BOBBYCAST: #584 - 'Winnie Cooper' Danica McKellar on The Wonder Years, Breaking Rib on DWTS & Her 36-Hour Labor

Summary

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The BobbyCast #584: ‘Winnie Cooper’ Danica McKellar on 'The Wonder Years,' Breaking a Rib on DWTS, and 36-Hour Labor

Air Date: March 15, 2026
Host: Bobby Bones
Guest: Danica McKellar

Episode Overview

In this episode of The BobbyCast, Bobby Bones sits down with Danica McKellar—actress, mathematician, author, and pop culture icon best known as Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years. The two engage in a lively, authentic conversation covering Danica’s multifaceted career, from classic television and her unexpected math credentials to the physical and emotional challenges of Dancing With the Stars, motherhood, and her evolving faith and creative ventures.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life After 'Winnie Cooper': Building a Robust Career

[02:54–03:27, 26:28–29:37]

• Danica reflects on being known as The Wonder Years’ beloved Winnie Cooper, revealing she had little sense of her own fame as a teen:
  “Somebody on set asked me what it was like to be America's sweetheart, and I was like, what?” [02:44, 24:03]
• She shares her gratitude for her parents prioritizing normalcy and family over Hollywood trappings.
• Discusses the benefit of her iconic status, giving her a platform for other passions—her math books and Christmas movies.
• Embraces being recognized for multiple things:
  “Now it’s Winnie Cooper, I love your math books. And the Christmas movies.” [66:35]

2. Dancing With the Stars: Triumphs, Trauma, and Resilience

[03:28–15:38]

• Both Bobby and Danica share experiences from Dancing With the Stars, agreeing it’s a fraternity of “trauma-bonded” survivors.
• Danica compares the relentless grind to labor:
  “It was the most physically demanding thing…I likened it to childbirth. Except instead of 36 hours…it was three months.” [03:42]
• Describes breaking her rib during rehearsals but pushing through multiple weeks—highlighting the pressure and pride in perseverance:
  “I danced week seven and week eight with a broken rib.” [11:22]
• Notable moment:
  “Nobody else can do it for you…you figure out what you're made of.” [05:33]
• She reminisces about favorite performances, tributes, and the unique camaraderie built under pressure.

3. From Hollywood to Mathematics: Reinventing Identity

[16:06–29:37]

• Danica candidly recounts why she pursued mathematics after her acting fame, seeking a sense of self apart from Hollywood recognition.
• Explains her transition from acting to mathematics at UCLA, ultimately writing 12 math books for kids and teens. “I stuck with math because I liked the challenge. I studied a lot.” [16:06] “Once I was more solidly in a different place…I realized this is such a gift. What an amazing foundation.” [28:41]
• Addresses the importance of diversifying interests, especially for child stars.

4. Writing Math Books: Methods, Motivation, and Making Math Fun

[40:01–45:24]

• Danica’s books cover ages baby–16, focusing on approaches that make math enjoyable and accessible.
• She demonstrates tricks for memorizing multiplication (the “nines” finger trick), impressing Bobby live:
  “My mind's blown and I knew the answer. My mind is still blown.” [41:41]
• Emphasizes representation and engagement in STEM for girls.

5. Motherhood, Labor, and Parenting Wisdom

[45:39–59:15]

• Danica openly recounts her 36-hour drug-free labor, drawing parallels to endurance and resilience:
  “It was so cathartic…connected to women for all the ages.” [47:00]
• Advocates for doulas and postpartum placenta encapsulation, crediting it with easing postpartum recovery.
• Shares thoughts on raising her son Draco—his creativity, the unpredictability of kids’ futures, and her practical approach (“Maybe learn a trade. AI isn’t coming for plumbing.”) [34:08]
• Reflection on being an older, intentional parent, and the vulnerability of seeking advice from younger parents.

6. Women, Intelligence, and The Pregnancy Brain

[56:43–58:54]

• Offers insight into ‘pregnancy brain fog’ as an origin for gender stereotypes: “When you are pregnant, your brain is not your own…prioritizing creating the human being. That's where the stereotype came from.” [56:49]
• Encourages women experiencing this to understand it's normal and temporary.

7. Faith Journey and Creative Fulfillment

[67:11–68:37]

• Shares recent openness about her Christian faith, a shift in her life initiated by friend Candace Cameron Bure.
• Finds comfort in the idea of a bigger plan and less anxiety about outcomes: “It takes the burden off and it has made my life so much more joyous.” [68:28]

8. Fame, Relationships, and Fan Interactions

[29:37–32:28, 63:47–66:54]

• Boys and men often approach Danica claiming she was their “childhood crush”—she handles it with gratitude and perspective.
• Debunks persistent internet myths (e.g., Paul wasn’t played by Marilyn Manson).
• Shares about first on-screen kiss and early celebrity relationships (Jeremy Miller from Growing Pains).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On DWTS Trauma Bonding:
  “It’s trauma bonding…We were the rabbits.” (Danica, 06:13–06:28)
• On Perseverance:
  “If I can survive that—going, oh my gosh, I don't know my choreography, I'm on national television…then, you know, it teaches you that you are tough.” (Danica, 03:42)
• On Breaking Her Rib Live on TV:
  “We both heard the crack. So my rib was just holding on all those weeks, but it couldn't actually handle any pressure. And the pain that flooded through my body…” (Danica, 11:24)
• On Math as Identity:
  “Part of the beauty of math is that it is challenging, because it forces your brain to think in a different way.” (Danica, 13:03)
• On Fan Recognition:
  “Now it’s Winnie Cooper, I love your math books. And the Christmas movies.” (Danica, 66:35)
• On the Placenta Experience:
  “It was like the best filet mignon that I have ever tasted… I was embarrassed about how much I loved it. It was bizarre.” (Danica, 51:56)
• On ‘Pregnancy Brain’ and Stereotypes:
  “Your brain is not your own. Your body deprioritizes your brain and you can't remember where you put the frozen raspberries.” (Danica, 56:49)
• On Faith & Letting Go:
  “I don’t worry about things like I used to...there’s a bigger plan. It takes the burden off." (Danica, 68:28)

---

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [02:44] — Danica discusses fame and “America’s Sweetheart” label
• [03:28] — Deep dive into Dancing With the Stars experience: injury, resilience, bonding
• [11:22] — Breaking a rib during DWTS and performing anyway
• [16:06] — Why Danica loved math, shift away from acting
• [24:03] — Family-first values, missing the Emmys
• [29:37] — Reconciling fame & new identities, using platform for good
• [41:16] — Danica teaches Bobby the “nines” times tables finger trick
• [45:39] — Labor story: 36 hours, hypnobirthing, placenta encapsulation
• [56:49] — ‘Pregnancy brain’ and implications for female intelligence stereotypes
• [63:47] — Most asked interview questions, on-set crushes, and celebrity relationships
• [67:11] — Faith journey and creative direction
• [68:57] — Closing appreciation and shout-out to Candace Cameron Bure

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Thematic Takeaways

• Resilience and Grit — Whether on national TV, in labor, or redefining her career, Danica finds meaning in hard things.
• Reinvention — Moving gracefully between identities—child star, scholar, author, producer, mother—is key to a fulfilling life.
• Normalcy in Fame — Strong parenting and personal values kept her grounded.
• Staying Open — New experiences (faith, creative pursuits, advice for unconventional things like placenta encapsulation) show adaptation and vulnerability.

---

For More

• Math books at mckellarmath.com
• Danica's movies streaming on Great American Family Channel and PureFlix
• Socials: @danicamckellar on Instagram, Facebook, X

---

This episode is an engaging, heartfelt journey through high-profile Hollywood, unexpected mathematics, and life’s messy but meaningful challenges—a must-listen for fans old and new.

Transcript

[Danica McKellar]

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[Danica McKellar]

I had no idea. I think it was in our fourth or fifth season. Somebody on set asked me what it was like to be America's sweetheart, and I was like, what?

[Bobby]

You might know her as Winnie Cooper on the Wonder Years. And she's turned that into a career that's lasted nearly four decades. She's an actress, a producer, a Christmas movie staple, and even a former Dancing with the Stars quarter finalist. She also graduated summa cum laude from UCLA in mathematics. And there's a bunch of math stuff I should say, but I don't know, something about a theorem that she helped prove. That's how smart she is. She writes books. To me, she will always be Winnie Cooper from the Wonder Years. Here she is, Danica McKellar. Danica, it's really nice to meet you.

[Danica McKellar]

You too.

[Bobby]

I would like to start with talking about something that we have in common, which was we were both on Dancing with the Stars.

[Danica McKellar]

Yes, we were.

[Bobby]

How did you feel?

[Danica McKellar]

I did not win.

[Bobby]

Okay, Well, I usually don't flex, but I did. But I don't care about me. I want to know how you felt about the whole experience.

