Holly Robinson Peete Meets World

Summary

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Pod Meets World: "Holly Robinson Peete Meets World"

Release Date: June 15, 2026
Host(s): Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, Ryder Strong
Guest: Holly Robinson Peete

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Episode Overview

This episode brings 90s TV nostalgia to the forefront as the Pod Meets World team sits down with TV legend Holly Robinson Peete. Known for her work on TGIF's "Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper," the groundbreaking drama "21 Jump Street," and her advocacy in the autism community, Holly revisits her career’s major moments. The hosts discuss the evolution of TV, diversity, the behind-the-scenes realities of classic sets, and Holly’s personal life—culminating in a vibrant, funny, and poignant conversation.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Howard the Duck & Early Career (17:12-23:38)

• Cult Classic Memories:
  • Holly recounts her role in "Howard the Duck" (1986) and its initial negative reception, noting the later cult status.
  • “There was a time when if you would ask me that question, I would have just been like, how dare you?...But yes, it hung around so long that it is now literally a cult classic. I don't know why Marvel has not remade it.” — Holly (17:53)
• Anecdotes: Issues with the duck costume, odd romantic plotlines, and the eventual nostalgic appreciation.

2. Hollywood Origins & Family Influence (23:39-36:32)

• Showbiz Family:
  • Holly's father, Gordon on "Sesame Street", was strict about not putting her on TV too young.
  • “My daddy was the OG, the original Gordon...My dad did not want me to be a showbiz kid...He knew if I put this girl on Sesame Street ...it's over.” — Holly (23:58)
• Hollywood Upbringing:
  • Holly’s move to Malibu exposed her to classmates like Rob Lowe, Sean Penn, and Jennifer Grey.
  • Nostalgia for 70s and 80s sitcom sets, including "Good Times" and "What's Happening!!".

3. Breaking into TV: Kids World & Early Work (36:33-41:03)

• First TV Job:
  • "Kids World" as a junior correspondent set the tone for her interview style and comfort among celebrities.
  • A hilarious story: getting fired for being too “breathy” and obsessed with boy band singer Foster Silvers.

4. The 21 Jump Street Era (41:04-54:54)

• Iconic Casting:
  • Holly's life-changing leap from a struggling college grad to Judy Hoffs on "21 Jump Street".
  • Audition nerves, driving a car with “Fred Flintstone brakes”, and learning Johnny Depp would be their new lead.
• Cutting-Edge Storytelling:
  • The show tackled issues far ahead of its time: AIDS, LGBTQ+ topics, gun violence, and more.
  • “We covered stuff that nobody was talking about...Aids, LGBTQ stuff...we really went there.” — Holly (48:48)
• Cast Bonding & Cultural Impact:
  • Famous guest stars (Brad Pitt, Rosie Perez, etc.), family viewing traditions, and the cult of Johnny Depp.
  • Details about the tension when Depp wanted to leave and Richard Grieco's introduction.
• Music Achievement:
  • Holly sang the 21 Jump Street theme by lobbying producers:
  • “They had no choice. I forced my way into it...Can I do the theme song? And he was like, absolutely.” — Holly (54:55)

5. The Jacksons: An American Dream & Meeting Michael (59:00-63:26)

• Portraying Diana Ross:
  • Holly describes preparing both acting and singing, and the pressure knowing Michael Jackson himself had casting approval.
• Meeting Michael Jackson:
  • Childhood awe, stage fright at age 5, and the surreal experience of later receiving his praise:
  • “He acknowledged that backstage. He was like, you did a very good job. So I did get a chance to sort of get a thumbs up from him.” — Holly (63:26)

6. Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper & Sitcom Culture (69:46-80:22)

• Landing the Role:
  • Holly describes the difficult transition from drama to sitcom, and auditioning against a perennial “it girl," Lela Rochon.
• Studio Community:
  • TGIF shows were like a TV village: chance meetings on the Warner Bros lot with other 90s stars.
  • Recognition of two “TGIF” camps—Disney/ABC shows vs. WB—explaining why crossovers didn’t happen.
• Differences in Production:
  • Culture shock moving from single-camera dramas to multi-cam sitcoms.
  • “Again, it was a muscle, but, boy, once I kind of got in the groove of comedy, especially physical comedy, I was in love with that genre.” — Holly (75:13)

7. Personal Life & Advocacy (80:23-88:44)

• Legendary On-Set Proposal:
  • Holly’s husband Rodney Peete proposed during a live taping, captured from four camera angles:
  • “That was like the most surreal thing ever.” — Holly (76:18)
• Autism Advocacy:
  • Holly and Rodney’s openness about their son RJ’s autism diagnosis and the lonely road for parents at the time.
  • “Mainly because we couldn't see it. Like, we didn't see anybody advocating...if we started talking about it...we might help someone on their journey.” — Holly (83:40)
  • RJ’s journey: now working for the Dodgers and exceeding expectations.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On "Howard the Duck"’s legacy:

  • “I love all these decades later that people come up and go, oh, my God, my favorite thing that you were in is...Howard the Duck. I'm like, oh, dang.” — Holly (19:53)

• On 21 Jump Street’s substance:

  • “I love that character so much, Danielle, that if I could...I would still be playing that character. Could still be Judy Hoffs.” — Holly (51:07)

• On breaking new TV ground:

  • “We covered stuff that nobody was talking about...we really went there.” — Holly (48:48)

• On relatable nostalgia:

  • “Growing up, every week the whole family would get together and watch 21 Jump Street. I’ve seen every episode multiple times.” — Will Friedle (45:20)

• On Rodney Peete’s proposal:

  • “He shows up at the end of the scene...with all four cameras rolling to propose to me.” — Holly (76:18)

• On advocacy and hope:

  • “We're not going to steal hope and dreams from parents because there are possibilities for your child.” — Holly (87:27)

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Important Episode Timestamps

• [17:12] — Transition into Holly’s early film career and "Howard the Duck"
• [23:39] — Discussing her family background in Hollywood
• [36:33] — Early TV jobs and anecdotes
• [41:04] — "21 Jump Street": landing the role, show impact, Johnny Depp stories
• [54:55] — Singing the "21 Jump Street" theme song
• [59:00] — The Jacksons miniseries, meeting Michael Jackson
• [69:46] — Auditioning for and starring on "Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper"
• [76:17] — Iconic on-set marriage proposal
• [83:40] — Autism advocacy and family journey

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Episode Tone and Language

The tone is warm and upbeat, filled with laughter, friendly ribbing, and nostalgic affection—much like a reunion among longtime friends. Holly is candid and animated as she shares both humorous and vulnerable moments. The hosts maintain a fan's enthusiasm throughout, creating a welcoming, playful space for in-depth conversation and sincere reflection.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode is a vibrant celebration of TV history, female empowerment, and personal resilience. Holly Robinson Peete’s multidecade career is revealed as both groundbreaking and deeply relatable, showing a performer who has consistently created joy on screen and hope off it. From sitcom sets to serious drama, from singing theme songs to championing autism awareness, Holly’s story is filled with inspiration and a sense of communal nostalgia for the listeners and hosts alike.

Transcript

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[B]

So we have had many conversations on this podcast about language and this new language younger people are speaking.

[E]

Yeah.

[B]

And how it is a completely different thing. And I've come across a new one that somewhere along the lines they've literally just flipped the entire meaning of the phrase. Yeah. And now the opposite means the thing, which I don't. Okay, so sue and I, one of our guilty pleasures is Love Island. We hate it in the best possible way. And all these 12 year olds on this show, they say, get ready to bleep. But they say I with this.

[C]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

As if it's a good thing, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So we used to say, don't with me or I'm not gonna with her. Are you kidding me? And this one guy looked right at the girl and went, you know what I love? I love with Legos. And I'm like, okay, wait, what is happening? So all of a sudden now with somebody or with something.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Is what you want.

[D]

One of my friends loves to quote, I guess Shia LaBeouf was on some podcast. You with fondue as a whole, like, how much he loves fondue.

[B]

Well, there you go. So that used to be a bad thing. Who decided we can just make things the opposite of where they are? How did that happen? Where. And who was the first one to say that? Because it'd be like. But it's not the opposite.

[A]

Because.

[D]

No, because two is actually a positive thing.

[B]

But it was never for years. If I with you for years, that was a bad thing. Oh, Ryder, that's a bad thing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Now it's a good thing. Yeah, but you can't say the F

[D]

word has always been super flexible. Right. I mean, I feel like that's what. I think I know what you're saying. Like, there are definitely times when things have. Like, because even you think about the saying, I could care less. Right, right. Like, you're actually.

