Meghan and Harry's Marriage Rift, J.Lo's Box Office Flop, and a Nerve Exclusive with Donna Presley

Summary

The Nerve with Maureen Callahan
Episode: Meghan and Harry's Marriage Rift, J.Lo's Box Office Flop, and a Nerve Exclusive with Donna Presley
Date: October 14, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Nerve delves into high-voltage celebrity drama and pop culture with sharp skepticism and wit. Maureen Callahan tackles the latest controversy surrounding Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, examines Jennifer Lopez’s recent career misfires, and features a powerful interview with Donna Presley, Elvis Presley’s cousin, who offers a candid perspective on Priscilla Presley and the Presley family legacy. The episode also pays tribute to the late Diane Keaton and ends with listener feedback and art.

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Segment Breakdown & Key Insights

1. Meghan Markle & Prince Harry: Fashion Faux Pas and Marital Rift

With Guest: Kinsey Schofield
[04:33 – 16:51]

Meghan Invites Herself to Paris Fashion Week

• Meghan reportedly reached out to Balenciaga’s designer to be invited.
  • “She reached out to us and said she'd like to come. And we said, hey, why not? Because it'll make a viral moment.” — Maureen Callahan [06:18]
• The fashion press is unimpressed; reader comments at The Cut call Markle’s move “pathetic” and “disgusting.”
• Callahan’s skeptical take:
  • “How unusual it is to be telling tales outside of school in the fashion world.” [06:18]
  • “See what it does for you” if Vogue puts Meghan on the cover. [07:29]

Meghan’s Media Strategy

• Markle is pivoting away from People Magazine and US Weekly towards Vogue, seeking higher status and audience reach.
• Schofield calls this pattern “Shakespearean”—constant reinvention for attention but “there’s no there there.”
  • “How many times has this woman been unsilenced?... She does not contribute anything of value.” — Kinsey Schofield [08:16]

Marital Strain: Harry & Meghan’s Separate Lives

• Harry refuses to visit Paris:
  • “He will never set foot in Paris because that is where his mother died and he believes nefarious forces took his mother out.” — Maureen Callahan [09:36]
• Meghan not only travels to Paris but films herself at the site of Princess Diana’s death—provoking criticism and Harry’s anger.
• Recent events point to growing estrangement, with Meghan and Harry seen dining separately in New York.
• Schofield notes the inconsistency of Meghan’s “physically ill to be away from her children” narrative, while she’s constantly traveling.
• Discussion on Markle receiving a “Big Humanity Award” from an obscure organization, with Schofield quipping:
  • “Well, that's longer than she was a member of the British royal family…” [12:02]

Meghan’s Business Ventures and “Most Powerful Women” Summit

• Markle’s brand “As Ever” is reportedly flopping; no sales figures available and rumors of an imminent Netflix shutdown.
  • “There’s no proof that As Ever is going to be here a year from now.” — Schofield [15:04]
• Pointed parallel: the enduring brand is the British Royal Family, not Meghan's string of failed projects.
• Callahan: “Talk about a brand that endures. It’s the British royal family—that’s a brand that has endured, sister.” [14:33]

Security Demands Blow Up with Royal Family

• Harry’s insistence on taxpayer-funded security has eroded progress with King Charles.
  • “It’s taken Israel and Hamas less time to make peace.” — Callahan [15:38]
• Kinsey: “Loose lips sink ships. And you can’t trust these two.” [16:19]

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2. Pop Culture Turmoil: Priscilla Presley Accusations

[16:51 – 19:12]

• Lawsuit alleges Priscilla committed tax fraud, drastically underreporting jewelry value to the IRS.
• The ongoing controversy over Priscilla’s control of the Presley legacy, and the allegation she “pulled the plug” on Lisa Marie Presley early.
• Referenced Bam Margera’s claim of being gifted Elvis's jewelry by Priscilla—a symbol of mismanagement and family turmoil.

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3. J.Lo’s Box Office Flop: A Decline in Public Favor

[19:12 – 23:37]

• J.Lo’s new film "Kiss of the Spider Woman" flops with a $1.3 million box office (possibly less).
• Negative associations—the public’s enduring perception of J.Lo as unlikable and disconnected from authenticity.
• Kinsey connects the public’s distaste to J.Lo's failure to denounce Diddy publicly.
• “She refuses to take the note… She really thought she was gonna get an Academy Award out of this movie.” — Callahan [22:00]
• Strategic insights: “The days of suits shoving these people down our throats are over... Now we pursue people that are truthful and authentic. And it's really hard to find that in Hollywood.” — Schofield [23:02]

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4. Tribute to Diane Keaton

[24:21 – 31:20]

• Maureen's reflections on Diane Keaton’s legacy:
  • Not just the star of "Annie Hall" and "The Godfather," but an actress whose roles mirrored the evolution of American feminism and womanhood.
  • Highlights "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" as groundbreaking and a morality tale not often made today.
  • Praises Keaton’s authenticity: “She was never conventional. She was single, adopted children on her own, moved with the times… She leaves behind a singular legacy.” [29:00-31:00]

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5. Listener Feedback and Troublemaker Art

[31:20 – 44:21]

• Maureen reads lively listener emails, including:
  • Art submissions (Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, and a sassy crow cartoon)
  • Anonymously shared perspectives from a blue-collar male fan who became an avid reader after Maureen’s book
  • Discussion of celebrity relationships (Keith Urban/Nicole Kidman and Guy Ritchie/Madonna parallels)
  • Analysis of Sarah Jessica Parker as a “mean girl” at the ballet, drawing a comparison to “Rebecca’s” Mrs. Danvers

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6. Nerve Exclusive: Interview with Donna Presley

[44:21 – 71:17]

Priscilla Presley’s Relationship with the Presley Family

• Donna Presley describes Priscilla as distancing herself:
  • “She always looked down on the Presley family… more condescending, like we didn’t aspire to what she was.” [46:56]
• Recalls minor but telling incidents from childhood (Priscilla being annoyed by hugs from young relatives).

Why Elvis Married Priscilla

• Donna claims it was out of pressure:
  • “[The Colonel] basically told him to, you know, either marry her or send her home… Her dad said if you don't marry her, this is going to be a public relations nightmare for you.” [49:00]

Elvis’s True Love and Family Bonds

• Donna believes Ann-Margret was Elvis’s true love—“They were very similar… She was kind of like a female Elvis in a lot of ways.” [50:01]
• Praises Ann-Margret for her enduring discretion and privacy, contrasting public behavior with Priscilla [51:16].

Elvis as a Father

• “If there is a true love of Elvis’s life, it was Lisa… He absolutely adored her.” — Donna Presley [51:58]
• Recounts Elvis’s loving, supportive, and affectionate personality, with fond family memories.

Priscilla and Lisa Marie

• Donna addresses the lawsuit alleging Priscilla pulled life support for Lisa Marie early to control the estate.
  • “As a mother and a grandmother, it’s very hard for me to even wrap my head around that… I can’t even begin to imagine that.” [59:29]
  • When asked if Priscilla could be capable: “I'm not really surprised at much that happens with Priscilla.” [61:10]
• Donna believes Priscilla actively kept Lisa Marie away from the Presley family and downplayed the Presley’s values and faith.

Priscilla’s Legacy Play

• Maureen calls out Priscilla’s desire to be buried at Graceland as galling and “the legacy play.”
• Donna states that Vernon Presley made Priscilla a Graceland trustee “to protect Lisa Marie,” not to honor Priscilla, and that Elvis wouldn’t have wanted that.

