TCB Infomercial w. Wendi McLendon-Covey

Summary

The Commercial Break – TCB Infomercial with Wendi McLendon-Covey Air Date: May 28, 2024 | Hosts: Bryan Green & Krissy Hoadley | Guest: Wendi McLendon-Covey

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Commercial Break welcomes comedic actress Wendi McLendon-Covey (Reno 911!, The Goldbergs, Bridesmaids, Big City Greens). Bryan and Krissy gush over Wendi’s iconic career, discuss the chaos of growing up as a child star and the weird web of celebrity reality, and take a deep-dive into Wendi's journey from Groundlings improv to sitcom stardom, plus the not-so-glamorous reality of working gigs alongside office jobs. The show is packed with improv banter, self-aware fandom, and plenty of memorable anecdotes about comedy, persistence, and pop culture.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Wendi's Early Life & Career Breakthrough

• (00:00–03:00) Wendi opens with a tongue-in-cheek story about being a twin – "I was named Darlene Clementine… my mom’s like, what’s that grunting? Oopsie daisy, there’s another baby..." (00:00–00:30)
• Reno 911! Origins: Wendi’s “big break” came unexpectedly after an assistant saw her understudy performance. The role was recast when the original pilot’s actress became unavailable. (16:34–19:34)
• Perseverance: Wendi reflects on almost giving up and being at peace with just belonging to The Groundlings, an exclusive improv troupe: “Maybe I will never make any money doing this… but this is my life now.” (18:12)

2. The Reality of Work in Comedy

• Despite Reno 911!’s success, Wendi kept her other job for years (“I had an office job up until I got The Goldbergs.” 21:26). She also did Rules of Engagement, Bridesmaids, and other gigs while working at a social work journal. Shows how even successful performers often juggle multiple jobs.

3. Audition Stories & Improv Culture

• Reno 911! auditions were completely improvised. Wendi faced an infamous “head games” type playing mind tricks in the audition waiting room… which backfired since improv doesn’t require memorized lines. (“I’m not forgetting any lines, you bitch.” – 20:33)
• She landed the role of “Clementine” by playing someone who thought they were sexy, not just a “sexy cop.” (19:38–19:54)
• Early career detachment helped her manage auditions: “If you place so much importance on every audition, you’re gonna go insane.” (32:03)

4. Inside Bridesmaids:

• The group (Wendi, Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo, Melissa McCarthy) were all Groundlings alumni. Wendi recalls doing a table read years before filming. (27:27)
• She didn’t feel funny at her audition (her grandfather had just died), but it didn’t stop her landing the role.
• Much of Bridesmaids was improvised or evolved massively from its script – resulting in hours of DVD extras and deleted scenes. (26:50, 32:48–33:28)

Wendi: “Three more hours of movie… there are entire characters that were cut out.” (26:56)

5. Transitioning from Improv to Network TV

• The Goldbergs came from her impressive run on Rules of Engagement. The casting was informed by her resemblance to the real “Beverly Goldberg.” (34:00–34:47)
• The show was originally titled “How the Bleep Am I Normal?” before simply becoming The Goldbergs. (34:49–35:10)
• Wendi had personal resonance with her “smother” role, drawing from her own mother. (“My mom was a smother as well. A Baptist smother but very much ‘act first, apologize later.’” – 36:37)

6. Voice Work & Big City Greens

• Wendi plays Nancy, the “motorcycle mom,” and shares the joys and challenges of recording solo vs ensemble, and the unique demands of bringing animation to life.
• Team dynamics: The Big City Greens cast includes another Groundlings alum, Artemis Pebdani, and the voice acting process usually involves reading alone to storyboards or animatics. (43:29–44:03)
• The appeal: The show resonates with both adults and children due to its layered storytelling and inclusive, positive portrayal of relationships (e.g., amicable divorced parents). (46:18)

7. Pop Culture Riffing: JoJo Siwa, Britney Spears, and Reality TV

• The hosts defend JoJo Siwa’s “awkward transition” from child star to adulthood, noting the cultural tendency to pile on female celebrities during these moments (see also: Miley Cyrus, Britney, Drew Barrymore). (05:16–10:26)

Bryan: “If someone had filmed me between 19 and 25 years old, trust me, JoJo Siwa would have looked like Madonna...” (05:42)

• Wendi and the hosts reflect on the manufactured drama and impact of Bravo/Real Housewives and how reality TV can warp both the cast and audience. (40:21–41:25)

8. True Crime: Vicky White Story

• Wendi describes developing and starring in a Lifetime adaptation of the real-life prison escape story of Vicky White – and how she advocated for the project.

“You cannot coerce a woman in her 50s to do anything she doesn't want to do. I think she snapped...she was sick of doing everything the right way for so long with no reward. And someone saw her. And loved her. And she went off the deep end.” (48:15–48:56)

9. Upcoming Projects: NBC’s St. Denis Medical

• Wendi teases her starring role in “St. Denis Medical,” a mockumentary about an underfunded hospital, set for a fall release on NBC. (47:00–47:08; 51:16–51:48)
• The show is from the creator of Superstore and American Auto, promising another quirky, workplace comedy run.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Comedy Career:
  “Maybe I will never make any money doing this, but this is my life now.” – Wendi (18:12)

• On Improv Success:
  “I’m not forgetting any lines, you bitch.” – Wendi, recounting her Reno 911! audition (20:33)

• On the Reality of Show Business:
  “I had an office job up until I got The Goldbergs.” – Wendi (21:26)

• On "Smothering":
  “My mom was a smother as well. A Baptist smother, but very much 'act first, apologize later.'” – Wendi (36:37)

• On True Crime Role:
  “I don't think that she was coerced into anything ... she was sick of doing everything the right way for so long with no reward.” – Wendi on Vicky White (48:15–48:56)

• On Navigating Failure:
  “If you place so much importance on every audition, you’re gonna go insane ... you're not gonna get most of them, but they'll remember you for something else if you were good.” – Wendi (32:03, 32:10)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00 – Wendi’s mock birth story.
• 16:34–19:34 – Landing Reno 911! via The Groundlings, audition anecdotes.
• 21:26 – Balancing multiple jobs while working in comedy.
• 26:56 – Three more hours of Bridesmaids DVD extras.
• 34:00–35:10 – How Wendi got The Goldbergs.
• 36:37 – Personal connection to her “smother” character.
• 43:29–44:03 – Voice acting method for Big City Greens.
• 46:18 – On animation’s value for kids and adults.
• 48:15–48:56 – Portraying real-life figure Vicky White.
• 47:00, 51:16 – St. Denis Medical teasers.

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Closing Thoughts

Bryan and Krissy wrap with effusive praise for Wendi—her talent, her humility, and her knack for endearing, hilarious characters. They share personal laughter and engage in comedic but genuine fan appreciation.

Bryan: “Everything she touches turns to gold.”

Listeners are encouraged to catch Wendi in “Big City Greens” and look forward to “St. Denis Medical” on NBC this fall.

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[For more, visit tcbpodcast.com and catch show notes and links to Wendi’s work.]

Transcript

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

When I was born, very healthy, gorgeous newborn, I was named Darlene Clementine. Time goes on. The minutes are ticking by, and my mom's like, what's that grunting? Looked in the tray of afterbirth. Oopsie daisy, there's another baby which is my twin, darling.