[C]

Yeah, that's not.

[D]

The saying is I couldn't.

[B]

I couldn't care less.

[D]

But everyone accepts that I could care less means the opposite of what it actually says.

[C]

Yeah, I mean, people accept it, but a lot of people do know that's not what it's supposed to be. It's like when people say, well, I could of. If they spell it out, I could o F. Well, I could have gone to the store if I wanted to. It's like, no, it's could have. And it could have, could have, could have.

[B]

Right.

[C]

And so I couldn't care less is that. It's the bottom thing on my list.

[E]

It.

[C]

Nothing else is lower.

[D]

But I do not care about any of this. I do not think. I think language isn't literal. I mean, obviously there's rules and intentions. No, I'm just curious where the word comes from, though. I know, but I just. I like if you start going down the rabbit hole because even, like, non plussed is the opposite of what it actually is used for all the time. There's so many examples where language isn't. It just doesn't function literally.

[B]

Have you been starting? One of the things I love is. Is modern phrases or sayings that people use that when you listen to the entire phrase, it's actually the complete opposite of what it was supposed to be. Like blood is thicker than water. The actual phrase was the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. Literally meaning the opposite of blood is thicker than water.

[C]

That the people you form relationships with are stronger than people you're blood related to.

[B]

You don't have to be blood to be family is essentially what they're saying. But it became. By cutting out half of the phrase.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It literally became the opposite. And there's a whole list of those where it's like, oh, no. If you listen to the whole thing, it's literally the opposite of what people are using it for.

[D]

Indy threw out a great one that I love, which was don't glaze it, bro. I'm a glaze. That mean. It means like don't overdo. Don't know. Don't overdo it. Like, if you're going to be complimentary, you're saying something good. Don't glaze it. I'm like, yeah, man. Because I donuts. You have to glaze that.

[B]

Yeah. Is that where it comes from? Is that the glaze? I'm glazing a donut.

[D]

Glazing glass. You could glaze is too.

[C]

A glazed donut is a perfect meal.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Oh, I With glazed donuts. Glazed totally.

[C]

With glazed donuts. I will dozen glazed donuts right now.

[B]

That's.

[D]

It's perfect.

[B]

No, Danielle, I think you have to with them.

[C]

You can't actually the donuts right now.

[B]

Oh, man, that's such a way to ruin a donut. It's still my birthday.

[D]

Daniel Fishel likes to glaze donuts.

[B]

Glazed donuts only on my birthday. I got nothing else after that.

[A]

Welcome to Pod Meets World. I'm Danielle Fischl.

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I'm Ryder Strong and I with all

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our fans, I'm Will Friedle.

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Whoa.

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One of our favorite aspects of Boy Meets World has always been the respect and reverence the character of Mr. Feeney gave to the profession of teaching. As we've talked talked about before, Bill Daniels main concern with the show was that Michael would turn his role into a joke. But Bill wanted to bring importance to the position because, well, it's important. And we were just one sitcom following this important mandate. There was Charlie Moore on Head of the class, Mrs. Garrett on Facts of Life and the short lived Ms. Bliss on Saved by the Bell and of course Mr. Cotter. But TGIF already had the coolest teacher around well before John Adams was established. And that was thanks to hangin with Mr. Cooper. And today we are talking to one of its legendary stars. Someone who went from Sesame street to 21 Jump street, then welcomed us into the neighborhood for ABC Friday Nights. Her career has now spanned five decades with more than one show surviving to 100 episodes. And also one talking duck. She's TV royalty. And now the newest guest on Pod Meets World. Let's please welcome Holly Robinson.

[A]

Peet. Yay.

[B]

Hey. Yes.

[A]

There she is.

[B]

You're another one who looks exactly the same. You look exactly the same.

[A]

We have technology,

[C]

let me tell you. I just saw her in person a couple of weeks ago at American Idol. It is not technology. She looks exactly the same in person. What an honor it is for us to be able to sit down with you today. You are a true TGIF love legend. So thank you for being here with us.

[A]

Well, thank you for having me. I had the best time at Idol. That was more fun than I thought it was going to be. Right. First I thought, is this going to be kind of corny? Is it going to be kind of goo? And I didn't know that Mark Curry, my co star, was going to be there. And he got there. I only, I just didn't know he was going to be there. So that was an awesome surprise.

[C]

That is such a fun surprise. I love that. I wish I had been surprised by having Mr. Will Friedle or Mr. Writer strong there.

[B]

But we weren't invited.

[D]

We weren't invited. No one cares about us.

[B]

No one cares about

[D]

co stars.

[A]

And by the way, you took some of the best BTS footage for me. I handed you my phone because I didn't realize what you, how, like how you fit into the whole thing. So I was like, look at her. She's just like going over to talk to Lionel and now she's going over here and I was like, okay, she's working, I get it. And then I just like handed you, you know, you hand your phone off to Someone and you hope you get. Yes. Some good content. This girl got the most amazing behind the scenes stuff of me and Mark and Ryan. So thank you.

[C]

You are so welcome. If I had had more time, I would have just followed you around the whole, the whole evening getting, getting more stuff.

[A]

You had a lot to cover.

[C]

I was, I was all over the place over there. Now, before we jump into all kinds of wonderful things about your career, I have something I have to start off with because my husband is a super fan and he will kill me if I don't get into it or. One of your first jobs ever. Well, before stardom and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, you were in the cult classic 1986 movie Howard the Duck.

[B]

Yup.

[C]

I know the history of this movie has been properly rewritten and now people absolutely love it. But we want to know what you remember from shooting with the Duck.

[A]

Oh my goodness. I'm so glad you asked me this question because this is how long I've been around. Because there was a time when if you would ask me that question, I would have just been like, how dare you? I wasn't even getting out of that movie.

[D]

I wasn't in that movie.

[A]

I was like, what? But yes, it hung around so long that it is now literally a cult classic. I don't know why Marvel has not remade it. Part of the problem was the technology. The duck had so many issues. Just there were two actors that were inside the duck. One was actually a child.

[B]

Yeah. Weren't there child labor law problems? Because they stuck a little kid in this rubber child.

[A]

And then you older guy who was, who was amazing, but he was a grown, grown, you know what man. And he had different energy with Leah Thompson who was the lead. So the duck and Leah were supposed to kind of have a thing which was to supposed already kind of weird.

[D]

But yeah, there's a duck condom joke. If I remember there were.

[A]

There were many duck condoms.

[B]

There's a play duck joke. You see a naked duck.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean there were so many things and now we look back and it's just, it's so outrageous that we love it. It's the best time. So I was in a group called Cherry Bomb and they were a fictional group. And at the time I wanted to be a singer. I was in my senior year in college. I took off a couple months from college to go shoot that up in Northern California. And I mean it was George Lucas and it was. Yeah. So this was $100 million movie. So I'm like, oh, I'm good. I'm straight.

[D]

Made it.

[A]

Went up there. We shot amazing. Recorded. Recorded songs, recorded music. And I just was so excited about being in this group. And then the movie bombed. And when I say bombed, it, like, people's careers were over because of it.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And then I just, like, kind of like, oh, I wasn't in that. It wasn't me.

[C]

Yeah, take that off the resume.

[D]

Just fade into the background.

[A]

I love all these decades later that people come up and go, oh, my God, my favorite thing that you were in is not Cooper. It's not Jump Street. They're like, Howard the Duck. I'm like, oh, dang.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And Danielle, when I get. When I get. I've been getting a lot of, like, snail fan mail lately, which is really weird. You too?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I don't know if it's a 90s thing. I don't know what it is, but I've been getting a lot of it. And I diligently sign it and everything. And almost all the photos are Howard the Duck. Photos are Howard the Duck.

[D]

Wow.

[B]

I can hear the song in my head right now as we're talking. I can literally hear the cherry bomb say, Howard the Duck. Of course I saw this movie. It's twice in the theater.

[C]

Are you serious?

[A]

Yes.

[D]

I remember my parents rented it. And then we were traumatized because at the end it gets really dark. Like, his tongue comes out. Crazy effects. And I remember just being like, My parents would be like, okay, this movie never happened.

[B]

It was Tim Robbins, for God's sakes. I mean, like, the cast was insane.

[A]

I ran into Tim at the airport, like, about two months ago, and we just had the best time on this movie. Even though he's another one that definitely took it off his resume. But when I see him and we still have this bond from all these years ago, he's the sweetest, nicest, and most amazing guy. But, yeah, that was a crazy move. And Ed Gale, he was in the duck costume. He was the adult in the duck costume. He was also awesome. So that's a. It was a crazy time. But there are people that are die hard fans, so.