Key Quotes from Donna Presley

• “She maintains the Presley name, which in my opinion is not something that she should do because she was divorced from Elvis.” [68:41]
• “[Priscilla] blaming Elvis for everything that’s happened in her life, and yet, you know, she maintains the Presley name.” [68:41]
• On Elvis: “He was just a very loving and caring and kind, giving man… He loved to be with us. He knew that we were his safe place.” [56:00]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Meghan Markle

  • “Every time she talks, whether it’s Bloomberg or Oprah, she’s saying, ‘I’m finally able to speak for the first [time].’ And then what does she give us?” — Kinsey Schofield [08:16]
  • “See what it does for you… Chloe, go ahead, put Meghan on your cover.” — Callahan [07:29]

• On J.Lo:

  • “Jennifer Lopez is a completely unlikable person. And she has been for a very long time.” — Callahan [20:57]
  • “She refuses to take the note. Like, apparently she really thought she was gonna get an Academy Award out of this movie.” — Callahan [22:00]

• On Fame and Authenticity:

  • “The days of suits shoving these people down our throats… are over. We now pursue people that are truthful and authentic.” — Schofield [23:02]

• On Priscilla Presley:

  • “If you don’t marry her, this is going to be a public relations nightmare for you.” — Donna Presley, relaying family lore [49:14]
  • “I think she always really wanted to be where Elvis was… in that he was an icon, a superstar. And I think that that is something she’s always kind of aspired to.” — Donna Presley [53:37]
  • “She maintains the Presley name, which in my opinion is not something she should do because she was divorced from Elvis.” — Donna Presley [68:41]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamps | |-------------------------------------------|-------------------| | Meghan Markle Paris Fashion Week saga | 04:33 – 11:06 | | Marriage rift, security debate | 09:36 – 16:51 | | Priscilla Presley and tax accusations | 16:51 – 19:12 | | J.Lo’s latest “flop” and her perception | 19:12 – 23:37 | | Tribute to Diane Keaton | 24:21 – 31:20 | | Listener feedback/art | 31:20 – 44:21 | | Interview: Donna Presley, family insights | 44:21 – 71:17 |

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Summary Tone

• Brisk, incisive, and skeptical with flashes of irreverent humor—especially in discussions of celebrity self-seriousness and media manipulation.
• Sincere affection in tributes (Diane Keaton, listener mail) and family stories (via Donna Presley).

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For New Listeners

This episode provides a fast-moving, thoroughly skeptical look at celebrity drama, with shrewd pop culture critique and deep family insights from the Presley family. If you want to skip the fluff and get straight to the cultural substance—this one has it all, especially the revealing interview with Donna Presley on what’s really happening behind the Graceland headlines.

Transcript

[Maureen Callahan]

Hey, everyone, it's me, Andy Cohen. Buckle up, because I have a podcast called Daddy Diaries where I take my listeners on an as it happened recount of life as a daddy to two kids, dozens of housewives, and the occasional fella. Listen to the Daddy Diaries to hear about my high highs and low lows of parenting, housewives, drama, and so much more. Daddy Diaries available wherever you listen to podcasts. Here's a quick podcast for all you true crime fans. The case of the missing Reese's. It was me at the store with my mouth motive. Um, they're Reese's. What was I gonna do? Stop myself? Tune in next time to see if I do it again. Spoiler I will. Wow, that had everything. Reese's suspense, Reese's. Hello, and welcome to your Tuesday edition of the Nerve. I am your host, Maureen Callahan, and we are so excited for the incredibly rich show we have for you today. First, the one and only Kinsey Schofield, host of Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered, is here to break down all of the developing explosions coming out of Camp Sussex. Harry Meghan in New York. They're together, then they're apart. They're doing things separately. What's going on? Buckingham palace has had something to say as well. Plus, we will be breaking down the latest on the ghoulish, ghoulish Priscilla Presley, who has been accused of tax evasion. And not for nothing, it's how they got Al Capone. Okay, Priscilla. And we've also got, later in the show, an exclusive interview. We will be joined by Elvis Presley's cousin, Donna Presley, who has a lot to say about Priscilla, who's prancing around like the widow Presley. She's the ex wife of 40 plus years. Let's get real. In a more somber, truly somber note, we are going to pay tribute to another Hollywood icon we lost. And it feels sudden and it feels unfair. And just as with Robert Redford, we know we're never gonna see the likes of this one again. Diane Keaton, who died over the weekend at 79. And then we'll move into our troublemaker art and our troublemaker feedback. So we've got a lot, a lot to do. Let's go. Did you know that all chips and French fries used to be cooked in tallow up until the 1990s? And that's when big corporations switched to cheaper processed seed oils. Today, seed oils make up to 20% of the average American's daily calories. And recent studies have linked seed oils to metabolic health issues and inflammation in the body. But luckily there is an alternative. Masa chips. Masa created a healthy and delicious chip and they did it with just three ingredients. Organic corn, sea salt and 100% grass fed beef tallow. No seed oils. These chips taste incredible. They are crunchier and they are sturdier than other chips. I can attest to this. Plus Masa chips will leave you satisfied. Light and energetic. They come in a variety of flavors. My favorite is the original, but I also love the white, the blue, the lime, the carbonaro and the churro. If you are ready to give Masa a try, go to masachips.com maureen and use code Maureen for 25% off your first order. That's masachips.com Maureen and code Maureen for 25% off YOUR first order. And if you prefer purchasing in person, no problem. Starting in October. So this month Masa, which is will be available nationwide at your local sprouts supermarket. So stop by and grab a bag before they're gone. Our first guest needs no introduction. The one and only Kinsey Schofield of Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered joins us to talk about the breaking news in this ever developing Meghan Markle Princess Harry debacle. Welcome, Kinsey.

[Kinsey Schofield]

I just, I feel like you and I have been in constant contact since Paris Fashion Week. Meghan Markle has kept us very busy.

[Maureen Callahan]

Meghan Markle has kept us incredibly busy. And every time we're texting, I'm constantly making notes like, remember to talk to Kinsey about this on the nerve. And so I've got, I've got like four main points I'm hoping to hit with you. The first of which is news breaking that Meghan Markle, per Balenciaga's own designer, invited herself, reached out to him and said, hey, I'd like to show up.

[Kinsey Schofield]

Yeah.

[Maureen Callahan]

What do you make of this?

[Kinsey Schofield]

Okay, so did you see that Meghan was with Chloe Mao over the weekend in New York? Did you see that picture?

[Maureen Callahan]

This I did not see. This I did not see.

[Kinsey Schofield]

So I think that tells us everything we need to know that Megan is telling People magazine and Us Weekly you're no longer worthy. And she is trying to court Vogue. And perhaps that trip to Paris Fashion Week was Meghan trying to prove to Vogue that her value or what she could do if when she shows up, you know, Chloe is a Nepo baby. Got her job because of Murphy Brown. God love her. My favorite episode features JFK. I'm sure you're familiar with it. JFK Jr. Yeah, JFK Jr. That's right. And. And I think that she is familiar with clickbait and realizes that whether you love Meghan Markle or hate Meghan Markle, you're going to read an article about Meghan Markle. So despite the fact that Megan is really just a jam salesperson today, Chloe would probably give her an opportunity to do something with Vogue just because she wants the traction or the traffic.

[Maureen Callahan]

You know, I have several thoughts about this, but the first one is how unusual it is in the fashion world to be telling tales outside of school. The inference we all got while seeing all of that footage of Meghan Markle walking again like a storm trooper. Dum, dum, dum, dum, dum. You know, down the Runway at Balenciaga to her seat next to the body grater Tracee Ellis Ross. The implication was that she had been invited by the house and that she was an honored guest. And now in an interview over at the Cut, forgive me, I keep forgetting this designer's name because this is how much fashion really has ceased to matter. But he says, no, we didn't invite her. She reached out to us and said she'd like to come. And we said, hey, why not? Because it'll make a viral moment, which we know we need this story, by the way. Over at the Cut, which used to be a self selecting group of Meghan lovers, There were only 10 comments on this article. And the bulk of them were like, how pathetic is Meghan Markle? How disgusting. Not only that she invited herself, but that she went to Paris, a city in which her husband refuses to step foot because that's where his mother died. Now, we'll get to that in one second. But to your point about Vogue and Chloe Mal and trying to get the COVID you know, when you said this to me, I thought, you know what? At first I thought, no. And then it really did begin to make sense. Chloe is taking the reins of Vogue, which is dead. Vanity Fair also has a new young editor. They are both desperately trying to make splashes with their covers. They are both desperately trying to. Trying to make their names and save what is dying legacy media. And to that I say, chloe, go ahead, put Megan on your cover. See what it does for you.

