David Faustino Meets World

Summary

Pod Meets World – “David Faustino Meets World” (July 13, 2026)

Podcast: Pod Meets World (iHeartPodcasts)
Hosts: Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, Ryder Strong
Guest: David Faustino (Bud Bundy from Married with Children)

---

Episode Overview

This episode of Pod Meets World features a special interview with David Faustino, beloved for his role as Bud Bundy on the groundbreaking sitcom Married with Children. The hosts dive deep into Faustino’s history as one of TV’s earliest and most recognizable child actors, exploring his showbiz upbringing, life on Fox’s first sitcom, cast relationships, reuniting for fan events, his hip-hop club days, and his latest project—the Bundy Club podcast/community for fans.

Tone: Warm, nostalgic, candid, and often hilarious, full of heartfelt recollections and industry insights.

---

Key Segments & Highlights

The Wild Opening: Balloon Farm & Bad Movies

[02:15–08:55]

• Ryder, Will, and Easton discuss “Balloon Farm,” a bizarre made-for-TV movie, reminiscing about their love for watching “so-bad-they’re-good” movies.
  • “He grows balloons and changes everybody’s lives and sells them to. For $10 a piece to the point where one family buys so many they lose their farm.” (Easton, 03:30)
  • Amusing confusion about the moral lesson.
  • Discussion of 90s video aesthetics and nostalgia for actual film.

---

Introducing David Faustino—the OG Baby Actor

[11:46]

• Danielle presents a sweeping bio: Faustino was on screen at just three months old, then worked steadily on classic 80s shows and, by 13, became TV royalty as Bud Bundy.

  • “He was a baby actor at just three months old... And then he got real lazy and didn’t work again until he was six.” (Danielle, 11:47)

• Married with Children’s global impact discussed—remakes in over a dozen countries.

  • “How big was Married With Children? The show, which at its peak averaged 20 million viewers per episode, was remade in Argentina, Armenia, Bulgaria...” (Danielle, 12:55)

---

David Faustino’s Early Life and Family Showbiz Roots

[14:19–22:39]

• Faustino describes his upbringing—his whole family in entertainment, his first TV gig (‘I played Lily Tomlin’s daughter – that’s how small my penis was from the get-go. They hired me as a daughter!’ – Faustino, 19:16).
• Many Faustinos ended up in the industry; fun stories about his Emmy-winning brother and younger brother acting with him on Married with Children.
• School experiences, feeling odd as the only child actor among non-industry peers.
  • “It always struck me how many kids were not actors...I was never the cool kid. But I got along with everybody, and… was popular because they’d see me on TV.” (Faustino, 22:50)
• How fame changed his dynamic with friends once Married with Children blew up.

---

Staying Power in the Industry: Never Wanted to Quit

[27:31–28:20]

• Discusses the trials and heartbreaks of child auditions but says he always bounced back:
  • “Every strike you get. For every 30 strikes you maybe hit one out of the park.” (Faustino, 28:18)

---

Landing Bud Bundy & the Fox Revolution

[29:55–33:52]

• Faustino wanted a sitcom from a young age and had shot many pilots.

• The Married with Children pilot originally starred different kids for Bud and Kelly; he describes the thrill when he and Christina Applegate got the roles after the pilot was reshot.

• What it was like working on a new, “rebel” network—hoping to be seen at all, initially going unrecognized in public, then overnight becoming super famous thanks to a publicity uproar.

  • “For three years… no one ever went, hey, that’s the guy. And, you know, we all want that fame, right. It’s in us…” (Faustino, 32:30)

---

Life on Set—Chemistry, Cast, and Controversies

[34:08–38:03]

• Shares the famous quote, “He had this sweet personality and smile, but with the devil in his eyes.” (describing what got him cast—Faustino, 34:34)
• Recalls deep cast bonds and a tight, anything-goes atmosphere—“There’s never been a job before or after that was quite like it.” (Faustino, 31:58)
• The cast learned from one another, and he specifically looked up to Ed O’Neill (Al Bundy).
• Alyssa Milano (“Who’s the Boss”) childhood crush story, tongue-tied around her on the lot.

---

The Impact & Ed O’Neill’s Casting

[38:22–40:27]

• The unlikely way Ed O’Neill got the part—Of Mice and Men stage performance attended by the casting director.
  • “Mark Hirschfeld went to that play and saw Of Mice and Men. And it was there that he went, this is our Al.” (Faustino, 39:23)
• Challenges with Fox wanting a famous lead—producers stuck to their gut.

---

Married with Children as the First Blue-Collar Sitcom

[40:27–42:47]

• “Everyone credits Roseanne with kind of starting the blue collar family sitcom. Married with Children was a year earlier.” (Easton, 40:27)
• Show’s working title was “Not the Cosbys,” meant to push the boundaries of TV decency and taste.
• Faustino describes the mix of discomfort and pride:
  • “...Watching the show around them [his parents] after, it was uncomfortable sometimes, you know, with some of the things because, you know, you rewatch it and it’s like Alan, Peggy are making these like weird sex jokes while the kids are in the room, you know...” (Faustino, 41:50)

---

When Controversy Became Marketing

[43:04–44:26]

• The infamous Michigan mom, Terry Rakolta, crusaded against the show, getting major sponsors to pull—but this gave the show massive curiosity and made it an overnight phenomenon.
  • “...The producer sent that woman, Terry Recolta, a thank you basket, like, after the ratings skyrocketed.” (Faustino, 48:02)
• Young Faustino found the backlash “just good news”—the effort to cancel only made them more famous.

---

On-Screen Family Bonds—Especially with Christina Applegate

[48:36–49:25]

• Faustino and Applegate grew up together both onscreen and off, sharing a unique sibling connection—‘We’ve actually become closer in a different way over the last, like, five, ten years.’ (Faustino, 49:25)

---

The Sam Kinison Saga & Wild Guest Stars

[49:34–53:44]

• Detailed, wild recollections of Married with Children guest star Sam Kinison—his kindness, addictions, how he took Faustino under his wing without pushing him into drugs.
  • “He’d always have Quaaludes and all this stuff. And I never partook... I think, and I could be wrong, but I think there was some thing about my innocence that he liked to have around.” (Faustino, 50:07)
• Kinison’s It’s a Bundyful Life role, missed days due to wild living, but a big heart offset by chaos.

---

The Bundy Club: Virtual Fan Community

[15:37 & 67:09]

• Faustino’s new project: The Bundy Club (bundyclub.com), a “members-only” rewatch podcast and virtual convention space for fans. Features episode breakdowns, cast interviews, and live Zoom events.
  • “We take an episode… fans watch it… And then we all come together and we break the episode down in that way.” (Faustino, 18:18)
  • “It sounds… almost like a virtual convention. It’s really cool.” (Easton, 73:38)

---

Married with Children Reunions & the Netflix Special

[67:09–73:37]

• The story behind the sold-out Wiltern and Orpheum reunion shows, how Ed O’Neill was surprisingly eager (as long as it wasn’t a typical fan meet-and-greet).
  • “He loves to tell stories. He’s one of the greatest storytellers you can ever say… So we kind of morphed into an idea: what if we did, you know, a thing where he can be on stage and tell stories?” (Faustino, 68:08)
• All the cast remain close (“We’re on the same text thread, and we’re always talking” – Faustino, 37:56).
• The most recent reunion postponed due to Christina Applegate’s health, but plans are to reschedule for the fall.

---

Iconic TV Legacy & Blue-Collar Sitcoms

[74:29–75:03]

• Reflecting on Married with Children's legacy—literally built the Fox network alongside The Simpsons.
  • “They, between them and the Simpsons, they made a network… The second show ever on an entire network.” (Easton, 74:29–75:03)

---

Hip-Hop Cred & Ballistics Club

[57:05–63:43]

• Faustino recalls how his love for hip-hop became entwined with his TV character; his club “Ballistics” on Sunset Boulevard introduced LA’s underage crowd to the genre and even brought together future Black Eyed Peas members.

  • “I’d have, like, Ice Cube and Ice T and Eazy E and all these guys… Eazy was the greatest… [and] they would see these guys coming, they’d be like, yo, what’s Faustino, what’s happening here?” (Faustino, 57:53)
  • “Will. I. Am… was a battle rapper… He kept the freestyle battle, like he was the champion for like six months in a row.” (Faustino, 60:32)

• He’s still a hip-hop head: “I love Griselda. Benny the Butcher…” (Faustino, 62:40). He dislikes the “glorified drugs” direction of much modern rap but keeps up as a DJ (Grandmaster B, after Bud’s alter ego).

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He had this sweet personality and smile, but with the devil in his eyes.” (Creator Michael Moy on why Faustino fit Bud — 34:34)
• On growing up around controversy: “...The producer sent that woman, Terry Recolta, a thank you basket, like, after the ratings skyrocketed.” (Faustino, 48:02)
• On Ed O’Neill's casting: “Mark Hirschfeld went to that play and saw Of Mice and Men. And it was there that he went, this is our Al.” (Faustino, 39:23)
• On NWA at his club: "…Dre was there, Eazy was there and Ren...the greatest thing ever…they did this impromptu performance." (Faustino, 58:00)
• On reuniting for the Bundy Club: “It’s almost like a virtual convention. It’s really cool.” (Easton, 73:38)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 02:15 | Balloon Farm and bad movie nostalgia | | 11:46 | Danielle’s epic Faustino introduction | | 14:19 | Faustino on being a “baby actor,” family background | | 22:39 | Showbiz family and normalcy | | 27:31 | “Did you ever want to quit?” — acting resilience | | 29:55 | Landing Bud Bundy, secret behind-the-scenes pilot | | 34:08 | How Faustino’s energy fit Bud; on-set experiences | | 38:22 | Ed O’Neill’s casting and stage origin | | 40:27 | Blue-collar sitcom legacy—beat Roseanne to the punch | | 43:04 | The boycott that made them famous | | 49:34 | Bromance with Sam Kinison | | 57:05 | Living hip hop: Ballistics, NWA, Grandmaster B | | 67:09 | The Wiltern reunion; Bundy Club origin | | 72:51 | How to join the Bundy Club (bundyclub.com) | | 74:29 | Married with Children & Simpsons build Fox network |

---

Final Thoughts

This episode captures not just the story of an iconic TV character but a turning point in American pop culture. Faustino is candid, affectionate, and has a storyteller’s eye for the unique chaos of the late-80s/90s Hollywood scene. Fans of Married with Children and TV history will relish his behind-the-scenes tales, cast trivia, and honest insights on the joys and perils of growing up in showbiz.