[Brian Green]

On this episode of the Culture commercial break, do you understand any of Christopher Nolan's films? Do you understand Inception, Tenant at Dunkirk? Any of them?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

So I've not seen any of those.

[Brian Green]

No.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

You should just stay out of the fray then.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yeah. So I'm gonna say no, I don't.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

You know, actors sure love working with him.

[Brian Green]

Yes, they do. I'm sure if you got a phone call from Christopher Norland, you wouldn't turn.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Of course. Yeah, I'd do it and not understand it the whole time and be totally fine.

[Brian Green]

The next episode of the commercial break starts now. Guys and kittens, welcome back to the commercial break. I'm Brian Green and this is the dear friend of mine and the co host of this podcast, at least for the foreseeable future, Kristen Joy Hoadley. Best to you, Chris.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Best to you, Brian.

[Brian Green]

Best you out there in the podcast universe. TCP, TCB, infomercial day with Wendy McLendon Covey. And we're so excited to have her because I. There is no woman on this earth that I had a bigger consistent crush on than Wendy. And I'm not going to share that with her because I don't want her to leave immediately.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Right.

[Brian Green]

But I'll share it now before she gets on air because she'll probably never hear it. But man, Sergeant Clementine from Reno 911 was at the top of my teenage boy list of ladies who just. I don't know, something about her just got me every time I saw her on Reno 91 1. You've seen her on Reno 91 1?

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah, bridesmaid.

[Brian Green]

She was the really funny mother mother in the Goldberg. She just ended a huge run on the Goldbergs and now she's gonna be on a nude NBC show. I think is something about the doctor's office. We'll figure it out. We'll talk to her about it this fall. And she's just. And she's on big city greens too.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Oh, yeah, here we go.

[Brian Green]

We've had like four people from big city.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I love that.

[Brian Green]

Crazy.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah, I'm a big nephews.

[Brian Green]

I'm going to try and get the bluey people on here. That's what I really want. I want to pick that guy's brain. The creator of Bluey but anyway, Big City Greens also a huge smash hit for adults and children on Disney Channel. And so we're super excited to have her in. This is one of those dream guests. It's.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

It really is.

[Brian Green]

I know that not everybody in the crowd may be super familiar with Reno911. If you're not, you should be. Quite frankly. I think it is a criminally under conversated about television show when it comes to great comedies in the 20s and watch it.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Really. I've watched a few episodes. Oh my God, I got under my radar.

[Brian Green]

No, they're all classic. They're so good. People say the Office and I like the Office. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the office. But Reno911, a mockumentary style show about the Reno sheriff's department and the bumbling idiots who are there making arrests and pulling people over and all that. And it is just way too fun. It's criminally funny. It's criminally funny. It's so good. And she is a. The one of the stars of the show. I mean, she made that show just as much as Officer Dangle. Officer Dangle. Sheriff Dangle. That's right. And so we are super grateful to have her in here today.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I can't wait.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. So in just a few minutes, that'll come up. Until then, I wanted to talk about Jojo Siwa. Do you know Jojo Siwa? Are you hearing about this?

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I've been hearing about her for a while now. She was a big Nickelodeon or Disney.

[Brian Green]

Disney star. Disney star. You know, a lot of these. Listen, Disney and Nickelodeon, unfortunately for Nickelodeon's past. I did finish that whole series, by the way, and that was. It was very disturbing, actually. So Disney and Nickelodeon, they're like pipelines for, you know, future stars and actresses. And a lot of those people will.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Just be a lot of singers especially too.

[Brian Green]

Well, there was a. I think Justin and Britney came from like the Mickey Mouse Club, like the rehashed version of the Mickey Mouse Club. And a lot of, you know, Miley Cyrus of course, had her own show on Disney for a long time. Very Hannah Montana, very popular show. And so did JoJo Siwa. JoJo Siwa is now trying to make that incredibly awkward transition into adulthood in front of the cameras. Yeah. And she put out a video where she is doing some very strange dancing and trying to act like an adult. Basically she changed her image altogether. She went from like, you know, fresh and fruity Rudy Tooty to very hardcore sexualized, wearing weird outfits, grinding on people making strange epileptic type dance moves. I mean, it's really, quite frankly, kind of weird. I don't think it's all. I don't think it's as weird as some people are saying. I just think it's a young lady who's trying to figure out her way in the world.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Right.

[Brian Green]

And the video probably wasn't 100% her idea. There's probably some director and producers that told her, okay, go ahead and shake like an epileptic on and grind on this girl. Right? I mean, who cares? At the end of the day, there are lots of bad music videos out there. I kind of feel for Jojo on this one. I know she's getting a ton of hate right now, but I kind of feel for her a little bit. It's going to be an awkward transition phase for any human being. And I know she chooses to put herself out there in the spotlight. So it takes away a little bit of the, you know, empathy that I have for her. She chooses to do this, she chooses to put herself out there like this. But I feel for the girl a little bit in the sense that like I, my, if I. Someone had filmed me between 19 and 25 years old, trust me, Jojo Siwa would have looked like Madonna compared to the things that I went. If she would have looked like a God compared to the things I went through and the things that I did. And the weird epileptic movements I made while making love. I still make those. It's. It's weird.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yes.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah. Or to, you know, think about you as, you know, 6, 7, 8 years old and then all of a sudden to transition to 16.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's weird like to grow up in front of the cameras. It's got to be a surreal experience, really. So here's why I'm bringing up Jojo. Not only is she. Was she on the Disney Channel also, so there's some connection with, you know, Big City Greens. But then she was at Disney world for her 21st birthday and she was drinking around Epcot, which is something that people do because they'd stop at every country they get a drink. My father in law has done it and trust me, it's hard to make it all the way around Epcot Lake without getting super shit faced. Yeah. You're stopping at 12 different countries and having mixed alcohols. I mean, it's, you know, in the sun. Yeah, in the sun in Florida. Around screaming children and miserable human beings. It's. And all you can see is Mickey Mouse ears. Everywhere. It's a little. It can be unnerving, right? And then you're gonna get drunk. And maybe Disney World is much better when you're drunk. I. I liked it when I was drunk. I liked it when I was sober, but I never went all the way around Epcot drinking, everything. And so it's a tradition for people who are into Disney, and Jojo comes from the Disney family, so people were like, why she go to Disney for her 21st birthday? Where did you go for your 21st birthday? The local pub and drink Bar Mat shots. I mean, come on, who cares? Who cares where she's at for her 21st birthday? But she is incredibly intoxicated. And she is sitting around a table. She's like. Has no security around her or anything. She's sitting around a table wearing a forklift driver's vest, like a bright yellow, bright orange vest. You know what I'm talking about? You know, cut off jeans down to her knees. I mean, she's. She looks a little ragged for Jojo Siwa, but okay, that's her new look and whatever. And then she is sitting around a table singing her new song, trying to get young kids and older people alike to join. Sing along with her song. But no one knew the lyrics, right? He's, like, trying to convince them they know the song. She's like, you know the lyrics. Sing the lyrics. And people are like. And she's like, ah, come on, sing the lyrics. And so she has to start singing herself. But no one could follow up because no one knows the lyrics. It is terribly awkward. It's a little bit cringy. And I just. I listen. At least she's drunk. At least she's drunk. At least it's not like. At least she's not sober trying to do that. At least she was.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

There's. That was it just somebody kind of standing off to the side that was filming it?