[Kinsey Schofield]

Well, and I think I quoted you earlier today, I was like, maureen Callahan, there's no there there. You know, give Megan this platform. What is Meghan? How many times has this woman been unsilenced? I mean, every time she talks, whether it's Bloomberg or Oprah Winfrey, she's saying, I'm finally Able to speak for the first. And then what does she give us that she's anchoring in herself? I mean, she does not contribute anything of value. So go ahead, take your pictures in Vogue that all of her glam pictures look the same. She does the tight, tight hair back, which I think ages her ridiculously. I don't think that the. Remember her Variety cover, also the Cut cover, I, I think I, I thought all of those were very unflattering. Also, how delicious that this interview transpires in the Cut, which totally betrayed her with their article where she talks about people dancing in the streets when she married Harry like they did when Nelson Mandela was freed, or when she compares herself to two palm trees holding hands. I mean, this woman hates the Cut. So for the Cut to be the publication that reveals that she had to beg her way to Paris Fashion Week, I mean, you just, it's, it's like, it's Shakespearean. Like you've said in the past, it writes itself.

[Maureen Callahan]

It really is Shakespearean. Now to this point, you sent me this story in the Daily Mail regarding Harry and his stance that he will never set foot in Paris because that is where his mother died and he believes nefarious forces took his mother out. First of all, I do think this is the sign of an unwell mind. You know, you're never gonna set foot in a major world city because your mother died there. You have to integrate this and move on with your life. This is not a healthy reaction. That said, and again, we just accepted a humanitarian award for mental health that said, Meghan historically said she would never also be able to set foot in Paris because of h. She would never do it. Here she is. And not only here she is, but she's filming herself doing a drive by of Diana's death tunnel. Now, the reports are that Harry looked angry on the red carpet with Meghan the other night, not because she did that, but because Meghan is getting criticism for doing that. And the latter, I think, is tortured logic that could only have been spoon fed to him by one Meghan Markle. It seems to me he is incandescent with rage. After that event, they went and had a quick lunch, I believe, quick with Serena Williams. And then they went out to dinner separately. Separately in New York City. Your thoughts?

[Kinsey Schofield]

I mean. Well, first of all, when Meghan Markle goes on Netflix and says that, and this was her way of trying to subtly bring up the British royal family, she talked about how she was physically ill when she had to be away from her children, and she Knew that people would connect the dots and realize that the time she was talking about was when Queen Elizabeth died and she was in the UK and didn't want to be there. Well, now she's in Paris. She's in New York on her way to Washington, D.C. who's with the kids? And are you physically. Girl, I just saw her walking out of Gloria Steinem's house. Girl, are you okay? Do you need, you know, do you need some Pepto? I don't know. But you're claiming to be physically sick when you're away from your children, and you seem to have been away from your children for quite a long time, and not for anything worthy, like, you just showed up. This is a little ego trip for you. You wanted to collect an award for.

[Maureen Callahan]

Big Humanity Award from an organization that I believe is only three years old and that nobody has ever heard from.

[Kinsey Schofield]

Before or of exactly. Well, you know what's so funny is I got into, like, a back and forth with somebody about this, and. And they were like, well, Megan and Harry have worked with this company for two years. And I was like, well, that's longer than she was a member of the British royal family, so I guess she does deserve an award. I mean, it is longer than she was a working member of the. Of the royal family, but, yeah, seeing them separately out and about New York. I mean, how many times do you and I have to have the conversation, Harry? Your security saga, you keep screwing it up yourself with your own actions. If you guys are so concerned about security, why are you wasting resources by separating all throughout the city? If you're so concerned about security, why is Meghan Markle running all over Paris? If you're so concerned about security, why are you ringing random people' doorbells in.

[Maureen Callahan]

London, looking worse for wear after what seemed a very long night, attempting to find, as discussed, longtime friends who had nonetheless picked up and moved house and not sent Harry a forwarding address. Okay, now, Meghan is tipped, as you said. She's on her way to D.C. she is befouling the continental United States, or at least the Eastern seaboard. She's on her way to fortune's annual Most Powerful Women's Summit, where you fill me in on this event, Kinsey, because my water table is full up. There's only so much Meghan Markle news I can absorb in any given cycle.

[Donna Presley]

Please.

[Maureen Callahan]

She's going to be, I understand, alongside Kamala Harris.

[Kinsey Schofield]

Oh, my gosh. I mean, what. Invite me to that word salad party. Right. So it's Kamala Harris, you're so right. I, I think we need to play a game within the next week. Did Kamala say it or did Meghan Markle say it? Because I think that that is, that would be a challenge to figure out who said what. But it's Meghan Markle joining Kamala Harris, Selena Gomez and more at Fortune's annual Most Powerful Women Summit. Get this. Megan is reportedly set to discuss the launch of her lifestyle brand as ever, as well as navigating entrepreneurship in the public eye. And brand that will endure like the TIG or American Riviera Orchard or Archetypes or Confessions of a Female Founder, all of which don't exist anymore because those brands did not endure. What does this woman know about a brand that endures?

[Maureen Callahan]

And first of all, it's great point a brand talk about a brand that endures. It's the British royal family that's a brand that has endured, sister. Okay. Secondly, per reports, as ever, as far as we all can tell is an actual commercial and critical failure. And Netflix is going to shut this down once all of the inventory has been moved or they move as much of it as they can at probably a discount price. Oh yeah.

[Kinsey Schofield]

I mean there's, we literally don't have any of the numbers, which is insane that when Bloomberg sat down with them they didn't say I demand this. But in a recent over the weekend piece in the Daily Mail, one friend told the Daily Mail, she's literally lost Megan because the whole jam making business did not work out in the way she thought it would. No one has seen any figures, but I don't think that they're doing, doing well. So I mean there's no proof that as ever is, is going to be here a year from now.

[Maureen Callahan]

Okay. One quick final note on Meghan and Harry reports out of the UK are that Harry, with yet another demand that he receive taxpayer funded royal security for any future visits, has blown up the minimal. I mean it's taken Israel and Hamas less time to make peace. Okay.

[Donna Presley]

Oh my gosh.

[Maureen Callahan]

Harry and the royal family reports are out of the UK that he has quote blown up any progress made during that recent summit he had with King Charles. And the quote is regrettably out of Buckingham Palace. We are back to where we were.

[Kinsey Schofield]

Right? Because he is taking it upon himself to sit down and write government officials saying please reconsider this. And if you're going to restart this conversation, then you're back to square one. The King cannot talk to you casually if you are challenging his government because the Fear is that Harry will take something that the King says in private and try to use it against him. Not potentially in court, but even in the court of public opinion. Knowing Harry and Meghan, loose lips sink ships. And you can't trust these two.

[Maureen Callahan]

Truer words, Kinsey. Truer words. Okay, moving on to another dark force in the culture. My opinion, Priscilla Presley. And later in today's Nerve, we are going to have an exclusive interview with Donna Presley, Elvis's cousin, who has a lot to say about Priscilla. A lot. And when you hear a question I posed to her about what she thinks Priscilla is capable of and what Donna has to say, I mean, if this doesn't, like, ratify everything the Nerve has been talking about vis a vis Priscilla, her former business partners, the ones who claim that Priscilla in their lawsuit pulled the plug prematurely on her daughter Lisa Marie, in order to wrest control of Graceland, are also claiming that she committed tax fraud. That she claimed that she only in a filing, rather to the IRS on May 4, 2023, she only owned jewelry worth $6,000, when in fact, it's closer to 25 million. Kinsey, your thoughts?