[Danica McKellar]

It was. It was. I likened it to childbirth. I understand your wife is about to experience that. It was the most physically demanding thing that I'd ever done, except that instead of 36 hours, which is my childbirth experience, labor, it was three months. So it was like. I mean, it was thrilling and it was awesome. It was terrifying. I always felt like I was just barely going to make it, but maybe not quite. One week I actually did forget the choreography. You can't quite tell. I just look a little sloppy because I remembered what the moves were, but not when to do them. It was weird. So I was wearing these gloves. It was this week 7. They were mesh and they got caught in Val's finger. And so he had to, like, turn me with the other hand. And it just. I'm not. I mean, I'm not a professional dancer. So I was just like, what? It was like asking a non actor to improv suddenly when something happens on stage. And, like, I'm not prepared to know how to do that. And so it just kind of. And that was the year that. I mean, that was the week that my rib had been broken. And so it was like a very challenging experience. But I thought, if I can survive that, like, going, oh, my gosh, I don't know. My Choreography. And I'm, like, on national television with 20 million people watching. Then, you know, it teaches you to be tough. It teaches you that you are tough. It teaches you resilience. I got so much out of that. My whole life, you know, I've lived this sort of charm life. I mean, other than the fact that my parents got divorced and I got divorced, all that kind of stuff, I've really, like, been sheltered in a lot of ways. And so I was never, like, I never was put out in the wilderness and, like, here, survive, you know, that kind of thing was just never part of my life. And this experience in Dancing with Stars was very much like that, because you have to figure out what you're made of. You know, are you gonna stick it out? Because it's live. There's no. There's no back door to leave out of.

[Bobby]

And nobody else can do it for you.

[Danica McKellar]

Nobody else can do it for you, and nobody can. I mean, your coaches are there to help you. But the toughness aspect of it was just very new for me, and it was a. A wonderful message that I get to hear for myself, that I can handle tough things. Aside from the childbirth thing, I knew that one already. This is another level somehow, because it just lasted so much longer. I'd already given birth at that point. Draco was three and a half years old for the show.

[Bobby]

Yeah, it was a crazy experience for me, too. And I like talking to people that have done it because it is a fraternity kind of people, because it's trauma bonding while you're there with the people you're with.

[Danica McKellar]

It's trauma bonding. Oh, my gosh. I never thought of that. That is totally. Have you heard about where, like, if you have rabbits that aren't getting along, do you put them in a way, like a basket, a laundry basket, and you shake it a little bit, and it trauma bonds them, and then they get along. I've never done it myself.

[Bobby]

We were the rabbits, though.

[Danica McKellar]

We were the rabbits. We were the rabbits. And I never heard of any other use of trauma bonding other than the rabbits.

[Bobby]

Yes, I trauma bonded hard with the people on that show, especially. And then it's like a shared trauma bonding with people who have done it, who felt, oh, I've never done anything like this. I have felt, though, that it's a different experience for people that went in with the dance experience. They loved it. It was brilliant, and it was joy. But it's people like us that felt really unnatural that I think.

[Danica McKellar]

I mean, I've taken dance lessons before, like, I love dance.

[Bobby]

I've learned, too. It's a whole different thing than ballroom dancing.

[Danica McKellar]

You know what I like in this, too? Well, also, just the pressure and the schedule. So it's like, if you love chocolate. So it's great. Here, get in this bucket of chocolate, a barrel of chocolate, and we're gonna hold your head underneath it for, like, three months. You're like, wait, I know that I love this. And there are moments of joy and glee and euphoria, but just sandwiched between those is all the terror and nerves. But that was. It was. I would. I mean, I would never have traded that experience for anything. And for a while, I would have said, yeah, I would do it again if they wanted to bring me back. They hardly ever do that. But I still dance. I still dance. But wait first before I move on to that. So I remember I used to come home. Did you do the ice baths?

[Bobby]

Oh, yeah. All the time.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah.

[Bobby]

Ice baths and massages. I had to.

[Danica McKellar]

Massages. That's interesting, huh?

[Bobby]

I was injured, too, but it's a whole different story. But tell me about the ice baths for you.

[Danica McKellar]

So every. Every night, I would. I would pull myself up the railing to get upstairs because my legs weren't working. And I would sit in this ice bath for four to eight minutes, and my husband would be like, how are you doing that? I'm like, sweetie, this is the easiest part of my day. I can just sit here, and I'm not gonna let anybody down. I'm not gonna let myself down. It's gonna all gonna be fine. And yet, you know, I'm so proud of the dances, right? It's like, wow, look at that. This Beauty and the Beast number that Val put together, that was brilliant. It was like a Broadway show. So much fun. The tribute that I got to do, the most memorable year, it was for my grandmother. It was 2010. My grandmother and my son. My grandmother passed away. My son was born. And to do this, Billy Joel's Lullaby, it was a contemporary dance. It's just beautiful. I still. I mean, I just love that whole experience. It was just so concentrated values to say, I wish that they would give you guys a week off in between so that you could rest and reflect on what you'd done before rushing into the next one. But that's showbiz.

[Bobby]

No resting.

[Danica McKellar]

No resting, no reflecting, no reflecting. But you still dance. Do you know Gleb Savchenko?

[Redfin Sponsor]

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[Danica McKellar]

Yeah. So I do movies now for Great American Family Channel, and I often write them and produce them. And so I did a movie called Swing Into Romance that he was the third lead on. And we had, like, real jive dances, and it was so fun. It was just Fantastic. It's on PureFlix.com and I have a bunch of movies on there right now.

[Bobby]

12. I counted. I think it's 12. I think I counted at least 12.

[Danica McKellar]

Are there 12 now?

[Bobby]

Yeah.

[Danica McKellar]

Nice. But the dance one is Swing Into Romance.

[Bobby]

That's fun. Especially. I think it's fun that I still am friends with a lot of them.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah.

[Bobby]

And I was at dinner a couple of weeks ago, and it was the first time I'd ever met him. A guy named Von Miller who played football, still plays football in the NFL, but he played from when I remember him at the Broncos. And he was on Dancing with the Stars. And I don't want to be that guy who goes, hey, you wanna talk about Dancing with the Stars? Because some people may not have enjoyed their experience, Right. And we were at dinner, and it was. And I didn't want to say anything, and I never want to be annoying at dinners, so I'm kind of just quiet. And somebody he was with says, hey, you should ask him about Dancing with the Stars. And I'm like, he's still in the NFL. The last thing he wants to talk about is dance. I said, I'm not gonna. He said, he never gets to talk about it. He would love to talk about it. So I said, hey, Vaughn, you were on Dancing with the Stars, right? Who was your partner? It was like I brought up a childhood memory that he just talked so glowingly about.

[Danica McKellar]

Oh, my gosh.

[Bobby]

It was really cool. So when I. Cause I knew you were on the show, I was like, man, I'm gonna talk about that, because I love talking about it. You hurt your rib.

[Danica McKellar]

I did. I broke my rib.

[Bobby]

Okay. Was that on the show that you broke it?

[Danica McKellar]

Yes. So in week three, they're in the contemporary dance that I told you about, the tribute, there was a move where Val was to throw me up. I was to spin.360, and then he would catch me. In the end, we ended up doing a 180. And I kind of wish that we'd decided to do that sooner rather than later, because we rehearsed that 360 again and again and again. And I would never. I would always be kind of off balance. And so this side would come down first. And it was feeling sore. It was bruised, but I was like, you know what? That's what dancers do. They tough it out. So it's after that performance, you know how the body hangs on until the performance is done. It started hurting so badly. I was like, what is going on? Went to the doctor, they said, well, it's not fractured, but just be careful. Put like a rib brace on it. Okay, great. Next week was the switch up week, which we did back then. I'm not sure if you did.

[Bobby]

No, we didn't do switch up.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah.

[Bobby]

Who did you switch up with?

[Danica McKellar]

Max, Val's brother. And so it was a jive, but it was fine. And I wore the brace the whole time. Week five was my Beauty and the Beast number. The Quick Step. Wore the brace. Week six, wore the bra. No, didn't wear the brace. And in week seven, Val was like, you know, are you ready for. Do you think you're ready for Trixie? And I'm like, yeah, sure. And it was just that thing where, you know, like the. You do a somersault and you grab onto the waist and the other person does a somersault. We just started to try that and we both heard the crack. So my rib was just holding on all those weeks, but it couldn't actually handle any pressure. And the pain that flooded through my body. Went to the hospital. I think I just went to the doctor. And anyway, they're like, yeah, it's broken, but you can't put a cast on a rib. So they just would give me, like a steroid patch. And I kept going. So I danced week seven and week eight with a broken rib, and week eight is when I got voted off. But back then, the way that changes season to season, but back then, the previous season's votes counted towards the next. I mean, the previous week's votes counted toward that elimination. So in week seven, which is the first week that I danced with a broken rib, those votes cast me off. And that's what I do too. If somebody's injured, I'm like, you know what? They shouldn't. They should go home and rest. And so I don't vote for them. And that's what happened to me. And it was probably best. But anyway, I danced. Yeah. Eight out of 10 weeks. And then of course, week 10, we came back and everybody does their dance again. And week nine, they had us do pretty tape a dance for the finale. So I actually technically danced every week. And it was. It was just a blast.