If you love sitcom nostalgia, inside-Hollywood stories, and hip-hop culture, this is a must-listen.

---

Web links:
Join David’s Bundy Club: bundyclub.com
Follow Pod Meets World: Pod Meets World Instagram

---

Summary curated to reflect the flow, fun, and detail of the original episode for listeners and fans old and new.

Transcript

[Orderly Meds Advertiser]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

Hey, everyone, it's Kalpen. I'm inviting you to join the best sounding book club you've ever heard with my podcast, Hearsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. Every episode, I nerd out with amazing guests and dive into the best new audiobooks available on Audible. It's the book club for your ears. Listen to Irsay, the Audible and I Heart Audiobook Club on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Kristen Davis]

This is Kristen Davis from Are you a Charlotte? Stream Desperate Housewives on Hulu and Hulu on Disney plus. Long before reality TV turned housewives into

[Danielle Fishel]

a cultural phenomenon, the women of Wisteria

[Kristen Davis]

Lane were serving scandal, mystery, romance, rivalry and chaos, hiding behind picture perfect suburban life.

[Danielle Fishel]

Stream every episode of Desperate Housewives on Hulu and Hulu on Disney for bundle subscribers. Terms apply for those who like to stay in control. WIX gets it.

[Easton Allen]

That's why they created WIX Harmony. It's an AI website builder that lets you create any type of website quickly while maintaining full control over every detail.

[Ryder Strong]

You can choose to use AI or click and edit everything yourself until the site feels exactly right.

[Danielle Fishel]

Try it for [e-mail] harmony that's wix.com

[David Faustino]

harmony Amazon Health AI presents painful thoughts I. I can't stop scratching my downtown. Mm, yeah, but I'm not itching to go downtown and tell a receptionist I'm here to talk about my downtown. Some things you'd rather type than say out loud.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

There's no question too embarrassing for Amazon Health.

[Easton Allen]

AI.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

Chat your symptoms and get virtual care 24. 7.

[David Faustino]

Healthcare just got less painful.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, I watched Balloon Farm.

[David Faustino]

Will, what did you think?

[Ryder Strong]

I was like, I go. I grabbed India. I was like, will says there's a really crazy movie we should watch. And we had so much fun.

[David Faustino]

Balloon Farm.

[Danielle Fishel]

Tell me about Balloon Farm.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, Balloon Farm is a magical world of Disney World.

[Easton Allen]

It's a wonderful world of Disney that we did on Magical Rewind.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. And so we were. Will and I were getting together to record an in the City or a Pod Meets World episode, and I don't know, somehow he was like, oh, you want to see an unhinged movie? And Indy's really into watching bad movies. Like, ever since we watched Goblins 2. Or no, what was it called?

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

Trolls too.

[Ryder Strong]

Which should have been called Goblins. Ever since we watched that. He's, like, obsessed with watching, you know, really bad movies and having fun. So, yeah, we watch Balloon Farm Painful.

[Easton Allen]

It is about a dust Bowl Farm. And then Rip Torn shows up.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Easton Allen]

To Mara Wilson is on the farm.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Easton Allen]

He shows up and starts growing balloons.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, and everybody is so happy to have balloons. Like they're starving. Like they're literally. It's a dust bowl. Like there's, there's, there's no one able to grow crops. But he grows balloons and changes everybody's

[Easton Allen]

lives and sells them to. For $10 a piece to the point where one family buys so many they lose their farm.

[Danielle Fishel]

$10 a balloon?

[Easton Allen]

Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

And we're like just. You're sitting there trying to understand like the logic of this movie. It's. Okay, so like it's based on a book and you could tell it's like a probably from the 1950s or 40s because it's like very old timey idea of like basically like magic comes to town and uplifts the spirits of these sad depressed people. Like that's the idea is like Willy Wonka showed up and like made their life magical and then he disappears into the sunset. But the logic of it is like, but they need food, right?

[Danielle Fishel]

There's magic to make food. And also why is he robbing them?

[Easton Allen]

He eventually. Well, do you want me to ruin the movie for you? I can if you want.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm probably, you know what, let me check my calendar. I'll let you know if I'm going to be able to get to balloon farm. I will not be able to get to balloon farm.

[Easton Allen]

So what then happens is Mara Wilson uses the rest of the town's water supply to grow her own balloons on his farm, which are water balloons that fly up into the, to the sky

[David Faustino]

and pop and rain.

[Easton Allen]

So then everyone can do crops. But the thing that makes no sense is one of his, his pieces of magic, which again we talk about ad nauseum, a magical rewind is he'll like, he'll have one lemon and he'll put it in a container in a pitcher and then all of a sudden it's lemonade and he has one coffee.

[Danielle Fishel]

That is what happens if you open lemons and put water on it.

[Easton Allen]

No, it's just one. He doesn't even cut it up. It's just. And then as somebody walks by, it turns pecan one. So I'm like, why isn't he doing that with. And the crops they're actually trying to grow.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Easton Allen]

Or money. And so for the book though, Ryder, we did the deep dive. And by we I mean producer Jensen did the deep dive. And what it is, is it's that they added like the book was just a kids, very kids friendly five or six year old book about a guy who grows balloons. And then they added all the stuff about like the evil corporations coming in and people losing their farms. Like that was just added for the movie. And apparently the, the gem which we could not find is there was a. We saw it for, for Fuzzbucket. There is a series of these movies that are intro'd by Michael Eisner.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh my gosh.

[Easton Allen]

And he'll. He'll do like a 15. Literally like a 15 minute or 10

[Ryder Strong]

minute on camera intro where he's like walking on Disneyland.

[Easton Allen]

No, where he's just talking about. He's like on a set. And so apparently the one for Balloon Farm opens with him doing like a 10 minute thing on hot air balloons, which the movie's not about at all.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh my gosh. So is part of the lesson still trying to figure out the lesson. Is part of the lesson a Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for life with the water like that. Once they figured out how to make rain, they were then able to have crops.

[Ryder Strong]

It's more like, like allow some magic and whimsy into your life because everyone in the town is suspicious of this new guy and what he's grow. And Mara Wilson is like much more welcoming and like able to see him.

[Danielle Fishel]

So they took a Santa story.

[Ryder Strong]

Exactly.

[Danielle Fishel]

And they made it about.

[Ryder Strong]

But who's.

[Easton Allen]

The FBI shows up.

[Ryder Strong]

But the actress that plays the mom is amazing. What's her name from Roseanne.

[Easton Allen]

Oh, yeah, yeah. The cast is incredible. It's Laurie Metcalf.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

It's Risen Corn.

[Easton Allen]

Laurie Metcalf, Mara Wilson. I mean, it's like a really good

[Ryder Strong]

cast, but it is shot so poorly. It's that weird. It's that weird video moment where like video was so bad still but so much cheaper than film that there was just. They just shot on video and it, it just looks, it looks sped up. Like the frame rate's all messed up. So it looks like it's at 60 frames per second with this like cropped bat. And yet they're trying to do camera moves but you're just like, it's just, it's so. It's dated in the worst way. Like it's like, just shoot this on film. Please shoot this on film. Or don't try and make it a movie, just shoot it on video. Like a Boy Meets World episode. Like, you know, don't. But instead it's like trying to Be a movie. And you're like, oh, it's so painful to watch.

[Easton Allen]

The director was a man named William Dear, who started on music videos, did cheap trick, Michael McDonald, all that stuff, then directed. His first film was Harry and the Hendersons. And then he did the awesome Richard Greco movie, if Looks Could Kill.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, so this is my guy.

[Easton Allen]

This is your guy. The Rocketeer. He.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

He.

[Ryder Strong]

That was a notorious flop. But he wrote.

[Easton Allen]

He wrote the Rocketeer and he did JTT's movie, the Wild America.

[David Faustino]

Oh.

[Ryder Strong]

So I auditioned for him a bunch.

[Danielle Fishel]

You.

[Easton Allen]

You know, we were in similar. Yeah. So this guy was. Yeah. I mean, when you got Harry and the Hendersons and if Looks Could Kill, Come on Bloom Farm. Yeah, that's.

[Danielle Fishel]

Check it out.

[Easton Allen]

That's one for the ages.

[Ryder Strong]

So he was like, a really a popular director.

[Easton Allen]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

That's what I was wondering, why this cast was attached to this movie. I was like, this is an incredible. Because Mara at the time was like, the number one actor.

[Easton Allen]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

That's so interesting.

[Easton Allen]

And then you got the cop who's gone on to become famous, but he was, like, in a different movie with his character.

[Ryder Strong]

It was like every time he's on screen, he's like, trying to make it Ace Ventura, Pet Detective. And you're like, it's not working, dude. Everyone else is in a, like, duck bowl movie.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Easton Allen]

Like, it was so strange. He, like, came in, he's like, I'm the sheriff.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

And I got.

[Easton Allen]

And you're going like, oh, oh, he's doing a different film. Oh, he's doing.

[David Faustino]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

He saw Disney and was like, I know what they want.

[Kristen Davis]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

Welcome to pod meets world. I'm Danielle Fishel.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm Ryder Strong.

[Discover Advertiser]

And I'm Will Friedle.

[Will Friedle]

Awkward time to ask this, but. Hey, did you download the trail map?

[Kristen Davis]

Yeah, No, I don't need to.

[Will Friedle]

I. I don't understand. You're trusting your signal out here?

[Kristen Davis]

I'm trusting T Mobile. They have the best network. And if we end up in bumtots nowhere, well, we've got T Satellite for backup.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Whoa.

[Will Friedle]

I don't trust my carrier that much.

[Kristen Davis]

We'll just use your phone as a flashlight.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

With America's best network and T Satellite, we're keeping you connected in places you never thought possible. And if you switch today, you get free phones for zero down and only 25 bucks a month per line for four lines. Find out more@t mobile.com or visit your local store.