[Kinsey Schofield]

Isn't this crazy? And the way that they discovered this allegedly, they say, was when they were working to finalize the settlement between Priscilla and Riley, her granddaughter, at Presley's demand, ultimately resulting in that multi million dollar payment that Priscilla got, even though she is no longer. I mean, she divorced Elvis Presley and still is milking 70s. Yes. And still milking this man for financial gain. So, yes, I cannot wait to hear that interview. I mean, I'm so excited for you that you got that. But, you know, the whole jewelry thing reminds me of. Do you remember when Bam Margera from Jackass was spiraling in the public and somehow had some of Elvis Presley's jewelry and was claiming that it was gifted to him from Priscilla and her son, and Priscilla later denied it. But seriously, how did Bam get access to Elvis's rings?

[Maureen Callahan]

And what's Priscilla Presley doing running with Bam Margera?

[Kinsey Schofield]

I think that her weirdo son, you know, who's just a perpetual leech, was hanging around him for relevance.

[Maureen Callahan]

And so this is the care that we're taking with Elvis's legacy. Yes, we're giving Elvis's jewelry to some D Lister not heard nor seen from since Jackass. Forgive me if he's been on Fox's Special Forces or some such. Finally, we must address J. Lo's latest floppity flop. Kiss of the Spider Woman is a flop. And our friend here at the Nerve Rob Shooter is reporting that she is, quote, heartbroken over the dismal box office numbers. Am I right? That this thing only grossed 1.3 million.

[Kinsey Schofield]

I saw that it was lower than that.

[Maureen Callahan]

So to be lower than 1.3.

[Kinsey Schofield]

Yeah. To be generous, I say we go with your number. But there's an interesting piece in the New York Post about this, and the. The author says that they believe that negative associations are tough to shake off when. When he's talking about Jennifer Lopez. And he says, we just associate her with failure today, probably because of Ben Affleck, but also because of some really bad movies when we used to associate with her as the cute rom com girl. And while I kind of agree, I also think that we were angry with her that she didn't dismiss Diddy, that she didn't come out and say, I was never. I never saw anything that P. Diddy's accused of. I was never a part of anything that Diddy's accused of. But I am horrified for his victims, and I'm so sorry. I think that not talking out against Diddy, it helped cement that mean girl, that mean girl brand, or the whispers about how she's not a very nice person. And I don't think it helps her professionally.

[Maureen Callahan]

I couldn't agree with you more. This was my absolute thought when I saw those numbers on Monday morning. I thought, Jennifer Lopez is a completely unlikable person. And she has been for a very long time. And she. We are in a moment now in the culture. And I do think this is part of the reason the nerve is hitting the nerve. It is. We all see what we see and we know the truth. And it goes all the way back to Diddy and Jlo getting arrested over the gunplay in that nightclub in the early 90s and another guy going down for it. A woman got shot in the face and JLo got away with it. Smash cut to, you know, the last two years where she was shoving her love affair with Ben Affleck in our face and Ben dumped her. And, you know, she's just constantly spinning and spinning and spinning and she doesn't understand why we don't like her. We don't like her. And she refuses to take the note. Like, apparently she really thought she was gonna get an Academy Award out of this movie.

[Kinsey Schofield]

Oh, I know. That is the most embarrassing part of it all, isn't it? When you watch some of these clips and you're like, what? People were saying that that was a real. She thought that was a realistic option for her.

[Maureen Callahan]

Yeah.

[Kinsey Schofield]

I mean, I think you're right. The days of suits shoving these people down our throats and telling us what we're going to like are over and.

[Maureen Callahan]

What we're going to think of them. The adjacency. Here to me, with JLo's constant face plants in the public square is Hilaria Baldwin not understanding why she was voted off of Dancing with the Stars. Like they're both having similar conversations in what passes for those brains of theirs. What's going on? Why can't I get traction? You know, Jennifer Lopez will go to her grave thinking that the next role and the next role and the next role, that's the one that's gonna get her an Oscar. Just like Meghan Markle's gonna go to her grave thinking the. The next interview and the next interview, the Vogue cover, that's what's gonna get me traction. That's what's gonna make people like me. It's never happening.

[Kinsey Schofield]

Yeah, there's something inside of us. We've trained ourselves to be more cynical and we need deeper meaning. We're looking for the truth. And that's why people are tuning out of Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert and the rest of them. They keep saying, no, I'm gonna make you like me, but we're just not that way anymore. The suits have lost. The advertisers have really lost the power. The suits have lost the power. And now we pursue people that you know, are truthful and authentic. And it's really hard to find that in Hollywood.

[Maureen Callahan]

I couldn't have said it better. Kinsey, thank you so much. Thank you for bringing all of your inside knowledge, your takes, your interpretations of what's going on is always dead on. You can't get stuff like it anywhere else, except I would humbly submit here at the Nerve and over at Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered. If you haven't subscribed, do it. What are you doing with your life? Go subscribe to Kinsey and enjoy what she's got to offer. Thank you so much and I will see you soon, my friend.

[Donna Presley]

Thank you.

[Maureen Callahan]