[Bobby]

It was so much fun.

[Danica McKellar]

I had such a great time for all the pressure and everything else. I loved the costumes and the camaraderie and the bonding. When you're all doing something, it's kind of nearly impossible. And they really don't show how hard it is physically and emotionally. Because if they did, I think it would actually bum people out. So that's what he said. It's like a community fraternity. We all know what it's actually really like and how challenging it really is. That's the beauty of it. It's kind of like. So my other career is writing math books. And part of the beauty of math is that it's challenging. Part of the gift of math is that it is challenging because it forces your brain to think in a different way. You get something out of that, out of thinking you can't do something. Sticking with it. Then you finally get it. Now you've taught yourself that you're stronger and smarter than you thought. So that I see the value in it. And it's great. I don't know the audience would necessarily get it. And I think it's perfect the way

[Bobby]

they depict the show, doing that show. Injured, that'd be really tough. Especially a rib. Cause you breathe and it hurts like I cracked a rib playing football in high school. And it was miserable for me because that hurt.

[Danica McKellar]

It was the lowest rib, though, I think for breaking the rib, I think was the best situation I could have had because I don't remember if I coughed. It hurt. But breathing was okay and jumping was okay. I had jumped rope for, like, week seven, the first beginning of the dance. I'm jumping rope, and I was like, how are you doing that? I'm like, look, if I were feeling it, I wouldn't be jumping rope. But I didn't feel it. It was fine.

[Bobby]

I tore my. Week one. I tore my shoulder.

[Danica McKellar]

Oh, my goodness.

[Bobby]

I fell on tv. Well, the truth is, I never actually finished the dance in practice. Because you trained for two weeks before. Because a lot of that first two weeks is just getting acclimated to wearing the sh. Being on the. Especially for me. I'd never danced at all.

[Danica McKellar]

Oh, wow.

[Bobby]

And so I never got our first dance completed in practice on the show. I finished the dance, and I realized probably five to seven seconds before it was done that I was gonna finish. I started to get so happy because I'd never finished it. As soon as I finished it, I jumped up, forgetting. Because I haven't spent much time in dance shoes forgetting. And I slipped and I fell. It's all on camera.

[Danica McKellar]

You know what? I missed that episode. I have to go back and watch it, I guess.

[Bobby]

I started swinging my arm. I fell. I tore my shoulder. And I was getting Injections to kill the pain. And it made me feel tough. Like football player.

[Danica McKellar]

Yes.

[Bobby]

Except I was wearing really tight pants with sequins. Other than that.

[Danica McKellar]

That just like football players. Yes, totally.

[Bobby]

Yeah. Such a fun experience. And I also. Your partner's awesome. He was like the coolest guy.

[Danica McKellar]

Val?

[Bobby]

Yeah, Val was the coolest guy.

[Danica McKellar]

Tough coach, but great. That's what you want?

[Bobby]

Yeah. Foreign people are tougher. Mine was Australian.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah, sure.

[Bobby]

Yeah.

[Danica McKellar]

So, yeah, she's a friend.

[Bobby]

She was tough. I needed tough. But I found that the foreign people were tougher than the Mormon people. It's mostly Mormons or foreign. That's pretty much everybody. I found that the Mormon people were super nice and kind. Like extra.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah, it's either Utah or overseas. Yes, one of the two.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Bobby]

You say, you know your second career was math books. Were you really good at math? Like, naturally.

[Danica McKellar]

I mean, I don't know. I never thought that I was really good at math. I just really liked the challenge of it, and so I stuck with it. And so I studied a lot.

[Bobby]

When you were acting as a kid, were you doing much math? Was your home?

[Danica McKellar]

Yes. Oh, yeah, for sure.

[Bobby]

Were you going to regular school?

[Danica McKellar]

Yes, and then I would get my assignments and take them to set. So the role of Winnie Cooper on the Wonder Years was not in every scene at all. So I would work two or three days a week, and then I'd go to my regular school the other days. Because we weren't a tape show either. It was filmed. So the days that you weren't in a scene, you didn't have to be there.

[Bobby]

What's the difference in not taped, but filmed.

[Danica McKellar]

So tape shows, they'll tape, say, on a Friday night, and they rehearse all week long, and then the live studio audience comes in and they tape it at night. I mean, nowadays it's all, you know, recorded. It's not like tape or film anymore. In fact, that's how we used to describe them. So we were a film show, meaning that we just shot the scenes as they happened and there was no. We rehearse the scene and shoot it instead of rehearse all week. You know, fuss with the dialogue and then at the end, you. You do it for real.

[Public Sponsor]

Let's take a quick pause for a message from our sponsor.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. It is stock up savings time now through March 31st. Spring in for store wide deals and earn four times the points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible items from Goldfish, Keebler Doritos, all M M's, Drumstick, Outshine and Kellogg's. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more ENJ on top of savings when you shop in store or online for easy drive up and go pickup or delivery restrictions apply. See website for full terms and conditions.

[Public Sponsor]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc, SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures [e-mail] disclosures let's talk about modern home shopping.

[Redfin Sponsor]

It's sort of become a fun side hobby, right? Scrolling listings at night, dreaming about kitchens you've never seen or backyards you haven't even stepped foot in. All from the comfort of pretty much anywhere. Redfin knows a lot of people like you want to own but are stuck in this browsing mode loop. That's where Redfin flips the script with listings that update within minutes and tours you can book right from the Redfin app. You can see your dream home the moment it appears. Now, liking a listing is easy, but actually landing it? That's where Redfin comes in. Redfin has over 2200 agents with local expertise and Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents. That means they want to help you win. Not just window shop. Redfin is built to help you go from just looking to wait. This could actually be home. So become the newest neighbor on the block. Visit redfin.com to start finding and start owning.

[Lenovo Sponsor]

That's redfin.com Every Lenovo is built to let them move. Let them put a chicken on a skateboard, please. Let them scale, copy and change it up. Let them make a purple sky with raining soccer balls incoming. Let them launch their vision to the world. Let them make. Powered by Intel Core Ultra processors, Lenovo gives creatives everything they need. Lenovo.com, let creatives create.

[Danica McKellar]

Lenovo. Lenovo.

[Public Sponsor]

And we're back on the Bobby cast.

[Bobby]

How did you get into acting?

[Danica McKellar]

Oh, gosh. I. So do you know who Leslie Ann Warren is?

[Bobby]

Should I?

[Danica McKellar]

You should.

[Bobby]

I know. I'm sorry.

[Danica McKellar]

She's an actress. She's probably in. She's probably almost 80 by now. She was in the Rodgers and Hammerstein Cinderella in the 60s, and then she was in Clue. Do you ever see Clue with Tim Curry? What? Oh, my goodness.

[Bobby]

I know. I'm sorry.

[Danica McKellar]

This is a great movie. No, no, no.

[Bobby]

You have to watch it many ways.

[Danica McKellar]

No, watch it before you have a baby, because then you won't be able to do much. Yeah. Clue.

[Bobby]

Like a board game.

[Danica McKellar]

Yes. Yes. Oh, my gosh. Oh, it's classic. I'm so excited for you. You have to tell me after you watch it and tell me how much you love it. Have you ever played Miss Scarlet, man

[Bobby]

on the Moon with Jim Carrey about Andy Kaufman?

[Danica McKellar]

No.

[Bobby]

What?

[Danica McKellar]

Wait, are you just saying that?

[Bobby]

No. It's my favorite movie ever.

[Danica McKellar]

Really?

[Bobby]

Yeah, I just wanted to do that back to you.

[Danica McKellar]

No, but I just want to make sure you actually. It's my favorite movie ever. I mean, I know you want to do that back to me. I just want to make sure you actually. Really.

[Bobby]

It's my favorite movie ever.

[Danica McKellar]

Okay.

[Bobby]

Yeah.

[Danica McKellar]

All right.

[Bobby]

I'll watch Clue, you watch man on the Moon.

[Redfin Sponsor]

Man on the Moon.

[Bobby]

Okay, keep going.