[B]

Yeah, well, I'm one of them. Again, when you hear the story about how it's actually a kid in the duck costume, then hitting on Leah Thompson as an adult, I mean, it gets so creepy, the stuff that happened with the kid in the suit where it's. It's a pretty amazing to hear the deep dive of Howard the Duck very much.

[A]

And I. I know some. I know someone who actually Did a book about it and he, he said the stuff that he learned was crazy. And I was like, yeah, it was, it was a while for sure.

[C]

But of course, when you know you're going to work with this cast and these producers and the directors and you're like, oh my gosh, I'm, I'm set. Then you get up there and while you're in the process of making the movie, are any of you looking at each other going, is this gonna, is this gonna be weird? Like, while you're going through it, are you starting to feel weird about it or. No, not until it comes out and it bombs.

[A]

The duck was our manager, the group's manager. Like it was, there were so many weird concepts.

[B]

He's in bed with her. He's literally in bed with her.

[A]

Bed with her. And she's like, night, night, Ducky. So yeah, there were moms. Okay. But that, and there were actually lines when we used the word. I, I, he comes in, into our dressing room and we're meeting Howard for the first time. And Liz Seagal, who's Katie Seagal's sister, another awesome lady. She, she goes, yo, how weird. I mean, like that was, These were the lines. So yes, it was weird.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

That said, some of those songs, not just the theme song, were so good. They were written by Thomas Dolby and George Clinton and Ali Willis. Like, these are major players. And so for me, wanting to be a singer, I was like, oh, this is, I am straight. Yeah, so, So I had high hopes and. But yeah, while we were making, we definitely some eyebrows were raised for sure, sure.

[B]

And the Cherry Bombs, that has to be named after the runaway song, I imagine. Who was the awesome girl group in the 70s? I would think.

[A]

I think so. I think so. I mean, I don't know. I don't know why it wasn't, but it was just, it was, it was, it was a crazy memory. And I still have awesome photos from, from those days. And remember that was pre social media. So it was a, it was like a lot of hidden, hidden weirdness happening on that side.

[B]

Great movie.

[C]

Well, before we jump into your non duck related successes, let's talk about your Hollywood origin story. You were born in Philadelphia, but you moved to LA pretty quickly with your father who was also in the business. And he was the first actor to play Gordon on Sesame Street.

[A]

Yes. So you have to be a certain age to remember. My daddy was the og, the original Gordon and he, he started that show in 1969. I was five years old. Ish. And everybody on my block in Philly. Got to go up to New York to be on Sesame Street. Except me. Why? Because my dad did not want me to be a showbiz kid. And he could see how I was. I was very precocious. I talked all the time, just, you know, I was that kid. He knew if he. If I put this girl on Sesame street with some lights on her in a scene with Big Bird, yep, it's over. Bad stuff is gonna happen. Like, she's gonna. She's gonna really have stars in her eyes. So I had to wait a whole year. And I was traumatized. Like, where's the nepotism?

[C]

Can I. Hello, Can I get some nepotism, please?

[A]

So I finally got up there and I had one line, and I blew my one line.

[B]

Do you remember what it was?

[A]

Oh, of course. I've been in therapy for 50 years. I was supposed to say, hi, Gordon. And I kept saying, hi, Daddy.

[B]

Aw, that's what. That's a good ad lib. I mean, that's fine.

[A]

So cute.

[B]

Yeah, when Danielle said it to Mr. Feeny, it was weird when you said, you're fine.

[C]

Hi, Daddy.

[A]

Hi, Daddy. Yeah, so that got me. That got my line cut. Oh, no. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And someone unearthed this footage from not. Not the outtakes, but the footage of me on the show. And when I. Just recently. Because Bob, who was Gordon's sidekick, just recently passed away about a couple of years ago, and his family sent me video of me that I've been looking for forever of me and Bob and me and my dad on the show. And I was like, oh, my God, where did you get this? But when I watched it, I realized why my dad did not want me on this. I wouldn't let anybody talk. I was over talking the actors. The lady was trying to show me how to, you know, come color. And I was like, I know how. Snatching a crayon out of her hand. Oh, my God. I understand. I understand. But when we moved to. To California, we. My dad and my mom were getting divorced, so he stayed back east, and my mom put us in an old Volvo and we drove cross country to Malibu, of all places. Talk about a culture shock. And this was the Malibu days, where my classmates were Rob Lowe and Sean Penn and. And Emilio and Charlie. Oh, my God. Jennifer Gray was there. And Dee from what's Happening? Who's My Homie?

[B]

Who just recently, she just passed.

[A]

Yeah, I know. Yeah. So that was painful. But, yeah, so it was a culture shock. I went from listening to the Jackson 5 in Philly to like, you know, Led Zeppelin and Andy Gibb. It was like what? Wow. It was a real culture shock. And my mom who just turned 90, I'm always thanking her for for making that move and being bold enough to take off like that. Yes, exactly.

[C]

Hey, who out there can get stressed out about money? Raise your hand.

[D]

Okay, other than some kids listening in their parents car and the odd billionaire, I'm assuming that everyone is raising their hand because money, right?

[B]

Except Ally Bank. With those guys, there are no tricks, no hidden fees, no hidden fine print.

[D]

Ally is a bank and this is kind of crazy. They want to take care of you and your money. They've got tools to help you save automatically while you spend.

[B]

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[C]

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[B]

I'm like, are they really a bank? And yeah, they are a great one.

[D]

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[C]

I come clean about something?

[D]

This feels like a trap, but go ahead.

[C]

I absolutely cut corners doing laundry.

[B]

Oh yeah, Same I don't sort by color, I sort by vibes.

[C]

Right there's could wear again probably fine and legally biohazard My gym clothes straight

[D]

in with my delicates survival of the fittest and jeans.

[B]

I mean, are we sure they even need washing?

[C]

Meanwhile, I've got a pile of kids clothes that's been sitting near the washer for so long it's basically a science project.

[D]

And this is why we need Arm and Hammer Deep Clean.

[B]

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[C]

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[B]

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[D]

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[C]

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[B]

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[D]

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[B]

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[D]

And I want it all valid through June 24. While supplies last selection varies by location.

[C]

Summer is here and that means my schedule is packed. Whether it's recording podcasts in between vacations, taking the kids to three different camps. Don't ask. Or just fighting the heat to live. The last thing I want to do is think too long about my wardrobe. I want pieces that feel light and comfortable. But above all else, I don't want to spend forever just trying to figure out what to wear. And that's why I love Quince. Quince makes high quality essentials using premium materials like breathable European linen, organic cotton and washable silk, but without having to pay the prices we're used to paying for this type of luxury. With styles Starting at just $32, you can find those staple pieces from incredibly soft denim to organic cotton sweaters that can be easily paired or ready for those cooler summer nights. And everything is priced at at 50 to 80% less than similar brands because they're working directly with the ethical factories in cutting out that middleman markup. I recently picked up their Mongolian cashmere cropped crew cardigan and it is incredible. I got Varsity red because that's my favorite color and I can throw it on with just about anything at half the price. The quality is impressive and it's already become a go to in my closet. Elevate your summer wardrobe. Go to quince.com pmw for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com pmw for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com pmw. Well, I wanted to highlight a few more of your dad's accomplishments because he would go on to work on shows like Sanford and Son, Captain Kangaroo, the Cosby Show, Eight is Enough. And he was so multi talented. Not only was he writing scripts, but he was acting and writing music for the soundtracks.

[A]

Yeah, he was an amazing, amazingly talented man. Really educated, really education centric. Right. He like really was about his degrees and studying and the whole thing, which was very intimidating to me. Like my dad was the guy that did the crossword and New York Times crossword puzzle in pen and if you pencil you were, you know, he talked about you. He was very strict when it came to education. But yes, he was an amazing television writer. And after Sesame street when he moved on, he eventually had to move to la, which he hated. He loved New York and did not want to move west. But that's when he started doing TV shows and he literally had got his first job on the Waltons and, and, and the Jeffersons and. Yeah. And then came Eight is Enough and Sanford and Son and, and then he did all nine seasons of Cosby. So he was, it was fun. And my mom at the same time was kind of getting into talent management and she was representing some people on One Day at a Time and Different Strokes. And so I would go hang out on those sets as a young girl and be like one day I want to sitcom, I want to be on tv.

[B]

You hung out on the set of Different Strokes?

[D]

Oh yeah. Oh My God.