Best Mobile network Based on analysis by Ooklev speed test intelligence data 2H2025 with 24 monthly bill credits and 4 eligible port ins on essentials for well qualified customers with autopay plus taxes, fees and $35 connection charge per line credits and imbalance due if you pay off earlier. Cancel Contact Us Finance Agreement example $299.99 Moto Edge 5G required T Satellite available with compatible device in most outdoor areas in the US where you can see the sky. Included with experience beyond $10 a month. Audible News Monthly Cancel anytime visit t

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

mobile.com hey everyone, it's Kal Penn. I'm the host of Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Ray Porter, the narrator of Andy Weir's audiobook project, Hail Mary Massive sci fi adventure about survival and science and what happens when you wake up alone, very far from Earth.

[Producer Jensen Karp]

I really had to make a decision because I caught myself getting that frog in my throat and starting to get teary as I'm narrating some of these sections and it's like, okay, yo yo yo, is this indulgent? And I really thought about it. I was like, no. At this point it would kind of be betraying the trust the author and the listener have in telling this story if I don't go through it. But there's places in this book that that deeply, emotionally affected me and I left it on the mic. That's great because it served the story. People will say like, oh my God, I cried at the end. It's like, yeah dude, me too.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

Listen to Hearsay, the Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Discover Advertiser]

It's smart to always have a few financial goals, and a really smart one. You can set earning cash back on what you buy every day. And with Discover, you can get this Discover automatically matches all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. Seriously, all of it. And we trust you to make smart decisions. I mean, after all, you listen to this show. See [e-mail] creditcard.

[Danielle Fishel]

We have interviewed what feels like hundreds of child actors throughout the years on Pod Meets World. But today we are chatting with someone who took it one step further. He was a baby actor at just three months old. He made his TV debut on a Lily Tomlin special, and then he got real lazy and he didn't work again until he was six with a small part on Little House on the Prairie. Then came the guest star cycle on shows like highway to Heaven, Family Ties, Sane Elsewhere. And Love Boat will just lit up like a Christmas tree.

[Will Friedle]

Geez.

[Danielle Fishel]

Television royalty plus two Disney original movies that Will is gonna have to look into. Mr. Boogidy and Bride of Boogity.

[Easton Allen]

Oh hell yes.

[David Faustino]

Uh huh.

[Danielle Fishel]

And then in 1987, at just 13 years old, a once in a generation character came his way when he was cast as Bud, the youngest of two children born to Al, a shoe salesman, and Peg. Peg. That show the hall of fame controversy magnet, culture shifting sitcom, Married with Children would become one of the longest running sitcoms in American TV history, running for 11 seasons and 256 episodes. Helping lift Fox from laughable alternative to to bonafide competitor to network tv. How big was Married With Children? The show, which at its peak averaged 20 million viewers per episode, was remade in Argentina, Armenia, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Brazil. Where their title translated to the War of the Pintos.

[Discover Advertiser]

What?

[Easton Allen]

Yeah. Are they the Pinto family?

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't, I don't know. Married with Children translated to the War of the Pintos. I don't know. In Brazil.

[David Faustino]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

And now approaching its 40th anniversary, the cast has been reuniting last year for a sold out show at the Wiltern and just last month at the Orpheum as part of the Netflix is a joke festival. All this and he somehow found himself as a West coast hip hop pioneer, bringing rap music and NWA to the Sunset Strip. This week on Pod Meets World. From a show that critics called zestily, low brow, sex obsessed, utter trash, and the crudest comedy on primetime television, it's Bud Bundy, AKA Grandmaster B. David Faustino.

[David Faustino]

Hey guys.

[Will Friedle]

Hey.

[David Faustino]

How are you?

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

How are you?

[Easton Allen]

We never get an outdoor interview. This is awesome.

[Danielle Fishel]

This is amazing.

[David Faustino]

I have to enjoy my backyard. I love it out here and it's shady, so that's nice. I just moved and like one of the prerequisites is I had to have a backyard.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Some backyard space.

[David Faustino]

Oh my God. Yeah, I love it. So tell me because I sat down like I didn't look at the what's what. Tell me a little bit about the show.

[Danielle Fishel]

Just if you can, about our podcast.

[David Faustino]

Yeah, sure.

[Danielle Fishel]

So we are a Boy Meets World rewatch podcast. We do two episodes a week. The first, the first episode a week is us going through scene by scene of an episode in chronological order, starting with episode one. We've made it all the way through season one, season seven.

[David Faustino]

Oh, wow.

[Danielle Fishel]

And then our second episode of the week is an interview episode and we have interviewed all the writers and producers and props and hair and makeup and guest cast and background actors. Anyone we've been able to pull who was directly connected to Boy Meets World. And then also we expand on that to anyone who was a child actor, anyone who was on a show around the same time we were.

[David Faustino]

People gone through every crew member and

[Ryder Strong]

cast member, we've exhausted Boy Meets World. So here you are.

[David Faustino]

That's so wild, because I'm doing something very similar. It's, it's, it's, it's. So it's interesting to talk about that because I, I didn't, I really didn't know you guys are doing that, so. Cool, because I'm doing one where I have the audience in on the show.

[Danielle Fishel]

Nice.

[Easton Allen]

Oh, that's cool.

[David Faustino]

We'll have, like, you know, it's, it's like a modcast. We call it, like a members only podcast. And so you become a member and then you, you know, you get to come to the Zoom parties. I, I, I. We just started ours, like, two months ago, so we do it bi weekly.

[Easton Allen]

Who are you doing it with?

[David Faustino]

So it's myself and my, my partners who, like, you know, helped me create the platform and everything, and my co host, a guy named Darren Blatt. But I have, like. So, like, the first week, we had Amanda Burst, who played the neighbor on Married With Children, and then we had, we had the, the, the no Ma' am guys, which was like, Al's, like, you know, great group of guys that he hung out with. And then we had Ed o'. Neill.

[Easton Allen]

Sure.

[Danielle Fishel]

Great.

[David Faustino]

Next.

[Easton Allen]

Wait, so I'm sorry, but Amanda was your first. If we're jumping right in, Amanda was your first guest. Wasn't Amanda one of the few people that there was a quote unquote problem with isn't. You were.

[David Faustino]

You were famously not with me.

[Easton Allen]

But weren't you one of the people not in. Only one of two people not invited to her wedding?

[David Faustino]

Yes, but I also was, like, I was also really young and. Right. Really immature and, like, you know, I can see why she might not have wanted to invite.

[Easton Allen]

I'm just saying that's really cool that you guys have reconnected and that she came on your show and everything. That's awesome.

[David Faustino]

Totally fine. I mean, Ed and her have a little bit more of a beef than I. Then we do.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right?

[David Faustino]

Like, even when Ed was on, we told him. I told, I didn't tell him Amanda had been on yet, purposely, because I thought, okay, I got him to do the show, and I don't want to do anything to screw that up. So I told him while we were doing it and he's like, oh, yeah. I mean, he didn't. He. He talked very nicely of her. But there's that great clip. I don't know you. I'm guessing you've seen it because you're talking about it where he's. He's being interviewed by like TV Academy or something like that, where he goes into. He goes at length into this whole ordeal that the two of them have. And it gets funnier and funnier.

[Easton Allen]

I actually know I haven't. The one I saw. I just saw a clip of you talking about the wedding.

[David Faustino]

Oh, yes. You must. You must find it and watch it. Okay, we will look that up.

[Discover Advertiser]

That's great.

[David Faustino]

So that's why, that's why there. This is actually the, the, the name of the show I do. It's called the Bundy Club. So.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's so cool. So do you watch the episode with the fans?

[David Faustino]

So we, what we do is we. We take an episode. So we don't go in chronological order like you guys. It just depends on like what guests we have. And we let the guest pick the episode.

[Producer Jensen Karp]

Okay.

[David Faustino]

Or episodes in this case, like tomorrow. I have David Garrison, who played the first. Marcy's husband. And so he's on. And that's really. It's really cool. Like, fans are going crazy about him. Like, they went crazy for Ed, but it's almost like they're more like, oh my God, like Steve, you know, and so he got. So he's. We picked a few episodes, three episodes that we're doing tomorrow night. And so the fans watch it. Right. The homework is to watch it. And then we all come together and we break the episode down in that way.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's awesome.

[David Faustino]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, before we jump into talking about the Netflix event, I did wanna say you might be the. The person who started acting, the youngest to ever appear on our show. How did you.

[David Faustino]

Three months old. I would hope so.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

How did you find yourself sharing a credit with Lily Tomlin before you even had your first tooth?

[David Faustino]

You know, the funny thing about that is, is I actually played her daughter, so I always say that's how small my penis was from the get go. They hired me as a daughter. But yeah, she. So she's like the setup of that. Okay, I'll go back a little. My dad was a costumer for, you know, his whole career. He was. That's what he did. And. And my older brother, who's 11 years older than me, like, was this beautiful child. I Don't know where he came from, but he was just like, you know, really, just. And this guy was producing a commercial was like, oh, my God, this kid. I gotta. So that's kind of how it started. And so we all. At one time or another, there's four of us were, you know, actors. We're all still in the business of one. My brother. Now that, that brother, he's like, you know, he's like the audio main mixer for like, you know, the Voice and American Idol. He's got two Emmys. And I always say somebody in the family had to get an Emmy, two of them. I said, can you let me borrow one of them? You know, and then. And then I just kind of fell in line and, you know, and in that. In that episode or that show, I guess it was the Lily Tomlin special. She was. She's like a clown at the circus, I guess, and she's rushed to the hospital to have a baby, and her baby's a clown, and I'm that clown. And here I am, still a clown.

[Danielle Fishel]

There you are now an adult clown.

[Easton Allen]

Adult clown, three months old. It's gonna be tough to beat that one, I think.

[David Faustino]

I think it's. It goes down in the records. Yeah, I think so.

[Easton Allen]

Yeah. Unless some. Unless somebody's ultrasound is actually used in the show. I think you're gonna, you're gonna. You're gonna take that title, spit on that person.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, after that role, you waited until you had really matured. You waited until about 6. 6 years old to pursue acting full time.

[David Faustino]

Was. Is that right? It could be.

[Danielle Fishel]

It could be, yeah.

[Kristen Davis]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Did.

[Danielle Fishel]

Were your, Were your parents still on board? Were your siblings still in it too? Like, was everybody just gung ho about it from the get go?