[Danica McKellar]

Okay, good. So Ms. Scarlet, played by Leslie Ann Warren, too. She and my mom were friends because my mom, long time ago, actually owned a dance studio in San Diego. And Leslie Ann Warren's partner at the time, Jeffrey, was a choreographer. Anyway, at my mom's dance studio, apparently I was sitting. I was five years old, sitting, looking at myself in the mirror, making faces at myself. And Leslie Ann Warren said, that's an actress. Okay. So a couple years later, we moved to Los Angeles, and Leslie was encouraging my mom to have us try acting classes, me and my sister, if we were interested. And my mom asked me if I wanted to be an actress. And I was like, what is that? And she goes, well, it's when you pretend to be somebody you're not. I'm like, hmm, interesting. And I remember for about a year, apparently I. My mom was. About a year later that I said, I want to try it. I remember we had a nanny with a British accent and we're pretending to be her in the shower. I was like, that's kind of fun. And I would notice kids on commercials on tv and like, that looks fun. And so I asked about trying it. And so my sister and I started taking acting classes, at least Strasberg Institute in la, I think I was seven, she was six. We started doing little plays, then we got an agent, and then we started in commercials. My mom had a rule. She said acting is just a hobby. No series, no movies out of town, nothing I wouldn't let you watch. You know, she had a lot of rules. Well, the part of Winnie Cooper on the Wonder Years was supposed to just be a guest role on the pilot episode. That's why I was even allowed to audition for it. And that's why I even had a shot. Because, let's face it, I mean, major PrimeTime series on ABC, like a newbie actress, there's no way. There are lots of other actresses that would have been in front of me. But it was a small part on the pilot. I mean, it was significant, but small. Like not that many days of work really. And I got the job. And then midway through shooting, the producers said, we want to offer Odanica a serious contract. And my mom was really conflicted about it. I was like, please, please, please, please. And so she got me this fancy lawyer with a loophole because this is a seven year contract. Imagine roping your 12 year old into a seven year contract. That's something. It's really.

[Bobby]

You were 12 at this time. Got it.

[Danica McKellar]

And so she got me this lawyer with a. There was a loophole so we wouldn't be sued for millions of dollars a week. She. Anytime you want to get out, Danica, just say the word, I will pull you. But of course, I never did.

[Bobby]

Did you like it?

[Danica McKellar]

I loved it, I loved it. I loved it so much.

[Bobby]

Did that role grow?

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah, I mean, it was throughout the whole season.

[Bobby]

Yeah, but I mean, it started off, you said just a guest. Was it then written after that pilot to be a forever role?

[Danica McKellar]

Yes.

[Bobby]

Was it because you were that impactful as a kid?

[Danica McKellar]

No, they said that. I mean, I don't know. They said that Fred and I had a good chemistry and they just was unexpected and they. They just liked. Liked me.

[Bobby]

Did you feel famous as a.

[Danica McKellar]

No, not at all. I had no idea. At one, I think it was in Our fourth or fifth season, somebody on set asked me how. What it was like to be America's sweetheart. And I was like, what? What are you talking about? I was so busy going to school. I went to Harvard Westlake School in Los Angeles, which is a private prep school. And so I was going back and forth between school and set, and I was very busy with that. I never went to Hollywood parties. I didn't. I didn't even go to the Emmys that first year that we were nominated. So my dad had scheduled a river trip for me and my sister and him, and we were gonna go on the Rogue river in Oregon and campfires and stuff. And it turns out that, oh, we were nominated for best comedy series. Well, we couldn't move the trip because of my dad's work issues and schedule. And so we didn't. We didn't go to the Emmys. We went on the trip. And I remember my sister and my dad and I were in this little motel in Oregon, and we watched the Wonder Years win Best comedy series on this tiny little television. I remember jumping up and down on the bed, so excited. Woke up at 5 in the morning, hit the river and had, like, the trip of. I still remember the best memories from that trip. Picking blackberries on the side of the river. And it's just. It's. You know, it's a testament to my parents, and they never overemphasized the importance of Hollywood or. I mean, you can imagine a lot of stage moms would have been like, what? You have to go to the Emmys, and I'm going with you. None of that. It was family came first, and that was such an important lesson. And I'm so grateful to both of them for having those values.

[Bobby]

Did you feel the success of the show grow?

[Danica McKellar]

I mean, I was vaguely. You know, when you're a kid, whatever you're going through, you kind of think is normal. So I didn't have that perspective on it until after. In fact, when I got to ucla, the show had ended within a few months of me graduating from high school. And when I went to ucla, I remember thinking, okay, all right, well, that's done. So we're all gonna move on now. And of course, everywhere I went on campus, everyone was like, oh, Winnie Cooper, where's Kevin? I'm like, what? Aren't you that girl from the Wonder Years? Aren't you that girl from that show? I joined a sorority because I just needed to get away from, like, everybody just, like, recognizing me all the time. And I wanted to Find out who I was. I had no idea. So that's really, I think when it hit me, like, how big the show was, because it was just everywhere. Everybody was calling me by this character name.

[Bobby]

Do people still recognize you as her?

[Danica McKellar]

Yes, but it doesn't bother me anymore. I'm totally great with it. I've come to total peace with it. I took a break from acting for four years at UCLA to get a degree in mathematics. Sort of redefined myself for myself. Then I went back to acting because I missed it. I did the West Wing for a year and then just various things before I landed on Hallmark Channel, now Great American Family Channel and doing these really sweet rom com movies that I just love. And now I write them and produce them as well. It's been such a great journey. And I feel like I got so lucky to avoid the pitfalls of child stardom that happen so often to kids who. Because. And I understand why it happens. You're so well known for this. One character at a time in your life when you're trying to figure out who you are and what your value is. You don't know, like, who would I be if I didn't have this character that everyone loves so much or didn't have that show? I had a friend in high school who had this long, red, naturally red hair. And everywhere she went, everybody was like, oh my gosh, your hair. Your hair is. Finally she cut it off and dyed it black. Cause she's like, I need to find out who else, what else? And so for me, mathematics was that thing. I took a break from it and I studied math. And it gave me something else to hold onto, something to feel important for or valued for. I had no idea that later I'd end up writing math books. I just was doing it because I liked the challenge of it. And I needed to find out who I was, do something totally different.

[Bobby]

And a lot of the math.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Math, math.

[Danica McKellar]

What? Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And none of the professors had any idea who I was. Many of them didn't even. Many didn't even own TVs. But they were interested in the way my mind worked. And I had a great time. It was just finding out, just discovering Danica.

[Bobby]

I have friends that have been successful artists and they have a song or two that was a massive song. And they have a weird relationship with it.

[Danica McKellar]

Right.

[Bobby]

Because when it happens, it's what they're about. It got them there and then it's really what they're known for. And they're like, I'm so Much more than this one song. And then they have this relationship where they don't want to play it anymore. They know people know them and love them for it, and they begrudgingly play it right. And then they get to the point where they're like, why am I fighting this? Is that parallel your relationship?

[Danica McKellar]

Well, once. Because when. Once I wasn't, I guess, dependent on it for, like, once. That wasn't my. Where my value came from, you know, once I. Once I was more solidly in a different place in my life where I was like, okay, well, I'm also. I also am a math author, and I also, like, have these other jobs that I've done. And. And then I recognized that, oh, this is why a lot. This is why I get to go on the Today show for a math book that's coming out. This is why so many more kids are being helped by my books because their parents know me from the show, and they say, oh, Wendy Cooper's gonna help you with math. That was a huge revelation for me. I'm like, oh, my gosh. This is such a gift. What an amazing foundation. This is why when I do a Christmas movie for Great American Family Channel, people watch it. And the reason my movies do well, part of the reason is because automatically I bring them a warm and fuzzy feeling because it connects them to their childhood. What an amazing gift. And that's all because of the wonder years.

[Bobby]

Do you get creepy guys that come up and go, you are my childhood crush? Just randomly?

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah, but I wouldn't say creepy, Okay?

[Bobby]

I feel like any guy just saying that randomly would be creepy. So maybe the guy's not creepy. Do you feel like that's creepy if a guy just comes up and goes, hi, you don't know me, but you're my childhood crush?

[Danica McKellar]

No, it happens all the time. And people are like, it's amazing. I got to be part of their childhood. And I know the people that we admire when we're kids have a different place in our heart.

[Bobby]

Absolute different.

[Danica McKellar]

We get starstruck in a different way.

[Bobby]

We got over those people for sure. Yes.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah, I remember. This is so random, but I met Larry Hagman. My mom used to show us Dallas. And I was. And I was on the Wonder Years. It was like I was the height of my fame from the Wonder Years. And I met Larry Hagman. I was so starstruck, I could, like, barely talk. That's just how it is.

[Bobby]

I really hated the ending.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah.

[Bobby]

I don't know how you feel about it. Can I tell you Why? I hated it.

[Danica McKellar]

Sure.

[Bobby]

I wanted the bow.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah.

[Bobby]

You know, because the final episode is like. And, you know, I met Winnie at the airport. And Paraphrasing. And I was with. And Kevin was with his wife. I didn't like that.

[Danica McKellar]

I know, I know. I didn't like it either. But the thing is, the Wonder Years was all about bittersweet memories and stuff. Everything tied up in a bow. Then it wouldn't be that show. I know. The dad. Why'd they have to kill off?

[Bobby]

The dad died. I know.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah.