[Brian Green]

Of course. Because can't leave anything alone. They gotta. They gotta film Jojo Siwa. And the person behind the camera is actually making fun of her, like, three feet from her. And it's like, come on, Really? I mean, listen, I make fun of a lot of people on this show. I do it all the time. And a lot of people make fun of me. They do it all the time, too. Trust me, it works both ways. If you could see that phone that I have in my. In this studio, you would know that it works both ways. And as a matter of fact, our latest review says I have no idea.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Why the funny is or something.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. I have no idea where the funny is in this show, but I actually like it when I'm doing stuff in the background to random people talking about nothing. I mean, and five stars, by the way. So if that's the best we got. We know what it's like to get haters. We have them all over the place. But I just feel like a super little bit of empathy for JoJo Siwa because I'm like, oh, poor girl's just trying to make her way in the world. And by the way, Britney went through it, Madonna went through it, every child actor that has gone through this, Jason Bateman went through it. Everybody has gone through this. Weird. Drew Barrymore went through. Yeah, they all went through it. And they made it out on the other end fine. I don't know if I can say the same about JoJo. Seems like she's not handling it so well. But it's her 21st birthday, she's getting hammered. Yeah. And then everybody's got a videotape her and people are making fun of her straight to her face. Do we have no tact left? Like, you know, make fun of her. Take her video and break it down and make fun of her that way like we do. And that way you don't have to feel so guilty about doing it right in front of her face.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah, I know. People don't care.

[Brian Green]

Oh, man, poor JoJo. I. I'm a. I'm Team JoJo. Of course we are.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Let her live.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. The person everybody else hates. The commercial break is like, Team JoJo. Let her live. Let her be over sexualized for a few minutes. She'll calm down. She'll figure it out. She needs a good agent. That's what she needs. She needs a better agent. Because the agent would say, maybe you should go away for like five years and then come back as this new hyper sexualized person. Because going straight from Disney Channel to, you know, wearing a thong and grinding on people, maybe that's not the best look, maybe we should just give it a few days.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

And let it happen. But. And hey, look, maybe we'll talk about this on the. On the end of the. After we talk to Wendy. But you know Brit, our good friend Britt. Brett.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Things aren't looking so good for Brit. Brett. I told you. I told you I will be right about this. I do not think. I do not think anybody should be held against their will. I do not think anybody's money should be held against their will. I do not think that conservatorships should be taken lightly at all. But I think that her family, especially her father, may have understood something that we don't understand. And now there are many people in her inner circle. It's bubbling up to the top that are saying, drugs, alcohol, bad people taking advantage of Brittany because she really doesn't know what's going on.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

And she needs some help. Yeah. So, you know, it's good to be right about one or two. This might be my fourth thing on the show that I'm actually right about. So Wendy Covey is a superstar comedic and we love her to death. And we've been so excited about doing this interview with her. She was Clementine and Reno911. She was the mother and Goldberg's, as we mentioned, she is going to be in. Is it St. James? What's the name of that show? Hold on one second. I want to make sure that I get this, that I get this right. Because, you know, they don't come on here for their health. It's not like Wendy said, oh, I really want to talk to the commercial break. I really, really, really want to talk to the commercial break.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I think it is. It's something about the hospital, right?

[Brian Green]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's something about St. James Hospital. Well, let's ask her. We'll ask her. Before I get it wrong. We'll ask her. She'll tell us when it premieres. It's going to be a brand new sitcom that's starting this fall. So we're excited to have her in. She's going to talk about that, and hopefully we'll get to ask her a lot of other questions. I love Wendy. She's my. My teenage girl. Should I tell her? Should I be like, dear Wendy, I.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Think you should fanboy a little bit.

[Brian Green]

Should I fanboy a little bit? Okay. I'm going to be JoJo Siwa on this interview, and we'll. We'll act strange and make epileptic seizures. Wendy, sounds like a plan. Chrissy, I got an idea.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yes.

[Brian Green]

Let's go into our awkward transition phase. Why don't I cut to a break? And after I cut from that break, we'll have Wendy here with us through the magic of podcasting. And we can talk to you. Let's do it for a couple minutes about her life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. All right, we'll be back. What?

[Christina]

Oh, hi, it's Christina again, here to remind you to go to tcbpodcast.com for all things audio, video and TC. BDO. Give us a follow on Instagram hecommercial break and on TikTokcbpodcast. And guess what? We have a new phone number. I know what you're thinking, but I promise this is the last TCB phone number you will ever have to remember. So call us and leave us a voicemail or text us at 212-4333, TCB. Once more for the people in the back. That's 212-4333, TCB. Oh, and check out our YouTube channel at YouTube.com thecommercialbreak. That's all for now. Let's listen to our sponsors and get back to the show.

[Brian Green]

And joining us from New Orleans is Wendy right now. Hi, Wendy.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Hello, Wendy.

[Brian Green]

Hello.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Gorgeous ones, aren't you?

[Brian Green]

What an awesome battery. Will get you everywhere.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Wendy, you look gorgeous. I love your bangs.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Oh, you're so nice. I've been chopping them myself and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.

[Brian Green]

Wait, you cut your own hair?

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

That's what you have to do with bangs?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Sometimes I cut my own hair.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And it's.

[Brian Green]

I cut my own hair too, but it's. It's a tremendously easier job.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah. Yours is like a race.

[Brian Green]

It's.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yeah, I don't recommend it.

[Brian Green]

I cut my kids hair and my dog's hair, and other than that, I'm staying away from it. Yeah. But I don't cut the girl's hair anymore because they're so finicky about it. Even at the young age, they're like, oh, yeah, I want my ponytail. I want my buns.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

My mom used to cut my hair growing up and she would always get the bangs too short and we would always be so upset with her.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

The fiskars, like the cloth cutting scissors. Yes. The chunkiest scissors you can find in the house.

[Brian Green]

Come on.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Wow.

[Brian Green]

Okay, we gotta ask a question because we were just talking about this and I want to know. I want to see where you stand on this. Do you understand any of Christopher Nolan's films? Do you understand Inception, tenet at Dunkirk? Any of them?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

So I've not seen any of those.

[Brian Green]

No.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

You should just stay out of the fray then.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

So I'm gonna say no, I don't.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

You know, doctors sure love working with them.

[Brian Green]

Yes, they do. I'm sure if you got a phone call from Christopher Norland, you wouldn't.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Of course.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I do it and not understand it the whole time and be totally fine.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

There you go. That's the way to approach it.

[Brian Green]

You know what? We're dying for a viral moment. I Think we just got one. Wendy has never seen a Christmas movie. That's crazy.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Please.

[Brian Green]

You are in three. Chrissy and I were talking about this before you came on. You are in three of the most iconic roles, and I. And so I'm so grateful that you're here, because these three. It's an honor. Honestly, I'm honored. The Goldbergs, Bridesmaids, and the Criminally Undermentioned. When talking about the best comedy shows ever, Reno911, which is like, those are three incredibly iconic roles. Was Reno911 your very first, like, major television role?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

It was.

[Brian Green]

And it's been on for, like, 20 years. Consistently years. Isn't that crazy?

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

That's crazy.