And just to piggyback on that thought about what Kinsey said, which is very true, that the late night shows, the Kimmels, the Colbert's, they can no longer. They no longer have the power to anoint people as good and likable and talented. And we're gonna patronize whatever their projects are to this point. Ryan Reynolds, you guys reacted so strongly to our Ryan segment and it was so gratifying because we had really been Working up to doing that. And guess who showed up on late night the other night? And we're going to take it apart. Ryan Reynolds. Anyway, up next, we have some incredible, incredible troublemaker art and your emails. We will be back in a minute. There's so much going on right now that it's all too easy to feel disconnected. But there is something very simple that unites us, and that is shopping small. Because when you choose to buy from a small business, you're not just getting a product. You're helping someone's dream to grow. And you're investing in the values that so many of us share. Honesty, craftsmanship, and community. And that is what a warehouse is all about. They have teamed up with nearly 100 small business makers across the United States to bring you handmade goods filled with heart and creativity, uniting people of all backgrounds in a singular mission. So let's choose connection over division and show small businesses the support they deserve. Visit awarehouseshop.com and use code thenerve for 15% off your first order. That's awarehouseshop.com, code thenerve. Hey, everyone, it's me, Andy Cohen. Buckle up, because I have a podcast called Daddy Diaries where I take my listeners on an as it happened recount of life as a daddy to two kids, dozens of housewives, and the occasional fella. Listen to the Daddy Diaries to hear about my high highs and low lows of parenting, housewives, drama, and so much more. Daddy Diaries available wherever you listen to podcasts. We are back. Now, before we get to all of your reliably incredible feedback, we're going to take a moment to talk about Diane Keaton. I mean, just like Robert Redford, what an original, an American original who defined generations of cinema and moved with the times. And that is harder to do than you would think. The film I want to really sort of talk about, it's not one of the ones that she's really been. You know, the reports over the. Over the weekend, you know, they'll talk about Annie hall, of course, or the Godfather, of course, or Something's gotta Give, of course. But the film that blew my mind in my early 20s when I saw it, this was released in 1977. So it was pretty groundbreaking and pretty shocking. It's called looking for Mr. Goodbar. It was based on a novel. No, sorry. It was based on a book. It was based on a true story. An actual woman, a young woman in New York City, a schoolteacher who had been raised in a very restrictive Polish Catholic home and had also suffered from scoliosis as a young girl, which can just be a completely traumatizing physically. You know, if you've got it really bad, it can really disfigure you. And so when this woman sort of came of age, she left home and she went out into New York City. She worked, I believe, with deaf children and had a real gift. But because she had been so boxed in as a girl and repressed, she wound up going out to bars all over New York and hooking up with men. And this film was, in its way, it was both like groundbreaking and scandalous. But it was also something of a morality tale. It introduced also a very young Richard Gere. And what happens to Diane Keaton at the end of this movie is what happened to the actual woman she's portraying. I will not spoil it for you, but again, they do not make movies like this today. They don't. They really don't trust the audience. And it's so just for this alone. And the other thing about Diane Keaton and I sort of take her arc from the Godfather, which was released in 72, to, let's say Something's Gotta Give, I think was probably her last real great movie. But she moved alongside, like so many of the women I wrote about in Ask not, she moved alongside American feminism in a way that felt both glamorous and light. There was nothing ever forced about her. So from the dutiful wife in the Godfather, which was released in 72 but set way prior to Good Bar, to then Annie hall, which is an iconic, one of a kind, never to be replicated romantic comedy heroine who winds up independent in the film, by the way, okay? Independent of the man who's introduced her to all of these ideas and sophisticated urbanity analysis, what have you. Then you move on to Baby Boom, where she plays in the 80s, a hard charging career woman. And not for nothing, back in the 80s, that was controversial to be a woman who was like, I think I'd rather be over in this lane in career rather than hearth and home. And she winds up with a baby and Sam Shepard's in it. And it's amazing. And she really, really defined the era. And then first Wives Club, you know, one of the three women discarded in middle age by each of their husbands, went looking for a younger woman. Today those husbands would be be on Instagram or OnlyFans finding their new partners. And then to Something's Gotta Give, in which she played a very successful creative playwright who was undone by finding love later in life with a bad boy. And those scenes when she's crying and grieving it and really moving through it. And then she has her creative breakthrough. I mean, Diane Keaton, just a presence like no other. And, you know, we were talking about her before the show and how sudden her death felt, and a few people were saying, you know, I feel like cheated. Like, I wish I had known she was sick. I wish I had known this was coming. It felt very shocking and saddening. But my take is I actually kind of love that. Diane Keaton retreated from public life and surrounded herself with her adopted children. Again, she was not a conventional person. She was single. She had many great loves in her life, but she never married. And in her 50s, she decided to adopt children who look and seem like they are insanely well adjusted. You know, she said, they don't have any interest in what I do. And I think that's really healthy. So she leaves behind a legacy that is singular and we will miss her. Rest in peace, Diane Keaton. Now on to your feedback and your art. First of all, Paul from New Zealand. The prolific Paul from New Zealand shows up in my inbox with a new piece of art. It is Dakota Johnson and Jon Hamm. And in the middle is this poor young actress that Dakota Johnson is practically molesting on camera. There is no other way I can put this. My opinion, you know, it's creepy. Paul writes when Jon Hamm thinks it's creepy. Next, from troublemaker Christine. She sent in. She is not giving herself enough credit with this piece of art. It is a black crow sitting upon a pile of books and the speech bubble says fuck off. F dash K A W. I love the word kaw. Christine Dash. Fuck off. Hi Maureen. Now, I'm nowhere near as talented as Paul from New Zealand. It's not a competition. And by the way, I would beg to differ. I could not get all the details in here that I wanted, but I figured I'd share this humble AI generated artwork anyway. It has been living in my head for a while. Tis the seasons for ravens and all. And trust me, we are planning our Halloween special just like you. Oh, this is such a compliment. I didn't read this far down before going to talk to you guys. They are hell of a smart, pretty and they communicate well. Crows do. They do. Thank you. Keep up the good work, Troublemaker Christine. Thanks to you. Okay, again, some of my favorite feedback, Maureen. Please keep my name anonymous as I am just a regular straight guy who works in construction. These are my favorite. I'm a straight guy with a blue collar job and I'm digging the nerve. Your show is, in fact, my guilty pleasure. We're so happy. We aim to be just a pleasure. I don't think any guilt should be associated with this. To be honest now, this is very. This really touches me. I usually do not understand what you are talking about because it usually has nothing to do with anything. I'm used to being a country boy. That said, your use of the English language. He likes it. Then found Ask not. I have never been a reader, but I found the premise of the book slightly interesting. Fair enough. I bought it and I finished it in two weeks. Are you kidding me? While everyone else at work was on their phone like zombies, I was reading. It was incredibly interesting. And even though I thought it had nothing to do with me, I stood corrected. I feel that every man can learn how not to treat a woman. Society truly spirals when good men do nothing. Thanks for expanding my horizons. You have successfully turned me into an avid reader. Troublemaker. I can think of no higher compliment. None. Having just seen my goddaughter who's like, I still don't like to read. I'm dying over here. All right, anyway. Dear Maureen, very nice tribute to Joan Bennett Kennedy. Like Joan, I will keep you anonymous. Troublemaker. I am an alcoholic. Synonymous and struggled with alcohol. She recalls reading an article from the 1970s and troublemaker, I am with you because I dug this up while reporting Ask not so a reporter arrives at the Kennedy compound ready to interview Joan. Teddy answered the door, I think in a bathrobe. Gross. It's on brand. What can I say? Was very off putting and rude to the reporter. Again on brand. The reporter asked if Joan was home and Teddy said something to the effect of, yeah, she's in the backyard. Not asking them to return later that day because Joan was not available. No, this is true. This is true. Teddy escorted them through the house to the backyard where most unfortunately, Joan had driven her car drunk the night before, passed the front yard, hit a pole in the backyard and was laying in the car, passed out. And Teddy said, this is my aside to the reporter, pointed at Joan, looked back at the reporter and said, do you see what I have to deal with, Teddy Managing an active heavy cocaine habit along with many other drugs and booze. The booze. Okay, Teddy says this troublemaker was, quote, human trash. Real, not fake. Jennifer Aniston Callback to our last episode. And Joan was unfortunately trapped in that disgusting family. I was always impressed with the way Joan didn't give up and kept trying to help herself to live A good meaningful life. Rest in peace, Joan Bennett Kennedy. Agreed. Hello. I just saw a clip from Dan Wooten and wow. This is about Harry and Meghan. This the Paris trip. Harry says troublemaker Deborah must be so pissed off at her over that Paris trip and I'm guessing he is done and I'm right there with you. I think he's done. She looks defensive and pissed in New York and he looks full on. I got a right to be pissed. This 72 year old gran from Hollywood says our troublemaker used to live a wild life working at the Cat and Fiddle Pub on sunset. Excuse me, Mr. Chows on rodeo Drive hanging out with Blondie and Steve Jones. I now live vicariously through you and Kinsey retired and now live in Washington State and is into the Nerve and I'm into like I love like the Grands and everybody who's like, you know, back in my day I was down on the Sunset Strip or over at Max's Kansas City in New York. Love it. Okay, gonna do half of this troublemaker's email now and revisit later your recent stories about Keith Urban. It's so funny you say this troublemaker because I had the exact same thought and was trying to figure out how to bring it up. But you've done it so elegantly. These stories of Keith have reminded me of events that occurred regarding Madonna's marriage and later divorce in 2008 from Guy Ritchie. Urban and Guy Ritchie both appear to really resent their marriages to more famous women. Keith Urban and his hatred of being Mr. Nicole Kidman is on par with Guy Ritchie's hatred of being Mr. Madonna in the aughts. Also, Urban showing off his new women is on par with Guy Ritchie marrying Jackie Ainsley and having her wear Mrs. Richie outfits to post photos on Instagram just as Madonna wore the Mrs. Richie shirts around the time that she released music and returned to touring with the Drowned World tour in the pre 911 early 2000s. Love youe Recall. I remember this so clearly. There was a documentary done, I believe on Guy Ritchie. It could have been Madonna, I don't know. But there was this scene that I thought was so telling. It was shot in black and white, I believe. Madonna is out at a pub with Guy and and some friends and she is so clearly exhausted and dying to go home and Guy is ignoring her and it's his power play with her and she was so besotted with him and so in love with him that she literally just laid down on like this hard wooden bench in the pub and waited until Guy was ready to go home. And in that moment I thought he hates her and he's punishing her for being beautiful and successful and far more talented. I think Guy Ritchie is a hack. I think he's a terrible director. He would not have the career he's got without Madonna and her connections. Okay? Trust me. Now this troublemaker relatedly is asking that we cover a movie that is forthcoming. So we're going to just put that on the back burner for the moment. But I am actively thinking we here at Team Nerve, you guys have been asking for a lot of movie coverage. Old movies, newer films, what have you. And I've got an idea and we're going to work on this and then we'll come back at you with what we've got. So thank you. Troublemaker. All great stuff. Oh, one last one. This is also movie themed. Maureen, regarding Sarah Jessica Parker going mean girl on the New Yorker. Writer showing up overdressed for the New York City Ballet in that New Yorker piece. It reminded me of the fancy dress party scene in Rebecca. SJP is Mrs. Danvers. If Rebecca isn't one of my favorite books and films of all time and Mrs. Danvers one of the greatest villains ever committed to print or film of all times. You got me with that one, Troublemaker. You grabbed me. Okay, next up. Next up we will be speaking with Elvis Presley's cousin Donna about what exactly Priscilla Presley is doing to Elvis's legacy. But first, quick reminder, keep the feedback coming. Email me at maureenvilmaycaremedia.com or hit me up on Instagram. Maureen Callahan, writer. Or the Nerve show where you can also see the meme that unnamed troublemaker. I mean superstar troublemaker. The AI generated image of me wielding an ax and pulping some wood. I died. I died. Okay? And remember, the nerve substack is on the way. And this is where we're going to have dedicated spots for the recommendations you guys are asking for books, films, et cetera. You can ask questions, you can ask for advice, you can all continue the conversation amongst the yourselves and we will of course always be in there. So get ready for that. Okay, we will see you in a minute. Are you looking for a product that boosts energy and has the added benefit of metabolic, immune and skin support? Well, meet Peak, a luxury brand transforming wellness with cutting edge ingredients. Their science backed botanicals, minerals and supplements support sustained energy, metabolic function, immune health and will give you radiant skin making it easy to live each day with vitality. 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Visit samsung.com bespoke to learn more. Based on most customer Satisfaction Awards, Home Appliance Surveys Leading Customer Research Organization 2020.

