easy route. We were made to easily package your trip. Expedia made to travel flight inclusive packages are atoll protected.

[John Lovett]

And we're back. Everybody please welcome Robin Thede back to the stage.

[Robin Thede]

Finally, finally a standing ovation. I deserve.

[John Lovett]

Robin's gonna join us much. Thank you so much Ted and Michael as well. Now before we get to our final segment, one note. We have our down under tour pod. Save America is going down under for our hopefully just visiting tour. We are heading to Auckland, New Zealand on February 11 and then three cities in Australia. Melbourne on February 13, Brisbane on February 14. Sydney on February 16. It's a rare chance to see us upside down.

[Robin Thede]

That's where the sasquatches are.

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Robin Thede]

Australia.

[John Lovett]

Everybody go to crooked.com events. Also to my friends in New Zealand. We did not know when we booked the show that it was the one night Lord was also playing in Auckland.

[Robin Thede]

Oh, you're screwed. You're Screwed.

[John Lovett]

And so listen, here's the thing. Whatever she's gonna sing that night, it's on Spotify. No.

[Ted McGinley]

I say do the show from the parking lot.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah.

[Ted McGinley]

Take advantage of it.

[Robin Thede]

Just tailgate the Lord concert.

[John Lovett]

It reminds me of that old joke that ABC's new hit show is just showing Seinfeld on a smaller screen. That's what we'll do. Come to the Pod Save America show.

[Ted McGinley]

We'll put Lorde up there in New Auckland.

[John Lovett]

But please come see us if you're in the area.

[Robin Thede]

If you faint, Lord, please.

[John Lovett]

Events. All right. We wanted to end the show tonight with something a little bit different. Something we're calling second thoughts. I've said dozens of things.

[Robin Thede]

I'm always so businessy in these.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. So interesting. I've said dozens, if not hundreds of things tonight, many of them I already regret. And so it's time for us all to offer second thoughts right now. So throughout the show, the Love it or leave it team has been keeping tabs on things they wish I hadn't said. And so we now have a list of those second thoughts. Michael, do you have any second thoughts about tonight?

[Michael Urie]

I cannot believe that you compared ALF to Henry, Harry and the Henderson.

[Robin Thede]

Right, right. Very different creatures.

[Michael Urie]

Little alien and Harry and the Hendersons is a giant. Is a giant Bigfoot. And I was. I was offended.

[John Lovett]

I.

[Michael Urie]

Honestly, I was offended as a child. I was. I grew up on the both of those. I love both of those. And there's nothing. There's nothing. It would be like. It's like apples and oranges, honestly. And I think it's more like a.

[John Lovett]

Little, kind of mean apple. Big, nice apple.

[Ted McGinley]

I agree.

[Robin Thede]

Are you calling ALF mean?

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Ted McGinley]

How dare you? Well, yeah.

[Michael Urie]

I mean, what are you, a cat?

[Robin Thede]

Yeah, I get it.

[John Lovett]

Right. What are you, a fucking cat?

[Robin Thede]

See, ALF hated cats.

[John Lovett]

He ate them. He ate them. In a sense. He liked them.

[Robin Thede]

Yes. He ate them.

[John Lovett]

Yes. Cats hated him.

[Ted McGinley]

I can't believe you watched alf.

[John Lovett]

I loved alf.

[Ted McGinley]

I never watched it. It was.

[Robin Thede]

Well, I'm a puppet, too, so anything with puppets.

[Ted McGinley]

By the way, so is Jason Siegel.

[Robin Thede]

Yes.

[Ted McGinley]

He loves his puppets, so I didn't watch it just because it was a puppet.

[Robin Thede]

Yeah, that's fair. Did you watch Dinosaur?

[John Lovett]

Not highbrow enough for Ted McGinley. He was busy. I'll be watching LA Law. Thank you.

[Ted McGinley]

I love it when Corbin Bernson pulls in in his convertible Porsche.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. Wow.

[Robin Thede]

You're gonna get hooked. You're gonna go buy the DVD box set. You're gonna get hooked.

[Ted McGinley]

The DVD as soon as you can.

[Robin Thede]

Find a DVD player.

[Ted McGinley]

So I have to tell you, we're Palisades burn victims. So they're going through. All of our house is still there, but it's a shell. But they're going through all of our electronics and they're going to give you a value of your electronics. And I have 50,000 of the DVD machines and all that. They gave me $200 for like, oh, my God, literally for 15 machines.

[John Lovett]

Hey, my TV is a little bit broke. Mind if I drive my TV over to your wreck and throw it in there? Yeah, well, it's just the insurance company.

[Ted McGinley]

We got these massive giant dumpsters in front of our house and people keep driving by and saying, well, what's in there? I said, pretty much everything we love. You know, they.

[John Lovett]

I'm really sorry your house burned down. Our house is standing, but the inside.

[Ted McGinley]

They have to get rid of all got ruined. Anything soft goes because the doors blew open, right? Was our doors blew open or somebody came through and front and back door. So. But we're the lucky ones. Like everybody we know has lost pretty much everything. And I have never, almost never had a better year than we had last year. So there are so many blessings, you know, mixed in with this complete chaos. But we. It is interesting. You kind of learn what when you have to make that choice. My poor wife had to make the choice. What are you going to take? And the second day, Billy Bush. I snuck in in a press car with Billy Bush, and I went to our house and the fire was all around us. And so I said, well, what should I get? And I had my giant. All the photos of my career and the book. You know, I had this, like, scrapbook of all these. And I thought, well, if I get that, I have to get my wife's. And I don't know if we have room in the car. So I had to choose to leave my stuff there. And the only thing you could take is your kid's stuff, obviously, but it is. These are things that you. In those moments, the chaos that goes through your mind. It's crazy.