[Brian Green]

How did you get the job, as with Reno911? How'd you get the role?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

It's funny. And some magazine, I think it was Cracked, just did a big, long article with all of us, anyone that they could find that had ever been part of it, on how this all came together. And this is my version. They had done a pilot for Fox. Fox sat on it for two years and never did anything with it. So then they presented it to Comedy Central because they had been on Comedy Central before on the state, had good relationships with them, and said, hey, what do you. What do you think about this? You know, improvised cop show?

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And they said, great. Yeah, let's do it. Well, one of the other deputies from the first pilot, she was on something else. So they needed to look for someone who could improvise. And the casting director's assistant saw me when I was understudying someone else in some other comedy show.

[Brian Green]

No way.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

That's like an Inception moment.

[Brian Green]

That is an Inception moment. If you had seen the movie, you.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Know, it was at a time when I personally was like, maybe I'm just not getting anywhere in this business. Maybe I need to just make my peace with the fact that, you know, I did just get into the Groundling Theater, which is no small feat.

[Brian Green]

No, it's huge.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

But I didn't have a real agent. I didn't have anything going for me. I would go to the theater for rehearsals and stuff and hear everybody talking about all these auditions they went on. And I was like, anyway, I get. I sort of made my peace with it and was like, okay, look, maybe I will never make any money doing this, but this is my life now.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I have this opportunity at the Groundlings. This doesn't happen for everybody, so it happens for very few people. So I gotta take this chance and just keep working, Keep Doing my thing. And even if nothing ever works out, I will have an interesting life doing.

[Brian Green]

It's a story that you can. That. That very few people in their life will be able to say, it's an exclusive club to be in the ground.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Exactly. Very exclusive club. So I kind of made my peace with it and was, like, ready to throw my headshots off the pier. And then I got. I got this call. Oh, you know, we saw you in this weird little show you were doing, so let's bring you in. And it was one of those nightmare situations. Not for me at the time, but for most people. They would find it a nightmare that everyone can hear what you're doing in the audition room because the walls are so thin.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. That's got to be terribly, like, stressful and anxiety inducing.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yeah. So I could hear what everybody's doing, and I'm thinking, well, that's not funny at all. They want a sexy cop, and I don't know that I can play that, but I can play someone who thinks she's sexy.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

So I. I did that. And while I was in the waiting room, you know, sometimes there's someone who is known for, like, trying to psych people out of their auditions. You know, really just come into the audition room, and they come up to you, and they just start talking to you, but making you kind of lose your confidence or lose your concentration. And someone was doing that to me.

[Brian Green]

They were playing head games with you.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Playing head games with me. But the thing is, is it's improvised, so games you want. Once I go in there, none of this means anything. I don't even know what they're gonna ask me to do.

[Brian Green]

Sure.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yeah. I'm not forgetting any lines, you bitch.

[Brian Green]

Dipshit.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

So I went in, I did my thing, and then I get a call that night. Okay, that was amazing. Come in, the next time, do the exact same thing. And I did. And then I called my manager, and I said, hey, I think I booked a pilot.

[Brian Green]

Whoa.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And she was like, what? I didn't know you went out for a pilot.

[Brian Green]

Do you have a new manager?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yes.

[Brian Green]

Okay, good. Just checking.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yeah. Anyway, the rest is history. We did our dumb little thing. And it should be noted that this paid so little money that I had another job. I had an office job while you.

[Brian Green]

Had an office job while you were doing Reno911.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I had an office job up until I got the Goldbergs.

[Brian Green]

You are kidding me. Wow.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

That's how things pay.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. So even five, six seasons? I mean, listen, I understand. It's Comedy Central. It's not abc. Right. There's different budgets and. And it's an improv show. It's probably. You're probably working on very little budget every episode, and it's basic cable, and it's basically. But you would think that it would pay you enough to at least live, like, you know, I mean, living wage.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I guess I could have, but I didn't want to take that chance.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. Fair enough. Yeah. You just decided.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I did buy a brand new Honda for cash.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

There you go.

[Brian Green]

For you.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

All through everything else, I did Rules of Engagement, Bridesmaids, up until the Goldbergs. And I wouldn't have quit, but the Journal folded. I was working for a social work journal.

[Brian Green]

Okay.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

At Cal State Long Beach. So anyway. Yeah. So that happened. And who knew this thing would never be off the air? I know it doesn't pay residuals.

[Brian Green]

It. I was just about to ask, does it pay residuals? It does not.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

No.

[Brian Green]

The movies.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

The movies do.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And then, you know, we got. When Quibi came out, I don't know if you remember that.

[Brian Green]

It was 15 minutes long. It lasted for 15 minutes.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Just like every episode of every show.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, that's right.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yeah. So they, you know, they brought us back, and it was insane.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. They were paying you a lot.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Try to get back into that headspace while I'm on another show playing the complete opposite character.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Right, right.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And we banged out, what, two or three more movies.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. There's a. So there's so many movies and there's so many episodes of that show. Do you think you'll go back to the. Well with Reno911 or is it.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I mean, I. I don't know if we. Who would pay for such a thing at this point? We're lucky that. That we did that, you know?

[Brian Green]

Yeah, sure.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Comedy Central ended up buying all the Quibi stuff or the Roku Channel. It's airing somewhere.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I don't know. I mean, if they call me, of course I'll go back, but I don't. That's a hard call because so many of us are working.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

It's. It's really hard to schedule everybody together.

[Brian Green]

Sure, sure. So everyone's moved on, and it's like, you got to get everybody's time. And then does everybody want to do it? And are, you know, is. Are the characters still relevant? Listen, I would say yay, because I could watch Reno 911 and the Goldbergs back to back to back for the rest of my life and privilege, probably be highly entertained and the thing I love about Reno911 and your character Clementine and the way you interact with Dangle is that, honestly, every time I watch an episode, you pick up something different, something funny that it's just like subversive or you didn't notice in the first one. It's got so many little funny parts that I think you miss on the first watch, but you get on the second one. It's. It's an iconic role. And I mean, I can imagine when you are on the Goldbergs and which is not basic cable, which is like, you know, biggest network in the world, Disney owned all this other stuff, and you're working a day job or a night job or whatever it is in the office. Does that lead to some interesting conversations with people in the office?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Now is it just kind of like.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

By the time the Goldberg started, I had quit.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Move.

[Brian Green]

You moved on. Okay, Got you.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Because that was. There was no time. There was no time. Like, I missed birthdays. I didn't take vacations. I was tired. Yeah, yeah. And. But yeah, I was doing so much with this other, you know, with my other stuff. The great thing about this job is that I could come and go whenever I wanted. Nobody cared when I came in or if I came in, just as long as I did my work and turned it in.

[Brian Green]

Oh, brilliant.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And it was only a 20 hour a week thing. So I would be skulking around there late at night, photocopying things and turning things in answering mail. And sometimes there would be professors there working on their own stuff. And I remember this one guy says, oh, you're the one that's an actress or something.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Are you in that new Bridesmaids thing?

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Oh, I hear it's terrible.

[Brian Green]

Oh, my God.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Oh, my God. Who says that to somebody?

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

First of all, what is your name, sir?

[Brian Green]

And who the fuck says that after actually seeing Bridesmaids? It was a runaway hit. It's the funniest fucking movie ever. I swear to God. It is.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Oh, God. It was just like, I don't know what's going to happen with it. I mean, it didn't get great reviews in the beginning.