[David Faustino]

Yeah, we all really, like, we enjoyed it, you know, and it was, it was, it. It was always fun to us. And like, you know, we'd get to travel the world because of it. Like, my mom and I were extremely close. Like, we. We went all over the Middle East, Europe, Hawaii. Like, you know, we got to travel and. And it was. It was a lot of fun and we, you know, we really enjoyed it. And, you know, my. It's funny you say that because I, As I was saying about the. The watch, you know, rewatching the episodes that we watch with the fans, I was watching one because David Garrison picked one of the ones and it's called Buck Saves the Day. We go, like, we go camping, and one of the kids that we take camping is my little brother who's Six years younger than me. And he's in. He's in a few episodes, actually. They brought him in, like, to four or five episodes. And that was one of the ones he did when he was super young. So we're all, you know. But he works in audio with my other brother. They may have made the right choice there. No, I don't know.

[Easton Allen]

Is it four boys, or do you have a sister, too?

[David Faustino]

One sister and three boys.

[Danielle Fishel]

Poor girl.

[David Faustino]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, so it's so interesting because, like, we all, like, by the time our show was up and running, there was a sense of, like, normal life that, like, acting had sort of pulled us away from. But it sounds like for you, you were just always in the business, like, you're a family. So there was no, like, alternative. There was no, like, normal life, was there?

[David Faustino]

Yeah, no, that was really it. I mean, you know, I'd go back to school. I went to this little Catholic school in Burbank called Saint Finbar on all of there. And, you know, I.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

It always.

[David Faustino]

It always. It always struck me how many kids were not actors. Like, to me, it's like you just said, it's like it was so normal. That was our lives. And, like, you know, everybody we sort of knew would. And then you go back to my school and, like, I was like, the only kid that was an actor in that whole, you know, school. And so, consequently, you know, I was never, like, great at sports. I was never the cool kid. I was never. But I got along with everybody. Like, I was that guy who melded with all the people. You know, part of it was that, you know, I'd come back and they'd see me in this commercial or that show or, you know, and so by. By kind of. By that way, I was popular with the kids. But what was interesting is when I really hit it big with Married With Children. And I tried to, like, you know, they say that, you know, fame doesn't change you. It changes the people around you. And maybe some of that's true, maybe some of it's not. But it was very strange when I, after success, really hit, and I tried to hang out with some of these guys. They. I could tell there was, like, this weird. Like, they were waiting for me to be a jerk, you know? Right, right. I tried my hardest to sort of, you know, hang out with them again, and it never. Some of those guys just. They weren't able to. To, I don't know, make the leap. Yeah, it was very strange. So. So I dropped them all, and now I have new friends now.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

You got good.

[Easton Allen]

You got good friends.

[Will Friedle]

Awkward time to ask this, but hey, did you download the trail map?

[Kristen Davis]

Yeah, no, I don't need to.

[Will Friedle]

I. I don't understand. You're trusting your signal out here.

[Kristen Davis]

I'm trusting T Mobile. They have the best network and if we end up in bumtots nowhere, well, we've got T Satellite for backup.

[Easton Allen]

Whoa.

[Will Friedle]

I don't trust my carrier that much.

[Kristen Davis]

We'll just use your phone as a flashlight.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

With America's best network and T Satellite, we're keeping you connected in places you never thought possible. And if you switch today, you get free phones for zero down and only 25 bucks a month per line for four lines. Find out more@t mobile.com or visit your local store.

Best Mobile Network Based on analysis by Ooklab speed test intelligence data 2H 2025 with 24 monthly bill credits and 4 eligible port ins on essentials for well qualified customers with autopay plus taxes, fees and 35 connection charge per line credits and imbalance due if you pay off earlier. Cancel Contact Us Finance Agreement example $299.99 Moto Edge 5G required T Satellite available with compatible device in most outdoor areas in the US where you can see the sky included with experience beyond $10 a month. Audible News Monthly Cancel anytime visit t

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

mobile.com hey everyone, it's Cal Penn, host of Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast I'm sitting down with Lily Chu, the author of the Audible original romantic comedy Just Kiss Already. It's a story about a forensic anthropologist who secretly writes mystery novels, an actress who adapts his book into a film, and what happens when a meme and a media tour collide with a slow burn romance. It's performed by Simu Liu and Philippa Hsu, and it is an absolute blast.

[Danielle Fishel]

When you actually hear the performance, you realize that other people are taking your words and what you thought was kind of a straightforward sentence like the cat in the corner is black. In my head it's the cat in the corner is black. Not the dog, not the gerbil. But someone else might say it, the cat in the corner is black. That's always fascinating to me how they just bring in all these different nuances and really make it fun and interesting and distinctive.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Foreign.

[Discover Advertiser]

It's smart to always have a few financial goals and a really smart One you can set earning cash back on what you buy every day. And with Discover, you can get this. Discover automatically matches all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. Seriously, all of it. And we trust you to make smart decisions. I mean, after all, you listen to this show. See [e-mail] credit card summer is here,

[Orderly Meds Advertiser]

which means we all want to look and feel our best. A GLP1 may be right for you. Visit orderlymeds.com to learn more about which GLP1 you could be eligible for. Getting started is fast, easy, and happens virtually through telemedicine from licensed professionals. Check it out for yourself. Go to orderlymeds.com podcast. That's orderlymeds.com podcast. Taking care of yourself feels great. Great. Compounded medications are not FDA approved. Eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Easton Allen]

Was there ever a time between, you know, six and married with children when you were like, I don't think this is for me. Maybe I'm just going to be a regular person. I don't want to be an actor.

[David Faustino]

No. The only times I would ever maybe have those thoughts is when I would, you know, as you guys know well, is when I would get really close on an audition and I would call back, call back, call back. And then, you know, you're between. It's between you and three guys.

[Easton Allen]

Yeah.

[David Faustino]

And I lose it. I would take that really hard and I would, like, cry in my bed and be in a position and, and, and, and, and then I went, do I want to do this? But I always just got back out there and just kept swinging, you know, for, for every, every. Every strike you get. For every, for every 30 strikes you maybe hit one out of the park.

[Easton Allen]

Oh, yeah, definitely.

[David Faustino]

That's just the way it goes, you know.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, that early run of shows you appeared on is pretty historic Little House on the Prairie, highway to Heaven, Saint Elsewhere. But I know Will is going to want to hear everything about Family Ties.

[David Faustino]

Oh, yeah, you're a Family Ties.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, my God.

[Easton Allen]

Huge. Michael J. Fox in Family Ties is like, one of the reasons I became an actor.

[David Faustino]

That show was fun because I was a fan, too. That's the cool thing is I was already a fan of that show. It's one of those shows I would watch. And so getting to get on, getting to be on that was like. I was like, holy. You know, like you said, Michael J. Fox and Justine. And this is a, this is a weird story that they may not want me to tell. But, oh, well, no, I remember because I was nine when I did that. And I remember, you know, I was a fan. And I don't know how long this last, but I had this scene where I would. I'd enter the house with the two of them. And I remember we're like, you know, you're at the front door and you're out off the. The set, and you're off camera. And I remember I just. At night, I just remember them, like, making out furiously. Like, you know, and then. And then it was like, Q, enter. Like, again. I don't know how long that lasted with them. It was probably just a little fling or whatever.

[Will Friedle]

Who.

[Danielle Fishel]

Which.

[Easton Allen]

Wait, who was this?

[David Faustino]

Justine and. And Michael? Yeah. Wow, cool. It was just like, what. What's going on here? I thought you guys were brother and sister.

[Easton Allen]

Only when they say, action, my friend.

[David Faustino]

Only when they say, oh, I see how it go.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my gosh, that's so funny. So was your dream always to get on a weekly sitcom? Was that, like, for Will, that was just always the goal?

[David Faustino]

Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[David Faustino]

I mean, that's, you know, because, you know, you see the kids who have these series right now in our world, it was like, they're on series. Like, how do you do that? Am I allowed to curse or am I like.

[Easton Allen]

You're fine. You're fine.

[David Faustino]

And. And so I really wanted that bad. And I. You know, I did several pilots, and I did the show that went for five episodes that no one saw. You know, I did the Gamut and then, you know, Married With Children head, and it was already. So they had hired two other kids to play Bud and Kelly and shot the pilot and everything. So when we. When we did land at Christina and I, it was already sold. So it was like.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[David Faustino]

You know, it was. It was crazy. And those are the days of, like, answering machines. And I remember going to network and, you know, they. You know how they do. They pair people up. And we. They paired Christina and I up. And then. So by the time we drove from Fox, you know, my mom was driving me, obviously, from Fox to back to our house in Burbank. We got home, there's one message, and it was blinking, and I was like, Emma was my agent saying that I had booked.

[Danielle Fishel]

Gosh, those are the good old days when you could come home and see a message and not know what it is and be excited. Now it's like the second you wouldn't have even made it to your car before you would have known the answer.

[David Faustino]

You know, that's how it Goes, right? Yeah. Yeah. We went in a different direction. That's my favorite.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love that one. So then they just reshot only the Bud and Kelly scenes after they cast you guys. Was that weird?

[David Faustino]

No, it was pretty. Pretty easy and normal. I mean, that set was, you know, and I think Ed and Katie and Christina all, you know, attest to this. It's like they all say there's never been a. There was never a job before or never been a job after. That was quite like. You know, the writers, Ron and Michael, they were just these, like, hilarious anything goes guys. They were just the greatest guys. And just. It was just a fun. Besides the little beef with Ed and Amanda, like, there was no. I don't know, it was just anything goes. It was very fun and open, and we didn't over rehearse anything. And it just. It was just a wonderful set to be on. It really was.

[Ryder Strong]

And how did you guys feel about Fox at the time? Because Fox was still kind of brand new, unproven. Right. I mean, you guys were part of the reason that it became what it became. But did it feel like you were on, like a sort of Rebel?

[David Faustino]

Well, no, it felt like, because, you know, again, we all talked about how we all wanted to be on series as actors. Right, Right. And that was the sort of caveat. Is that the right word? I'm not sure. It was like the. It was like the. Oh, but it's. But it's. This

[Easton Allen]

one will watch.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

Yeah.