[Bobby]

It's weird. That was considered a comedy, too.

[Danica McKellar]

I know. Looking back, you know, the first season was more of a comedy. Yeah. When Neil Marlins and Carol Black, when they were still producing, when they're still in charge, it was more a comedy. But then it went on to be more sentimental, I guess.

[Bobby]

And the brother was never Marilyn Manson.

[Danica McKellar]

That was the best friend. Was also never.

[Bobby]

Oh, yeah, that's right. So, Wayne, let me get to. It's been a while since I've watched the show. Wayne was the brother.

[Danica McKellar]

Brother played by Jason Herman.

[Bobby]

Paul was the best friend.

[Danica McKellar]

Yes. Josh Saviano.

[Bobby]

And you will say that Josh is not Marilyn Manson.

[Danica McKellar]

Correct.

[Bobby]

Did you ever hear that rumor?

[Danica McKellar]

Oh, yeah. Well, years before the Internet, I heard the rumor.

[Bobby]

Oh, really?

[Danica McKellar]

Like in the 90s, I remember people talking about, like, what? No. How did rumors even ever start back before the Internet? I'm not even sure.

[Bobby]

I was doing some research on your math books before you came in. And so you're on my TikTok algorithm now. And the episode of you doing the Mario Brothers television show.

[Danica McKellar]

Oh, gosh.

[Bobby]

Do you remember that?

[Danica McKellar]

Yes.

[Ryan Seacrest]

It was live.

[Bobby]

It was live. Those two people are live. You're a kid.

[Danica McKellar]

Yes, it was a horrible episode. It was so lame. But look, I love Mario Brothers in general, so it's fine. And they're all lovely people. But I watched it and I'm like, what kind of story is this? I'm like, lying, pretending to be an orphan. The plot was not the best, but actually, my mom was friends with a producer, and that's why I did it. But now my son Draco, who's 15, he has loved Super Mario Bros. Since he was, like, 5 or 6 years old. He still does, and so he thinks it's hilarious. So just for that, I'm glad I did it.

[Bobby]

Does he watch the show? Has he watched the show?

[Danica McKellar]

He's seen that one episode.

[Bobby]

No, I mean Wonder Years. Oh, not Mario Brothers.

[Danica McKellar]

I showed him one episode of the Wonder Years, and he wasn't that Into. And he also didn't. He was surprised that that was me. I'm like, you don't think I still look the same? Everybody else does. He's like, what?

[Redfin Sponsor]

No.

[Danica McKellar]

And here's the thing. People who grew up, who were kids when I was a kid and grew up, then you go, oh, it's the same face. Because we all grew up. You have to evolve with the person. If you didn't, then you look back and you're like, I guess I could see it, maybe.

[Bobby]

Would you want him to get into a creative field? Does he want to?

[Danica McKellar]

It's so weird because. So he's 15. When I was 15, I was already on the show. His dad is in music, and his dad was already composing and knew what he was gonna do, was already doing it. Draco doesn't know what he wants to do yet, and I don't even know how to, like, how do I support that? He's very creative. He plays piano beautifully. He does ballroom dance. He does improv. He loves all that stuff. He does these science videos. We do homeschooling. And so he does an online science class. And many times they give the option of doing a for the project. So he'll do the experiments, the science experiments as a video. Like, he could be a YouTube star. He's really funny. But none of this gets published. It's just for his school. I don't know what he's going to want to do. It's not that I want him to get into something creative. I actually think he should have a trade on the side. Because, honestly, AI is coming for all the jobs, and they're not going to come for the plumbing jobs or the electrician jobs. I'm like, I want you to learn a trade. So that's actually something I'm going to be doing with him.

[Bobby]

How pragmatic.

[Danica McKellar]

Just have it on the side. This is what I tell people who want to get into the acting business. I say, look, that's great, but there's so many dry spells, and it will really mess with your sense of self. Like when you're not working and you don't know when you're going to be working again. For me, have something else that you also can make money at that you also enjoy doing and do that thing, too. I remember when I was on the West Wing, Emily Proctor told me how she would flip houses. That was her side gig. She'd buy a house, fix it up over a few months, and then sell. And that kept her sane. So even if you have a regular job as an actor. It's really good to have something else. For me that was writing math books. I've been writing math books for 20 years. I think I'm actually finally done. I think number 12 was the final book. For now.

[Bobby]

Those are famous last words.

[Danica McKellar]

I know, I know. But if I'm so inspired, perhaps I will. But for now, I feel like that was like, okay, good. I blanketed the ages that I wanted to. I've written the books that I think are really helpful. I could say, here, take this and homeschool with it. You'll be great up until, you know, high school geometry. So that I feel good with that. Yeah, it's just, it's been, it's been such an adventure in so many different directions in my life so far. And I and I think part of the reason why I think I'm probably not going to do any more math book writing maybe is because I'm writing scripts now. So I wrote my Christmas movie last year for Great American. I'm actually writing mine right now today, like I was working, I think this morning and I work on it again later for this coming Christmas as well. So I definitely love writing, but I'm switching my focus for now.

[Public Sponsor]

The Bobby cast We'll be right back.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. It is stock up savings time now through March 31st. Spring in for store wide deals and earn four times the points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible items from Goldfish, Keebler, Doritos, all M M's, Drumstick, Outshine and Kellogg. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more. Enjoy savings on top of savings when you shop in store or online for easy drive up and go pickup or delivery restrictions apply. See website for full terms and conditions.

[Public Sponsor]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures [e-mail] disclosures let's talk about modern home shopping.

[Redfin Sponsor]

It's sort of become a fun side hobby, right? Scrolling listings at night, dreaming about kitchens you've never seen or backyards you haven't even seen, stepped foot in. All from the comfort of pretty much anywhere. Redfin knows a lot of people like you want to own but are stuck in this browsing mode loop. That's where Redfin flips the script. With listings that update within minutes and tours you can book right from the Redfin app, you can see your dream home the moment it appears. Now, liking a listing is easy, but actually landing it? That's where Redfin comes in. Redfin has over 2,200 agents with local expertise, and Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents. That means they want to help you win, not just window shop. Redfin is built to help you go from just looking to wait. This could actually be home. So become the newest neighbor on the block. Visit redfin.com to start finding and start owning.

[Lenovo Sponsor]

That's redfin.com Every Lenovo is built to let them move. Let them put a chicken on a skateboard, please. Let them scale, copy and change it up. Let them make a purple sky with raining soccer balls incoming. Let them launch their vision to the world. Let them make Powered by Intel Core Ultra processors, Lenovo gives creatives everything they need. Lenovo.com, let creatives create Lenovo.

[Danica McKellar]

Lenovo.

[Bobby]

This is the Bobbycast As a young kid, did you like math again?

[Danica McKellar]

I liked the challenge, but yes, I did. It's like a puzzle, you know, they're like puzzles to solve.

[Bobby]

I was a really good student. I hated math.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I couldn't.

[Bobby]

I shouldn't say couldn't because I don't think that I can't do anything that's a double negative. I know. But I struggled naturally with math and I didn't struggle with anything else. Like I crushed my standardized test, my act, my lowest was always math. So I wouldn't have been drawn to something that I think I found the most difficulty in. So I'm Wondering what, why you were drawn of everything you were studying to math.

[Danica McKellar]

I guess I just. I like the logical puzzles. I just. I like how it expands your brain, and I just like that feeling. And I. And I did do better on math than English, so I guess I'm better at math than I am at English and memorizing vocabulary and things like that. I tend to be a pretty literal person. Like, I tend to be gullible in that way. I tend to believe people when they say things I mean, you know. So for me, I think the logic always appealed to that part of my brain.

[Bobby]

And you've written 12 math books.

[Danica McKellar]

I have.

[Bobby]

How do you write a math book?

[Danica McKellar]

I decide what I want to teach, and then I find a fun way to teach it. So all my books. So Mackellar Math, the McKellar Math books, they're [e-mail] they're for ages, babies, through high school geometry. So the highest level I have is high school geometry, say when you're 15, 16 years old. I never did an Algebra II book. People have asked about it, but there just wasn't as much demand. My books are not in schools. They are books that parents buy their kids to help them. Cheaper than a tutor, but super fun. Again, I always. Okay, what's my angle? I have a book for third and fourth graders called the Times Machine and teaches times tables like multiplication and division. But I come up with fun ways to teach those things. It drove me crazy that. It drives me crazy that in schools there's so much more demand on the teachers. They don't have time to really drill the multiplication facts anymore. So kids don't know them. Know your multiplication facts. How do you reduce a fraction? How do you do basic algebra without really struggling? So I was like, I need to write a book where I make it easier to actually memorize them because you need to memorize them. So I have little stories. I mean, things like multiples of two or five, which are, you know, nine has some really great tricks. You know the nine tricks? Hold up your hands.

[Bobby]

At this point, I memorized them so thoroughly that I don't.