[John Lovett]

One other thing I regret from this show is that I did make Light of the Fire thing a few minutes ago, and then it turned into a really kind of moving thing about what you saved. And I shouldn't have done that, probably because it's a big, important moment, you know, in his life.

[Michael Urie]

Look at you acknowledging that.

[Ted McGinley]

I don't think that's proud. And I also don't think you should regret something that works out well. I thought that worked out really well. That's what you told me to say, right?

[Michael Urie]

That's right.

[John Lovett]

Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

[Ted McGinley]

That was it.

[John Lovett]

Oh, Robin. It says here that when you came out, I didn't do any kind of small talk with you. I jumped right into, so you're in a new movie, which seems like something I should have worked out if we should have had more of a human moment at the time now.

[Robin Thede]

But we've met each other before. This isn't. I've done this podcast. I've known you for a while. That. We don't need that.

[Ted McGinley]

I thought the transition was a little awkward. I thought I was sort of. I was like, whoa, is that how this is going to go? Is it go now? Yeah.

[Robin Thede]

And I did comment on it at the time. I did say, wow, jumping right in. So you know what? I take it back. I hate you.

[John Lovett]

I'm trying to learn from the feedback. Hey, Michael, do you think it was a mistake when I called myself a faggy little. No, I think I've internalized something. I should work.

[Michael Urie]

I like that. I like owning that word. I think that's our word. We're going to take it back and we're going to use that word. I mean, I'm using the word.

[Robin Thede]

I have one.

[John Lovett]

Oh, what? Yes.

[Robin Thede]

You played that God awful sound too much.

[John Lovett]

Oh, the. The shepherd tongue.

[Robin Thede]

I didn't like it. It's like a dog whistle for me. I didn't like it.

[Ted McGinley]

Also, you made me feel less than the way you sit. You're so flexible.

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Ted McGinley]

You're so flexible. And I couldn't do that. Greatest day of life. And I was. I thought, I don't really want to go out there with this young guy. And then he starts complaining about his whole body. What the hell?

[John Lovett]

Yeah, see, hey, I'm actually. Here's the thing. It's Pilates and hair transplants. That's all that's going on here. That's really all this is.

[Ted McGinley]

It's working.

[John Lovett]

Thanks.

[Robin Thede]

Is that the same class?

[John Lovett]

What? No. You can. You actually. They. They're actually in tension because you have to. Because you can't do Pilates for a while after the hair transplant.

[Robin Thede]

Oh, okay. All right.

[John Lovett]

Cuz you got to keep up. You got to stay up.

[Robin Thede]

Got it.

[John Lovett]

But I don't. You just do what they say.

[Ted McGinley]

That's it.

[John Lovett]

I go all the way to Turkey to it up. I didn't go to Turkey. I'm to Beverly Hills. I want to go somewhere I can sue. You know that is going to have to be our show. Thank you so much to Robin the Michael Ury, Ted McGinley. We'll see you next week at Dynasty right here. There are 289 days until the midterms. Have a great night and have a great weekend. If you're already scrolling endlessly, which we know you are, don't forget to follow us at Crooked media on Instagram, TikTok and all the other ones for original content, community events and more. You can also find Love it or leave it on YouTube for videos of your favorite segments and other YouTube exclusive content. And if you want to type our praises or rip us a new one, consider dropping us a review. Finally, you can join Crooked's Friends of the Pod subscription community for ad free Love it or Leave it and Pod Save America Episodes Subscriber Exclusive pods and more. Sign [e-mail] friends love it or Leave it is a Crooked Media production. It is written and produced by me, John Lovett and Lee Eisenberg. Kendra James is our executive producer, Bill McGrath is our producer and Kennedy Hill is our Associate producer. Hallie Keefer is our head writer, Sarah Lazarus, Jocelyn Kaufman, Peter Miller, Alan Pierre and Subha Agarwal. RR writer Jordan Kanter is our editor. Kyle Seglin and Charlotte Landis provide audio support. Stephen Colon is our audio engineer. Our theme song is written and performed by Chercher. Thanks to our designer Sammy cadearna Rees for creating and running all of our visuals, which you can't see because this is a podcast. And thanks to our digital producers David Tools, Claudia Shang, Mia Kelman, Delon Villanueva and Rachel Gajewski for filming and editing video Each week. Our head of Production is Matt De Groat and our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America America East.

[Expedia Narrator]

Olivia loves a challenge. It's why she lifts heavy weights and likes complicated. But for booking her trip to Paris, Olivia chose the easy way. With Expedia, she bundled her flight with a hotel to save more. Of course, she still climbed all 674 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower. You were made to take the easy route. We were made to easily package your trip. Expedia Made to Travel Flight inclusive packages are atoll protected.

[John Lovett]

When it's this cold, curl up with a snack that's cozy and delicious like my Mochi ice cream. My Mochi is scoops of premium ice cream wrapped in soft dough with delicious flavors like strawberry and mango. It's creamy on the inside and chewy on the outside and only 70 calories apiece. Grab a warm blanket and snuggle up with a purple box of my mochi ice cream today. It's the perfect wintertime treatment.