[Nikki and Bri]

Through 2024 hey everyone, it's Nikki and Bri, and we're here to let you know that we have a podcast, the Nicki and Bri Show. Yes, and we've got new episodes every Monday and Thursday. We're serving up real deal conversations that go beyond the cameras. Think Motherhood Confessions, Sisterhood Vibes, Boss Business Energy and TV Life Tea. Need a laugh? We got you craving inspo. We got inspiration and affirmations on deck. Want a little cry or a big? Heck yes. That's our jam. Whether we're breaking down pop culture, sharing parenting wins or fails, unpacking personal growth, or just riffing on everyday chaos, nothing is off limits. Plus, we welcome incredible guests, play our favorite games, and do what only sisters can keep it 100 while raising a glass together. So pop a bottle, hit play and come hang with us. Listen to the Nikki and Bri show wherever you get your podcast.

[Maureen Callahan]

So here at the Nerve, we have been following Priscilla Presley as she has been making the media rounds hawking her new book about her life after Elvis, which is problematic on many levels. Now we are very, very happy to be welcoming in a Nerve exclusive Again, another Nerve exclusive. Elvis's first cousin, Donna Presley. Donna has recently started her own YouTube channel and I would encourage anyone who is a fan of Elvis, as I am lifelong fan of Elvis, to go over there to Donna Pressley official. Now, Donna has been making some great footage, great video about things that Priscilla is saying that echo what we here at Nerve HQ have been saying for the past few weeks. So, Donna, welcome. Welcome to the Nerve and thank you for being here.

[Donna Presley]

Oh, it's my pleasure. Thank you.

[Maureen Callahan]

What about, you know, Priscilla has been out there low these many decades, feasting off of the memory of Elvis Presley. What is it about what she's saying now that made you feel you had to come forward?

[Donna Presley]

Well, unfortunately, everything. It's gotten to the point that. Where it seems like she's blaming Elvis and the family for anything that's gone wrong in the past 40 some odd years and it was just time to stand up and say enough is enough. I mean, I feel like that, you know, the things that she said about Elvis and even Lisa, I just think are wrong. And it's time to stand up and be counted and say, look, this is my family, a family I grew up with, a family that I love dearly. And it's time to stay, to set the record straight and just stop all this nonsense about everything that's gone wrong or anything that any problems that she might have had, she feels like in her life she wants to blame the office and the family for. And it's time to stop that.

[Maureen Callahan]

I want to get to Lisa Marie with you, but first I wanted to ask you, you said that Priscilla has no relationship really with any of Elvis's surviving relatives, save one, and that you felt she always looked down on the Presley family.

[Donna Presley]

Yes, that's true. I mean, even at a very young age, it's like we were. It was more condescending, so to speak, like we didn't aspire to what she was, she was hoping to aspire to, which is.

[Maureen Callahan]

Or was. I mean, are you similar ages, you and Priscilla?

[Donna Presley]

He's five years older than I am.

[Maureen Callahan]

Okay, so as a young girl, that's a long. That's a big gap. But as you get older. That's nothing.

[Donna Presley]

Nothing. That's true, Very true.

[Maureen Callahan]

So was she older than you?

[Donna Presley]

He's five.

[Maureen Callahan]

Okay, so you were about nine when. Or ten when Priscilla alighted in Nashville or Memphis. Sorry, at Graceland.

[Donna Presley]

Yes, that's true.

[Maureen Callahan]

And from the beginning you got a sense of. She thought she was much better.

[Donna Presley]

Well, yes. I mean, my younger sister Karen, we called her Susie. But anyway, she was a very loving and, and, you know, kind of a touchy feely, what we call touchy feely person who liked to hug people and so forth. And so when she would see Priscilla, she would run up and hug her. And then Priscilla told me one day that it annoyed her and that she wished that she would stop that. So I told my sister to stop, you know, hugging her, and it really upset my sister, you know, and it was just little things like that that stand out in my mind, you know, that she felt like she was ascending to a higher plane than the rest of us.

[Maureen Callahan]

Donna, why do you think Elvis married Priscilla?

[Donna Presley]

I think there was a lot of pressure on him. The Colonel basically told him to, you know, either marry her or send her home. And, you know, of course, her dad being a dad, I guess, you know, just he felt like it was time to make an honest woman of her, so to speak, and to marry her. And Elvis felt that pressure.

[Maureen Callahan]

I forget whether it was on your podcast or I had read this elsewhere, but the report is that it was Priscilla's father who said, if you don't marry her, this is going to be a public relations nightmare for you. It's going to be a career killer.

[Donna Presley]

Absolutely, absolutely. And so, you know, he felt like he had no choice. It's not that he wanted to marry her, it's just like he felt he had no choice to do so. He had to.

[Maureen Callahan]

And so it must be incredibly galling for you and other members of, of the, of the Presley family to see her parading around at 80 years old now as if she's the widow Presley. They divorced. He had moved on with multiple other women. By the way, may I ask you, do you have any knowledge of this? It's long been rumored that Elvis's real love, the woman he really was, the one who got away, was Ann Margaret.

[Donna Presley]

In my belief, yes, I believe that that's true.

[Maureen Callahan]

You do? Can you tell us why?

[Donna Presley]

Well, I think that they were very similar in a lot of ways. You know, they were both in show business, and I think that was probably the downfall of why they didn't make it, because they were both in show business. They both had great careers ahead of them, and, you know, that's. That's not always a good thing. So, yeah, I think he truly, really loved her. She was. She was kind of like a female Elvis in a lot of ways, you know?

[Maureen Callahan]

Yes, yes.

[Donna Presley]

Very sweet and loving person. And I met her at the funeral and.

[Maureen Callahan]

You did? She was at the funeral?

[Donna Presley]

Indeed she was. She and her husband were at the funeral.

[Maureen Callahan]

So. So that was part of the reason they never get together. She was also married at the time. But what was her, her demeanor like at Elvis's funeral?

[Donna Presley]

Well, she was heartbroken. I mean, they were. They were very close, even though they weren't together anymore. In that sense, they were still very good friends. And, you know, I've always admired and respected Anne for the way that she's been about Elvis, you know, things. She kept things private. It was, it was a love, a love story that they shared and she kept it to herself. So I admired it. But yes, you could tell she was very heartbroken over the situation.

[Maureen Callahan]

Yeah, it's such an interesting contrast, Donna, now that we're talking about it, because I've seen Ann Margaret interviewed, I'm going to say, within the past year or so, and she is invariably asked about Elvis and their relationship and she to this day keeps it very private. She won't even really acknowledge that it was ever romantic.