[A]

Oh, yeah. That was also another kind of tough set to be on. But when you're. When I was young, I looked, I mean, I saw those people as like, I looked up to Todd Bridges and Dana Plato. Like, I thought they were just the most amazing actors. And I was so in awe of them.

[B]

Me too. I felt exactly the same way.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

So you're on some of the greatest sets of all time.

[A]

Oh, my God. Good times. The good I'm set was like going to church. It was like going to black. Because the audience would talk back to you. Yes. And which, you know, obviously cannot do now, but they interact with the audience. So when, when, when things happen, they would. Oh, and no, he didn't. Like they were. And they used that, you know, as, as motivation for the actors. So it was a whole nother another vibe. But those were some good old days.

[B]

Yeah, that's when television was at its best. I mean, just the idea. Because when you talk about D, I got the stab in my chest. I would argue that what's Happening is the most underrated sitcom of all time. I mean, it was pretty close to being perfect. So the idea that you're like on these sets and know these people, it's just. That's insane to me.

[A]

Well, and then all this and then, you know, not to make it sad, but then just the heaviness that was sort of going on behind the scenes on a lot of these sets was something that, you know, people didn't know. Cause it was. Everyone was laughing and, you know, and disputes between, you know, rerun wanted, you know, a raise and Mabel King was the star. But then this one becomes a breakout. And then Danielle, my lovely departed friend. Danielle was a breakout star as Dee because nobody had better attitude than her. And then on the hiatus of the first breakout hit year, she gets in an awful car accident with her father who passed away again in that accident. Oh my God. And she was badly injured. Had to to get herself together to get back for season two and never ever really recovered. Those injuries plagued her her whole life. So yeah, all those things were happening. But at the time I was just, you know, the 12, 13 year old Holly going, I want to give me one of these sitcoms one day.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, man, that's crazy.

[C]

Well, like Will here, your first job came as a kid correspondent for a show called Kids World. You interviewed actors and actresses for their upcoming projects. And this was also Will's foot in the door over at Nickelodeon.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

What did you do? I'm sorry, Daniel. What did you do at Nickelodeon?

[B]

So I started Nickelodeon when I was 11 on a show called Don't Just Sit There. And we had, like, a band and special guests, and we did. Was a Kids snl, so we did skits. And then, you know, the new Kids on the Block came, and all the kind of the young kids came, and then we got to go to other Nickelodeon shows. So. So I would go to the set of. Of you can't do that on Television and get slimed and go to the set of Double Dare and run the course. So it was like, how old were you? I was 11 when I started that. So it was. That was that same thing. It's like, you're. You're the. You're one of those kid kids running around, the precocious kid with a microphone, just interviewing and going the whole time like, oh, I want to do that. I want to do that.

[A]

Kids World was like a 60 Minutes for kids, right? And I just kind of fell into that. My mom was already starting to manage. Her first client was LeVar Burton on the right. When Roots was just about to come out, she had a preview of it. My mom was a gangster, let me tell you, because she was. She fled the divorce, came out to Malibu, didn't have any job, no money, anything, and just worked her way onto an agent's desk and ended up getting lavar to sign with her. And he was her first client.

[C]

And.

[A]

But my mom said, there's a show called Kids World and levar is going to be interviewed. But the kid that was supposed to interview him, something happened. He fell out. Can you do it? And I was like, sure. Levar was like a brother to me. So me asking questions of him was, you know, kind of the only thing I had to teach myself was I knew the answers to the questions and I had to pretend I didn't, right? So I was like, I already know that. But. So I interviewed him. Killed it. And then they called me. The producers were like, hey, we got Melissa Gilbert tomorrow. Do you think you could do her, too? And I was like, oh, Little House on the Prairie, Yeah, sure, I'll do it. And I went and did. Melissa's had the best time. She was like, you're so cool. Do you want to stay for a play date? Spent the night, became her friend. I was like, okay, who's next? And they're like, mark Hamill. I was like, hey. And then there was an actor named Marty Allen, who was an old, like, kind of vaudeville comedian. I did him, and it was all going well, and mainly because I didn't get starstruck around these actors as a young girl. So because I was around them so much. But then I got asked to interview a group called the Silvers. So they were a family group, kind of like the Jackson 5. And I was around that time, maybe 12, 13ish, starting to get a little, little acorn season was happening and I'm just like, you know, listen, I am obsessed with this guy Foster Silvers, who was the lead singer of the group the Silver. They had a song called Boogie Fever that was so hot. When I tell you I was like in love with him. Now I'm sort of hot for the guy and you know, have a teenage crush. So when I was interviewing him, I was trying to be breathy and cute as opposed to like, hi, this is Holly Robinson, reporter from Kids World. I was like, I'm a woman

[C]

because

[A]

I like Foster, right?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

But we go interview him at Magic Mountain. They were performing at Magic Mountain and I just did too much. And so that was my last Kids worldview.

[B]

Oh no.

[C]

They were like that.

[A]

I got fired and then I got, I got, I got the Foster's phone number from my mom and I called it so many times that they changed the number.

[D]

Oh my God.

[B]

Do you have some restraining order against you still?

[A]

Somewhere, somewhere I ran into him, that

[D]

breathy 12 year old girl. Get her out of here.

[A]

I get the Acorn girl out of here because she's doing too much. And I saw Foster many years later. We had a great laugh about that. He goes, yeah, you did. I do remember you kind of calling our house Anyway. But Kids World was fun though and I loved doing that. I loved me interviewing those celebs back then.

[B]

Yeah, me too.

[C]

But your real big break comes in 1987 when you are cast in the mega smash TV show 21 jump street as officer Judy Hoffman. What do you remember about that audition?

[A]

I remember having. I remember being, being a broke student. I had just graduated from college and it was like, you're on your own. I was working just random jobs and I had a Honda, but it didn't have any brakes. I had like Fred Flintstone brakes. You know when your feet go down, there was really a hole, there was like a hole in the floor of the car that, that thing was busted. And I remember going to Fox, the Fox lot. Remember this was the, one of the first shows of the Fox network, right?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So I go to 20th Century Fox lot and there was another girl, two other girls that were there in the, the the test, the network test. And I remember them just being. I just felt like they were just so much prettier and cooler than me. And one of them was in a convertible Mustang. The top was with real brakes. Yeah, real brakes.

[C]

I bet your car has real brakes.

[B]

All her tires,

[A]

she had all four tires. Wasn't rolling on. On rims. And they were just so. I mean. And it's funny because again, because we're all full circle. I just know both of these ladies still to this day, and we're all still friends. And I just remember waiting for them to leave because when I turned, when I hit my brakes, it made that crunchy sound. Oh, yeah. I just remember thinking when I ended up getting the job that I thought the executives were like looking out their window going, we gotta give it to the girl.

[C]

She needs this job.

[D]

She needs this more than anybody.

[A]

She needs this job. We gonna give it to her. I think that's what got me over the top. But it was such a cool gig. And I didn't know where I was going. We were going to Vancouver. This was before Vancouver was right. I didn't. I didn't. Educated woman. But young lady. But I didn't really know how much was above Seattle. I didn't really know much about Canada. And so I went up there and we shot this two hour pilot. That's something you only did in the 80s and 90s. And then we got to the middle of the pilot or almost the end of the pilot, and they replaced the lead actor. And we all got freaked out because we thought we were all getting fired. Yeah, of course. And it was a scary moment. I was. Because I was so excited about this job. And then. What do you mean he's fired? And then in walks the replacement. And there's Johnny Depp. And I remember when he came up there, he had on this like just pretty much the same thing he wears now, like this busted up combat boots

[C]

and he looks like a pirate.

[A]

Holy hat. Yeah, you know, just a younger version of Keith Richards. And he comes walking in and. And he was really nice and lovely. But I just. I was in my feelings about this other guy that I had gotten replaced. So I felt kind of bad. But we embraced him and we went back and had to reshoot everything and we did. I mean, we were the only show up there. Yeah, we're like the Mod Squad, for lack of a newer reference of the Canada.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It was such an amazing time. It was so amazing. The show was a hit and it was just. It was really cool. But because we were starting a new network, it felt even more amazing, you know, because we felt like this whole network was riding on us. And then we would hang out with other Fox stars who's married with children.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then Christina Applegate came up and played our show. And by the way, everybody wanted a guest star on Jump street at that time. So we had Brad Pitt came up. He was green as a leaf. Peter Berg, Bridget Fonda, Rosie Perez, Jada Pinkett, like, these were all people that just wanted to get a Jason Priestley. Just a guest star shot on Tony Street. That was the covetous guest star shot. A moment, of course.