[David Faustino]

You'll be on it, but no one will see it.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[David Faustino]

And that was the truth for three years. And I always tell this story, and you probably heard me tell it before, but I, I, you know, I, I had worked constantly but never was recognized. No one ever went, hey, that's the guy. And, you know, we all want that fame. Right. It's in us that we all kind of want recognition for what we do. And like, season two, or maybe end of season one, I remember I went to the mall and I had this Married With Children T shirt. And, you know, like the first two seasons, no one watched the show. They went back and watched it later.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[David Faustino]

And I remember wearing this T shirt to the mall with my friends, and not a single person was like, oh, I want no one. And I, I remember going, you know, it's never gonna happen with this. And then, you know, the third season, it caught fire. And then it was like. Then I went through that phase where I was like a teenager, an awkward teenager in this crazy amount of fame. And I. Yeah, I did for about Three or four years. I hated being recognized unless it was on my terms, when I wanted it, where I wanted it. But for the most part, I just was, like. I was pretty miserable until I learned to embrace it at, like, 18, you know, I was just like, I. Yeah, I. And, you know, people would try to come give me love, and I was super guarded and, like, you know, how dare you?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Like, what?

[David Faustino]

It was just so weird. It was so weird. And then I. Like I said, I learned to embrace it. And then from then on, it was just. It was fun, you know?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Yeah. Were you a precocious teenager, and were you always wise beyond your years? Because obviously Bud took a certain type of child actor, like, not just anybody could play that part. Did that. Did it fit you as a person?

[David Faustino]

Somewhat? Yeah. Then I heard this story. Not until I. I watched Michael Moy, because I was. I had him. I had him on a podcast I was doing years ago. Michael Moore, one of the creators. One of the two creators. And I watched some, you know, videos, and I. I watched him in an interview go. He. What did he say? He said. He said he had, you know, he had this. This sweet personality and smile, but with the devil in his eyes. And I was like, okay, I'll take that.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[David Faustino]

So I guess on some level. Yeah. And we, you know, they write for us. Right. After a while, they sort of write for all of us and, like, our strengths and. And so, you know, you kind of meld yourself with what they're writing, and then they start to write for you. And so. Yeah, absolutely. You know, it's definitely a part of who I am.

[Danielle Fishel]

Tell us a little bit about the family dynamic, because so much of the magic of Married With Children was the core four and how you all meshed. What do you remember about those early days and getting to know Ed and Christina and Katie?

[David Faustino]

I mean, it was so great because, again, we were on this fledgling. Fledging, fledgling network that no one knew, and, you know, the writers would make fun of it on the show all the time.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[David Faustino]

A couple times I'd be like, you know, he'd say, we were watching tv and he'd say, like, assume Fox. You know, assume Fox network positions. We'd have, like, like, antennas and, like, metal, you know. Right. So they would poke fun of that a lot, and they do it all the time with, like, what the announcer would say on. On the television that we were supposed to be watching. And so they poked a lot of fun. But we would go to these, you know, the first two seasons, they would have us go to these, like, mall openings, and we'd be sitting there at these tables, and nobody knew who we were. We'd get, like, these random few people, rabid watchers. But other than that, no one. So we kind of went through it together. And none of us were really famous yet at all. So it was like we were all in it together. And speaking of David Garrison, like, who played the neighbor, he was a very. That guy's a great actor. He's a brilliant actor. Came from stage, went back to stage, and has been in New York doing stage ever since, to this day. And I learned a lot from Ed and him. You know, I would always ask them for, like, you know, is this. And David would help and give me, you know, adjustments. And then I just started, you know, copying Ed a lot and his mannerisms and what he did, because he was always just hilarious to me. And that really worked. And so we were all in it together. And, you know, Christina and I went. We're in the same schoolroom together. We were at the Sunset Gower lot. Where'd you guys shoot? Boy Meets World?

[Danielle Fishel]

Disney, KTLA and CBS Radford.

[David Faustino]

Got it. Got it. So, you know. You know where we're on Sunset Gower. No, it's this, like, little lot. But that did everything.

[Easton Allen]

Yeah, right.

[David Faustino]

Buildings were falling apart. Like, it was just so, like. And yet who's the Boss Was there and all of these big shows, and I was already a who's the Boss fan. And, you know, as most of us, you know, had this horrific crush on. On Alyssa.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[David Faustino]

And. And I remember because it was like our school room, and then, like, two doors down was Alyssa and Danny, you know, Pintaro. And. And I remember just, you know, they. They talk about being tongue tied. And I literally. I, like, I learned what that. That the definition of tongue tied meant when I. I, like, would try to talk to her, because I would literally be, like. I would, like. My words just wouldn't come out, you know, and I had this painful crush. But, yeah, it was. It was. It was a great experience. You know, I'm still. We're still all extremely close to this day. Like, super close. You know, like, I see Katie constantly, all the time, and her and her husband and Kurt and I are very close. And. And Ed. And I mean, we.

[Orderly Meds Advertiser]

We.

[David Faustino]

We're all just extremely close. We're on the same text thread, and we're. We're always talking. And so, yeah, you talk about.

[Easton Allen]

Oh, God, I was just gonna say, you talk about how good all the actors Are. I started at the Hartford Stage in Connecticut, which is a great stage, in 1986. I was 10, and two years before the first play I ever saw there was Of Mice and Men where he's playing Lenny. And he was. So it was like, at 8, I was going, oh, my God, this guy's amazing.

[David Faustino]

Do you know the story behind that? And.

[Will Friedle]

No.

[David Faustino]

Oh, that's funny you bring that up, because it wasn't until a couple of years ago I learned this. You know, they, they couldn't cast Al. They had the whole family besides Christina. And I had the kids, they had the neighbors, they had Peggy, but they couldn't find their owl. And they were searching everywhere and they, you know, all the funny guys that went out to, like, you know, they thought Sam Kinison there was. Who was the other actor, you know, Randy Quaid and all these guys that they just, they just didn't, you know. And, And Barry Diller at Fox really wanted somebody famous to carry this thing so much. So it was sold for 12 more episodes. And Ron and Michael, like, didn't want anybody that, that, that Fox wanted. And Mark Hirschfeld, you know, the casting director. Mark Hirschfeld, sure. Brilliant casting director. Just a brilliant casting director. And he went to that play and saw Of Mice and Men. And it was there that he went, this is our album.

[Easton Allen]

Wow.

[Danielle Fishel]

So great.

[David Faustino]

And they tested him. And, you know, Barry Diller, they, they didn't at all. And they, they, they lost six of the episodes based on their decision to, to cast Ed. And to their credit, they still went forward with six episodes. And they, they, they did it. And, you know, the rest is history.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

Yeah.

[David Faustino]

Well, it's also wild that you saw that play.

[Easton Allen]

It is. That was. I was like 8 years old, and I was on that same stage two years later in My Doll's House. But, I mean, at 8, I was like, who. Who is this guy? I mean, it was really incredible.

[David Faustino]

Where is that? So how big is that theater?

[Easton Allen]

Not big.

[David Faustino]

It's probably 99.

[Easton Allen]

Yeah, 99 to maybe 150.

[David Faustino]

Oh, wow.

[Easton Allen]

But it's like you would. You would look at the pictures of everyone that was up there. So when I did A Doll's House, it was David Strathairan and Mary McDonnell and Jerry Bam. And Marc Lemos was the artistic director. I mean, it was pretty outstanding. Yeah, a bunch of hats. Exactly. But the other thing a lot of people forget about Married With Children is that everyone credits Roseanne with kind of starting the blue collar family sitcom. Married with Children was a year earlier.

[David Faustino]

We were first, right?

[Kristen Davis]

Yeah.

[David Faustino]

So it's one of the noticed first.

[Easton Allen]

Exactly. But that's the thing is when you go back and you look at that actual blue collar sitcom family, the Bundys were first. Man, absolutely crazy.

[Danielle Fishel]

The working title of Married with Children was not the Cosbys, which has a different definition now. But Fox wanted this show obviously, to push the envelope beyond anything the big three networks would allow. What did your parents think of the material?

[David Faustino]

Well, it's funny you asked that because, you know, everywhere I go, when I go to conventions or on the street, people will go like, you know, I'm serious. Like 7 out of 10 people were like, I had to sneak away and I couldn't watch it. And I got in trouble and was like, and then you'll have the other. The other few people are like, you know, we loved it. We watched it together as a family. I came from, I told you, I went to Saint Finbar. I came from this kind of. My mom wasn't, but my dad was this old school Italian Catholic, like, you know, just, you know, a little, A little kind of crazy in that. And so they were always very supportive of what I did and wanted me to work and, you know, they didn't spend my money and they were great in that aspect. But, you know, watching the show around them after, it was uncomfortable sometimes, you know, with some of the things because, you know, you re watch it and it's like Alan, Peggy are making these like weird sex jokes while the kids are in the room, you know.

[Easton Allen]

Yeah.

[David Faustino]

Like, it's just. Yeah, it is bizarre. So that it got a little uncomfortable. But, you know, it was, it was a great job. And. Yeah, so. Yeah, well, Kelly too.

[Easton Allen]

I mean, the Kelly character, to have a fat quote unquote, fast teenage girl at the time, all this was like groundbreaking television. It was just so different.

[David Faustino]

It really was. And like I said, re watching these episodes, it's just like, my God, you know, it was. It was pretty, you know, a lot of that you couldn't. So in some aspects you could get away with more today, but in a lot, you. You couldn't get away with a lot of the stuff we. We did. Yeah, but you were talking about Roseanne. It's funny because Ron Levitt, you know, one of the funniest people I've ever met to this day, he. He would say, like, you know, when he'd watch Roseanne at the end, they'd sort of like go up and. And they'd like, you know, they want to make love and they'd Go, you know, have sex. And he'd always go, yeah, right.

[Danielle Fishel]

When did you know that the show was a hit? Because even though the numbers were modest compared to established networks, you had a very engaged, young, passionate audience and its position in pop culture was massive. Do you remember the moment you were like, oh, this is a hit?

[David Faustino]

Well, two, two things come to mind. One was, you know, the woman in Detroit, or not Detroit, Michigan, named Terry Recolt was, you know, the, the wife of, of some billionaire out there, very powerful. And you talk about like, you know, the, the, the, the sort of humor of the show. She came into the room and watched her kids like cracking up at this, this show. And so she sat down to see just what they were cracking up at. And she was appalled and just, you know, she was very successful in pulling. She got Coca Cola, McDonald's and some other giant sponsors to pull. But, you know, with that, I mean, everybody made the press and it was all over. Everybody's like, what are we not supposed to be watching?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[David Faustino]

And that's when it become, became sort of an overnight success. But for me, I was always in the, you know, I got into hip hop music really young, like 12 years old and you know, married with children was huge in the, in the hood, as we say, and in the hip hop community. And I started noticing it then because I would go to these, these hip hop shows and they like pull me up on stage and want to put me in their videos. And so it was very cool. That's when I really, you know, started noticing because like, the hip hop community like just embraced it like it was, you know, like it was their family. And so that was very cool for me.