[Brian Green]

It really didn't.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

It was very polarizing, review wise. But the box office said differently.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

So, you know, I could watch that movie anytime. In fact, it popped up just the other day on something I was watching and I was like, yep, want to keep watching the whole entire rest of it?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Well, this is so stupid, but have you seen the. The DVD extras?

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I have not seen the DVD extras.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Well, let me delight you with this information. Three more hours of movie.

[Brian Green]

What?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

There are entire characters that were cut out.

[Brian Green]

Really, it was.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

It was very ambitious. And the whole thing was just way too damn long. There's deleted scenes, all kinds of fun stuff. So if. God, I've got to get that now.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

And I have a DVD player still, so.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, so do I.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

So now it lives on YouTube as well, so.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Okay. Okay, I've got to watch that. Thank you for that tip.

[Brian Green]

Were you and Kristen Wiig, where. You were in Groundlings together, Right. Or you were in the same class together?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yeah, me and Kristen and the other writer, Annie Momolo and Melissa McCarthy. Yeah, we were all at the Groundlings at the same time. Maya was. I think her picture was still on the wall. But she wasn't performing with us. She was on snl and we all met at someone else's wedding shower. But nobody else remembered that. I will never forget it because it was at Melissa's house or Melissa's apartment. But she wasn't there because she was filming Gilmore Girls. Oh, my God. We were all there. And, like, Kristen and I were broke. I mean, not broke, but, like, we didn't. This was all like, oh, my God. We're just trying to get somewhere. Right.

[Brian Green]

Sure.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Right. We were still very much in the. I gotta scrape some money together to buy a wig for this next performance.

[Brian Green]

Sure. Oh, we get it, Wendy. Yeah, we get it. Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

In the trenches.

[Brian Green]

Yes, we are.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yeah. So, yeah, that happened.

[Christina]

And then.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I mean, the rest is history. But I was also there with Michaela Watkins.

[Brian Green]

Yep.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And Nat Faxon, Jim Rash from when you.

[Brian Green]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, it's the Groundlings. It's like the Groundlings is an incubator for extraordinary comic talent. Right. And I. You know, I'm sure there are so many names that we could mention and associated with the Groundlings that have gone on to do. Yeah. Some of the most hilarious.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Jennifer Coolidge.

[Brian Green]

Oh, she's brilliant. Yeah. When you go to do Bridesmaids is Bridesmaids. Does Kristen call you up as she say, hey, listen, I want you to take this role in Bridesmaids. Or is this. Does she audition?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

We had to audition.

[Brian Green]

Damn it, Kristen. Damn it. I thought you were.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

You know, she called us. She and Annie called us in probably 2007.

[Brian Green]

Geez.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

To do the table read.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Okay.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Wow. Yeah. Movies take a while.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, they do.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And we all did that. It was fun. And then when it came back, you know, came time to like, oh, this. This might actually happen. Yeah. We I. I was just thrilled that they thought of me.

[Brian Green]

Sure.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

To come in. And my grandpa had just died, and I went in. I was not feeling funny. It was like on a Saturday or some ridiculous thing. And I'm just like, yes, I'll go in. I didn't want to. I wanted to cancel and, yeah, sulk. But I went in and we improvised something, and I thought, oh, well, that's really nice that they let me come in.

[Brian Green]

Sure.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And then I got called back and I went in and there were like, all these big name people, and I thought, well, I'm not gonna get it. But again, very nice that they. That they brought me back.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And then Kristen and Annie did that thing where they called me up and they're like, look, you did the best you could. And I just wanted you to know that we want you to do it. But, you know, they played it out, dragged it out, and I'm thinking, just get to the bloody point. I didn't get it, but I did. And. And, you know, listen, I. I just thought, oh, we're making a fun movie with Judd Apatow, and who knows, whatever. Maybe I'll get to make some more movies. You know, it just.

[Brian Green]

We.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

You never know how anything's gonna go.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

No, absolutely.

[Brian Green]

So what a mature attitude to take when you're in the trenches. Right. Because I imagine that acting especially. But just like comedy, you're going to get up there sometimes, you're going to flail around, you're going to fail. There's going to be a lot more failure than there will be successes. And anybody who's had probably any longevity in any entertainment venture knows that the failures lead to some minor successes that then lead to something that blows up. And Bridesmaids may not have gotten great reviews, but obviously anyone who's seen it knows it's hilarious. Right. And it's a. It's a classic comedy movie now. And. And so. But what a mature attitude to take. Like, hey, listen, if I get it, I get it. And if I don't, it was nice. I'm grateful for the opportunity to walk in and sharpen my teeth just a little bit more.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

And probably for your mental health, everything.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

If you. If you place so much importance on every audition. You're gonna go insane.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah, exactly.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And the thing is, you're not gonna get most of them, but they'll remember you for something else if you. We're good.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Right.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

You know, if you can take direction, there's so much of it that has nothing to do with you, and you can't even think about it. Yeah. So, yeah, if you want to stay in it for the long term, that's. That's how you have to think about things.

[Brian Green]

Question about both Reno911 and bridesmaids. Those are largely improv projects, right? Is that why there's three and a half hours of extra movie that's not on there? You just kept. They just kept taking take. Okay, let's try this. Okay, let's try this line. Okay. Now let's put him in this situation and then we'll whittle.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Or the takes just keep going on and on and on because everyone's firing on all cylinders and there's no way you can use all that.

[Brian Green]

No.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yeah, yeah. There was a written script for Bridesmaids, and if you read it, which I have not in a long time, you're going to not recognize a lot of it.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah, sure.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

But I couldn't tell you, like, how much ended up, like, what. What the percentages ended up being of improv and scripted and. Yeah, but Reno, literally all we ever got was like a couple of sentences.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Did you film a large majority of that in Reno?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

We found none of it in Reno.

[Brian Green]

It was all in la.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. Okay. Interesting. That's interesting. I always, you know, if we had.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Gone there.

[Brian Green]

You never would have survived.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

No, no. How many people do you think would have made it to the set in the morning?

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Right, exactly.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Or gambled away their paychecks. You know.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

That's right.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. Oh, my gosh. So you get. Do you audition for the Goldbergs or did they call you for that role?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

They called me for that because I. I was on a show called Rules of Engagement. They brought me in for a one off and I did like 14 episodes or something like that. I ended up staying a lot. Playing Liz, the crazy cat lady with one long boob.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yes.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Which was really, really fun. And so it was the same production company and a really cool couple of producers, Annette Davis and Doug Robinson. They were helping produce the Goldbergs. And I weirdly look a lot like Adam's mom, Beverly in real life.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Now, that show was originally called how the Bleep Am I Normal? It wasn't called the Goldbergs, and then it was called the Goldens, the Goldins. And then the. The president of ABC at the time said, just call them the Goldbergs.

[Brian Green]

Best move ever.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

So if anyone, you know, has a problem that a non Jew was playing a Jew, that's how that came about. And we didn't even. I don't Even think we mentioned Hanukkah or anything until, like, season three. So that's. That's become a wee bit of an issue in the past couple years.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

But that's how that happened. And did you.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

There you go.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I did okay with that role.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Exactly.