[B]

Well, this was. I mean, this was one of the few television shows that my entire family agreed on. And every single week, the whole family, all five of us, would get together and watch 21 Jump Street. It was the best. I've seen every episode multiple times. And it was the greatest combination of young people could watch it and go, oh, my God, that's the coolest thing I've ever seen. But then older people could watch it because it was also just a good kind of cop show in the vein of a Miami Vice or something along those lines. So it worked on so many levels. I mean, I remember at one point, Johnny Depp, you guys were at your height and Johnny Depp. I grew up in Connecticut and Johnny Depp came and did an autograph signing at a car show in Hartford. And so my dad took me and we got there and it was a four hour line, so we looked at each other and went, okay, we're not gonna stay. But it was. It was out the door to meet. To meet this guy. And it was. Every character was so cool. You had Dustin nguyen and Peter DeLuise and just the cast was so rounded and it was like, this is. I need this. I need this in my Life right now. 21 Jump street is the only way to go. It was so cool. And some of the episodes were a little strange. You'd get to the later episodes where it was like, I remember one where the kid is trapped under ice so he actually dies for two minutes and they bring him back. But then his parents think he's a God, so now they're trying to, like, start a cult around him. What?

[A]

Oh, dude. Watch every episode.

[B]

Yeah, multiple times. I think I had 21 jump streets street sheets.

[D]

I've never seen a single episode.

[B]

So I've completely.

[D]

I know of the show, of course, but I've never seen.

[C]

Well, for our younger listeners and writer, 21 Jump street followed a group of young looking undercover cops basically patrolling high schools looking for teenage criminals.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And it was, you know, very high concept, very of the time. There were lots of mullets, lots of good looking people. And yes, the introduction of Johnny Depp to.

[A]

And the crazy part about it all, just to show how long ago it was, is that when I had a cameo in the 21 Jump street movie, my kids friends were asking them, why is your mom randomly in the movie in a cameo?

[C]

Oh, that's hilarious.

[A]

They were like. Because she started and they were like, what show? Yeah. Oh yeah. 21 Jump street is a movie based on a TV show. And that they didn't know this. This generation.

[B]

It was crazy. And there's. There's an episode where Dustin Nguyen is. He becomes one of the like the guardian angels. And they have a full martial arts fight scene. Like he was a real martial artist. So he's like fighting guys in the street. And you're watching this. He's supposed to. He's supposed to be like 23, but he's playing like 16 to be in the. In the right. The school. So you're like, this guy's such a bad. And oh, it was just the. Johnny Depp woke up with a tattoo one episode and it was his real tattoo and it's like people are getting tattooed. It was just the coolest thing in the world.

[A]

But we had in those five little seasons, those 101 shows. We had so many. You're right. It did get weird at one point, especially towards the end when Johnny was. Would. Wouldn't come out of his trailer and his hair, he wouldn't, he wouldn't cut his hair. His hair is right here. So he would come out like cousin it and do scenes. It was that. Those are the later years. They got a little, little funky. But we had scenes from. We. We covered everything from guns in school. This is 88 when it aired. 88 to like 91ish, right? Yeah. We covered stuff that nobody was talking about.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

About HIV and aids.

[B]

Yeah. Great episode.

[A]

LGBTQ stuff. The girl tried to kiss me and. Yeah. And she's in love with her teacher. And I mean we really went there

[B]

and showed an execution. You literally showed a criminal execution on the show.

[A]

A man getting. Yep. He was an actor who played a character arc. So you knew him. You knew this bad guy from like three other episodes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And he actually ends up Josh Richmond. Still. Still friends with him too. Josh ends up getting, you know. Yeah. Lethally injected. And you watch the whole thing he's tapped.

[B]

So he's.

[A]

He's.

[B]

They lay him on the. I'll never forget this. This is how important this was. Like, how jarring this was as a kid. They laid him down on the table, they strap him down, and he starts tapping his fingers on the table. And then the tapping gets slower.

[A]

This is blowing my mind.

[B]

And the tapping gets slower and then it just stops and the credits roll and you're like, oh, I mean, it

[A]

was, by the way, unreal.

[C]

I just got chills.

[A]

I told Josh he should have gotten an Emmy for that. He should have, like, crushed it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And we just. During a time where you had the Johnny Depp thing and it was a little bit. Felt a little more bubble gummy. But no, we were making some pretty groundbreaking TV to this day. You know, there, of course, I had date rape scenes and things like that.

[B]

Yeah, well, you talk about the AIDS one. The AIDS one was crazy because it's like there's a kid in school who. Who has HIV and AIDS and is essentially getting bullied. So Johnny Depp is sent in to be like, kind of his cover, essentially, like, like a guardian angel. And he's freaked out by it, too. So there's a scene where, like, in the. In a cafeteria where they're sitting down and he forgot his milk and the guy with AIDS goes, oh, here, you can have mine. And it's Johnny looking at it and going like, no, I don't. I don't drink chocolate. And so it's stuff like they're dealing with stuff like that.

[A]

Then they end up having this hug. He just wants to be hugged. Yes, Johnny hugs him. And this was in the. During the. You know.

[D]

Right. The height of the aids.

[A]

And the president wasn't talking about it. Like, it was a really heavy thing. So to cross that barrier. Big disease with a little name was the name of the episode. And so Stephen Cannell and Patrick Hasberg, those guys just really created a beautiful show.

[B]

It really did.

[A]

I love that character so much, Danielle, that if I could, and I tell Mariska Hargitay that I would still be playing that character. Could still be Judy hoff's.

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

20, 30, 40 years later and be in season 35 of 21 Jump Street.

[B]

I was happy they came out with the movie. It was fine, Was funny. But to me, it killed the possibility of them doing a real version of the show again because they kind of made a joke of it. And I got where they were going and I laughed and it was fine. But I wanted to. I Want to see 21 Jump street again?

[A]

I was disappointed when I read the script because I thought they were gonna, you know, take it seriously. And they didn't. But they did. They. They did do it. Right. Like, if you're gonna say, if you're gonna do it satirically, you better nail it. And they did it. And they did it.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

But I agree. I agree. You are a 21 jump street of file. You are. I understand the purity of that, and it kind of hurt my feelings a little, too. And then they said, here, you come on and be on the show.

[B]

Come do was a great movie. It's just. It wasn't. It wasn't what I was hoping for as a fan. Yeah.

[C]

I do have to ask one slightly salacious question. Was Johnny Depp not coming out of his trailer because of ego or because of some other reason?

[A]

He wasn't coming out of his trailer because he wanted to get off the show. Okay.

[C]

He didn't like it.

[D]

He wanted to be doing movies.

[A]

He was trying to. Yeah, he had already started with, you know, and they were. They were doing whatever they could to, you know, give it. Let him go off and do Scissorhands or Crybaby or whatever movie it is, but he wanted off, and we needed to get to 100 episodes and, you know, so they would keep diminishing his episodes, but he just wasn't happy on the show.

[B]

And to Richard Grieco, they brought Richard

[A]

on to sort of be the anti Johnny, and it just backfired. It just made him want to leave sooner. So he wasn't coming out. But he also had a lot of girls come up. Danielle. He had a lot of girlfriends, famous girlfriends, and they would all come up. And he was such a romantic. When he fell, he fell so hard, and he was. Was so obsessed with these girls. So whether it was Winona or Jennifer Gray or. Or this one or that one, they would all come up and then they would just like. He would never leave his trailer for that reason as well. Just a lot of reasons. He didn't leave the trailer, but during that time, he didn't want to do it. And there's a project I believe. I'm not sure. And maybe I'm not supposed to say what streamer it's going to be on, but there will be a documentary that I was interviewed for. Oh, cool. That he is involved in, which is. Which I love the fact that he is. And I. I did, you know, tell the truth, because there were some good old times, but there were some tough times. So hopefully we'll all be able to surround our TVs and watch a good documentary.

[B]

Cool. Wow.

[A]

Used by. Wait, you'll love this. Well, produced by Josh Richmond, the guy who was tapping his fingers.

[B]

Oh, you're kidding. He had that long, that awesome long hair and he was just the coolest bad guy. He was like a 23 year old bad guy who had just shot a cop and it was just like the cool. He was. He was a bad in that show. He really was.

[A]

He was. And he's producing now. Whatever. So he's the producer of this documentary, so.

[B]

Oh, that's cool.

[A]

Hopefully next year, the year after, we'll see.