[Will Friedle]

Awkward time to ask this, but. Hey, did you download the trail map?

[Kristen Davis]

Yeah, I know, I don't need to.

[Will Friedle]

I don't understand. You're trusting your signal out here.

[Kristen Davis]

I'm trusting T Mobile. They have the best network. And if we end up in bumtots nowhere, well, we've got T satellite for backup.

[Easton Allen]

Whoa.

[Will Friedle]

I don't trust my carrier that much.

[Kristen Davis]

We'll just use your phone as a flashlight.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

With America's best network and T Satellite, we're keeping you connected in places you never thought possible. And if you switch today, you get free phones for zero down and only 25 bucks a month per line for four lines. Find out more@t mobile.com or visit your local store.

Best mobile network Based on analysis by Oklahoma speed test intelligence data 2H 2025 with 24 monthly bill credits and 4 eligible port ins on essentials for well qualified customers with auto pay plus taxes fees and 35 connection charge per line credits and imbalance too. If you pay off earlier, cancel contact US Finance Agreement example 299.99 Moto Edge 5G required T Satellite available with compatible device in most outdoor areas in the US where you can see the sky. Included with a experience beyond $10 a month. Audews monthly cancel anytime.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

Visit t mobile.com hey everyone, it's Cal Penn, host of Irsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast I'm sitting down with Wil Wheaton, who played Gordie Lachance in Stand by Me 40 years ago and now narrates Stephen King's the Body, the novella that inspired it all. We talk about what it's like to return to a story that shaped his life, channeling his memories of River Phoenix in the recording booth and why the friendships you have at 12 might be the most important ones you'll ever have.

[David Faustino]

I know Gordie Lachance. I am Gordy Lachance. Like, I mean, even when I was a little kid, I was Gordy Lachance when I didn't know it.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

Listen to Earsay the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcast.

[Discover Advertiser]

It's smart to always have a few financial goals, and a really smart one you can set earning cash back on what you buy every day. And with Discover, you can get this Discover automatically matches all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. Seriously, all of it. And we trust you to make smart decisions. I mean, after all, you listen to this show, see [e-mail] Credit Card Summer

[Orderly Meds Advertiser]

is here at OrderlyMeds. We know this time is a reminder that life is full of new beginnings. Whether you're celebrating the nice weather, starting a new chapter, planning a vacation, or simply looking ahead to what's next, this season can be the perfect time to invest in yourself and your health. If you've struggled with weight loss and are curious about GLP1 medications, orderly meds can help you learn about your options through a simple virtual process. You can connect with licensed medical professionals who can determine whether treatment may be appropriate for you. Getting started is fast, convenient, and happens online from the comfort of home this summer, consider a new approach to feeling your best. Visit orderlymeds.com podcast to learn more. That's orderlymeds.com podcast orderlymeds.com podcast because every new season is an opportunity to take the next Step forward. Compounded medications are not FDA approved. Eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for detail details.

[Danielle Fishel]

So during that time when politicians, wives, and Oprah are calling the show filth, what is your reaction as a kid? Are you feeling scared, like, this isn't good for us? Or do you pretty quickly realize, like, oh, our ratings are going up. This is only good news for us?

[David Faustino]

I think it was pretty much just good news. As a matter of fact, the producer sent that woman, Terry Recolta, a thank you basket, like, after the ratings skyrocketed. Yeah, they literally did.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, that's awesome.

[Easton Allen]

That's pretty great.

[David Faustino]

And Hustler magazine gave her the month, so, I mean, you know, what more can you ask for? That's so funny.

[Easton Allen]

I thought I actually, I thought that was a totally different thing on Hustler.

[David Faustino]

Well, yeah, I mean, that's, that's, that's sort of the joke, I think, right?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Did you, like, how close in age are you to Christina? Did going through this experience bond you two in a way that's different maybe than with Ed and Katie just because you were closer in age?

[David Faustino]

Yeah, I mean, so we're only like two and a half years apart. And yeah, I mean, we were super close because again, we were in the same school room for years and we would travel together and, you know, it would kind of like brother and sister in a way where you, like, you know, at some point you're, like, quiet already. Like, yeah, enough stories about whoever. Like, you know, you're the little, little brother and, And I'm sure my stories annoyed her and. But we were always. We've become. Actually, there was a time like, you know, the show ended and kind of all went our separate ways, but we've actually become closer in a different way over the last, like, five, ten years.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[David Faustino]

Yeah, we become, you know, very, very close. Like as, as, you know, friends and supporting each other and in different ways.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know he appeared on Married With Children, but you also became friends with Sam Kinison, who was on top of the world at the time. What was he like, both to work with and as a human?

[David Faustino]

Oh, my God. Sam was one of the greatest guys, like, ever. He, you know, we. We spent. So it was a two parter episode, so we spent two weeks with him, but him and I, I don't know why, it was this weird thing. We became extremely close. Like, I would, like, hang out at his house, he would take me to all the shows. I would introduce him at, at at concerts. And he took a liking to me. And, you know, at that time I was pretty innocent, right? I, I, I wasn't like, I'm, I think I might have, like, smoked weed and maybe drank a little alcohol, but I wasn't doing any, like, drugs or anything. And he, you know, you'd go to Sam's house and there'd be like, you know, there'd be like a hundred dollar bill over a mountain of cocaine, this corner and that corner and this corner, and he'd always, you know, have Quaaludes and all this stuff. And I never partook. You know, I went through my own thing later on, but I never, I think, and I could be wrong, but I think he, there was like some thing about my innocence that he likes to have around. That's what I, when I look back. But he was so cool. I remember I was at his house on my dad's birthday once on December 10th, and my dad was this huge Sam Kinison fan. And I said, use it cool if we, you know, call my, my dad. He's like, oh, yeah, you want a few screams? And, you know, he's like, happy birthday, Roger.

[Easton Allen]

Oh.

[David Faustino]

And that's always, it was cool. He was a great, great big heart. You know, obviously he was a horrific addict. And yeah, you know, he missed a few days at work and the producers were not happy about that at all. You know, they weren't, they were pros and they didn't want that happening. And, you know, he would miss a day and not realize that he didn't show up. And, but then he would, like, he would try to, he would try to make that right by like catering lunch from Chasens and having belly dancers come and, you know, but I loved the guy, but, you know, I know that. But the final outcome, you know, he played the, it was like a, it was like, it's a, a play on It's a Wonderful Life. It was called It's a Bundy for Life. And you know, how the, the angel comes, comes back and shows how everybody's life would be without, you know, James Stewart character. And in this, everybody's life was magical. You know, Ellie was like this better without him. Oh, it was great. It was great. And I remember there's, you know, it was the first show, Ted McGinley, who wasn't in the show yet. He just was a guest actor in this episode. And in this episode he played the dad that al, you know, the real dad of us. And I remember there's a scene and his last name was Jablonski. And so he's like, after. We're like, I love you. I love you. I love you more. He's like, let's get a woe, Jablonski. And we did this Woe Jablonski. And they turned to Ed, and he's like, whoa, Jablonski. And it was just this funny, funny bit. But that's where we discovered Ted. Then he came back, you know, not too long after to play Marcy's new

[Easton Allen]

husband, who I love. I did a show with Ted, and he's, like, the nicest guy on the planet.

[David Faustino]

Greatest guy. He's so great.

[Easton Allen]

Yeah.

[David Faustino]

And, you know, he was a little pissed at me for a minute because we did that first reunion, which I. I produced with my partner Ben, and he, you know, it was. It was. It was the Bundys. Right. And, you know, Ed and Amanda had this thing going, and I knew he wasn't going to do it with her, and that was, like, not going to happen. And so I just kind of. We made it to Bundy's. I know. And so I heard that he was a little, like, you know, miffed about that, and I wasn't sure if that was true. And I heard it from. And anyway, we ended up talking, and he's like, yeah, I was a little pissed about that, you know, and so I said, you know, when we do this again, you know, it'll. It'll. You know, you'll be on the stage regardless of if it looks weird or not, that Amanda's not there. You got to be a part of it. So before you go on any further, I will tell you that we had to postpone the last reunion due to Christina, something that Christina is going through. And. But she's getting much better. And. And it's just a postponement, and it will be coming, I think, like, late fall.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[David Faustino]

Is what we're looking at. But, yeah, we had to postpone the Netflix one, unfortunately. Her health.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Discover Advertiser]

Okay.

[Easton Allen]

She. By the way, you talked about Alyssa Milano, who. Clearly, for people of our age, you and I are very similar in age. So it was who's the Boss? And. And then you had Commando with Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was just like, she was the best. But then Christina kind of took over for a lot of us, where she became that kind of the. The next girl that everybody had a crush on. And I'm curious was because, again, we always say that we were. Blessed is the wrong word. But it was. It was a lot more beneficial for us as People and as actors, that we got to go through all this without social media.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Easton Allen]

So were you able to kind of see, though, how Christina was becoming kind of like that, a teen icon to boys across the country?

[David Faustino]

Yes. But it was so weird, like I say, because it just so wasn't like that for me. You know, when we see people close up every day, we get to see their, you know, quote unquote, warts and pimples, as they say. And it's like, Christina had a lot of warts. I'm kidding. But no, no, she.

[Producer Jensen Karp]

We.

[David Faustino]

I just never. It was just never. So I. It was kind of like I would just hear it from them, but I didn't really understand the.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[David Faustino]

The gravity of what people were, you know? But I remember a few times being in New York and walking through the streets and some people saying some very colorful things about her and. Which I won't repeat, but a couple of them are hilarious. But, you know.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[David Faustino]

I mean, she definitely became the. The girl. Right. And looking back, when I look at these episodes, I got. God, she's gorgeous.

[Easton Allen]

Yeah. Stunning. But also, like, kind of a bad. Which was the thing that was. She was just that none of. None of you were the mold of the sitcom family. None of you. And that's the thing that was so great about the Bundys as a unit, even the Neighbors, there was not a single. It's like they took every single sitcom paradigm and went, we're gonna do the opposite of this.

[David Faustino]

Yeah.