[Brian Green]

When you were reading the Goldbergs, when they call you up and they say, here's the script, and, you know, check it out. Do you think you can do this? Did. You're so good in that role. You like, you know, as a young man watching Reno 91 1, I have a little crush on Clementine. Right. But then when I see you as Beverly, you're totally my mom. It's so weird that you play these two opposites, but they. It's so good. Do you. Does this, like, did the part really resonate with you? Did you expect it to become such a. Such a hit?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Well, again, I. I was just like, I'm so happy to do this. I really hope it goes on forever.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

You know, but the thing that. That made me say, oh, I'm doing this one, is the video package that they sent me of the home movies.

[Brian Green]

Oh, yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And then I was like, oh, I know this lady. I get it.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Big time. Because my mom was a smother as well.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

A Baptist smother, but very much like, act first, apologize later.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Everyone's out to get you. I am your sanctuary. Yeah. I will do anything for you, you know, and that's just good parenting. I'm sorry.

[Brian Green]

I agree.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Worse things in life than to have a mother who loves you for. Right, right.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. I was watching a video, and they were talking about the. The. The difference between nurturing and smothering and how that affects children as they grow up. And the. The psychiatrist who had written a book on this, on this particular show said, it doesn't matter. There is no difference.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

The. When. What makes a child, like, independent, able to work in the world is the kind of love that is shown. It doesn't matter if they're smothering or if they're nurturing. It's almost the same thing. What matters is, do they have a safe place to the fall? Do they put guardrails? And do they know they can always turn to somebody when they need help? He's like, that's what makes an independent person. Can they go out on their own? But do they know they have a soft place?

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Exactly.

[Brian Green]

And so we all know that. Yeah. My mother was like that, too. I think that's a pretty common.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

You know, it's a pretty common thing. And then, you know, to be at, like, Comic Con and have, you know, it's not like a lot. This happened a lot, but it happened enough for me to get a little freaked out by it. You know, people coming up. I wish I had a mom like you.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I know it's kind of bad when.

[Brian Green]

You go to these Comic Cons. Do you. Is it to, like, just. Some people are, like, totally freaky about it. They're like, oh, my God.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I'm sure there's freaky.

[Brian Green]

There's gotta be. I mean, there's freaky people everywhere, I'm sure.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Well, you know, that's the interesting thing. And I haven't gone to a Comic Con since before COVID but it's such an interesting phenomenon. It really is that people will pay so much money to buy these bobbleheads or dress in character and just let their freak flags fly, you know, but they love it. And you find that they know your show better than you do a lot of times.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

So, like, if you get lazy with the continuity and you think no one's going to notice, you're wrong. They're going to notice. And they will. They will be very specific about what you did that was incorrect. It's like, okay, well, that's good to know. That's good feedback. People are paying attention.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. You know, did you realize in episode number 14 that the glass moved from the left to the right and scene 32, it's like, okay, dude, settle down. It's just a television.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Exactly.

[Brian Green]

But it is weird, though, to have on your toes.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

True.

[Brian Green]

It is weird to have this phenomenon where, you know, Comic Con. When I was a child and ComicCon was just. Or when I was my. In a teenager, ComicCon was just getting started. Comic Con and Dragon Con and all this stuff, it really, like, appealed to a certain sci fi or horror sect of the population. People who are, like, really into this. Star Trek and Star wars and stuff like that. And now it's expanded and there are so many mainstream television shows where all of these characters, where actresses like you or actors in other movies, they can go and they can, you know, make a few extra bucks and touch and talk to the fans one on one. And those people go crazy for it. Yeah, they have tried BravoCon, for God's sake.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Don't get me started. Do not get me started. Started.

[Brian Green]

Do you watch Bravo?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

What's that?

[Brian Green]

Do you watch Bravo? Are you like a Bravo?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Oh, I. I quit cold turkey in 2014 because I. No, 20.

[Brian Green]

When was the.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Shutdown 20, 20, 20, 20, 20,.

[Brian Green]

20, 20, 20.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Four years ago, I. I was so into it, and then I became so ashamed of myself. Like, why do I care?

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I do. I did the same thing. Now, I have since been picked back up on a couple of them, but, yeah, I couldn't watch any of that stuff. I was like, this is so outside of reality. And it made me feel icky.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I mean, and the. The. You. You really watch people drink the Kool Aid and. And start to love their fame and start to do anything they can to stay, you know, making those little paychecks for reality TV and then get podcasts. I don't know. It's not my thing anymore.

[Brian Green]

But. But, yeah, listen, when I. I first saw Real Housewives of Atlanta so many years back when it came out. We're in Atlanta, by the way, so.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Okay. I've spent a lot of time in Atlanta.

[Brian Green]

They're not in. They're not in Atlanta. They're not technically in Atlanta. They're. Most of them are not wives, and they're not living in their own houses. What is real about this? There's nothing real about this. It's all just manufactured drama. And then we know somebody who was on one of the. One of the seasons, and it was.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

It was surreal.

[Brian Green]

It was surreal and not real. It was like, oh, my gosh, this.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Is not who she was.

[Brian Green]

So crazy. For sure.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Weird.

[Brian Green]

You are now a part of a television show that is another huge hit, and we've had a number of these. The voice actresses and actors on the show from Big City Greens on Disney.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I mean, how fun.

[Brian Green]

So fun.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Paul Scheer. We had Paul Scheer.

[Brian Green]

And we did have Paul Scheer. Yeah. I don't know the other one. Yeah.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

But, yeah, you've got to be the third one. And, I mean, you're the mom, right?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I'm the motorcycle mom.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Four years in a movie or two movies. Yeah. We had a Christmas movie and Spacecation, which comes out on June 6th, so.

[Brian Green]

Spacecation, June 6th. I'm marking my calendar.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah. I'm gonna tell my nephews.

[Brian Green]

I know I can keep my kids occupied for 90 minutes.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Right. And then the actress who plays the grandma.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Artemis Hebdani. He was also in the Groundlings at the same time as me. And she played Lunch Lady Doris on the Goldbergs.

[Brian Green]

Oh, wow.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And she has a coffee house out here in Nola.

[Brian Green]

No way.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Small world, right?

[Brian Green]

That is insane. Do you do the. When you read for Big City Greens? I mean, I don't know. I know some. Every animation is different, but when you read for Big City Greens, is it a. Is it a group read? Are you in the same room? Are you bouncing off each other? Is it just. I just do my parts and then someone else comes and does their parts.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

The only time I've ever gotten to be in the room with other actors is for Bob's burgers.

[Brian Green]

Okay. Is that right?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I think that's right. Yeah. So I go in and I. I do my stuff all by myself.

[Brian Green]

And do you enjoy the voice work?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I love it.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

It's so fun, and it's so gratifying when you finally see it.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Right.

[Brian Green]

I can only imagine.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And. Yeah, because really, when you see it or when you're in the booth, most of the time it's just the animatic. So it's just a rough drawings.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And you're doing it to scratch. Like, so someone else has dubbed in your voice as a place saver. So they need you to come in and bring life to it. And it's. It's fun, but it's a challenge because a lot of times the physicality is stuff that you would never do in real life. So you don't know how to, like, fall off a motorcycle and catch a pizza in your mouth. Yeah. So that might take a while.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

To get that right. But that's, again, what makes it so fun. And, you know, these little challenges like, okay, can I play this off? I really don't know what I'm doing. And there's times when I've punched my own stomach or you've got to run so you can get that panting going or whatever. But it's the most fun. And Big City Greens is adorable.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

It's such a. I know. And how did it work? I know my nephews were introducing me to it a little while back with a live. It was a hockey game.