[B]

Oh, that's awesome.

[C]

Well, you had mentioned earlier in the, in the episode that you had wanted to be a singer, you had graduated from college, then you do Howard the duck. It's only one year later that you start doing 21 Jump street and you sang the theme song for the show. How did that, how did that come about? How did that happen?

[A]

They had no choice. I forced my way into it. I said, I was like, you're going, you're gonna let me sing this song. I have a decent enough voice that it wasn't like, you know, painful or anything. But I went to Patrick Hasberg, our showrunner, and I said, listen, you know, I was really just going out for Jump street to try to get money to finance demos. You get a little TV job to finance demos. But now the show is a hit and I still want to sing. Can I do the theme song? And he was like, absolutely. And so we got some great producers together and then got the boys in. Johnny and Peter and Dustin did the jump part. Jump. And then it was just fun. I have a great photo of, you know, of that, that recording session. And that was just a lot of fun. And there's like a Samsung TV channel that's all Jump street all the time now. Like, they just play the same 101 episodes.

[B]

Oh, hell yes.

[A]

Literally the 21 Jump street channel. And sometimes I just like, if I'm in my office, I'll just put it on because some of the episodes I don't remember.

[B]

I'll walk you through them. It's fine.

[A]

Yeah, and I'll call you. Tell me what happened.

[C]

It's one of his special skills.

[A]

Yes, I'll know. He's definitely, definitely the guy for that. But so like, I'll play those and, and the kids will walk in and they'll go, oh my God, look at your hair. You know, they're just obsessed with like, how did we have this 80s and 90s hair? Yep.

[B]

Start of the show. I mean, the, the song was iconic.

[A]

Yeah, it was a really good theme song. And it was really. It was very iconic. And I love that I sang it. I love that I got a chance to hear it. Because it's when you think, when you think of theme songs, they just never die. And be able to have your voice on one. Even though I feel like when I hear it now, I feel like I took a big whiff of helium before I sang it. Because when I try to sing in that key now, it's like, oh, no. Now I'm like Bea Arthur key. But I love that. And that was. Was what I thought was going to be the beginning of the singing career. And I had a record deal on Atlantic Records. But that was at a time when you, if you were on tv. Yeah, it was considered not. It was not helpful. It was not considered a track record. Right then a whole decade came where Miley Cyrus, Ariana Garanda. You had to have a show to get a record deal.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

You had to.

[B]

Disney did that. Yeah, that was all.

[A]

Disney did that. And it made it cool to be on TV and be recording artists. But back when I was trying to do it and Tisha Cam was trying to do it and Jasmine Guy, we were all like, singers, actor singers, and they didn't take us seriously, and so we weren't really able to get the success we wanted. So I had a record deal for a while, and then after that just never really happened. But I still have a little bit of love for, for that, so.

[C]

Well, you did the masked singer in 2023 as the fairy. What was that experience like for you?

[A]

Oh, that was so bizarre. It was so weird. It's just, it's such a great TV concept because it's just that creepy and cringy that it works, you know? And I was season nine. Like, I, I, I, I watched it a lot. They kind of offered it to me a couple times, and I was like, I wasn't really sure about it. But then when they came to me that season, I was like, you know what? My very best friend is in the group En Vogue. And they had done it. And so she was telling me, you know, oh, yeah, go on and do it. It's kind of fun, you know, it'll be fun. So, yes, I was the fairy mask, and I had the best time. And people were, they didn't, they couldn't figure out who it was. And I know everybody on that Panel, including Nick Cannon personally. And nobody could. Nobody could get. I love that. That was fun.

[C]

Well, shortly after 21 Jump street, you would go on to do a role that is so. Seems so intimidating to me. I would have a hard time conjuring up something more intimidating. But you played the one and only Diana Ross in the wildly popular and Emmy winning TV miniseries the Jacksons, An American Dream and our Boy Meets World friend. Jason Weaver played Michael Jackson, ages 9 through 14 in that. Were you intimidated going into that role to play Diana Ross? How did you. How did that all feel?

[A]

I was very intimidated. Suzanne DePass, who, someone that I've known for a long time, was a family friend, but she really made me jump through some hoops to audition for this part. And she's a Motown legend and knows Miss Ross and all of that. But. But during that time, she said, listen, we want you. I would like you to play this part, but what I need you to do is sing. You've got to be able to sing because we can't get the rights to her vocal on it, but we can get the rights to the song. So can you do an impression or impersonation of her? And I was like, for Reach out and Touch, yeah, I can do that. And so I got to do my own singing. That was very, very cool. It was only like two days of a gig, but it was the most fun. There were so many great actors in that production. Vanessa Williams and Angela Bassett. And Jason was so good. And Wiley Draper, who played the older Michael, was phenomenal, amazing. On par, I would say, with Jafar, who did. Did a crazy job, I would say Wiley Draper, who is not with us anymore, was great. So that was an iconic miniseries, Right. That played over and over and over and over again. And it was so much fun. I would do it again and again for free if I could. It was just the best. I never kind of got to find out what Ms. Ross thought of it. I don't know that she thought very much of it bit because she. I have been around her and she. I just don't think she even notices me. But at the end of the day, the scene was really iconic because it was about Jason as a little Michael getting up on stage and stealing the spotlight. That was really cool. But now, full circle. Now we're in Michael mode.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And it's just. It was really, really great to go see that movie and see, you know, where we are in. In his life. I just. I love the movie.

[C]

I wanted to ask you, Michael had. He had input in who was cast in the miniseries that you did. So I'm sure that didn't add any extra pressure. Did you ever. Did you get to meet him? Did you, did you audition for him? What was that relationship like?

[A]

So I met Michael.

[C]

Hold on.

[A]

Maybe do I have the photo, but I can send it to you. I met Michael when the Jackson 5 came to Philadelphia in 1972 to meet Gordon from Sesame Street. Oh my gosh. Wow. I was obsessed with Jackson 5. Like Michael. I didn't, I explained to my kids, they're like, oh, you know, bad and thriller. I'm like, honey, I'm talking about I want you back abc. I was there when that was. Those songs were out hit. And I was obsessed. Like I was with Foster Silvers. I was obsessed with Michael at that time. And so when he came to Philly and I got a chance to meet him, the precocious talkative child that I was, I froze. Like I couldn't look him in the eye. I couldn't, I just couldn't like be near him. I just, I just was.

[B]

The Jacksons didn't have to change their number too, did they?

[A]

No, I never got the phone number. I didn't. But I'm telling you, I was absolutely blown away by that. And I'll send you guys the picture to see. But it was, I was so scared and, and I just felt a certain level of sadness around him because he, he was like 11 or 12 and he just, you know, you felt that he wanted to be out playing or doing something fun and not touring and gigging and all of that.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And so I did get to meet him then. And then fast forward on like the Soul Train Awards and I think I just posted it on my Instagram because someone sent it to me. I got to give him an award and got a kiss from him. That was awesome. And that was right around the same year that the miniseries came out. And he acknowledged that backstage. He was like, you did a very good job. So I did get a chance to sort of get a thumbs up on him and. Yes. And that's what I always tell people about Jason Weaver who played young Michael, and about Wiley Draper who played older Michael. They were hand picked by Michael Jackson. He had to sign off on them. And that. That's saying something. Yes, it is. Yeah. So. So that was, that was a special moment about that miniseries.

[C]

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[D]

Okay. Other than some kids listening in their parents car and the odd billionaire, I'm assuming that Everyone is raising their hand because money, right?

[B]

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[D]

This feels like a trap, but go ahead.

[C]

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[B]

Oh yeah, same. I don't sort by color, I sort by vibes.

[C]

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[D]

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[B]

I mean, are we sure they even need Washington?

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[D]

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[C]

Well, then you were unemployed for what maybe amounts to 30 minutes because you slid right into another classic, this time a sitcom hangin with Mr. Cooper alongside the aforementioned Mark Curry. Do you remember first hearing about this show?

[A]

Yes, I remember. And they were saying it was like a black version of Three's Company. Yeah. And that I was gonna be playing sort of the Chrissy role, that Suzanne Somers role. And I remember knowing that it was very, very loved at ABC at the time. And then they made me audition like crazy because I was coming off of 21 Jump street, which was, you know, serious Judy Hopps and solving crimes and, you know, purpose, you know, solving crimes and helping people get off drugs and things right here. All of a sudden, I had to be funny and flex a sitcom muscle and, you know, it's. That's a learning curve.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

And I didn't have that muscle yet, so they made me jump through a lot of hoops to get that part to prove that I was funny enough or could understand the cadence of sitcom work. And. Yeah, and I ended up getting that part and didn't think I was gonna get it because an actress named Lila Rashawn and I were opposite each other. And she was the girl that got everything at the time. Like, her walk into an audition, you're

[D]

like, oh, God damn.