[Danica McKellar]

Good.

[Bobby]

Yeah.

[Danica McKellar]

But okay, for people who are listening, take out your hand. Look at them. Spread your fingers wide.

[Bobby]

I don't know this. So you're teaching me.

[Danica McKellar]

Okay, good. So nine times what? Give me number six. Six. Okay, so count on your fingers. One, two, three, four, five, six. Put the sixth finger down, which is probably your pinky, unless if your palms are facing you.

[Bobby]

54. I mean, that's.

[Danica McKellar]

Yes. 5, 4, 54. Put down your third finger. It's 2 and 7.

[Bobby]

My mind's blown and I knew the answer. My mind is still blown.

[Danica McKellar]

So, okay, so there's some fun tricks like that.

[Bobby]

Hold on. Because this is cool. I didn't know this.

[Danica McKellar]

Okay, okay.

[Bobby]

9 times 4. So I'm gonna put down my fourth finger.

[Danica McKellar]

4, 36.

[Bobby]

Wait, hold on.

[Danica McKellar]

I just.

[Bobby]

1, 2, 3, 4, 36. What am I messing up here? Cause I. Oh, 36.

[Danica McKellar]

1, 2. Yeah. 3. Okay. His face. You guys should see his face.

[Bobby]

I didn't know this. I guess I didn't have to.

[Danica McKellar]

So anyway, so those are. I was gonna say those are known and I did put that in the book. But I have stories.

[Bobby]

So like nine times three's 27, guys. 27.

[Danica McKellar]

Dude, this is crazy. It works.

[Bobby]

I have adult friends that need to know this. That still don'. I'm sorry to interrupt you. I never knew that trick.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah, but I have stories, I have characters in it. So anytime you see a six, there's going to be a six sided block. Anytime you see a four, there's going to be a puppy because it's got four legs. So I have these stories. And so six times seven is 42. Mr. Mouse is the main character in the book and Ms. Squirrel and then there's Danica character too. I'm a little cartoon in it. So Mr. Mouse loves cheese, of course. So anytime you see seven in a story, that means we're talking about something that happens over a week. So Mr. Mouse eats a six sided block of cheese because he loves cheese, obviously. Every day for seven days. So this represents six times seven. Well, at the end of those seven days of eating that six sided block of cheese, Mr. Mouse is pretty full and 42, 42, 42, 42, 42. Yeah. So if you're an eight or nine year old kid and you're trying to memorize your multiplication facts.

[Bobby]

No, no, I have adult friends that need this.

[Danica McKellar]

Well, yeah, anyway, so that's the times machine. But I've got so my goal and I teach algebra. A book called Hot Algebra Exposed I have for middle school Math Doesn't Suck and Kiss My Math. And when I introduce algebra, I say, here's X, meet X. And there's a little X with a little dialogue bubble that says hi. It's like he's not so bad, you know? We're not going to call it algebra, we're going to call it Happy Land. Just try to shake up the nerves that kids tend to have around math because math can be dull and boring and scary, but it's all the way it's presented. And so that's what I learned when I was in school. I had a couple teachers, one teacher in particular, who made math so fun. It was in seventh grade that I couldn't believe it was the same topic. So it confused me so much. And so I realized, wait, this is about the presentation. Math is a language and you can talk about anything in the language of math. I see some of the engineers nodding. I love that. That always makes me happy. So this has been my mission. Make math more fun and accessible for kids. I've written, I think, all the books I'm going to. My. My Last one, my 12th one, came out in November, on the 4th of November, which is why I said 4. It's called I Love youe 100. A counting book full of love. And it's a really sweet story about a mother and her son. And it goes through talking about basically showing her child that no matter what he does, she loves him. So whether he's happy or sad or makes a mess. So sort of counting all the ways that she loves her son. It's about unconditional love and also teaching kids how to count to 100. So each page has like the next decade and it's represented by something that sort of, you know, is evocative of that number of 50. So 50 states, 60. 60 seconds on a clock, you know, and it's just a really sweet book and it's available wherever books are sold. I Love youe 100.

[Bobby]

That's really cool. Did you go to UCLA and study math?

[Danica McKellar]

I did. I have a degree in math, yes.

[Bobby]

What? A degree in math? What is that specifically? Is there like a version of math you study? I had met that question.

[Danica McKellar]

It's Pure Mathematics was the name of my. You can do applied math, you can do you statistics or economics or there's all sorts of things that use a lot of math in it. But I did pure math, which means it doesn't really have much application at all, unless you want to write math books and have a degree. Of course, I didn't need calculus or real analysis to write my math books, but it gives you a certain kind of gravitas.

[Bobby]

I want to reflect back on something you said a second ago because it's playing in my head over and over again that you were in labor for 30 something hours.

[Danica McKellar]

36 hours, yes.

[Bobby]

We're about to do this.

[Danica McKellar]

I know, I know. I'm so excited for you.

[Bobby]

But that seems like a Long time.

[Danica McKellar]

It was because I stubbornly did not want to get a C section. And eventually I did get to give birth naturally. I did. No drugs. Yep. But you know what's really funny is that I was gonna. There's this program. I don't know if it's around anymore. It's called hypnobirthing. So I had my child 15 years ago. He's 15. And hypnobirthing is like, you're supposed to do it. Like everything's calm. I had signs made for the hospital room. You know, please, quiet voices, Hypno breathing in progress. I did all these, like, now, I'm sure it helped me to relax. And it did help me in the. In the hours and hours leading up to active labor because I was just like, breathing and calm. But, man, when that labor started, it was like, you know, And I remember thinking, like, I just wanted to see the scene of somebody walking by going, hmm, look at the sign. Please quiet voices, Hypnobirthing. You're probably. That's hypnobirthing. No, but it did help me. I will say it did help me. Anyway. It's the most miraculous thing in the whole wide world. Draco had his little hand up alongside his head. He was not easy to come out. It was like delivering a 13, 14 pound baby because the circumference. Speaking of math terms, circumference of his head was bigger than it should have

[Bobby]

been because his arm was up, his

[Danica McKellar]

hand was right next to his head. And they tried to dislodge it and they didn't want to mess with it anyway, so it took a little extra time, but it was. It was so cathartic and not being on any drugs at all. I got to. And everyone, look, everyone's birth story is different, and there's absolutely no judgment. I'm grateful that it all worked out that way. It was very uncomfortable for a very, very long time. And the actual active labor was like nothing. I mean, it was like I felt connected to women for like, all the ages.

[Bobby]

Like pilgrim women.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah, that's what I think about 1600. And I had a doula with me. I highly recommend a doula. It's your advocate. Because the doctors come and go. When you're in labor for that long, you're not going to have the same nurses or the same doctors because they're all going to go home and go to sleep.

[Bobby]

Oh, that's a good point.

[Danica McKellar]

So having a doula was great, and she was fantastic. It was like this calming hand. And I remember After I gave birth, she told me, you're going to have a gurgling sound. You're going to make a sound, and when your baby comes. Comes out, he's going to be making the same sound that you did. Now, again, I don't think. I think this only exists if you're not taking an epidural because you're just in it in a way. I was there for my sister's birth. She's an epidural. She's like, oh. I was like, oh, did I just give birth? Oh, cool. It was so different. It was so different. Her daughter came out so fast that we all, like, were like, whoa. You know, it was different. But I loved my experience. And sure enough, when Draco came out, there's this gurgling. Like, I can almost sense of. I. I can't hear exactly what it sounded like, but I can sense memory. Kind of like I feel was so primal. And he was making that same guttural sound. And he just started coming out, and the doctor said, reach down and get your baby. He was, like, halfway out, and I got to finish delivering. Draco put him on my stomach. He said, reach down and get your baby. I didn't even. We hadn't even talked about it. And it was. I don't even know how to describe it. I felt like. I felt completely. I felt absolutely complete in a way that I could never describe. It was amazing. And my husband, who is my ex husband now, but we're all still friends. We all get along. He was in the room, and he looked at me and said, danica, you never have to prove anything ever again. I was like, wow. Okay, I'll take it.

[Bobby]

So in that 36 hours, this is gonna be a real dumb question, but do you ever, like, fall asleep?

[Danica McKellar]

No. Oh, goodness, no. No, no. Because the contractions are happening every 10 minutes. No, that's the least of it. That's the least of it. It's like, oh, that's adorable. Worrying about not sleeping enough. No, you don't sleep, and then you don't sleep for a while afterwards, too. You get, like, little naps here and there. But your baby, you're in the hospital. You've got this baby, and you're, you know, and the doctors are coming in. They're not even worried at all about, like, if you've gotten your rest. Cause they're on their schedule and they're needing to do what they're doing. And the nurses come in, so you're getting, like, maybe an hour or two here and like here and there, breastfeeding and like just trying to. You're like, how do I fall asleep while holding my baby? And they prop you up with pillows and stuff and. And then his dad took them for a little while. No, you're not thinking about sleep. You're not like, I'm tired. Maybe. Maybe the dad is, I don't know, the mom. You're not at all. You're in this. There's another program that's running is the best way to describe it.