[Brian Green]

A hockey game. That's what my kids have been watching.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Were doing. Yeah. A simultaneous.

[Brian Green]

That means a lot. I don't think the actual. I think there were two sportscasters that were animated, and then they had a live hockey game that was actually on another, I think on abc. And then they put. I guess what they did was they had the characters playing out the live hockey game while it was going on. And then they had two separate sportscasters that were animated that were calling it for children.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Oh, my gosh.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

It's adorable.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And I know nothing about them.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. I don't.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yeah. This is the first time hearing about that. But What a great opportunity for cross pollination.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I know right now you're in the.

[Brian Green]

Know between Big City Greens and Bluey, the other show that's on Disney currently making adults crazy. You know, so many adults talking about Big City Green. So many adults talking about Bluey. And we've been talking a lot about how animation is just on another level these days. There are shows that most of them are shows that adults and children can watch and they get each of us get something out of it. Right, right. And Big City Greens is one of those. So I thank you for making a watchable animation show with my children.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I'm gonna, I'm gonna thank the Houghton brothers for you, cuz I just show up and do my thing. I, I like the way that the kids have good relationships with their divorced parents and their divorced parents are not sniping at each other all the time.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Right?

[Brian Green]

They're not at each other all the time.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

They're just didn't work out.

[Brian Green]

Whatever.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

We can still live and yeah, have a good time.

[Brian Green]

It's a sassy little show with a little bit of, you know, moral nuggets in there that like you can, you can appreciate that your children are absorbing or hope that they're absorb. So tell us about your, the television show coming out. When's the, when St. Denis coming out?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

St. Denis is coming out in, I'm gonna say the fall.

[Brian Green]

Okay.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I don't have an air date yet.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, okay.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

They'll probably tell us at the upfronts in a couple weeks.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

What about to the Vicki White story? Really quick.

[Brian Green]

Thank you.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I mean, it was so fascinating, so riveting and I mean, tell us about playing that, that part.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Okay. So a couple years ago, you know, we were about to, we were doing one more season of the Goldbergs and I was offered a development deal by Sony and we were talking about the kinds of things I'd like to do and I said, you know, I don't know if you guys are watching the news right now, but have you seen that blonde prison guard that died and she was sneaking her boyfriend out and blah, blah, blah, I think I could play her. And I think that story is pretty juicy.

[Brian Green]

It is.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And in pretty short order. It was set up.

[Brian Green]

Wow.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And it was set up for Lifetime, which I was like, oh, I never saw myself doing a Lifetime movie.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Well, whatever, but sure, but whatever.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

It was half serious when I said, yeah, so they got some screenwriters and we, we looked at samples and read their treatment and I loved their take on it because my Take was the same way. Which is. I don't think that she was coerced into anything. You cannot coerce a woman in her 50s to do anything she doesn't want to do.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Very true.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I think she snapped. She was sick of doing everything the right way for so long with no reward. And someone saw her.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yep.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And loved her. And she went off the deep end.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Exactly.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

That's what I think happened. And I think the. The 11 days that they were on the run were probably the best of her adult life.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Brian Green]

That's an interesting take. And I think you might be right about that. Yeah. Like.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And there is no logic in it, because love is not a logical emotion.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah. An infatuation.

[Brian Green]

That is.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I think we can. Times in our own lives. Yes. Where we did dumb things and we can, you know, just watch the news.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah, exactly.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Or watch Real Housewives. Yeah. You know, but I. I think that, you know, because this was not a bad person. And she was employee of the year so many years in a row. She took care of her. Her ex husband who had Parkinson's. She took care of him until the day he died. He died in January. She's dead in April. Wow.

[Brian Green]

Wow.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

She. She snapped.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

She snapped. Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

For sure.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

We filmed that last summer. Last June. Just in time for the strike to happen.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

For the strike.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

So we finished in time for the strike. The strike kept going on, so we couldn't promote it when it came out.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

And it's still available on Amazon.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Still available.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yep.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And I'm really proud of it. I think we did a good job of making a non Lifetime Lifetime movie.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Exactly.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I'm trying to dis. Lifetime flavor.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. They do have a certain flavor.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah. You think of a certain thing.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

This is a little prettier than that.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

It is.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

I'm proud of us.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I loved it.

[Brian Green]

This is no Lifetime Christmas movie. I'll tell you that much right now.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Doesn't Hallmark really have the. They do the monopoly on the Christmas movies.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

They do.

[Brian Green]

I'm getting my channels mixed up. Convention.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I think there's a convention. Convention.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

You know there's a convention.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yes.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

And it's in July.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Exactly.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Christmas.

[Brian Green]

Hallmark Christmas Con.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

It's the day after Easter. Yeah.

[Brian Green]

All right, so tell us about St Dennis real quick because I want to make sure that people tune in. So it's coming out in fall.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yes. And that one came about in an interesting way as well. So tell us. We get the. This was on a Wednesday. I'll never forget on a Wednesday. I get a call from one of our producers on the Goldbergs. And I know what this is about. We're not coming back. We're not coming back. And I'm like.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah, you know, but.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

It'S 10 years, right?

[Brian Green]

10 years. The kids are aging. Yeah. You know, it's hard to write story lines. I get it.

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yeah. Yeah. It's. Nothing lasts that long anymore. So, yeah, we had a great run. But, you know, it is bittersweet to say goodbye to your work. Family. Family. And I'm talking every last grip, every makeup artist, every. Our props guys. I still text with, like, I love those people.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah. Ten years of your life is a long time.

[Brian Green]

And this is the part where I rudely interrupt the interview to explain to you that the last two and a half minutes of our convers conversation with Wendy was not recorded for whatever reason. Probably because we're really bad at technology, but maybe it wasn't our fault. Question mark. So let me recap what happened in the last couple minutes of that conversation. Wendy explained she really loved her time in the Goldbergs and that no show runs that long anymore. So the last episode that they filmed together, everyone was crying and had a really sad time because they loved each other and they've been around each other for almost a decade. Then I fanboyed out a little bit, told Wendy how much I loved her. She said, august, shucks. I felt embarrassed because her husband was standing in the room. I quickly wrapped up the interview, said goodbye, and it sounded something like this. Bye, Wendy. Thanks for coming. Bye, guys. Really enjoyed it. See you later. Goodbye. So now that you have the rest of the story and my apologies to you and to Wendy, let's take a short break, and we'll be back. What?

[Christina]

Oh, hi, it's Christina again, here to remind you to go to tcbpodcast.com for all things audio, video and TC video. Give us a follow on Instagram at the commercial break and on TikTok CBpodcast. And guess what? We have a new phone number. I know what you're thinking, but I promise this is the last TCB phone number you will ever have to remember. So call us and leave us a voicemail or text us at 212-4333, TCB. Once more for the people in the back. That's 212-4333, TCB. Oh, and check out our YouTube channel at YouTube.com thecommercialbreak. That's all for now. Let's listen to our sponsors and get back to the show.

[Brian Green]

Love, Wendy. I got my fanboying in Control. I feel proud of myself. I did not Jojo Siwa all over the place.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I'm proud of you, too.