[Easton Allen]

And it's either gonna work or it's not gonna work. And it just. It worked like gangbusters. But it was one of those things where you couldn't have turned it on its head anymore. I mean, even in the later seasons where every. The Brady Bunch brought on Oliver, everybody tries to bring on a new little kid to make it young again. And. And you guys brought on Seven, and it was just. And they named him that because he was the seventh kid in the family and nobody wanted him, so they just gave him to the Bunnies. And he was just. He was just seven. And so even that, like, using the typical sitcom things and just going, we're going to do this so differently than anybody else has ever done it. It could have failed.

[David Faustino]

How they ended the seven run.

[Easton Allen]

No.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

What.

[Easton Allen]

What did they do with seven?

[David Faustino]

I don't remember. Well, it just. The kid is so sweet, but, you know, he just wasn't an actor. I mean, I don't mean. He just. That wasn't his thing, and he didn't. It never took and the. The audience hated it, so they just stopped doing it. And then at one point, we're. We're like at the. We're at the kitchen table and there's a milk carton, and it zooms in and says, have you seen me?

[Discover Advertiser]

It's great.

[Will Friedle]

See?

[David Faustino]

Yeah, yeah.

[Easton Allen]

Never do that in another sitcom.

[David Faustino]

It was brilliant. Yeah, awesome.

[Danielle Fishel]

Like, Ryder, your own interests as a kid started to bleed over to Bud. So Ryder was into poetry and Counting Crows, and so then was his character Sean. You were a huge hip hop fan, and then so was Bud and in turn, Grandmaster B.

[David Faustino]

Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

How did that come together? And were you at all weirded out by it the way Ryder was, or did you love it?

[David Faustino]

Oh, you were weirded out by it.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, yeah, because it was. It was.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, it was.

[Ryder Strong]

It's a long, complicated story, but, yeah. No, it was definitely like parts of my life being taken without consulting. Without me being consulted.

[David Faustino]

Yeah, I get it. I get it. I feel that for me, again, it was a nod to sort of what I loved. You know, the Grandmaster Beat character came. You know, this was early when hip hop was not mainstream. It just wasn't. It wasn't mainstream. People, a lot of people hated it, and I embraced it early on. And so I'd have these guys come into the set. You know, I'd have, like, Ice Cube and Ice T and Eazy E and all these guys.

[Easton Allen]

You had NWA coming and visiting you on the set.

[David Faustino]

Yes, I did. I did.

[Kristen Davis]

Yes.

[David Faustino]

Eazy was the greatest. You know, he was a big Merrywood Children fan, and all these guys were. And Dre never came to the set, but he did come to my club that I used to run. They did. They did. It's impromptu. It was the greatest night of the club, and it just became impromptu. It wasn't planned anything. But Dre was there, Eazy was there, and Ren. It wasn't when Cube had already left at this point, but the three of them were there, and they did this impromptu performance, and it was just like. It was the greatest thing ever. But they would see these guys coming, they'd be like, yo, what's Faustino? What's happening here? You know? And so they. That's how the Grandmaster Beat character started. I don't think they really consulted me. It just kind of happened. But I remember when they wanted to do my bedroom for the first time, they were like, you know what? How do you. And I was like. And NOS's Illmatic album, it hadn't dropped. It was just dropping. And I knew about it, you know, a year or two in advance just by being in that scene and know the Source magazine and those guys. And so I was like, I want the Illmatic poster. And they're like, the who, the what? I was like, just throw it up there. And then, you know, when people saw that, they were just like, oh, you know, and even nos. When I run into him, it's like crazy love. And he has this quote in the LA Times. He was like, you know, when we saw our poster up on Bud Bundy's wall, we knew we were about to blow.

[Easton Allen]

That's really cool, man.

[David Faustino]

So I still use the moniker as my DJ name.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yep, Grandmaster.

[David Faustino]

Because people were like, you know, what is your DJ name gonna be? And. And for so long, I was like, no, that would be corny. And people are like, you gotta use it. It's just like, you know, you have it. Just go with it. So I was like, all right.

[Producer Jensen Karp]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

We had Brian Austin Green on the podcast a little while back, and we got into Ballistics, which is the underage club you ran on Sunset Boulevard here in Los Angeles. It was a real hangout for young Hollywood at the time. You mentioned that story about the impromptu hang and performance. Would you say that's your favorite Ballistics story? I'm sure you have many, but one of them.

[David Faustino]

One of them. First of all, I love Brian. You know, Brian is one of the sweetest guys and, you know, we still remain not close, but we're always a text away or, you know, and I love Brian, but I think the nights that one stands out obviously about nwa, but what I loved about the club was, you know, Will. I am. Who was Will1x at the time. He. You know, people don't realize because he sort of went, not a pop version, but in my. In my opinion, his pop is like, great. You know, it's like, yep, he did. He's a.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

He's a.

[David Faustino]

He's a magical guy. And. But he was a battle rapper and like, a lot of people don't know that about Will. He was vicious and. And ruthless. And he would. He kept this. The freestyle battle, like he was the champion for like six months in a row. No one could beat him because he would just take people apart kind of like 8 mile from head to toe. And I remember the only time he lost, they brought in this kid, this young, like 8, 10 year old kid that was, you know, that they were kind of trying to build up. And I remember they wrote his raps beforehand and like, figured out a way to Dis his own manager, Polo was behind this kid. And so they wrote this, these rhymes and they had this kid coming because he was so young and because the rhymes were so, you know, great. He actually won that night. Well, Will came back the next week and didn't care this, that this kid was 10 years old. He just destroyed this poor little kid and probably sent him home crying. And then he took the, the championship back. But he was just so, he was so great. I knew he was going to be a star from like one of the few, first few times I met him I was like, this kid is going to be a star. Like no doubt in my mind. And they all met there by the way. None of them knew each other. They literally all met at Ballistics.

[Easton Allen]

Wow.

[Danielle Fishel]

Are you still listening to hip hop? Do you have any modern day favorites?

[David Faustino]

Oh, it's funny, I, I was, I do, I have a lot of them. You know, I mean, I love hip hop. I mean I have a lot of stuff I hate. You know, I, I, I, I, I sort of hate the direction hip hop went in, in, you know, the, you know, I said Glorified Drugs. It just, it just become very, I don't know, that's, and it's one of the reasons people hate hip hop because they'll turn on, you know, these like popular hip hop stations and between every great song is like four horrible ones that are kind of unlistenable. And so I hate that. But there's still some really great stuff that's, you know, still out there. Like, I like this Griselda movement.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, I love Griselda.

[David Faustino]

I love Griselda. Benny the Butcher. I was just on a Zoom call with a guy named Afro, who, don't get him confused with Afroman. He's not that, he's a different guy. He's, he's this dope, underground like artist. He's only 28. He's, he's battled, you know, he's a freestyle battler and so great and such a humble, cool guy. As a matter of fact, we just were on a Zoom meeting at 12 o' clock today and we're gonna, we're gonna try and put together a little EP just for fun. So I love him. And, and there's, there's a lot of, you know, people I'm listening to that I like because I have to stay up on some of the new stuff just because of what I do for my hobby and my sort of second hustle. So I have to weed through a lot of crap though.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Do you know Toby Wigway at all?

[David Faustino]

I don't.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh my gosh. You have to check him out. I'll send you a link. His wife also is a rapper. They're phenomenal, separately and together. And very, very, very good. You'll have to check them out.

[David Faustino]

Where are they from?

[Danielle Fishel]

Atlanta.

[Producer Jensen Karp]

Okay.

[David Faustino]

Yeah, love to hear that. Please do.

[Danielle Fishel]

I will send it to you.

[Will Friedle]

Awkward time to ask this, but. Hey, did you download the trail map?

[Kristen Davis]

Yeah, no, I don't need to.

[Will Friedle]

I. I don't understand. You're trusting your signal out here.

[Kristen Davis]

I'm trusting T Mobile. They have the best network. And if we end up in bumtots nowhere, well, we've got T Satellite for backup.

[David Faustino]

Whoa.

[Will Friedle]

I don't trust my carrier that much.

[Kristen Davis]

We'll just use your phone as a flashlight.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

With America's best network and T Satellite, we're keeping you connected in places you never thought possible. And if you switch today, you get free phones for zero down and only 25 bucks a month per line for four lines. Find out more@t mobile.com or visit your local store.

Best Mobile network Based on Analysis by Ooklab Speedtest Intelligence data 2h 2025 with 24 monthly bill credits and 4 eligible pour ins on essentials for well qualified customers with autopay plus taxes, fees and $35 connection charge per line credits and imbalance due if you pay off early OR Cancel Contact Us Finance Agreement example $299.99 Moto H5G Required T Satellite available with compatible device in most outdoor areas in the US where you can see the sky included with experience beyond. $10 a month. Audible News Monthly Cancel anytime visit t

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

mobile.com hey everyone, it's Cal Penn, host of Irsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast I'm sitting down with Wil Wheaton, who played Gordie Lachance in stand by me 40 years ago and now narrates Stephen King's the Body, the novella that inspired it all. We talk about what it's like to return to a story that shaped his life, channeling his memories of River Phoenix in the recording booth and why the friendships you have at 12 might be the most important ones you'll ever have.

[David Faustino]

I know Gordy Lachance. I am Gordy Lachance. Like, I mean, even when I was a little kid, I was Gordy Lachance when I didn't know it.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get Your podcasts.

[Discover Advertiser]

It's smart to always have a few financial goals and a really smart one. You can set earning cash back on what you buy every day. And with Discover, you can get this. Discover automatically matches all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. Seriously, all of it. And we trust you to make smart decisions. I mean, after all, you listen to this show, see [e-mail] credit card.

[Orderly Meds Advertiser]

Summer is here At Orderly Meds. We know this time is a reminder that life is full of new beginnings. Whether you're celebrating the nice weather, starting a new chapter, planning a vacation, or simply looking ahead to what's next, this season can be the perfect time to invest in yourself and your health. If you struggled with weight loss and are curious about GLP1 medications, orderly meds can help you learn about your options. Through a simple virtual process, you can connect with licensed medical professionals who can determine whether treatment may be appropriate for you. Getting started is fast, convenient, and happens online from the comfort of home. This summer, consider a new approach to feeling your best. Visit orderlymeds.com podcast to learn more. That's orderlymeds.com podcast podcast orderlymeds.com podcast because every new season is an opportunity to take the next step forward. Compounded medications are not FDA approved, eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, I want to talk about these reunions a little bit. Where did the idea for the first one at the Wiltern come from?