[Bobby]

I'm older, having our first kid, so I'm in my 40s, but I understand that. But I still think, you know, I have these thoughts and feelings probably of what people do if they're 19 and they're having a kid. Like a lot of the. Obviously the unknown. I do feel like I at least know who I am. So I think that's very helpful. I at least know what I don't want to be based on how I grew up. But it's weird to go to people that I know that even work for me that are 15 years younger and I'm like, hey, give me some advice. That's kind of a weird thing to go to someone younger and be like, hey, what do you think about it?

[Danica McKellar]

You know what's even wilder is when your child learns a skill that you don't have. Watching my son play piano you're gonna love will blow your mind when your child can do something or teaches you something. Like we were doing taekwondo for a while in Los Angeles and he was taking taekwondo. I decided to join him at some point and he was teaching me stuff. He was like 7 years old. It's great. You are going to love being a dad. You're gonna love it. I'm gonna give a little. One other tidbit that's sort of. It's not really controversial, but it's just something that I did that most people don't do. You've heard about the postpartum depression woman. So I believe thoroughly, wholeheartedly that the reason this happens is because of we are supposed to consume the placenta. And I did. I had a doula. She took the placenta made, freeze dried, she freeze dried it, put it into capsules. And I took that throughout that month or two or whatever it was.

[Bobby]

So you took it for a while. It's not a one time thing. You don't just eat it and it's over.

[Danica McKellar]

Well, you can, you can. But the way I did it was that. But I will tell you one thing too, because I'm 51 now and I don't care. My doula said, do you want to taste the placenta like this? I'd just given birth and I'm like, sure. I mean, you're not in your right mind. She gave me a piece of, of it, Bobby. It was like the best filet mignon that I have ever tasted. Like. But more I was embarrassed. I was embarrassed about how much I loved it. It was bizarre. I thought, what is this some sort of weird, like satanic?

[Bobby]

Am I a cannibal?

[Danica McKellar]

Am I cannibal? You know, we are meant to have that. And I was so glad and realizing I was like, I am going to just tell people this. I'm just going to talk about it when I do podcasts and things. Because I believe that that's the case. And I don't know why we got away from it. Animals do it.

[Bobby]

Are we away from it? I mean, I feel like my wife and I have talked about it. Like, it's not even that weird. I don't know, for a long time.

[Danica McKellar]

Do you have placenta encapsulation person?

[Bobby]

Is that a person?

[Danica McKellar]

Yes. You get a placenta encapsulation person. Well, you don't have to. You know, my sister did it differently. She just like took it home in a cooler and put it in a blender and then made like ice cubes and made put it in her shake. To each her own. But I recommend highly. Bring it with you.

[Bobby]

Will they let you just take it out of there?

[Danica McKellar]

They will, yeah. As yours. You have to ask that. You have to ask for it and you have to have a cooler. But I mean, like, I didn't trust myself to be sanitary with like, I didn't know. I just didn't. I was like, great, you're gonna make me pills. Fantastic. That sounds neat and tidy and I love that. So that was, that was how I did it.

[Bobby]

Your doula must have been through many of those, a thousand births and has a relationship with the success of it. Right? And that's why she was, hey, you should do this.

[Danica McKellar]

Absolutely, absolutely. She was like, this is a no brainer. You must.

[Bobby]

Why do you think that is?

[Danica McKellar]

Because we lose hormones. We lose so many hormones and they all go into the placenta and then that gets taken away. And if you look at animals, they eat their placenta. The mom eats the placenta afterwards. I don't know why. Somehow we stopped doing it, I guess.

[Bobby]

Should I eat it? They're not my hormones.

[Danica McKellar]

No, they're not. No, no, you don't eat It. She does. Oh, my gosh.

[Bobby]

I thought you were telling me to eat it.

[Danica McKellar]

No, men don't have postpartum depression. Oh, my gosh.

[Bobby]

I thought we both. No, no. This is how uneducated I am.

[Danica McKellar]

No, that would be selfish, in fact, for you to have it. No, no, no.

[Lenovo Sponsor]

She needs it.

[Danica McKellar]

She needs it. Oh, my gosh.

[Bobby]

I totally was. I thought we both ate the pills.

[Danica McKellar]

No, no, no, no, no, no. You should not give them to her. No. Cause her body has just been through something incredible and completely draining. Your body gets. Your functions are sidelined. That baby gets so big. How many weeks does she now?

[Bobby]

A lot.

[Danica McKellar]

Okay. So when I was in my eighth month, I remember laying on the couch like, I could barely get up, thinking, like, I couldn't take deep breaths either, you know, because if you look at what it looks like, the baby takes up all the space. You're like, where are the lungs? Where's the stomach? What's happening? I remember saying, I feel like a beached whale in distress. I don't want to forget what this is, because this is pinpointing exactly how I'm feeling. A beached whale in distress. Like, just. Just trying to breathe and survive and wait until the thing is ready to come out.

[Bobby]

I think for me, a wonderful tool has been animations on TikTok because it will show you. Well, it shows you everything, right? First of all, it does the thing that I've always heard, like comparing it to different fruits and vegetables, and it shows you.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah, it's the size.

[Bobby]

But what I have found for me to be very helpful, is it shows what it does to the other organs in my wife's body as it displaces all of them. And for me to see that in a cartoon form. Listen, I don't feel it, so I don't act like I do. But it gives me an understanding of what she's probably going through because it shows that baby's in there and all your organs are getting shoved up. And I know everybody else knows this. I think everybody else probably knew the woman only at the placenta. I didn't know that.

[Danica McKellar]

A lot of people don't even think about eating the placenta. Like, it's weird or gross or whatever. Well, that's why I did the placenta pills, because I figured it's called placenta encapsulation.

[Bobby]

Would you have eaten the whole thing if she'd have given it to you right then?

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah, I probably would have.

[Bobby]

Do you think it was really that good? If you, like, if you were to eat it now, you think it'd be that good, or is it because of where your body is?

[Danica McKellar]

No, I think it's. No. You know, when you need something, it tastes better, for sure. I've experienced that many times, so I am absolutely positive that. That. And that's why I said, oh, we're supposed to have this. No, I don't think that normally I would have any interest in that. That sounds awful, but I don't know.

[Bobby]

Maybe. It does taste so good. There's like, a placenta market out there. People are getting murdered just so you eat their placenta.

[Danica McKellar]

Oh, my gosh. Why would you say something that is the darkest, most horrible?

[Bobby]

But if it tastes so good, though,

[Danica McKellar]

you're ordering pregnant women to get the. Their. Okay, no, instead, what you could have said. What you could have said is there could be a market out there for women whose placentas are discarded because most of them probably are in the hospital.

[Bobby]

I like that better.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah, I like that more, too. A lot more.

[Bobby]

That's way better.

[Danica McKellar]

That's what we're gonna go with.

[Redfin Sponsor]

Yes.

[Bobby]

That is. That is. Yeah.

[Danica McKellar]

One more thing I want to say about being pregnant, I would love.

[Bobby]

No, I love this.

[Danica McKellar]

Okay. So I give a lot of speeches in my career about, like, math. People bring me in to talk about women empowerment and why women should go into math and stem and also stuff. And there's this thing that is an elephant in the room that I never want to disregard, which is that, well, there's a stereotype of women not being as smart as men. And where does that come from? Is it really just because men hit them over the head with a club someday and they're physically stronger and told them, oh, you're not as smart? I don't think so. There's studies and things, but here's what I discovered when I was pregnant. When you are pregnant, your brain is not your own. Your body deprioritizes your brain, and you can't remember where you put. Put the frozen raspberries. Like, I literally put frozen raspberries in the utensil drawer once when I was pregnant. And I'm like, what? Like you have brain fog in a way that you never had before because your body is prioritizing all of its energy to creating this human being. It's for the survival of our species. Then after that, you are staying up all night breastfeeding, not getting good sleep. There's this haze, this, you know, having a newborn haze, having a baby. And then. And if you think about for a long Time for most of history women, many women would go from pregnancy to pregnancy from say, 20 to 40. Well, those are the formative years. You're building your family. You're not the one who should be making the logical decisions. Maybe for important life moves. If your brain is feeling like that now, maybe not everyone gets like that, but I think most women do to some extent. So I believe that's where the stereotype came from. And then that's why you have the stereotype of the wise, older wise, because guess what? She's not having babies anymore. She can think again.

[Bobby]

She has her brain again.

[Danica McKellar]

She has her brain again. So I believe this is where it's come from. But now that's outdated because most women don't spend most of their adult years of the prime of their life having babies the whole time. So I just want to put that out there for all the women who are pregnant and feeling like they don't have their brains. You don't, you don't. Your baby has your brains and it

[Bobby]

makes sense because your body is doing something else that it feels like it's priority.