[Brian Green]

Oh, love, Wendy. So now you've heard it straight from her mouth. And now I'm going to tell you straight from the website. St. Denis medical premieres this fall, and it's a mockumentary about an underfunded, understaffed hospital. And Wendy plays, like, the executive director of the hospital. So it's from the same guy who wrote Superstore and American Auto both, I think. Good shows that were canceled, but good shows in their own right. But, you know, I. She's. She. Everything she touches turns to gold. I know she was in Bridesmaids. You heard the story. They filmed over 37, 000 hours for bridesmaids.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I know I have to go out.

[Brian Green]

See it on the dvd. I have to go out and buy it. I know.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

You know, I haven't bought a DVD in forever either, but I would buy that to see the outtakes.

[Brian Green]

I have this, like, soft spot in my heart for Bridesmaids. Not only do I think it's one of the funniest movies ever created, it is really like a breakout comedy hit who made the careers of a lot of people, solidified the careers of a lot of people, but it also is the first American comedy movie that Astrid was laughing out loud.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Oh, I love that.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. Because, you know, comedy is different everywhere you go. And there are certain things are funny and comedy, you know, they say real estate is local. I think comedy is local, too. Like, you know, Americans have their certain brand of comedy, and in the UK they do. And everywhere around the world, the Spaniards have their own version. The Venezuelans do, too, and the Latin Americans do also. And so the comedy is not always the same. And if culturally, it's not easy to pick up on some of those things if you're not embedded in it. But Astrid, I'll never forget, she had just moved here and Bridesmaids had come out, and it was on whatever premium channel, HBO or whatever. And we watched it and she was, like, laughing out loud and she's like, this is a really funny movie. And I get it. Like, I understand.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah, Jeff loves it. We just caught it a couple of months ago, I think, on tv, and whenever it's on, I just keep watching it. John Ham's in it, too.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, John Ham's in it. That's right. And then that Irish guy. I do love that Irish guy. He has a television show called, like, Ronnie's Boy or something. It's something it's on Amazon, Mooney or. I can't remember what it is, but it's only got two seasons, which sucks. I wish they had more seasons of it, but it's. It's such a funny movie. And if that. Like, if what they came up with was an hour and 45 minutes and they really filmed, like, five hours of material, I would love to see that five hours of material. I really would. So, anyway, thank you to Wendy for coming. Make sure you tune in to Big City Greens and then make sure also that you tune in to St. Denis Medical coming on this fall. So we don't have a specific date for the. For the premiere, but I'm sure you will stay tuned and watch NBC because you're likely to plug your cable back in because all the streaming channels are doing whatever the fuck they're doing.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I don't even know Peacock streams NBC.

[Brian Green]

Oh, that's true. Yeah, you can go to Peacock, but I don't know what's going on now. I got to go to Netflix to watch the HBO shit, and then I.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Turn it all over the place. You were just talking about that. And it made me realize it, too. When I was on another streaming service, I'm like, oh, wait, that was on something else a while back, and now it's over here and there and everywhere.

[Brian Green]

Wasn't the Sex in the City like, one of the biggest comedy hits for HBO in history? Like, it was, like, one of the most popular television shows in history or something like that, and now it's on Netflix. I don't get it. I can't watch it on hbo, but I can watch it over on Netflix. I don't get it. I really don't understand. How is that even possible?

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I don't know. Maybe we should have judges selling going on science.

[Brian Green]

Science, jojo Siwa. I'll put a little sex in there, and then maybe a song or two, go to Disney World, stop at other countries in Epcot. And jojo Siwa is an adult sexualizer now. Jojo Siwa, she'll be the biggest pop star ever, probably. I was thinking about it when we were on break. I was thinking about jojo Siwa. I was thinking about Miley Cyrus.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

And how. Remember when Wrecking Ball came out?

[Wendy McLendon-Covey]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

And she was like, humping the ball, and everyone was like, oh, that's fucked up. She's like, what the is going on? But the song was a nugget, and everybody loved it. And now it's like, you know, a mainstay of dance clubs and what happened to Miley Cyrus? She became, like, the biggest pop star.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Hugely successful.

[Brian Green]

Hugely successful. Does things her own way. So maybe JoJo's just taken notes from Miley Cyrus.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Just go completely opposite.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, maybe she's just being a little bit more awkward about it. But anyway, Team JoJo over here. We're Team JoJo Siwa. So, JoJo, you want to come on drunk or not drunk? Preferably drunk. Come on the show. We'd be happy to have you. You want to smash right into adult life. I'll give you a training course. Yes, you can. You, too, can be one step away from bankruptcy science with your very own podcast. Now you're famous.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

You need a podcast.

[Brian Green]

Every celebrity now has a podcast. Did you know that? Every single one of them. Yeah. Every day I read that podcast news, and a new celebrity has a. Has a new podcast. We have not. We don't have a fighting chance.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

No.

[Brian Green]

Thanks for listening. I hope you tune in for a very, very long time. All right. There you go. Wow. Yeah, Wendy, man, I, I, Yeah, I'm still a little shell shocked. And by the way, Wendy looks just as good now as she did back then.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I know, I know. Some bangs, too, that I really like.

[Brian Green]

Good jeans are good docs, Chrissy.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah, both.

[Brian Green]

I didn't have the balls to ask her. You got to go watch Reno911. I will watch it from head to toe.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I've got. I've got a watch list now.

[Brian Green]

And as she said, there's like five or six movies out there I didn't even know. I've watched two of them. Watch the episodes. The episode. The movies are good, but the episodes are where classic comedy happens. Classic country. 94, 96. 7. The legend. The old legend. I actually turned on my radio in the car for the first. We were talking about it, and I was like, let me check and see what's doing on that radio, that FM and that AM dial.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah, I don't even know how to turn on the radio.

[Brian Green]

Well, we'll be on again tomorrow. In case you turn on your radio dial and decide you need something else, we'll be on again tomorrow just for you. All right. TCB podcast. That's where you go to find out more information about the show. All the show notes, all the links to Wendy's stuff, it'll all be there. So go to the show notes on your favorite podcast player. You can also download the free Odyssey app, the home of the commercial break. The free Odyssey app. There is no charge. We don't have a premium version of this. There's no premium version of this show, but you can download that and listen to us on the Odyssey app if you're so inclined. We also would love to give you your free TCB sticker. Go to the website, hit the contact us button, drop down menu. I want my free sticker. Give us your address and away it will go. Promise it'll get there in seven to 12, 12 months sometime.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

We'll figure it out at some point.

[Brian Green]

We can pay for the postage. We'll send it to you. 212-4333 TCB. That's 212-433-3822. We'd like you on the show so if you want to come on, leave us a message and tell us you want to come on. Give us some information about what you'd like to talk about and someone will get back to you. You can also leave questions, comments, concerns, content, ideas via text or voicemail. To that line rings right here in the studio. Add the commercial break on Instagram TCB podcast on tik tok and YouTube.com the commercial break. Thanks, Dr. Phil. Okay, Chrissy, I guess that's all I can do for today.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I think so.

[Brian Green]

But I will tell you that I love you. Best to you.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Best to you.

[Brian Green]

Best to you Wendy and those of you out there in the podcast universe. Until next time. Chrissy and I always say, we do say and we must say it, Sam.