[David Faustino]

So it all quickly, it all birthed from a friend of mine, Ben Brucato, who's one of these sort of, you know, he's an agent that does conventions and things like that. And we just started out as a. As a, you know, client agent relationship, but then we became friends. And he always said, you know, we should get. We should do this. We should do like a convention where we all do a signing together.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[David Faustino]

And I was like, that's never gonna happen, dude. Like, Ed is never gonna do that. Like, I'd have people call me, these agents that would find me, and they'd be like, hey, listen, you know, I want Ed to come out for one day in Florida for four hours. We'll pay him 100 grand, right? So I'd be like, okay, sure, I'll call him. And I'd call him, and I knew the answer. And he'd be like, yeah, Nadi, I don't want to do that. You know, like 100K. So he's never going to do it. But what I Did know about Ed, because I know Ed so well, is that he loves to tell stories. He's one of the greatest storytellers you can ever say. Well, he would keep us entertained for hours and hours and hours telling stories about Youngstown, Ohio, and the. The gangsters that he grew up around.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

Yeah.

[David Faustino]

New York. And, like, he would just, you know, he was. He's a great storyteller. So we kind of morphed into one of these ideas. Well, what if we did, you know, like a thing where. Where he can be on stage and, like, he'd say, you know, I gotta have a barrier. And he doesn't mean it in a. In a. He's like, yeah, he doesn't want to be too. He doesn't want people, like, putting their arm around him. He's just not that kind of guy. So for a fraction of what he would make, you know, one of these conventions and signings, we approached him with this idea to go up on stage and tell stories is how I sort of worded it. And I thought he'd be the hardest one to get on board. He's like, oh, well, that sounds kind of fun. You know, let's. Let's see if Katie and Christina. So it became. Once he was on board, which was, like, simple, then, you know, it was easier to get Katie and Christina to do it. They were a little more difficult to get on board than Ed was. He was immediately like, let's do this. It sounds like fun. Sounds like. And it was exactly what I knew it would be. He went on stage and he told a bunch of great stories that captivated the audience. And. And it was great, you know, and

[Danielle Fishel]

that you raised money during that one for Race to Erase Ms. Right.

[David Faustino]

Yeah, I've been. I've been going to the race to erase Ms. For 33 years in a row.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my gosh.

[David Faustino]

And, you know, and it was before, obviously, Christina was diagnosed, and I've been a huge part of that. When it was a race, did you guys ever go to that?

[Danielle Fishel]

No, I don't.

[Orderly Meds Advertiser]

You know what?

[Danielle Fishel]

I may have. I may have in the past. I. It's been a long time, but I do think there was a time as a teenager, I went, oh, yeah, it

[David Faustino]

was the greatest event in the world. It started out as this ski race. That's what it was. Like, fail and, like, all the greatest places, you. And then, of course, it was a logistical nightmare. And so they. Yeah, finally became like, a gala at the. At the Century Plaza Hotel. But I so miss those days. But, you know, I'm still big a part of that. Nancy Davis is a close friend, you know, and it's always been dear to me. So obviously when, when Christina, when this went down, we were like, you know, what's the, what's the perfect cause to raise a little bit of money for? It's not what we raised. We raised some money for them. But yeah, that's great though.

[Danielle Fishel]

And it obviously sold out. So you couldn't have been too shocked by, by that reaction considering all of you were involved. But what did that.

[David Faustino]

Shocked. But I was like, I, I think they were because, you know, Katie and I are the only two who do the conventions. Like Katie finally did one. She loved it and she realized, you know, she can make money. And so she, I think she knew. But I think Ed and Christina were, you know, we, we pulled, you know, they picked us up and we all went to the separately, but they picked us up in cars and we all pulled up and the wheel turn was just, it was like, it was like you were going to like a. I don't know, like a Beatles concert or something crazy like back then. It was like a buzz with lines of people with. Wearing the no ma' am shirts and dressed like Al and Peggy. And it was just, it was the, the energy was insane. And I don't think, I mean, I was even blown away a little bit. But I don't think they were. Knew what was coming. You know, it was, it was quite, you know, and it sold out like in two days.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[David Faustino]

Which was, which was also kind of wild. But it was a blast. I think they were. Which is why they all were like, yeah, let's do another. And we were set up to do that. And then unfortunately we had, we put that on hold for a little while. But you know, even when he came on my show, I was like, you know, how is he? You know, and he was so great. I said, you only have to stay for an hour. He stayed for the full two hours and of course told stories to all the fans. And this one woman from Germany who actually posted on the site shameless plug. It's bundyclub.com but we have, you know, these members posting area and she, she did this three part post that goes on and on and on about how she, you know, on her own without her husband because her husband's like, what are you, are you crazy? She came out here, I'd never been to Los Angeles and made the journey and was super nervous about it. And she, she tells this story, but she got to Talk to Ed on this Zoom call. And she wrote this, like, speech that she wanted to tell him. She started tearing up through it, and Ed was super. All of us were like, oh, my God, this is extremely touching. You know, and it was great to have him on, you know, it was really cool that he did it. And he's very loyal, and he's just a. You know, he's a good dude.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's so great.

[David Faustino]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, congratulations on the Bundy Club. Where can people listen? I know you mentioned the website bundy club.com. where can people listen to find your podcast? And it's a Zoom.

[David Faustino]

Oh, yeah. So you just go to bundyclub.com you sign up. There's, like, different levels of membership. You can go for free if you want, or, you know, it goes up, but. And then, you know, you get to come on. I have Paulie Shore coming on because he did. He's a fan fave. One of his episodes is just so fun. He played, you know, Al has to go work in, like, a fast food joint, and Paulie plays his boss, and it is hilarious. People love this. So he's coming on, but I think that will. Anyway, Bundy Club dot com. Just sign up and then you can come to the Zoom thing and you get to like you. After we do the interview, people get to come on. We kind of. I think there's like, a thing where if you do a lot of posting and you're like, first in line to ask questions and come in the Zoom. It's like a system, but it's fun. A lot of fun. People love it, and I love it. I have a lot of fun doing it.

[Ryder Strong]

That's a great idea.

[Easton Allen]

It sounds. It's almost like a virtual convention. It's really cool.

[Ryder Strong]

It's a trip.

[David Faustino]

It's a trip. It really is. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, that's great. And we look forward to hearing more about the upcoming Netflix reunion special. Hopefully later this year, we will keep an eye out for that. Well, thank you so much for joining us today. It was so wonderful to talk to you.

[David Faustino]

That was a lot of fun. Yeah. Thank you, guys. It's good to see you. Glad you guys are all together. It's kind of rare, right, that we all, like. A lot of us stick together, but it's kind of cool.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know.

[Easton Allen]

I think so.

[Danielle Fishel]

Great. Congratulations on the new house, too. I love the dogs and their little coyote vests. Spiky vests.

[David Faustino]

Oh, you can see the vests.

[Will Friedle]

Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

So cute.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

I love it.

[David Faustino]

Yeah. That's awesome. I'm gonna go do some laundry in my new laundry.

[Ryder Strong]

Have fun.

[Easton Allen]

As long as they're drainage, you're fine.

[David Faustino]

Yeah, we're good to go.

[Easton Allen]

Thanks, guys.

[David Faustino]

Thank you.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's so cool that they're all that close and have just like a group chat. It's really great.

[Easton Allen]

They also, I mean, they, between them and the Simpsons, they made a network. Literally built a network. We come on ABC or people go me on cbs. I mean, it's something that's got the heritage of sometimes 100 years, 80 years. They built the network.

[Danielle Fishel]

They were the first ever sitcom on Fox and only the second show ever on Fox was.

[David Faustino]

Was.

[Ryder Strong]

That's crazy.

[Easton Allen]

Was Simpsons the first one?

[Danielle Fishel]

I think it has to be.

[Will Friedle]

God, that's nuts.

[Easton Allen]

The second show ever on an entire network. Which is which then now if anybody thinks of networks, there's four.

[Kristen Davis]

Yeah.

[Easton Allen]

And there was three. Everyone now knows four.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yep.

[Easton Allen]

And they were the second show ever. That's nuts.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Easton Allen]

God, crazy.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you all for joining us for this episode of Pod Meets World. As always, you can follow us on Instagram Pod Meets World show. You can send us your emails podmeatsworldshowmail.com and we've got Merch.

[Easton Allen]

Merch and marriage. Merch and marriage. It's an institute you can't disparage now

[Ryder Strong]

it's stuck in my head forever.

[Danielle Fishel]

Enjoy it.

[Easton Allen]

I'll tell you, bro brother, you can't

[David Faustino]

have one without the other.

[Ryder Strong]

That's for you, Ryder.

[Danielle Fishel]

Pod meets WorldShow.com we love you all. Pod dismissed. Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fischl, Will Friedle and Ryder Strong, executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor Tara Sudbaksh, producer Matty Moore, engineer and Boy Meets World superfan Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram odmeatsworldshow or email us at podmeatsworldshowmail.com

[David Faustino]

we learned how to love dogs from the dogs that loved us and waited for us to get home from school. They were the dogs that raised us. We returned the love with Pedigree dog food. It was good then and it's better now. Every bowl has 100% complete nutrition, supporting six health essentials. And now it includes vitamin good bites, a nutrient boost your dog will love Pedigree. Good then, better now.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

Hey, everyone, it's Kalpen. I'm inviting you to join the best sounding book club you've ever heard. With my Podcast Hearsay, The Audible and iHeart audiobook club every episode, I nerd out with amazing guests and dive into the best new audiobooks available on Audible. It's the book club for your ears. Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Orderly Meds Advertiser]

When you're a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, you keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns. With Grainger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts and hard to find parts, you can get what you need fast and all in one place so nothing gets in the way of getting the job done. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickranger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. Summer is here, which means we all want to look and feel our best. A GLP1 may be right for you. Visit orderlymeds.com to learn more about which GLP1 you could be eligible for. Getting started is fast, easy, and happens virtually through telemedicine from licensed professionals. Check it out for yourself. Go to orderlymeds.com podcast that's orderlymeds.com podcast taking care of yourself feels great. Compounded medications are not FDA approved. Eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.