[Danica McKellar]

Absolutely.

[Bobby]

And there's only so much energy inside the body.

[Danica McKellar]

Yes, yes. That's our. It's an incredible job. It's such an honor to be able to have a child. I wanted more, we tried for more. It didn't happen. Then I got remarried and we tried and it didn't happen. I have one, we're extra close, which is amazing. But I think being pregnant, having a baby, raising a child is the most beautiful thing that you can do. The most challenging, wonderful, beautiful thing you can do.

[Bobby]

Yeah. I'm excited and scared, nervous and Aw.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah, yeah.

[Bobby]

I don't even know, but I know that I don't know. So I think that helps me a little bit. Like I was in therapy, I was talking to my therapist the other day and I tend to stay hyper focused and put a lot of energy and attention into things that are coming up. I'm fixated with my schedule. I'm always worried I'm going to be late. And he's like, you can only control that so much. But you're so worried about it. You have all this energy you're wasting because you're worried you're going to oversleep, to miss your show. You're worried you're going to. And then he asked me about having a baby and I was like, I'm not worried because I know it's going to be hard. Like, I know. So whatever happens, I've had some really hard things happen in my life and I figured it out and I feel like this is going to be one of those I'm going to mess up, I'm going to do things great. And he said, look at what you're doing. You're able to do that, so why not take the thing that you're doing? Why not put that into your everyday life? Like you've gotten through every day 10,000 times and you've come out okay and there have been hearts and things and it was like, wow. Yeah, he makes a great point. He should get paid for this. That's what I thought.

[Danica McKellar]

You're like, oh wait, I do. Yeah, quite a bit. Yeah.

[Bobby]

So that's great.

[Danica McKellar]

Oh, that's wonderful.

[Bobby]

Yeah. Thank you.

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And we're back on the Bobbycast.

[Bobby]

The final questions I'm gonna ask you. It's a segment that I do pretty much every show, but I want to know when you sit down to do an interview, the three questions that you are asked the most. And if I did ask them, I'll take it on the chin. But I want to know, when you sit down, you know you're gonna get asked these three questions. What are they?

[Danica McKellar]

Well, how'd you get into acting?

[Bobby]

I did ask that one.

[Danica McKellar]

You did ask the one I felt

[Bobby]

like I had to ask.

[Danica McKellar]

Totally fine. No, it's. Nothing wrong with that.

[Bobby]

Because you were so young.

[Danica McKellar]

Yes.

[Bobby]

Okay.

[Danica McKellar]

Why did you choose math, of all things? And what was it like being in the wonder years?

[Bobby]

How do you answer that one, though? That's such a. I know.

[Danica McKellar]

People just want. They want it. They're a fan of the show and they just want it in somehow. A lot of things that I said would have been part of my answer. Like, at the time, I didn't know the show was so big. It was a lot of fun. It was work. I was going back and forth between school and set it was an amazing experience to have had. The fans are amazing, and I love. I love the aftermath. It's incredible, like having friends everywhere I go. I mean, there's, you know. Oh, and then. It's actually a question I used to always get asked, but I haven't in a while now. But it used to be always. Was that really your first kiss on the first episode?

[Bobby]

I felt like that'd be creepy to ask as an adult to another adult.

[Danica McKellar]

But it was my first kiss on camera. On camera. But the one that you see was the sixth take. And the reason I know and that was the final take. And the reason I know that is because it was the only one where he started stroking my hair afterwards,

[Ryan Seacrest]

then.

[Bobby]

Can I ask you a weird question?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Sure.

[Bobby]

Were you guys ever boyfriend, girlfriend, as kids?

[Danica McKellar]

No, but we had a cross in each other. And I actually have a letter, a love letter that Fred wrote me from the first after we did the pilot.

[Bobby]

Then why were you never boyfriend girlfriend?

[Danica McKellar]

I don't know. Because we showed up to set and then next thing I know, he's like, here, pull my finger. You know, it just wasn't. It was just different. It was brother and sister pretty quickly.

[Bobby]

Can I ask you one more kind of weird question?

[Danica McKellar]

Sure.

[Bobby]

Because this is just spoiler.

[Danica McKellar]

You can ask me as many questions as you want.

[Bobby]

No, no, I didn't think about it.

[Danica McKellar]

That's what we're here for.

[Bobby]

Did you ever have a celebrity boyfriend?

[Danica McKellar]

Yes. Jeremy Miller, who was on Growing Pains. So. And I was like 14, 15 years old during that relationship. So that was. He was on Growing Pains. I was on the Wonder Years. We would see each other at these, like, ABC affiliate parties and things. And. Yeah, we started dating. I mean, we'd hold hands and kiss. It wasn't anything.

[Bobby]

Was he Ben Siever?

[Danica McKellar]

He was, yes.

[Bobby]

I love Growing Pains.

[Danica McKellar]

Yes.

[Bobby]

Yeah.

[Danica McKellar]

Yes.

[Bobby]

Yeah.

[Danica McKellar]

All right.

[Bobby]

I think that's all my creepy questions.

[Danica McKellar]

I'm glad. This is great. This was great.

[Bobby]

That should be a whole segment, too. Creepy questions.

[Danica McKellar]

Creepy questions.

[Bobby]

And save it for the very end so the person can leave if they want to.

[Danica McKellar]

Right.

[Bobby]

Danica, this has been awesome.

[Danica McKellar]

Thank you so much.

[Bobby]

Yeah. Thank you so much. And then the website for your books

[Danica McKellar]

again is mckellarmath.com and I'm on social media everywhere. Just anicamckellar, Instagram, Facebook, X.

[Bobby]

Does anybody ever yell, winnie Cooper going to the airport?

[Danica McKellar]

Yes. But you know what? It used to basically only be that. Now it's Winnie Cooper. I love your math books. And the Christmas movies. Yeah. Hallmark Or Great American Family. I've done both.

[Bobby]

Oh, so Hallmark's not a bad word?

[Danica McKellar]

No, no, no. I was at Hallmark for like seven years.

[Bobby]

I thought I was getting scolded. No, no, no, no. Okay, got it. So we don't have to bleep that then.

[Danica McKellar]

No, no. But for years now, I've had to deal. I'm exclusive with them and I write and produce and star in movies. I have like a guarantee and stuff. So. Okay, yeah, Great American. And the other thing I will say that we didn't touch on at all, which is fine.

[Bobby]

It's not fine. So what is it?

[Danica McKellar]

It's my faith journey.

[Bobby]

Okay, go ahead.

[Danica McKellar]

So for the last three and a half years, that is when I discovered my relationship with God. It's a complete, like, it was unexpected. My friend Candice Cameron Bray brought me to church and Great American Family leans towards faith. So I've been able to, in exploring this faith journey in my life, also getting to explore it on the page in the script that I'm writing for them. And it's been such an amazing gift. And it's that timing. It's God's timing, right. Where what are the chances that I would end up in an overall deal at Great American Family Channel, who's been, you know, leaning more towards faith and also discover my own relationship with God? My dad found Jesus when he was in his 40s and tried to get me over. At the time I was like, and I'm so happy. That's great for you. I believe in some sort of higher power thing. I don't know what, but. But then it all crystallized for me and I can't even explain it. It's just been this gift and it brings me so much joy and I don't worry about things like I used to. That's the main thing. I don't feel like. Because when you pay attention, you start to feel God's hand in things and you're like, oh, wait, there's a bigger plan. I can make my plans and I can try and do my best, but at the end of the day, it's not actually up to me to figure it all out. And it's such a relief. It takes the burden off and it has made my life so much more joyous.

[Bobby]

I hosted a show with Candace Cameron Bure. She was lovely, delightful, super fun and warm to be around.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah, just kidding. What show was it?

[Bobby]

It was an award show.

[Danica McKellar]

Okay.

[Bobby]

Yeah, we did it. We hosted it together. She was awesome.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah, she's great. She's a good friend.

[Bobby]

And you never know. You never know how somebody's gonna be when you never met them. Cause they cold matched us up.

[Danica McKellar]

Okay.

[Bobby]

And then I'm like, all right, here we go. It's a full house. It's gonna be pretty cool. And then it was awesome.

[Lenovo Sponsor]

She was.

[Bobby]

She was super kind.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah.

[Bobby]

Yeah. You guys are friends. Well, pass her along. My best, then.

[Danica McKellar]

I will.

[Bobby]

I think we still follow each other on social media, but I don't really DM women.

[Danica McKellar]

Yeah.

[Bobby]

Even to go like, have a good day or it's good. But next time you talk to her, say, hey, remember that guy Bobby? The kind of nerdy guy with the glasses? He said really nice things about you.

[Danica McKellar]

I will.

[Bobby]

Danica, thank you so much. This has been awesome.

[Danica McKellar]

Thank you. You too.

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[Danica McKellar]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.