[B]

We all have those. We all have had those. Nemesis that walks into the room, it's like, no, he can't.

[A]

My mom's like, how did it go? I was like, it was all going well until Leela walked in. And the irony is that she. Again, because we're. This is so cyclical. You all know, this business so small. She's one of, like, my best friends. She was an iconic actress and was in Boomerang and Harlem Nights and all the movies. And Leela's amazing.

[D]

And.

[A]

And she introduced me to Rodney P. Which is crazy. Wow. Right? And then let's have another, like, tentacle moment. Her husband directed Michael the movie. Oh, gee.

[D]

Oh, wow.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. So, like, it's just all one big crazy family we have out here. But I thought she was gonna get that part because she was tall like Mark Curry. She was more statuesque, and I thought she matched up physically better with him, but I guess. I guess not.

[D]

Oh, I'm sorry.

[B]

I just googled her. You're right. She's been in everything.

[D]

Yes, yes.

[A]

An iconic it-90s black dress.

[B]

She's phenomenal.

[A]

Leela was everything. And I was just. I. I just. Everyone would just lose out parts to her. And I, I, you know, I'd say this to her face. We laugh about it. We had a big birthday party recently, and I did. Everyone had to do, like, their face. Favorite Lela moment. And I mimicked her walking into an audition, how she would walk in, how she would look at us like, oh, you got dressed up for this? He was like, no, I didn't. I wasn't like that. I was like, oh, yes, you were. So we laugh about it, but, yeah, Cooper was so cool and being able to not just be on the TGIF brand, but we also shot all next to each other. We filmed these shows on the same. On the Warner Brothers lot, most of the shows right next to each other. So we would come outside and there was Julia White, and then, you know, look over here, and there's. There's Lori Laughlin. And then, like, it's like it was just. We were all buddies and shooting the same kind of energy, and it was a real heady time.

[B]

So we, we actually, we figured out by interviewing Jaleel and talking to all the people that we've known that if you were a Warner Brothers TGIF show, you were in a different camp than if you were a Disney abc. Which is why we never did. We did crossovers with everybody, but never hanging with Mr. Cooper, never with Family Matters. It's like, if there was any WB show, you were your own world over there.

[A]

Totally. Totally. That's why some. Like, that's exactly why there were like, two camps. Yeah. You know, and we didn't necessarily interact except, like on, you know, upfronts or things like that. But other than that. Yeah, you're right. There were two different factions of TGIF and seasons. Really. And. Yeah, but I enjoyed the TV family studio energy. You know, I enjoyed all of that. And you just don't have that anymore. Even. Just, Even just being on the lots and looking at other shows that weren't tgif. Like, ER was next door to us. So I would see Clooney out there playing basketball and and, you know, and then Friends was up the street and we'd see those, you know, so that was. It was just a really fun time. Those were. That was. That was some 90s awesomeness.

[B]

How much of a scheduling culture shock was there between shooting a single camera, like 21 Jump street and going to a four camera sitcom?

[A]

It was. It was a. It was a big culture shock, you know, because the whole concept of turning around, you don't do that. So, like. And so I was like. Kept waiting for somebody to say, okay, we're turning around. I was like, we're not turning. Because there was a camera here, there was one here, one here. So that was definitely something I had to get used to. Again, it was a muscle, but, boy, once I kind of got in the groove of comedy, especially physical comedy, I was in love with that genre. I was so at home being goofy, because Vanessa was a goofy character anyway. She was cute and sexy and all that. Like, she was a goofball and she wasn't very smart. And so that was fun to play her and to be able to be on that set and laugh the way we did. And then years later when Nell Carter joined the cast and she was this icon and we just. We just had a good old time. And then, of course, those guest stars, when those guest stars come, we always got. It was a heavy, like, NBA type show. So we always got the, you know, basketball players that would come. But that was. That was cool. And then, of course, the pinnacle moment, that show for me was when husband showed up at the door with all four cameras rolling to propose to me.

[B]

Oh, man.

[A]

And that was like the most surreal thing ever.

[C]

Yes. Because for everyone listening and Will and Ryder, in all of this success you are having, you have been married to Rodney Pete, who you mentioned your best friend introduced you to. You have now been married for over 30 years, and he proposed to you on the Mr. Cooper set. So can you walk us through that, how that happened?

[A]

The year was 1994, and I was on. I'll give you a little backstory, which is funny because. Well, it's funny now, but at the time, I thought I was gonna die. We were dating for about a year, and Lila introduced me. I didn't know if I wanted to date a quarterback. I didn't know if I wanted the groupies, the whole thing. I didn't feel like that was really the road I wanted to go down, but okay. And I really liked him. And so we. He was playing for the Detroit Lions at the time, and so I was Doing Cooper, I would go back and forth. We were doing a long distance thing from LA to Detroit. And he starts after, like a year of dating, he's like, oh, you know, goes into a jewelry store with me and he's like, oh, what do you think of that ring? What do you think of that ring? I'm like, are we going ring shopping? Like, this was right. This was like a big deal. So the jeweler, who I found out later was in on it, says, holly, what do you think of this one? And I put it on. I'm like, oh, my God. Right? Yeah. He goes, take it home. You can take it home and you can wear it and you can bring it back. You know, just if this is. This is a ring that's gonna actually be something that you're gonna wear forever, so take it home. And I was like, I can walk out of here with this ring. Like, are you kidding me? And literally, I took it home and went to visit him in Dallas. He was actually playing for the Lions at the Dallas Cowboys at the time. So I went to Dallas and I kept waiting for him to come home and propose to me because I have the ring.

[C]

Were you wearing it on your left hand?

[A]

Yes, girl, I was wearing it. And I kept waiting for him to come home and, like, say, will you marry me? And do it formally, but he didn't do it. And so I went back to LA and the jeweler called. He was like, you gonna bring that ring back? He never. I said, he didn't leave a credit card. No, bring that ring back. We need it back by the close of business. So I'm panicked. I have done too much. I tried too hard, I pushed him too hard, and I screwed up. So I could walk in there, give the ring back, go shoot the show. I'm trying to be in a good mood, but I think I've screwed this thing up. And literally the whole time he was just trying to throw me off the scent. So that he had called Les Moonvest, who was running the studio at the time. He called everybody, the producer, director, everyone. My mom, my dad. And then he shows up at the end of the scene, at the end of the week. Now he's playing football. You're not allowed to leave on a Friday night. You got a game on Sunday. But his coach let him come in to propose. We're at the end of the scene, and I'm in a funky mood, right? I just want to run and call him because I want to. Because I want to figure out how I can Fix this. And they're like, we're going to do it one more time. And I pull a little diva act. I'm like, no, we got it. And he was like, no, we're doing it one more time. And then this time, instead of Reggie Miller, the basketball player, it was Rodney Pete at the door.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Comes walking in, and he has this whole beautiful speech. The audience is freaking out. The cameras are rolling, and. Yeah. And then he asked me. I said yes, and it was just like, wow. And then, like, maybe an hour later, he was back on the plane to Dallas.

[B]

You still have the footage, right? They filmed it, right?

[A]

Oh, my God, yes. Four angles. It is pinned on my Instagram, if you want to look at it. And it was a really beautiful moment. It was absolutely amazing.

[D]

That's so cool.

[B]

So I'm just. I'm curious, because the way you grew up going from some of the most amazing sitcom sets to another most amazing sitcom set, did you feel a different sense of accomplishment for when you were on a sitcom as opposed to when you were on something like 21 Jump Street? Was there a sense of, like, this is what I grew up watching and going to the sets of, and now I'm part of this?

[A]

Yes, because remember, I would go to those sets, and I would just pray that one day I could be on a sitcom. It was sort of a manifestation. There's something about the laughter. There's something about the table reads. There's something about, like, the rehearsing and making the script better and rewrites and finding the funny and stuff and that. That I really, really resonated with me. I loved Jump Street. I mean, I was like, as you know, it was. It means. It meant so much to me, and. But there's something about the interaction with the audience and all of that, so. And again, that branded evening of shows that hit a little differently. For sure.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

There's one other I have. So I could literally talk to you for hours, but I want to hit two things. I also love your appearance in Luther Vandross's 2003 music video for one of his best songs, the Dance With My Father music video. And it was just one year after your own father had passed away. He featured a ton of celebrities who had strong relationships with their dad. That must have been extremely emotional but also meaningful for you.