[Donna Presley]

That's true.

[Maureen Callahan]

And it's such a stark contrast to the widow Presley who's out here. You know, I wanted to also ask you as to. As we begin to talk about Lisa, Elvis as a dad, what was he like with Lisa?

[Donna Presley]

Well, he spoiled her rotten. He really did. He absolutely adored her. She was the. If there is a true love of Elvis's life, it was Lisa, you know, she was, it was a little girl and, you know, he was raised in a very loving and, and caring home and he wanted that for Lisa and he just absolutely adored her, everything about her. And she was this fitting image of him.

[Maureen Callahan]

She was.

[Donna Presley]

Oh, yeah, she was. And also not not only in looks, but as in spirit too. Yes, she was a precocious child, you know, and she had a wicked sense of humor and she was very much like him in a lot of ways.

[Maureen Callahan]

I wonder if that is some of what I perceive as. Because I've done all of my reading. And by the way, for anyone watching, the Nerve, for my money, Donna, correct me if you think I'm wrong. One of the best, if not the best biographies of Elvis was written by Peter Goralnick Careless Love, Volume 2 of his two volume Elvis biography. And what he got so right about Elvis that I don't think any other biographer ever truly located was Elvis's inherent loneliness which came. That was the cost of his genius. There was, there was an inherent loneliness to him. I wonder if Lisa Marie's utter resemblance to Elvis, not just physically, but spiritually, emotionally, temperamentally, cites some of what I can only describe in my opinion as the rage that Priscilla felt towards her own daughter. Do you have any thoughts?

[Donna Presley]

I do have thoughts about that. I agree with you. I think the fact that she was Elvis's daughter and that she was so much like Elvis and I feel like that Priscilla wanted her own career and her. You know, because I heard her say on an interview the other night, well, I wanted to show that I could do it, too. And I thought that was very telling. She said that because I think she always really wanted to be where Elvis was, you know, in that he was an icon, a superstar. And I think that that is something she's always kind of, you know, aspired to.

[Maureen Callahan]

What an odd thing, because especially I feel when you're close to it, you would even have greater knowledge of what a unicorn Elvis was. You know, very few people are touched with those. That amount of. Of talent, the gifts that he had, which were many. You know, you talking about spoiling Lisa and, like, being a hugger and wanting anyone who's been to Graceland, as I have, you know, one of the things that strikes you about it when you walk in, and I mean this in the best way possible, it's not a McMansion. It's not an estate. It feels small. It feels homey and cozy and like it was built as a retreat and a respite and for domesticity.

[Donna Presley]

Yes, absolutely. That is absolutely correct. It was Elvis's home. He loved it. He bought it for his parents. He loved sharing that with them. And just we were all there. We were a family. We were a close family, a loving family. And, you know, we did hug. We did. You know, every time he'd see me, he'd walk over, and I was 15 years younger than Elvis. He'd either pat me on the head or kiss me on top of the head. Hey, Donnie. Which is what he always called me, was Donnie. And, you know, how are you doing? And he was just a very loving and caring and kind, giving man. And I don't mean just in monetary ways. I'm talking about in his spirit, in his love and the way he felt about things. And he loved to be with us. He knew that we were his safe place. We were his safety net. He knew we loved him no matter what. We loved him long before he was Elvis Presley. We loved Elvis, and he always knew that. And so he wanted to keep us close to him because he knew that we loved him. And he told me one time, I was in Grandma's room. I was spending the night there.

[Maureen Callahan]

At Graceland.

[Donna Presley]

At Graceland.

[Maureen Callahan]

She's on the first floor, which visitors can go see.

[Donna Presley]

Yes. And I was there, and Grandma had just left the room to go into the kitchen for something, and Elvis walked in, and I was sitting in the chair. And never forget, I was watching Gunsmoke of all things, because Grandma loved Westerns. But he walks over and he sits down in front of me in the floor in front of my chair, and he's talking to me. He's asking me about, you know, I was. I was going to graduate high school soon, you know, who I was dating and. And so forth, and. And what I wanted to do with my life. And I told him, I said, well, I'm not really sure what I want to do with my life yet, Elvis, you know, I'm still, you know, at odds. And he said, well, remember these four things. He said, you can be anything you want to be and do anything you want to do if you remember these four things. And I said, okay, what are they? He said, always have faith in God. Always have faith in yourself. Be willing to work hard for what you want and never let anyone tell you that you cannot accomplish your dreams, because I'm living proof that you can. So I thought, you know, that advice was so. So kind and so sweet and so giving. And he told me at this, the same evening, he said, you know, Donnie, I envy you. And I said, I laugh because I said, elvis, you're Elvis, you know, why do you envy me? And he said, because when you go out on a date with a guy, you know, it's because he likes you for you. If you have a friend, it's because she likes you, because you're you. I don't have that luxury. I never know if someone that I meet that, you know, bring into my inner circle, if they like me for being Elvis or Elvis Presley. And it's the same with a woman. I never know for sure if she loves me for me or for Elvis Presley.

[Maureen Callahan]

That is so profound, Donna. And that is the loneliness that Peter Goralnick really explored in Careless Love. There is that letter or that note to himself that he wrote. I believe this was during his Vegas residency towards the end. And I believe Wayne Newton bought this at auction. And Elvis is writing to himself, and towards the end of it, he's talking to God. And he says, I get so alone sometimes that it's like a physical ache. And to that. So I really want to talk about what Priscilla is not only doing vis a vis Elvis's legacy and trying to lock it down as her own, but what she is talking about in terms of her late daughter. Now, as we've discussed on the Nerve, as part of this media tour that Priscilla is on, anyone interviewing her is prevented from asking the only question that matters, as contained in this lawsuit brought against Priscilla by two of her former business partners. Did you, in fact, as alleged, pull the plug prematurely on your daughter Lisa Marie, so that you could wrest control of Graceland and the estate from your own granddaughter, Riley Keough? Donna, your thoughts?

[Donna Presley]

Well, as a mother and a grandmother, that's very hard for me to even wrap my head around that at a time that your daughter is laying there, that you're even thinking about in terms of the estate and what's going to happen and how you can gain control again. To me, that is very damning. I can't even begin to imagine that. I can't wrap my head around it, because if Elvis had known that Lisa, as she said in her book, and I'm going by her words, especially here, I felt alone. I felt unloved and uncared for, like I was a pawn in a game. And those are Lisa's words. If Elvis had known that, you know, if Elvis could have been around here, you know, and been alive to take care of her, he would have taken full control and loved her and shown her. And I'm so heartbroken by that and devastated in myself that I didn't reach out to Lisa. Had I known that she was going through that, I would have reached out and said, you're not alone. You are loved. And that there's family here that. That wants to be there for you and. And care about you and teach you the things that your father knew and teach you the ways of your father and the family of. Of having a strong faith in God and loving each other and being respectful and kind of everyone. So it was very difficult for me.

[Maureen Callahan]

Do you think, Donna, that Priscilla is capable of such a thing?

[Donna Presley]

Of love?

[Maureen Callahan]

No. Of pulling the plug prematurely?

[Donna Presley]

Allegedly.

[Maureen Callahan]

Allegedly.

[Donna Presley]

Yeah. I'm not. I'm not. I don't know. I. To be honest, I'm not really surprised at much that happens with Priscilla.

[Maureen Callahan]

Wow. I mean, it's not a no. And, you know, I find it very interesting that Riley has largely kept. She issued one very milquetoast, my opinion statement vis a vis this allegation, but she has largely kept her mouth shut, which says a lot to me. Do you think that Priscilla deliberately kept Lisa Marie from the Presley side of the family after Elvis died?

[Donna Presley]

In my opinion, yes.

[Maureen Callahan]

Why do you think she did that?

[Donna Presley]

Because we were a little too commonplace, parochial. Had a strong faith in God. I remember when my mom wrote her book, I talked to Priscilla about it, about it possibly going into Graceland, and she said, no, it's got too much God in it.