[A]

I literally cannot watch that video. I bet I sob every. Even when it comes on the radio, I'm like, I can. I can listen to it, but I'm not. I can't watch it because Just because. And it's funny, I know a lot of the artists who were part of that video, and they all. It's not that we regret giving footage of it or being a part of it, but, like, those of us who don't have our dads anymore, it's so painful. It's so sad. And the song is so sad. And then Luther's gone. And then that was. We shot that video because Luther was in the hospital and he was dying. And so it was like, okay, this is his last single, and he's dying. So we're going to do this as an homage to him, but we're going to pay homage to our dads. And it just breaks my heart every time I see it. And. And I was. I was talking to someone the other day whose father. Whose father was in it, too, who was part of it and was like, oh, it breaks my heart. But it still. It was a beautiful tribute. Yeah, it was just a very interesting time. And I remember we were all on set rallying for Luther.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah, that's. I didn't even know that aspect to it. It makes it even more heartbreaking and Beautiful. You have four children now, ranging from 20 to 28 years old. And very early on in one of your sons, RJ's life, you became an advocate for autism. Well, before it was a known term openly spoken about. My husband actually says you're the first person he ever heard mention autism. He had never heard about it before. You. What made you want to speak publicly about what you and your family were facing?

[A]

Mainly because we couldn't see it. Like, we didn't see anybody advocating. And we knew very famous people in Hollywood that had kids on the spectrum but weren't talking about it. And it's. And you don't have to. It's not for everybody to have these conversations out loud, but we knew some very, very, very famous people that did not use their platform. We weren't as famous as they were, but I felt like if we started talking about it and people could see it and feel it and that we might help someone on their journey. And that was a big issue with Rodney and I, because he didn't want RJ to be the poster child, the core B ex who had autism. We didn't. He didn't want that to. He didn't want that label for him. And I really knew that. I don't know why I knew. I just felt like it would help so many people if we had this conversation. And, And. And. And I remember us having sort of this family discussion, family argument about that. And I won that argument because I win all the arguments in my house, and I. I just couldn't. I love it. I mean, I do, but. But. But I. I'm so glad that I did. I'm so glad that he came around. He went into denial. He'll tell you. He went into denial for a long time about autism. It was crushing to him. Listen, Rodney P. Was a major athlete, and his first son. When these were twins, we had twins first. And his first son, his namesake, you know, Rodney came up short, second runner up to the Heisman Trophy. He's like, my son's gonna win the Heisman Trophy. He had very high expectations. And so to get this diagnosis and be told, oh, your son will never play team sports. He'll never have meaningful employment. He'll never do all these things, it was devastating. It was a gut punch to him and to me. I just sort of rolled up my sleeves and went to work a little bit sooner than he did. He stayed in denial for a while, but he talks about it a lot, openly. He wrote a great book about it, about, you know, just tweaking his expectations and getting on board to help his son. But tell your husband thank you for saying that, because it's really my. Why I wanted to be someone that when they looked at me and looked at our situation, they would have some hope. Yes.

[C]

So alone.

[A]

And, you know, the RJ story's so amazing. I mean, this kid's 28 now, and we were told not only would he not ever say, I love you, play team sports, you know, have meaningful employment, but he's now on his third champion world championship ring working for the Dodgers. Like, the story is so amazing. And listen, not every kid is going to have the outcome that RJ had.

[B]

Right?

[A]

But. But damn it, we're not going to sit here and tell kids who they're going to be at three years old, we're not going to steal hope and dreams from parents because there are possibilities for your child, and we just have to get away from that stigma that kids will never do this, never do that. So that was one of our main goals and advocating. And now that he's 28 and grown and. And we've been advocating for 25 years, it's just. It's. It's great to see how many people are talking about it and how many football players are coming out talking about their kids. And te. Oscar Hernandez, who's a superstar in the Los Angeles Dodgers, is wearing autism stuff on his. On his, you know, all of his evo shield and all of his padding and, you know, so it's like, it's great to see how many people have embraced autism and are talking openly about it, and it's cool to think that we had something to do with that. Yes.

[C]

I was just gonna say there's been a lot of progress over the last, you know, 26 years since you started talking about it, and you're a large part of that and using your platform in that way. So thank you, and thank you for spending time with us. You are such an inspiration. You have a career that is not only legendary, but you are so classy. You are so just so respectable. Your advocacy. There's a million things to admire about you, and we appreciate you. So you've had a career that you can be wildly proud of, and we hope you are.

[A]

You're so sweet. I'm gonna clip that, and that's gonna be my daily affirmation. When you.

[D]

When you wake up and listen, you

[A]

wake up and that chaos hits you, you're just like, that's gonna be your sweet beauty, beautiful voice, saying all those nice things about me. Well, I have totally enjoyed this. I. I so enjoyed hanging out with you on 90s night. I just didn't know I was gonna have that much fun. I think we were talking so loud outside of your podcast, we got, like, shut down. I didn't know you were back there, so I apologize. I think that's okay. On your podcast, and Mark and I were just. We didn't wanna go home. We were back in the 90s again. So thank you so much for. For having me today and. And. And talking through. Through all these fun times. It's really, really been a pleasure.

[C]

Thank you so much. It was wonderful to see you again. I hope to see you soon.

[A]

Yes, please.

[D]

Thanks for coming.

[A]

Ryder, we got to get you watching 21 Jump Street.

[D]

Yeah, I know. Apparently so good. I had no idea that Will was so obsessed. I never heard him talk about this before.

[A]

You've got it. You got to get them all. You got to get them all.

[B]

I'll get them on. We'll start doing a rewatch of 21

[C]

Jump street because I bet Charity will like it. I bet his son will like it. I think. I think it. I think you guys are going to enjoy it.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Awesome.

[A]

All right, guys. Thank you.

[B]

Take care.

[A]

Bye. Bye.

[C]

I could have talked to her for hours. I still have so many things that were on my list of things to talk about, and we just ran out

[B]

of Time I only talked about, like three episodes of Jump Street. There was 101 I could have gone through.

[D]

You could go through everyone.

[B]

We get into the Richard Greco stuff.

[A]

She.

[C]

She said 101. My recession research showed 103 of which she appeared in 102 out of 103. Johnny Depp was only in like 80 something.

[B]

Yeah. Because he was that guy who was like starting to like, disappear a little bit. And I don't want to be in this one.

[C]

Right.

[B]

It's like. It's like radar after a while.

[D]

So Richard Grieco was on 21 Jump Street. That's where he started.

[B]

Was that they. Johnny Depp like, was starting to fade away.

[D]

Is Richard Grieco still around?

[C]

Richard?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean, he's alive.

[D]

He did a sp. I don't know. I just. The last thing I remember seeing him in a suit. Like a super ridiculous spy movie.

[B]

Yeah. What's it called? Movie. Oh, God. I can't remember the.

[D]

It's like he's like a high schooler

[B]

who gets caught up and it's all. He's got the great suit where like he puts his hands up and it like sprays the stuff that knocks the guys out. Yeah.

[D]

I just. I loved it when I was 8 or whenever it came out.

[B]

It was a great. Richard Grico deserved way better than Hollywood did him. Way better than Hollywood did him. Yeah. Yeah. So no, that was a. I can't remember the name of it either, but it was. They go on a. They go on a trip. He was like acting or something to Paris confused. And it's brilliant. He has that awesome. He's driving the red Lotus around.

[D]

That's what I just remember. He's driving like a cool sports car.

[B]

He's got the red Lotus. That's got all. He keeps hitting the buttons and they're like, all the gadgets are coming. Hell yeah. Richard Grico forever, people.

[C]

And I say Holly Robinson Pete forever.

[B]

She eternal. She's eternal. She's not going anywhere. That's a given Hollywood.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I did not realize how important she was to my childhood to really sat down. And the idea that she was on the set of like, Different Strokes and what's happened, I mean, that's insane to me. It's amazing.

[C]

Well, 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 podmeetsworldshowmail.com and we've got merch 21 Merch Street.

[A]

Sorry.

[B]

That's the end of the song, right? Oh, you're getting it. You'll fit, you'll find it.

[D]

Yeah, you're just making that part up.

[B]

That was nothing.

[C]

Podmeetsworldshow.com will send us out.

[B]

We love you all. Pod dismissed. Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel, 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 and you can follow us on Instagram @podmeatsworldshow or email us. Email [e-mail] Ryder, what's your favorite thing about summer?

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