[Maureen Callahan]

Sorry about the Book, your mom's book, which has just been republished, One Flower While I Live, Elvis as I remember him, which also talks about Elvis on the porch of the shotgun house he grew up in. That's a house with one room, a front door and straight back is the back door. Real poverty he grew up in. And he said, my dream is to buy my parents a house and Graceland was it. Yes, so. But you don't think it had anything to do with alienating her. To be close to her father's side of the family is to be close to Elvis as you knew him, not as, not as Priscilla knew him.

[Donna Presley]

Yes, yes, I truly believe that she did keep us away from Lisa because of that. You know, we grew up in a faith based family. We grew up in a very caring and loving family. And you know, we have had nothing but absolute love, adoration, respect and kindness, you know, in our lives. And we had that for Elvis and still do today. And that's why I'm standing up now and saying my truth and saying what's true and what's not true.

[Maureen Callahan]

What are some of the other things that Priscilla is saying about Elvis that you take particular issue with?

[Donna Presley]

Well, the fact that she, you know, is blaming what one thing that really upset me was she was blaming the issues or any problems that Lisa had growing up on Elvis. Elvis has been gone for 48 years now and Lisa Marie, God love her, was nine years old when Elvis passed away. And so she's blaming all that on Elvis that at least I had any problems. And it's not about the fact of growing up, as Lisa said in her book, without love, you know, not feeling that love and connection and feeling like she was merely a pawn. So I think that, yeah, that she would have brought her close to the family. We would have taught her, we would have shown her the love that she deserved that she needed because we did love her. We do, you know, still love her even though she's gone. And that's why I'm so heartbroken that I didn't reach out. I, and I guess in my own, to be quite honest, I thought, I felt like that there would be a misconception about it that, you know, it wouldn't be welcomed. And I, until I read Lisa's book, I alone that she was and how unloved she felt.

[Maureen Callahan]

It's so sad and it's so true. By the way, your point about Priscilla conveniently blaming Elvis who has, as you said, been dead for 48 years yet, yet she has to be buried at Graceland and we'll get to that. Okay, so he's either the devil or he's not. Okay. When, as per Lisa Marie's own writing in her book, which I have here, from Here to the Great Unknown, finished by her daughter Riley, who, as stated before on the Nerf, I think is a class act. You know, if. If you want to judge Lisa Marie, who Priscilla again is dragging through the mud, judge her by her. The. The daughter she turned out, who is. Seems a class A human being. You know, perhaps her daughter was not only traumatized from being at Graceland when her father died and witnessing that. Witnessing that, but having Lisa having Priscilla's live in boyfriend molest Lisa by her own self report for four years. And Priscilla says, oh, it was a misunderstanding.

[Donna Presley]

Yes, yes, indeed. And that alone would cause, besides feeling unloved and unwanted, then have this happen, have a man, her boyfriend, molest Lisa. I mean, that alone, those two things right there would be enough to cause problems for a child.

[Maureen Callahan]

Of course. And then. And then add Scientology onto that. Add dumping your difficult daughter to be raised over by Scientologists.

[Donna Presley]

Yes, exactly. And that's. That's another point right there. So I. I feel like that in some ways, bless her heart, you know, Lisa turned out to be such a warm and loving and caring woman because she had that spirit of Elvis in her and she. She had that love of Elvis with her. So she turned out to be a wonderful woman. She turned out, even though with issues and troubles that she might have had, although I feel like that they've been greatly expounded upon, you know, and she turned out some, you know, a beautiful daughter like Riley and son like Ben and, you know, the other two daughters, Finley and Harper. I mean, you know, I mean, she was a loving and caring woman and mother and something that she obviously, in her own words, didn't feel like she received.

[Maureen Callahan]

So to Priscilla's negotiated settlement with Riley Keough, her own granddaughter, who inherited Graceland upon her mother's untimely, tragic death.

[Donna Presley]

Yes.

[Maureen Callahan]

And who has an email has been made public, we don't know how, in which Riley lamented writing to Priscilla having to hire lawyers before she could even bury her mother to fight with her grandmother. Her grandmother was not letting go of Graceland. We're gonna keep those claws in there, which to me feels very telling because as you were to just circle back to the top of our conversation, when you said Priscilla looked at Elvis with envy. I want that. And her life, really, the acting career never really took off. We've not really done Anything of note. So this is the legacy play, right? We're going to be interred in Graceland. Do you know where her designated plot is? And the feeling among the Presley family that Priscilla will be laid to rest with Elvis and his father and all of the Presleys?

[Donna Presley]

I have no idea where she thinks that she could be laid to rest there, but in my opinion, I don't know why she would want to be. She's blamed Elvis for everything that's happened in her life. And yet, you know, she. She maintains the Presley name, which in my opinion is not something that she should do because she was divorced from Ellis. She only. She got. She obtained Graceland through Uncle Vernon, and he did that to protect Lisa Marie. And when he said that, he told me that he was going to make her a trustee. And I said to him, uncle Vernon, are you sure that's what Elvis would want? He said, no, he wouldn't.

[Maureen Callahan]

He said, no, he wouldn't want this.

[Donna Presley]

But he said, I have to take care of Lisa Marie. She is my only grandchild. She is my thoughts right now. So I have to maintain as a mother. I'm sure she'll provide for and take care of her and take care of her legacy and her inheritance.

[Maureen Callahan]

And so here we are. Here we are. We are now at a point in the narrative in this story where Priscilla has been accused of pulling the plug prematurely on her own daughter. Before Riley could even get there. Riley was midair trying to reach her mother in order to wrest control back from her daughter of Graceland, which is, you know, you can understand kind of why it doesn't excuse it or anything, but Graceland is one of the three most visited residences in the United States. Donna, correct me, is it right after the White House or is it number one? Yes, right after the White House. And it's also considered. I did a tour of some cemeteries in New Orleans, and they. They said, you know, can you name one of the most visited cemeteries in the world? And I was like, yeah, Graceland. Because I've been there. It's. It's kind of also considered that. I mean, it's living American history.

[Donna Presley]

Yes, it is.

[Maureen Callahan]

Well, I just. I would encourage anyone who is an Elvis fan to go over and subscribe to your wonderful YouTube channel and listen to Donna, who is lovingly restoring Elvis and his legacy where it belongs, out of the clutches of one Priscilla Presley. Thank you so much, Donna, for coming on the Nerve.

[Donna Presley]

Pleasure to be on. Thank you very much.

[Maureen Callahan]

And that does it. For our Tuesday edition of the Nerve. We will be right back here tomorrow for the second edition of the Nerve at night and then again on Friday and of course the Mini on Saturday. Is it possible to have too much nerve? Are we too nervy? I know you'll let us know so we will see. See you back here tomorrow evening on the Nerve at night and the Nerve in general where you will never guess what we are about to say next. Remember when laundry day meant literally your entire day sorting loads, switching machines, forgetting wet clothes until they needed washing again? Those days are over. The new Samsung Bespoke AI Laundry combo takes clothes from dirty to dry in as little as 68 minutes. No transfers needed. A new way to do laundry is here from the brand rated number one in customer satisfaction Samsung. Visit samsung.com bespoke to learn more. Based on most customer Satisfaction awards Home Appliance Surveys Leading Customer Research Organization 2020.

[Nikki and Bri]

Through 2024 hey everyone, it's Nikki and Bri and we're here to let you know that we have a podcast, the Nikki and Bri Show. Yes, and we've got new episodes every Monday and Thursday. We're serving up real deal con that go beyond the cameras. Think Motherhood Confessions, Sisterhood vibes, Boss Business Energy and TV Live tea. Need a laugh? We got you craving inspo. We got inspiration and affirmations on deck. Want a little cry or a big Heck yes. That's our jam. Whether we're breaking down pop culture, sharing parenting wins or fails, unpacking personal growth, or just riffing on everyday chaos, nothing is off limitless. Plus, we welcome incredible guests, play our favorite games, and do what only sisters can keep it 100 while raising a glass together. So pop a bottle, hit play and come hang with us. Listen to the Nikki and Brie show wherever you get your podcast.